Law School Ranks
US News Law School Ranks Top 50 (Tier 1)
While the US News site will list schools ranked 1-100 as tier 1 schools, law firms consider the top 50 law schools as tier 1, 51-100 as tier 2, and 100+ as tier 3. While the entire tier system is subjective in that there will actually be little difference in terms of quality of education between the 50th ranked school and the 51st ranked school, the overall classification is used by law firms. And regardless of your own personal opinion of law school rankings, the rankings ultimately play a large factor if you decide to practice at a major law firm or go into litigation.
Top 14 (in-depth) | Tier 1 (1-50) | Tier 2 (51-100) | Tier 3 (100+) (Coming Soon)
US News Rank Law School City, State Total Full-Enrollment Incoming Class Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) Incoming Class LSAT Score (25th-75th percentile)
1 Yale University New Haven, CT 588 3.81 - 3.90 169 -173
2 Harvard University Cambridge, MA 1730 3.76 - 3.96 171 - 176
3 Stanford University Stanford, CA 539 3.13 - 4.22 160 - 180**
4 Columbia University New York, NY 1266 3.60 - 3.81 170 - 175
5 New York University New York, NY 1423 3.60 - 3.90 169 - 173
6 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 865 3.83 - 3.95 165 - 168
6 University of Chicago Chicago, IL 593 x-x x-x
8 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 786 3.57 - 3.88 164 - 169
9 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 1151 x-x x-x
10 Duke University Durham, NC 611 3.60 - 3.84 167 - 171
10 Northwestern University Chicago, IL 779 3.40 - 3.90**** 166 - 172****
10 University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA 1155 3.51 - 3.87 167 - 171
13 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 591 x-x x-x
14 Georgetown University Washington, DC 1631 3.42 - 3.81 168 - 1
15 University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 1012 3.57 - 3.88 164 - 169
15 University of Texas, Austin Austin, TX 1233 3.71*** 167***
17 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 578 3.50 - 3.86 164 - 169
18 University of Southern California (Gould) Los Angeles, CA 605 3.47 - 3.71 165 - 167
19 Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO 831 3.30-3.80**** 161 - 168****
20 Boston University Boston, MA 822 3.68*** 165***
20 Emory University Atlanta, GA 697 3.42 - 3.71 164 - 166
22 University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 780 3.30 - 3.85 160 - 168
23 Indiana University, Bloomington (Maurer) Bloomington, IN 612 3.20 - 3.70 154 - 160
23 University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 587 3.20 -3.90 160 - 167
23 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 558 3.62*** 166***
26 Boston College Boston, MA 799 3.34 - 3.68 163 - 167
26 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 616 3.61*** 161***
28 College of William and Mary (Marshall-Wythe) Williamsburg, VA 626 3.42 - 3.77 161 - 166
28 George Washington University Washington, DC 1398 x-x x-x
30 Fordham University New York, NY 1229 x-x x-x
30 University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 481 3.30 - 3.89 159 - 165
30 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 735 3.60*** 162***
30 University of Washington Seattle, WA 534 3.52 - 3.85 159 - 166
30 Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 391 3.57*** 166***
35 Ohio State University (Moritz) Columbus, OH 670 3.64*** 162***
35 University of California, Davis Davis, CA 578 3.41 - 3.78 162 - 167
35 University of Georgia Athens, GA 660 3.70*** 164***
35 University of Wisconsin, Madison Madison, WI 788 3.6*** 156 - 163
39 University of California, Hastings San Francisco, CA 1244 3.38 - 3.72 161 - 165
40 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC 463 3.26 - 3.71 160 - 164
41 Brigham Young University (Clark) Provo, UT 458 x-x x-x
41 George Mason University Arlington, VA 454 3.72*** 163***
43 University of Arizona (rogers) Tucson, AZ 469 3.32 - 3.70 159 - 163
43 University of Maryland Baltimore, MD 714 3.63*** 162***
45 American University (Washington) Washington, DC 1235 3.14 - 3.59 158 - 164
45 Tulane University New Orleans, LA 746 3.40 - 3.75 159 - 163
45 University of Colorado, Boulder Boulder, CO 520 3.42 - 3.78 160 - 165
45 University of Utah (Quinney) Salt Lake City, UT 385 3.41 - 3.76 156 - 163
49 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 527 3.76*** 164***
49 Yeshiva University (Cardozo) New York, NY 975 3.39 - 3.75 161 - 166