Law school is a natural next step for many college students looking to advance their career in the legal field, but determining the best law school to attend can be a confusing and difficult series of disappointments if students haven’t researched the application requirements of the law schools they are applying to. Getting into law school can also be a very expensive process with multiple application fees, so understanding the application requirements can help prospective lawyers weed out schools that are either below or above their qualifications. Below is an overview of America’s Top Law schools and the application requirements from students looking to enter their 1L year at these institutions.
In the coveted top-three spots are the predictable ivy-league schools Yale, Stanford and Harvard, respectively. Located in picturesque New Haven, Connecticut, Yale Law boasts an exclusive acceptance rate of just under 7%. To be one of the lucky 6.8% who do become students, an impressive LSAT score of 170-176 will be required by any prospective applicant. Stanford Law, in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, accepts about 8.6% of prospective students and averages an LSAT score of 169-174. Finally, the grandiose Harvard Law accepts almost 13% of applicants and averages an LSAT score of 170-175.
In the middle of the top American law schools, a few non-ivy names pop out with University of Chicago, Columbia and NYU holding onto seats 4, 5 and 6 respectively. Each boasts an acceptance rate under 25% and a 170 LSAT score hits squarely in the middle of each acceptance range. Spot number 7 goes to the University of Pennsylvania, and spot number 8 goes to the University of Virginia, both accepting around 15% of applicants and averaging an LSAT score between 164-171.
Rounding out the bottom of the list is the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor with spot number nine, an acceptance rate of just under 20% and an average LSAT range of 165-171. Three schools are tied for the number 10 spot: Duke, Northwestern, and UC – Berkeley and all accept about 20% of applicants who have an average LSAT score of 165-171.
Bottom line for prospective lawyers looking to attend one of America’s top 10 law schools? An LSAT score of at least 165.
