Special Report

50 Hardest Law Schools to Get Into

Thinkstock

People love to ridicule this profession, but they should well remember that many of America’s presidents were lawyers. Usually after nearly a decade of intense training, lawyers perform an important and difficult service: tending the rule of law.

The rule of law is perhaps the difference between order and chaos. While the U.S. legal system is by no means perfect — the institution may work in favor of those with the power to direct its authority, for example — any justice that is to take place rests on the bedrock of these rules. And it is always evolving. The law of the land must be constantly written and rewritten, interpreted and deployed, to keep up with societal shifts and resolve disputes.

Hundreds of law schools churn out an army of lawyers to courtrooms, offices, classrooms, and corporate boardrooms across the United States. Various academic institutions accept hundreds of thousands of applications every year, and not all have the same quality and prestige.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed data — including LSAT scores, average GPA of accepted applicants, and acceptance rates — for over 200 top law schools from the American Bar Association to determine the hardest law schools to get into.

Click here to see the hardest law schools to get into.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.

Thinkstock

50. University of Nevada-Las Vegas
> Acceptance rate: 34.4%
> No. of applicants: 665
> Median GPA: 3.52
> Median LSAT: 157

[in-text-ad]

Thinkstock

49. Arizona State University
> Acceptance rate: 41.9%
> No. of applicants: 1,860
> Median GPA: 3.64
> Median LSAT: 161

Piotrus-Wikimedia Commons

48. Northeastern University
> Acceptance rate: 38.2%
> No. of applicants: 2,951
> Median GPA: 3.55
> Median LSAT: 161

Nightryder84-Wikimedia Commons

47. University of Tennessee
> Acceptance rate: 36.5%
> No. of applicants: 1,003
> Median GPA: 3.59
> Median LSAT: 158

[in-text-ad-2]

Jackson Myers/Flickr

46. Florida State University
> Acceptance rate: 34.3%
> No. of applicants: 1,855
> Median GPA: 3.52
> Median LSAT: 159

https://www.flickr.com/photos/evandidier/

45. Boston College
> Acceptance rate: 37.1%
> No. of applicants: 4,520
> Median GPA: 3.50
> Median LSAT: 163

[in-text-ad]

Wikimedia Commons

44. Indiana University-Bloomington
> Acceptance rate: 41.6%
> No. of applicants: 1,633
> Median GPA: 3.71
> Median LSAT: 161

Howchou / Wikimedia Commons

43. Fordham University
> Acceptance rate: 37.4%
> No. of applicants: 4,637
> Median GPA: 3.53
> Median LSAT: 163

Michael Barera-Wikimedia Commons

42. Baylor University
> Acceptance rate: 33.3%
> No. of applicants: 2,904
> Median GPA: 3.55
> Median LSAT: 159

[in-text-ad-2]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/

41. Georgia State University
> Acceptance rate: 27.3%
> No. of applicants: 1,952
> Median GPA: 3.41
> Median LSAT: 158

Fisher uhoustonlib-Wikimedia commons

40. University of Houston
> Acceptance rate: 32.3%
> No. of applicants: 2,508
> Median GPA: 3.53
> Median LSAT: 159

[in-text-ad]

Wikimedia Commons

39. Southern Methodist University
> Acceptance rate: 39.0%
> No. of applicants: 1,831
> Median GPA: 3.67
> Median LSAT: 161

Thinkstock

38. University Florida
> Acceptance rate: 35.6%
> No. of applicants: 2,703
> Median GPA: 3.60
> Median LSAT: 160

Thinkstock

37. University of Minnesota
> Acceptance rate: 44.5%
> No. of applicants: 1,960
> Median GPA: 3.76
> Median LSAT: 164

[in-text-ad-2]

Jaren Wilkey-Wikimedia Commons

36. Brigham Young University
> Acceptance rate: 43.8%
> No. of applicants: 436
> Median GPA: 3.80
> Median LSAT: 162

Wikimedia Commons

35. University of Arizona
> Acceptance rate: 34.5%
> No. of applicants: 1,392
> Median GPA: 3.57
> Median LSAT: 161

[in-text-ad]

Wikimedia Commons

34. William and Mary law school
> Acceptance rate: 40.6%
> No. of applicants: 4,227
> Median GPA: 3.75
> Median LSAT: 162

https://www.flickr.com/people/stuseeger/

33. Texas A&M University
> Acceptance rate: 23.9%
> No. of applicants: 1,893
> Median GPA: 3.41
> Median LSAT: 157

Bev Sykes-Wikimedia Commons

32. University of California-Davis
> Acceptance rate: 32.8%
> No. of applicants: 2,852
> Median GPA: 3.52
> Median LSAT: 163

[in-text-ad-2]

https://www.flickr.com/people/48417175@N00

31. University of Richmond
> Acceptance rate: 31.0%
> No. of applicants: 1,872
> Median GPA: 3.55
> Median LSAT: 161

Comayagua99-Wikimedia Commons

30. Florida International University
> Acceptance rate: 28.7%
> No. of applicants: 1,901
> Median GPA: 3.64
> Median LSAT: 156

[in-text-ad]

Ingfbruno-Wikimedia Commons

29. George Washington University
> Acceptance rate: 38.9%
> No. of applicants: 6,943
> Median GPA: 3.71
> Median LSAT: 165

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/

28. University of Colorado
> Acceptance rate: 34.3%
> No. of applicants: 3,280
> Median GPA: 3.69
> Median LSAT: 162

Wikimedia Commons

27. University of California-Irvine
> Acceptance rate: 27.2%
> No. of applicants: 2,035
> Median GPA: 3.54
> Median LSAT: 163

[in-text-ad-2]

Daniel Mayer-Wikimedia Commons

26. Emory University
> Acceptance rate: 36.9%
> No. of applicants: 4,016
> Median GPA: 3.78
> Median LSAT: 165

Josh Hallett / Flickr

25. University of Georgia
> Acceptance rate: 29.5%
> No. of applicants: 2,225
> Median GPA: 3.73
> Median LSAT: 162

[in-text-ad]

Photo by Conor Doherty for Boston University Photography

24. Boston University
> Acceptance rate: 29.3%
> No. of applicants: 4,804
> Median GPA: 3.68
> Median LSAT: 164

Thinkstock

23. University of Notre dame
> Acceptance rate: 30.3%
> No. of applicants: 2,612
> Median GPA: 3.71
> Median LSAT: 164

Business Insider

22. Vanderbilt University
> Acceptance rate: 32.3%
> No. of applicants: 4,380
> Median GPA: 3.70
> Median LSAT: 167

[in-text-ad-2]

goodfreephotos.com

21. Washington University
> Acceptance rate: 31.9%
> No. of applicants: 4,113
> Median GPA: 3.67
> Median LSAT: 168

Thinkstock

20. University of Washington
> Acceptance rate: 26.9%
> No. of applicants: 2,517
> Median GPA: 3.68
> Median LSAT: 163

[in-text-ad]

Warconstruction.com

19. University of Alabama
> Acceptance rate: 31.5%
> No. of applicants: 1,624
> Median GPA: 3.82
> Median LSAT: 163

Nicolas Tan-Wikimedia Commons

18. George Mason University
> Acceptance rate: 23.8%
> No. of applicants: 2,587
> Median GPA: 3.66
> Median LSAT: 162

Padsquad19-Wikimedia Commons

17. University of Southern California
> Acceptance rate: 30.0%
> No. of applicants: 4,526
> Median GPA: 3.76
> Median LSAT: 165

[in-text-ad-2]

Jr1038-Wikimedia Commons

16. University of Texas at Austin
> Acceptance rate: 27.1%
> No. of applicants: 4,424
> Median GPA: 3.70
> Median LSAT: 16

Wikimedia Commons

15. University of California-Los Angeles
> Acceptance rate: 28.0%
> No. of applicants: 5,353
> Median GPA: 3.74
> Median LSAT: 167

[in-text-ad]

Jonathan71-Wikimedia Commons

14. New York University
> Acceptance rate: 29.8%
> No. of applicants: 6,245
> Median GPA: 3.81
> Median LSAT: 169

Wikipedia

13. Cornell University
> Acceptance rate: 24.1%
> No. of applicants: 4,101
> Median GPA: 3.73
> Median LSAT: 167

Thinkstock

12. University of California-Berkeley
> Acceptance rate: 24.9%
> No. of applicants: 5,336
> Median GPA: 3.79
> Median LSAT: 166

[in-text-ad-2]

Daderot-Wikimedia Commons

11. Georgetown University
> Acceptance rate: 23.5%
> No. of applicants: 9,862
> Median GPA: 3.77
> Median LSAT: 167

Thinkstock

10. University of Michigan
> Acceptance rate: 23.7%
> No. of applicants: 5,076
> Median GPA: 3.78
> Median LSAT: 168

[in-text-ad]

9. Duke University
> Acceptance rate: 20.2%
> No. of applicants: 5,095
> Median GPA: 3.76
> Median LSAT: 169

Thinkstock

8. Columbia University
> Acceptance rate: 20.8%
> No. of applicants: 5,877
> Median GPA: 3.70
> Median LSAT: 172

Madcoverboy-Wikimedia Commons

7. Northwestern University
> Acceptance rate: 17.8%
> No. of applicants: 4,625
> Median GPA: 3.81
> Median LSAT: 168

[in-text-ad-2]

Mark Lagola and Ben Lunsford-Wikimedia Commons

6. University of Virginia
> Acceptance rate: 19.9%
> No. of applicants: 4,794
> Median GPA: 3.86
> Median LSAT: 169

Wikimedia Commons

5. University of Chicago
> Acceptance rate: 20.7%
> No. of applicants: 4,380
> Median GPA: 3.90
> Median LSAT: 170

[in-text-ad]

Thinkstock

4. University of Pennsylvania
> Acceptance rate: 17.0%
> No. of applicants: 5,593
> Median GPA: 3.90
> Median LSAT: 169

Joseph Williams / Wikimedia Commons

3. Harvard University
> Acceptance rate: 16.6%
> No. of applicants: 5,454
> Median GPA: 3.86
> Median LSAT: 172

Thinkstock

2. Stanford University
> Acceptance rate: 10.7%
> No. of applicants: 3,821
> Median GPA: 3.87
> Median LSAT: 171

[in-text-ad-2]

Thinkstock

1. Yale University
> Acceptance rate: 9.5%
> No. of applicants: 2,735
> Median GPA: 3.89
> Median LSAT: 173

Detailed Findings and Methodology:

There are around 780,000 lawyers in the United States, and the typical lawyer earns well over $100,000 annually. As is generally the case for other degrees, graduates of some institutions tend to earn more than others, and this is often tied to how much students end up paying to receive that education. Of the 50 hardest law schools to get into, 23 report average tuition for full-time students of over $50,000 per school year. Only one of the 50 bottom-ranked schools costs so much.

For the privilege of paying to attend some of these schools, one must first be accepted. LSAT scores and GPA of prospective students were factors in this ranking, but the acceptance rate is the main determination of how difficult it is to attend a given school. Fifteen of these 50 law schools accept fewer than 25% of applicants. None of the 50 accept more than half of people who wish to attend.

At the same time, because Americans interested in becoming lawyers typically apply to numerous schools, only a few of these top school report matriculation rates greater than 50%. Yale University, Harvard University, Brigham Young University, and the University of Nevada are the only institutions on this list where accepted students are more likely than not to actually attend the school.

To determine the hardest law schools to get into, 24/7 Wall St. constructed an index using data from the American Bar Association. Half the index relied on a law school’s acceptance rate. The other half of the index consisted of the median LSAT score and median undergraduate GPA of those accepted to the school.

The #1 Thing to Do Before You Claim Social Security (Sponsor)

Choosing the right (or wrong) time to claim Social Security can dramatically change your retirement. So, before making one of the biggest decisions of your financial life, it’s a smart idea to get an extra set of eyes on your complete financial situation.

A financial advisor can help you decide the right Social Security option for you and your family. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you.

Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you optimize your Social Security outcomes.

 

Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!

By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.

By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.