When considering taking legal education, you should look at the best law schools in the U.S. to help widen your choices and perspective. Law school rankings vary according to factors that contribute to how they are ranked. These factors include the school’s admission process, LSAT average requirements, faculty, and many more.
For many, getting into law programs can be a grueling process. This is especially true if you are trying to get into the best law schools out there, but it might very well be worth the effort. After all, application and admission are only the beginning of your law school journey. To help you out, listed herein are the top law schools in the country.
What is the #1 law school in America?
The United States is home to many top law schools in the country and the entire world. Law school experiences vary, but just like obtaining other degrees, the school will significantly matter and affect your experience. It can even make or break your decision whether to finish strong or pursue a different career path.
For many years, Yale, Stanford, and Harvard have all been vying to be called the best. Objectively, all three are good schools and have proven their top records in alumni becoming effective public service and private firms. They are still aiming to keep this record going and succeeding, as they are still very much included in this list.
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Top law schools in the United States
Whether you’re looking for a bit of background check for research or are interested in going into law school, you have vast options. Many schools offer part-time and full-time programs, as many individuals go into legal studies while pursuing a primary career. If you want to check out the best of the best, here is a list of the top nine best law schools in the U.S.
Yale University
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The highly ranked Ivy League school is known for its many prestigious programs, including law. Law students are graded with labels of honors, pass, low pass, credit, or failure during their semester. To keep standards high and prioritize each student, most classes are small and often composed of less than 20 students. Notable alumni include former President Bill Clinton and Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.
- Application Deadline: February 28th
- Application Fee: $85
- Full-time Tuition Fee: $68,117
Stanford University
Since its gates opened in 1891, Stanford University has been a leading teaching and research university for people admitted into their programs. Their law programs include Environmental Law and Policy, International Law in Economics and Policies, and a few others. The school has produced many influential people who have changed world history, including Nobel Peace Prize winners and world leaders.
- Application Deadline: February 15th
- Application Fee: $85
- Full-time Tuition Fee: $66,396
Harvard University
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Among other opportunities, Harvard law students are given a chance to put theory into practice while being undergraduates. Through the school’s Student Practice Organizations, freshmen law students can test their skills on intellectual property laws, copyright laws, dispute resolution laws, tax laws, criminal laws, and constitutional laws. Alumni include former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama and many Supreme Court Chief Justices.
- Application Deadline: February 1st
- Application Fee: $85
- Full-time Tuition Fee: $67,081
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Columbia University
Also a leading university for research, Columbia University is a center for knowledge and a producer of world-class students and alumni. It is one of New York’s oldest schools, standing proud since 1754. The school offers over a hundred Master’s programs and even more undergraduate programs. Their law school offers Global Business Law, Human Rights Studies, and general Law, with classes in trial advocacy law, constitutional law, etc.
- Application Deadline: February 15th
- Application Fee: $85
- Full-time Tuition Fee: $74,995
University of Chicago
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
As an urban center for research and development, the University of Chicago is home to many brilliant minds. The school offers some of the most prestigious academic programs in the county and internationally, having established fields in ecology and sociology. They offer programs for Juris Doctors while also offering the Master of Laws, Master of Studies in Law, and Doctor of Juridical Science degrees in law.
- Application Deadline: March 1st
- Application Fee: $85
- Full-time Tuition Fee: $69,975
New York University
Through NYU’s Lawyering Program, first-year law students get an interactive experience to put their learnings into action. Students can further put theory into practice in dozens of legal clinics and on-campus centers of the university during the rest of their studying years. Many notable NYU Law School alumni include presidents and CEOs of multi-billion dollar companies, senators, and global leaders.
- Application Deadline: February 15th
- Application Fee: $85
- Full-time Tuition Fee: $71,304
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University of Pennsylvania – Carey
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
At the University of Pennsylvania, professional law students can cross enroll into other courses in varying academic departments and vice versa. This well-rounded approach to education makes many of Penn’s students leave the university with a holistic education. Penn Law students must also do at least 70 hours’ worth of pro bono work before finishing their law degrees.
- Application Deadline: March 1st
- Application Fee: $80
- Full-time Tuition Fee: $68,130
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia School of Law operates pretty much how the rest of the programs at the school do — via a rigorous student-run honor system. During admissions, students pledge not to cheat, steal, or lie. Violators will immediately be expelled. While the university may sound intimidating, they have produced many prominent figures in politics, business, and research, including New York Times editor Will Shortz.
- Application Deadline: March 3rd
- Application Fee: $85
- Full-time Tuition Fee: $65,500 (in-state) and full-time: $68,500 (out-of-state)
University of California – Berkeley
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The UC—Berkeley School of Law does not use traditional letter grades or GPAs. Students are also not ranked with their peers, making evaluations purely individual-based. The university has pioneered some of the best curriculums, such as intellectual property laws and technology-related laws.
There are also law clinics available to students should they be interested in hands-on learning. Alumni include CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, Terdema Ussery.
- Application Deadline: February 15th
- Application Fee: $75
- Full-time Tuition Fee: $60,158 (in-state) and full-time: $62,816 (out-of-state)
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Factors to consider when choosing a law school
When choosing the best law school in the country, take your time comparing the many programs each school has to offer. Apart from your chosen program, consider the school’s curriculum, employment and placement success, cost and financial aids, faculty to student ratio, and available extracurricular activities.
While world rankings may play a part in your ultimate choice, some law schools may be better suited to you than others. For example, if you are working on a full-time career, law schools offer part-time programs while ensuring top-quality legal education.
What’s a good GPA for going to law school?
As a general rule, high-ranking law schools in the country admit students with near-perfect college GPAs. The top-ranking schools had median GPAs of 3.7 or higher. However, this shouldn’t deter you from applying even if you don’t have as high a GPA during your undergraduate. Real-life experience, as in careers, may also have an impact on your application and admission.
Summary
When choosing a law school, one can be put in a decisive situation. There are so many to choose from, and each law school holds a particular reputation. With this in mind, the list above of schools has hopefully shed some light on what one’s decision would be. Good luck!
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