by It is not really easy studying law as it is one of the most reputable professions in the world and in USA, it is no exception. Law schools in the United States have a lot of requirements needed for you to gain admission there and sometimes not everybody are eligible to get in as some students do not meet up with the eligibility criteria of some of these law schools.
So with this, it is said that only the most hardworking and studious students can get into these Law schools in USA.
In this post, we are going to be discussing extensively on some of the best law schools in USA and mind you, the law schools in USA are considered among the best law schools in the world as most of them are on the list of top 100 best Law schools in the world according to majority of the ranking websites.
So if you are looking to study law in USA, you are in luck seeing this post as we will be talking about the law schools and also their requirements for admission.
Without further ado, let’s get started…
Best Law Schools in USA
In this section of the article, we are going to be listing some of the best law schools in USA according to latest rankings although we are going to be listing them in no particular order.
- Stanford University
- Columbia University
- New York University
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Virginia
- Yale University
- University of Chicago
- University of California (Berkeley)
- Duke University
1. Columbia University
This university is the fifth oldest university in USA and the oldest university in New York. It was founded in 1754. Columbia University is regarded as one of the best Universities in USA as it is known to produce some of the notable leaders in USA.
Columbia University law school can also be called Columbia Law School and it has a rich history as it was established in 1858 which is over 100 years after the university was found.
The Columbia Law School has a great legal education program that is known for turning student lawyers into fine gentlemen and ladies of the society.
For Columbia Law school to be on our list of best law schools in USA, it means that it is also among the best law schools in the world and this is because it is particularly known for its expertise in corporate law and also how it is able to place its students in some of the top law firms in USA.
Some of the few notable alumni from Columbia Law School are Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, two former presidents of USA, nine Supreme Court justices, twelve members of the U.S. Cabinet, governors, senators, representative and members of the Forbes 400.
Columbia Law School is ranked among the five best law schools in USA and so you are sure to be getting one of the best legal education if you are attending this great citadel of knowledge.
The school has an acceptance rate of about 7.2% and a graduation rate of 96%.
For more information about the Columbia Law School, its admission process and also any available scholarship, visit: https://www.law.columbia.edu/
2. New York University
This is another great higher institution of learning in USA. The New York University has about 53,000 students and with the top notch education they provide, it is now seen among the best universities in USA.
The New York University was called the University of the City of New York and it is the oldest university in New York City.
The New York School of Law was established in 1835 and so it is the oldest law school in New York State and also New York City. The law school is located in Lower Manhattan’s Greenwich Village and it offers J.D., LL.M. and J.S.D. degrees in law.
The New York School of Law is designed to prepare you ahead of any challenges you may face regardless of the law career path you choose after graduation. It is not easy working in the law field but this law school will prepare you whichever way.
In 2020, it was ranked the fourth-best law school in the work but according to the latest ranking, it is ranked as the fifth-best law school in the world according to Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) for the field of Law in 2022.
It was ranked as second best in the world in 2017 according to Shanghai Ranking ARWU. The QS World University Ranking placed it among its top 10 ranking. While it has always been on the top five law schools in the list of T14 law schools according to U.S. News & World Report.
For more information about the New York University School of Law, its admission process and also any available scholarship, visit: https://www.law.nyu.edu/
3. University of Virginia
The University of Virginia has a law school called the University of Virginia Law School and it is as old as the Institution itself. The school was established in 1819 and it has quite a low enrollment size unlike some other law schools in USA. It is seen as the fourth-oldest active law school in USA.
The Law school has an acceptance rate of about 20% and has an average of 950 students enrolled.
The University of Virginia Law School offers law degrees in form of J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. It can boast to have graduated over 20,000 lawyers both locally and internationally since its establishment.
Some of its notable distinguished alumni include U.S. Supreme Court Justice James Clark McReynolds, as well as numerous members of U.S. Congress and judges on federal courts throughout the United States.
For more information about the UVA Law School, its admission process and also any available scholarship, visit: https://www.law.virginia.edu/
4. Yale University
This university is located in New Haven, Connecticut, USA and it was established in 1701 which makes it the third oldest University in USA. It is also one of the best universities in the world that is why it is on our list.
The Yale Law School was established in 1824 and U.S. News & World Report has consistently named it among its top law schools in USA from 1990 till date.
It has one of the lowest acceptance rates for any American law school with an acceptance rate of 4% and it also has the greatest yield rate of any law school in USA at 87%.
In the three-year J.D. program at Yale Law, each of the classes has about 200 students and the Yale Law Journal is one of the most recognized law publications around USA and it is called Yale’s Premier law review.
In 2019, about 83% of the class gained full-time, long-term employment nine months after graduation to show that the school has a high rate of graduate employability. This report was according to Yale Law School’s ABA-required disclosures.
The climate is quite fair for international students and without much fuss, it can be said that Yale law is one of the top ranking law schools in USA.
Some of Yale Law’s notable alumni are United States presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of state and presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.
For more information about the Yale Law School, its admission process and also any available scholarship, visit: https://law.yale.edu/
5. Stanford University Law School
This is another top-notch university in USA. The Stanford University Law School was established in 1893 and it is among the oldest law schools in USA. Stanford University is known to offer one of the best qualities of education in USA and same with the law school.
The law program at Stanford Law School is quite a demanding school and so it is necessary for students to do well to gain admission and also after you must have been admitted into the school. Stanford Law school students are expected to have average GPA of 3.89.
Gaining admission here is quite competition as the school only accepts 10% of candidates that apply for the school. Also, students at the school have an average LSAT score of 171 and this is to show the level of competition at this great citadel of knowledge.
There are over 550 students enrolled at Stanford Law School with more than 90 full-time and part-time faculty members teaching courses that lead to the J.D. degree. The law school also offers Master of Laws (LL.M.), Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L), Master of the Science of Law (J.S.M.) and Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.).
Gaining admission into Stanford Law School will be a great opportunity for you as the school focuses more on student development and growth rather than just advancing its ranking in the world. It has diligent and intelligent professors and alumni that have helped it achieve its great level of excellence.
Some of Stanford law school’s alumni include several of the first women to occupy Chief Justice or Associate Justice posts on supreme courts: former Chief Justice of New Zealand Sian Elias, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and the late Chief Justice of Washington Barbara Durham.
For more information about the Stanford law school, its admission process and also any available scholarship, visit: https://law.stanford.edu/
How to Study Law in USA
To study law in USA, here are some of the requirements:
You must have a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent as this is more like the first requirement to apply for a law school in USA. You can have a four year Bachelor’s degree in any course.
A lot of law schools in USA carry out their admission using a general system called the Law School Data Assembly (LSDAS) and some law schools that are not ABA approved may not need you to apply through the data assembly.
For you to submit your application through the LSDAS, you will need to take the law school admission test and this is a standard test for all candidates of law school. The score you get will determine if you can get into the any of the law schools in USA. So on this note; you will have to work hard.
If you are an international student, you will have to take an English test to show you proficiency in English Language. You could take IELTS or TOEFL. This is mostly required if your native language is not English Language. Always check during your application as there may be special requirements or exceptions depending on your home country.
You will also need to get recommendation letters for admission into law school. If you are an international student, you will need to show that you have enough money to sustain you throughout your program at the law school in USA.
Why You Should Study Law in USA
If you don’t have any tangible reason to study law or rather to become a lawyer especially in USA, no issues as we are going to be talking about some of the wonderful perks of studying law and becoming a lawyer in USA. It is a very rewarding profession in USA and also around the world.
A lawyer could earn as high as 150,000 US dollars per year and with this job, you could save and help people while you get paid handsomely.
According to reports, the United States’ law system is very exceptional and young lawyers are given opportunities to gain experience.
This means that you can save lives, help people gain freedom and do a host of other good things while earning lots of money. The United States law is also very challenging, meaning that you have a very interesting career ahead of you.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do law schools in USA accept international students?
Of course they do. In fact, a lot of law schools in USA pride themselves in enrolling the most talented students from around the globe.
2. How long is law school in USA?
The length of a full-time J.D. program is around three years while the part-time could take anywhere around four-year for some schools and some other offer accelerated two-year program that require year-round participation.
3. Do law schools require standardized test scores?
Yes. Law schools in USA are overseen by the American Bar Association (ABA) and so they require that applicants to law schools take a genuine and trustworthy admission test. The only standardized test accepted by the ABA-accredited law schools is the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). This test was created majorly for students applying to law school. Some law schools accept Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) in place of LSAT.
Final Thoughts
Law is a very excellent and lucrative profession in the world as it enables you to assist people in gaining freedom and justice in the world. Also, lawyers get to earn high salaries aside helping humanity.
In this post, we have done well to talk about some of the best law schools in USA and gaining admission into any of the aforementioned schools will mean that you are heading towards getting one of the best law educations in the world.
Do well to visit the links of the schools we listed so you can get more information about the schools, their admission requirements, process and also available scholarships for international students.
If you thought this post was useful, please leave a comment.
Reference
Velocitylsat.com – Top 50 Law Schools
Thoughtco.com – Best Law Schools in the US
Usnews.com – Best Law Schools in USA
law.buffalo.edu – 21 Frequently Asked Questions About Law School
