Key takeaways:
- Some of the most prestigious Law schools include Harvard, Georgetown, Yale, and Fordham.
- Harvard and Yale’s incoming Law students had a median 174 LSAT and 3.96 GPA.
- To improve your admission chances, craft a well-rounded application, tell a story, prepare for an interview, and choose your undergraduate major wisely.
Flickr user Abi Skipp
Harvard University, Yale University, and Georgetown University are just some of the most prestigious Law schools in the United States. These institutions and other top ranking schools are well-known for their distinguished professors, high job placement after graduation, and all-around outstanding academics and facilities. As a result, they’re highly competitive. In this guide, we walk you through just some of the most prestigious Law schools and highlight a few ways you can improve your admission chances to them.
What is Law school?
Law school is a graduate-level institution of a college or university designed to teach future lawyers, judges, and similar professionals. They award Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees to those who complete the program, which typically takes three years. Students interested in becoming lawyers need to earn a bachelor’s first. Once you have your J.D., you’ll need to pass a state bar exam to practice law.
Law school students learn about contracts, property law, criminal law, civil procedure, ethics, legal writing, research, and more. You can also choose to specialize in subjects such as family, immigration, or environmental law.
Most prestigious Law schools
These 10 institutions are among some of the most prestigious, competitive, and oldest Law schools in the United States.
1. Harvard University
The top-rated law school (and oldest) in the United States, Harvard University’s Harvard Law School (HLS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is world renowned. Students have access to astounding resources and top minds in the field – it’s even home to the largest academic law library. Alumni include Barack Obama, Rutherford B. Hayes, and sixteen Supreme Court justices.
HLS is highly selective, at a 9.2% acceptance rate. On average, applicants scored a 174 on the LSAT and had a 3.96 GPA.
2. Georgetown University
Georgetown University Law Center – or Georgetown Law – offers over 500 J.D. courses each year, ranging from Financial Regulation to Constitutional Law and Health Law to Legal History. 93% of graduates from 2024 passed the bar exam within two years of graduation, and 98.33% were employed within 10 months. The school’s motto is “Law is but the means — Justice is the end.”
The incoming Fall 2025 class at Georgetown Law had a median LSAT of 171 and median GPA of 3.93.
3. Fordham University
Located in Bronx, NY, J.D. students at Fordham University School of Law can choose from five concentrations: Business Law and Financial Law, Intellectual Property and Information Law, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Public Interest and Service, and International, Comparative, and Foreign Law. The school states that 93% of its 2023 graduates were employed within 10 months of graduation.
Many of Fordham’s law students come from its undergraduate school, as well as New York University and Columbia University. The incoming full-time Fall 2025 students had a median 168 LSAT and 3.8 GPA.
4. University of California – Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, also known as simply Berkeley Law, has a roughly 10% acceptance rate, with a median LSAT of 170 and median GPA of 3.92. Unlike many other law schools, it uses a five tier grading system: High Honors (HH), Honors (H), Pass (P), Pass Conditional/Substandard Pass (PC), or No Credit (NC).
Berkeley Law has several clinics and institutes on campus and scattered throughout the San Francisco area that assist with field placement and experiential learning.
5. Yeshiva University
The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York City is named for Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo. The school has more than 25 in-house and field clinics to connect its students with New York’s legal scene. Cardozo Law’s 2024 class saw a 97% overall job placement rate.
Students interested in applying to Yeshiva should aim for a 165 on the LSAT and a 3.78 GPA.
6. American University
The American University’s Washington College of Law (WCL) was founded by women in 1896, a first, and the first to graduate an all-female class. Today, a majority of graduate students at American are still women (62.4%). Some J.D. areas of study at WCL include Advocacy, Business Law, Criminal Justice, and Intellectual Property.
The full-time 2025 incoming class had a median 3.65 GPA and 162 LSAT.
7. Boston College
Boston College Law School (BC Law) boasts a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio, 97.7% employment rate, and more than 100 clinic and externship placements. 93.8% of students pass the bar exam on their first attempt. Located in Newton, Massachusetts, the law school campus is separate from the main campus (about 1.5 miles away).
To increase your admission chances at BC Law, aim for a 168 LSAT and 3.83 GPA.
8. Loyola Marymount University
The Loyola Law School of Loyola Marymount University is found about 30 minutes (or 18 miles) from the main campus in Los Angeles. Students provide 40,000 hours of pro bono work to their community, a requirement for their studies. Some available law concentrations include Corporate, Public Interest Law, and Entrepreneurship.
The full-time class of 2028 and part-time class of 2029 came into LLS with a 163 median LSAT and 3.74 median GPA. Many had studied Political Science, Philosophy, and Psychology as undergraduates.
9. Yale University
Yale Law School of Yale University opened its doors in 1824 in New Haven, Connecticut. Alumni include William Taft, Bill Clinton, Hilary Clinton, Gerald Ford, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ben Stein. Students can choose from several areas of study, such as International, Public Interest, Technology and Media, and Legal History.
One of the most competitive law schools in the country, Yale Law’s incoming class of 2028 had a median 174 LSAT and 3.96 GPA. 88% of those accepted decided to attend.
10. Santa Clara University
The Santa Clara University School of Law in the heart of Silicon Valley has full-time and flexible JD programs, as well as options for combined degrees and specialized cohort programs for students interested in high tech, social justice, and public service law. Students can also choose to pursue graduation certificates for concentrated studies in sports, international law, social justice, and more.
The incoming 2025 class at Santa Clara Law had a median 159 LSAT and 3.5 GPA. Many students came from Santa Clara directly, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis.
How to improve your chances of acceptance to Law school
The most prestigious Law schools are going to be some of the toughest to get into. Most don’t publish official acceptance rate numbers, but they can be below 10%. Harvard and Yale’s Law schools had the highest median LSAT for their incoming students on the list above – 174, when the highest possible score on the exam is a 180! Plus, these institutions are looking for high GPAs. Both Harvard and Yale’s students had a median 3.96 GPA.
To improve your acceptance chances at these Law schools and others:
- Give your application your all. Tell a story with your personal statement, resume, and other components.
- Give your personal statement thought. Use your personal statement essay as a chance to tell the school what makes you “you” and what sets you apart from the other applicants. Why do you want to study law? How does your character line up with what and where you want to study?
- Choose your undergraduate major wisely. While you could technically focus on just about any major for law school, selecting the right area of study could give you a leg up. Consider your end goals and the subjects that will make you a strong lawyer by developing your reading, critical thinking, and writing skills. You don’t have to choose pre-Law.
- Aim for a high GPA. Competitive Law schools are looking for competitive grades, so you need to do well in your undergraduate courses if you want to get into any of these highly ranked institutions.
- Prepare for the entrance exams. The school you choose will dictate the test you need to take: the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Examinations General Test (GRE). These exams require months of intensive studying, especially if you want a top grade.
- Select recommenders carefully. Choose recommenders that know you and can offer unique insight into your capabilities and character. Don’t select somebody simply for the prestige.
- Practice for the interview. Some Law schools require an interview for admissions. Schedule mock interviews with your college or someone else to get comfortable answering the potential questions.
- Apply early. Many Law schools accept applications on a rolling basis, meaning the earlier you apply, the more seats there are – and the higher your chances of getting an acceptance letter.
How can I start my search for a Law School?
Heading to Law school – and choosing the right one for you – is a major decision. College Raptor has resources that can help you find and compare these institutions. Sign up for College Match here to get started.
