The law touches nearly every aspect of society. As such, a law degree can be a stepping stone to a career that can have a meaningful impact on many lives. It can also be a pathway to a high paying career.
Enrolling in any one of the more than 200 law schools recognized by the American Bar Association can equip students with the expertise needed for a successful career in law. However, these schools vary considerably in selectivity. While the more competitive law schools do not necessarily offer a better education, top law firms often only recruit from the most selective and elite law schools.
Using data from the ABA, 24/7 Wall St. created an index of three measures of selectivity to identify the 50 hardest law schools to get into.
The first index measure is the acceptance rate, or the number of offer letters a school sent in 2019 as a share of the number of applications. The second is the median LSAT score of newly enrolled students in fall 2019, and the third measure is the median undergraduate GPA of newly enrolled students. We also reviewed the share of students in the class of 2018 who took the bar exam and passed on their first attempt.
Many of the most powerful people in the United States have attended the most selective schools on this list. All nine justices of the Supreme Court graduated from one of two elite Ivy League law schools. Similarly, the last three U.S. presidents with backgrounds in law were trained in those same institutions: Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton at Yale Law School, and Barack Obama at Harvard Law. In fact, most U.S. presidents have been lawyers. Here is a look at each president’s path to the oval office.
Law school is a considerable investment of both time and money, often costing over $150,000 in tuition and fees over the course of three years. Partially because of the investment, an education in law — regardless of the selectivity of the institution — is a pathway to many exceptionally high-paying careers. Law school is a necessary prerequisite for many of the highest paying jobs. Here is a full list of the 79 jobs with six-figure salaries.
Click here to see the 50 hardest law schools to get into
50. University of Minnesota Law School
> Acceptance rate: 39.1%
> Applications for fall 2019: 2,129
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.75
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 165 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 85.3%
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49. Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 34.2%
> Applications for fall 2019: 2,048
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.60
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 159 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 78.2%
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48. University of Illinois College of Law
> Acceptance rate: 36.7%
> Applications for fall 2019: 1,304
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.70
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 162 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 84.8%
47. Maurer School of Law at Indiana University Bloomington
> Acceptance rate: 37.9%
> Applications for fall 2019: 1,790
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.79
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 162 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 80.0%
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46. University of Tennessee College of Law
> Acceptance rate: 34.4%
> Applications for fall 2019: 1,042
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.65
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 159 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 75.2%
45. LMU Loyola Law School
> Acceptance rate: 33.0%
> Applications for fall 2019: 3,802
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.57
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 160 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 71.7%
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44. University of Colorado Law School
> Acceptance rate: 34.7%
> Applications for fall 2019: 3,187
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.61
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 163 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 82.4%
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43. University of North Carolina School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 33.9%
> Applications for fall 2019: 1,293
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.63
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 161 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 90.8%
42. Georgia State University College of Law
> Acceptance rate: 29.3%
> Applications for fall 2019: 1,710
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.51
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 158 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 84.5%
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41. Washington and Lee University School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 33.2%
> Applications for fall 2019: 2,551
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.64
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 163 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 86.4%
40. Florida State University College of Law
> Acceptance rate: 32.7%
> Applications for fall 2019: 1,598
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.73
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 160 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 89.1%
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39. Florida International University College of Law
> Acceptance rate: 28.6%
> Applications for fall 2019: 1,665
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.61
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 157 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 87.8%
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38. Boston College Law School
> Acceptance rate: 31.3%
> Applications for fall 2019: 4,717
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.64
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 164 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 87.6%
37. Texas A&M University School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 28.7%
> Applications for fall 2019: 2,280
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.62
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 159 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 82.8%
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36. UC Davis School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 29.4%
> Applications for fall 2019: 3,103
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.61
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 162 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 76.0%
35. Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 29.8%
> Applications for fall 2019: 3,006
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.66
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 161 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 68.5%
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34. William And Mary Law School
> Acceptance rate: 30.4%
> Applications for fall 2019: 3,291
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.76
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 163 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 92.8%
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33. George Washington University Law School
> Acceptance rate: 31.0%
> Applications for fall 2019: 8,019
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.73
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 166 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 84.6%
32. William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
> Acceptance rate: 27.2%
> Applications for fall 2019: 947
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.69
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 159 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 72.8%
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31. University of Alabama School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 32.8%
> Applications for fall 2019: 1,446
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.91
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 164 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 87.8%
30. Emory University School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 31.0%
> Applications for fall 2019: 4,316
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.80
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 165 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 82.1%
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29. University of Washington School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 27.8%
> Applications for fall 2019: 2,555
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.68
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 162 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 91.0%
28. Fordham University School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 27.2%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,285
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.64
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 164 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 87.7%
27. James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona
> Acceptance rate: 26.3%
> Applications for fall 2019: 1,495
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.65
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 162 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 64.6%
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26. Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University
> Acceptance rate: 29.4%
> Applications for fall 2019: 3,710
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.81
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 164 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 74.3%
25. Notre Dame Law School
> Acceptance rate: 24.0%
> Applications for fall 2019: 2,753
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.74
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 165 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 87.6%
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24. University of California-Irvine School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 20.8%
> Applications for fall 2019: 3,147
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.59
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 165 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 70.8%
23. Boston University School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 23.1%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,812
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.78
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 166 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 91.5%
22. Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 24.8%
> Applications for fall 2019: 4,129
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.83
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 169 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 86.8%
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21. University of Georgia School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 20.8%
> Applications for fall 2019: 2,268
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.73
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 164 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 83.9%
20. Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University
> Acceptance rate: 20.9%
> Applications for fall 2019: 2,964
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.75
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 164 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 84.4%
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19. University of California-Los Angeles School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 22.4%
> Applications for fall 2019: 6,175
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.79
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 168 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 85.0%
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18. Vanderbilt University Law School
> Acceptance rate: 21.9%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,294
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.80
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 167 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 93.9%
17. University of Florida Levin College of Law
> Acceptance rate: 20.7%
> Applications for fall 2019: 2,208
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.80
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 164 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 71.6%
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16. Cornell Law School
> Acceptance rate: 21.3%
> Applications for fall 2019: 4,098
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.81
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 168 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 93.7%
15. New York University School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 21.6%
> Applications for fall 2019: 7,959
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.80
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 170 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 97.4%
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14. Georgetown University Law Center
> Acceptance rate: 19.5%
> Applications for fall 2019: 10,366
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.78
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 168 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 90.2%
13. University of California-Berkeley School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 19.7%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,843
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.81
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 168 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 90.7%
12. University of Texas at Austin School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 17.5%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,803
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.72
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 168 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 90.9%
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11. Duke University School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 18.9%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,125
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.78
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 169 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 94.9%
10. University of Southern California Gould School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 17.7%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,648
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.80
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 166 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 81.0%
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9. Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 18.0%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,441
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.85
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 169 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 92.0%
8. University of Chicago Law School
> Acceptance rate: 18.6%
> Applications for fall 2019: 4,933
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.90
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 170 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 90.3%
7. University of Michigan Law School
> Acceptance rate: 16.6%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,629
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.81
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 169 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 93.8%
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6. Columbia Law School
> Acceptance rate: 15.9%
> Applications for fall 2019: 7,193
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.80
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 172 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 97.3%
5. University of Virginia School of Law
> Acceptance rate: 14.7%
> Applications for fall 2019: 5,645
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.90
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 170 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 95.3%
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4. University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
> Acceptance rate: 14.5%
> Applications for fall 2019: 6,483
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.89
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 170 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 92.1%
3. Harvard Law School
> Acceptance rate: 12.5%
> Applications for fall 2019: 7,333
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.89
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 173 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 96.5%
2. Stanford Law School
> Acceptance rate: 9.7%
> Applications for fall 2019: 3,908
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.91
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 171 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 94.7%
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1. Yale Law School
> Acceptance rate: 8.2%
> Applications for fall 2019: 3,198
> Median undergrad GPA of new enrollees: 3.93
> Median LSAT score of new enrollees: 173 out of 180
> Bar exam passage rate: 96.8%
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