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Law School Rankings for 2024

Top law school rankings for 2024.

One way to compare schools is the USNews law school rankings of top law schools (but not the only way).

Below you will find the law school rankings for 2020 as well as the GPA and LSAT scores of accepted students. Click on a school name for in-depth information on that school. If you scroll to the bottom you can find Top-5s on different metrics. We hope with these other rankings you will start to look beyond USNews to determine the top law schools for you.

Rankings for other years: 2021 (published 2020), 2022 (published 2021), 2023 (published 2022), 2024 (published 2023), 2024 (published 2024).

LSAT GPA
Rank Name 25th 50th 75th 25th 50th 75th Acceptance
20 Boston University 161 166 168 3.56 3.78 3.86
31 Boston College 161 164 165 3.45 3.64 3.73
23 George Washington University 159 166 167 3.39 3.73 3.83
47 University of Arizona 160 162 163 3.36 3.65 3.82
37 Brigham Young University 160 164 167 3.6 3.82 3.92
47 Pepperdine University 157 161 163 3.29 3.66 3.79
42 George Mason University 158 164 165 3.39 3.75 3.86
31 Washington and Lee University 157 163 164 3.43 3.64 3.73
24 Arizona State University 156 164 165 3.39 3.81 3.91
13 Cornell University 165 168 169 3.71 3.81 3.91
27 University of California—Irvine 162 165 167 3.39 3.59 3.74
38 Ohio State University 158 161 163 3.61 3.76 3.86
38 Indiana University - Bloomington 155 162 163 3.57 3.79 3.93
3 Harvard University 170 173 175 3.79 3.89 3.96
4 Columbia University 169 172 173 3.69 3.8 3.89
14 Georgetown University 163 168 169 3.55 3.78 3.89
38 University of Wisconsin 156 162 164 3.42 3.65 3.79
47 University of Maryland 153 159 161 3.49 3.66 3.79
15 University of California—Los Angeles 164 168 169 3.51 3.79 3.89
8 University of Virginia 164 170 172 3.47 3.9 3.96
9 Northwestern University 165 169 171 3.56 3.85 3.92
6 New York University 167 170 172 3.63 3.8 3.89
42 Wake Forest University 156 162 163 3.5 3.68 3.81
7 University of Pennsylvania 163 170 171 3.54 3.89 3.96
27 Fordham University 161 164 166 3.43 3.64 3.76
4 University of Chicago 167 170 172 3.78 3.9 3.96
18 University of Southern California 163 166 167 3.65 3.8 3.91
31 University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign 157 162 164 3.42 3.7 3.82
17 Washington University in St. Louis 162 169 170 3.4 3.83 3.93
50 University of Connecticut 157 159 161 3.27 3.49 3.67
27 University of North Carolina 158 161 162 3.46 3.63 3.77
27 University of Iowa 156 161 163 3.41 3.64 3.77
9 University of California—Berkeley 165 168 170 3.7 3.81 3.9
12 Duke University 167 169 170 3.65 3.78 3.87
2 Stanford University 169 171 174 3.79 3.91 3.96
21 University of Minnesota 161 165 166 3.48 3.75 3.87
42 University of Washington 158 162 164 3.5 3.68 3.79
31 University of Alabama 157 164 166 3.42 3.88 3.95
56 Southern Methodist University 155 161 163 3.33 3.7 3.83
56 University of Houston 156 160 161 3.33 3.61 3.75
24 University of Florida (Levin) 156 164 166 3.34 3.8 3.89
50 Florida State University 155 160 161 3.48 3.73 3.84
38 University of California—Davis 159 162 164 3.41 3.61 3.75
16 University of Texas at Austin 165 168 169 3.48 3.72 3.89
53 Yeshiva University (Cardozo) 157 162 163 3.39 3.6 3.74
59 University of California (Hastings) 154 158 160 3.2 3.45 3.62
56 Temple University 158 161 163 3.28 3.56 3.72
31 University of Georgia 157 164 165 3.46 3.73 3.87
54 Tulane University 154 159 161 3.27 3.5 3.65
22 University of Notre Dame 160 165 166 3.5 3.74 3.87
24 Emory University 158 165 166 3.43 3.8 3.9
18 Vanderbilt University 162 167 168 3.56 3.8 3.87
1 Yale University 170 173 175 3.85 3.93 3.99
9 University of Michigan 163 169 170 3.56 3.81 3.88
31 William & Mary Law School 159 163 164 3.46 3.76 3.89
46 University of Colorado—Boulder 157 163 165 3.36 3.61 3.81
45 University of Utah 157 160 162 3.43 3.6 3.8
54 University of Richmond 155 161 162 3.27 3.6 3.7
147-193 St. Thomas University (Florida) 151 154 158 3.25 3.51 3.69
105 Drake University 152 154 158 3.17 3.44 3.73
60 Pennsylvania State - Penn State Law 153 160 161 3.34 3.65 3.8
74 University of Denver 155 159 161 3.18 3.49 3.66
90 Florida International University 155 157 158 3.23 3.61 3.77
133 University of Wyoming 150 152 154 3.11 3.32 3.55
118 Gonzaga University 152 154 156 3.16 3.41 3.63
147-193 Ave Maria School Of Law 146 148 152 2.87 3.21 3.5
147-193 New England Law | Boston 148 152 155 2.9 3.25 3.58
90 Saint Louis University 152 155 158 3.18 3.45 3.68
136 Pace University 149 151 153 3.0 3.28 3.55
147-193 Texas Southern University 143 145 147 2.78 3.07 3.33
76 American University 155 159 161 3.24 3.5 3.62
60 Texas A&M University 154 159 160 3.34 3.62 3.8
105 Stetson University 153 155 158 3.05 3.3 3.55
147-193 Barry University 146 148 151 2.75 3.07 3.39
118 University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) 146 149 151 2.89 3.25 3.51
147-193 North Carolina Central University 144 146 149 2.94 3.24 3.48
147-193 Northern Illinois University 147 150 153 3.07 3.28 3.56
147-193 Touro College 147 149 151 2.75 3.1 3.39
62 Loyola Marymount University—Los Angeles 157 160 162 3.3 3.57 3.73
136 Suffolk University 149 152 156 3.08 3.33 3.55
107 CUNY 151 154 158 3.11 3.36 3.63
76 Case Western Reserve University 156 159 161 3.36 3.63 3.76
122 Indiana University - Indianapolis 150 154 157 3.14 3.44 3.64
90 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 153 156 158 3.15 3.5 3.69
147-193 California Western School Of Law 149 151 153 2.99 3.26 3.44
147-193 University of Arkansas, Little Rock 148 152 155 3.06 3.35 3.61
76 Georgia State University 156 158 160 3.34 3.51 3.66
62 Pennsylvania State - Dickinson Law 158 161 162 3.05 3.4 3.73
147-193 Campbell University 150 153 155 3.08 3.33 3.54
107 Howard University 149 152 156 3.09 3.33 3.58
122 Quinnipiac University 150 152 154 3.26 3.46 3.77
136 University of Idaho 148 153 155 2.98 3.28 3.57
93 Drexel University 152 157 158 3.15 3.47 3.67
147-193 Northern Kentucky University 148 151 154 3.0 3.28 3.53
136 University of Toledo 148 152 155 3.0 3.31 3.62
147-193 Nova Southeastern University 149 151 153 2.85 3.16 3.4
107 Santa Clara University 153 156 159 3.1 3.33 3.53
93 Lewis And Clark College 155 158 161 3.19 3.46 3.67
62 Seton Hall University 153 158 160 3.18 3.5 3.69
122 University of Maine 151 154 158 3.2 3.48 3.68
76 Rutgers University 153 156 158 3.13 3.41 3.63
147-193 University of Detroit Mercy 150 153 155 3.02 3.24 3.46
147-193 Capital University 147 150 155 2.89 3.22 3.6
50 Baylor University 157 160 161 3.38 3.6 3.72
140 University of Illinois—Chicago 147 150 153 2.95 3.22 3.43
93 Michigan State University 152 155 157 3.29 3.58 3.77
76 University of Nebraska 154 157 160 3.51 3.73 3.91
122 University of Montana 152 154 157 3.12 3.4 3.66
107 Washburn University 150 154 157 3.03 3.41 3.71
147-193 Charleston School Of Law 146 148 151 2.75 3.12 3.39
147-193 Ohio Northern University 147 151 155 2.95 3.31 3.67
62 University of Nevada—Las Vegas 154 159 161 3.28 3.69 3.81
147-193 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 147 149 153 2.98 3.22 3.53
62 Villanova University 154 159 161 3.37 3.6 3.78
147-193 Oklahoma City University 146 149 152 2.95 3.29 3.5
76 University of Oklahoma 153 157 159 3.34 3.63 3.78
126 University of Baltimore 150 153 156 2.92 3.19 3.44
111 Catholic University Of America 152 155 158 3.21 3.42 3.61
96 Louisiana State University 152 155 157 3.19 3.48 3.72
147-193 University of North Dakota 145 149 152 2.97 3.3 3.66
76 University of Pittsburgh 155 158 160 3.22 3.49 3.71
147-193 University of San Francisco 151 153 155 3.0 3.29 3.51
67 Northeastern University 156 162 163 3.4 3.63 3.75
141 University of Akron 151 153 155 3.05 3.45 3.67
126 Loyola University—New Orleans 148 151 154 3.0 3.3 3.5
147-193 Regent University 150 155 157 3.12 3.45 3.69
96 University of Hawaii 153 156 159 3.15 3.45 3.71
147-193 Elon University 146 149 152 2.99 3.2 3.53
111 Chapman University 155 158 160 3.28 3.49 3.64
129 Seattle University 151 155 157 3.08 3.37 3.57
141 University of Dayton 147 150 153 3.05 3.38 3.67
147-193 University of the District of Columbia 146 148 150 2.87 3.08 3.35
67 University of Miami 156 158 161 3.24 3.44 3.64
111 Syracuse University 152 154 157 3.04 3.33 3.61
83 Brooklyn Law School 155 157 160 3.24 3.44 3.58
147-193 Roger Williams University 146 149 152 2.93 3.21 3.54
126 Mercer University 151 153 155 3.12 3.37 3.6
96 University of South Carolina 153 155 158 3.23 3.43 3.67
99 University of Buffalo—SUNY 151 154 157 3.19 3.49 3.75
83 Illinois Institute of Technology (Kent) 153 158 160 3.11 3.49 3.69
111 Texas Tech University 153 155 157 3.2 3.42 3.6
67 University of Missouri 152 157 160 3.32 3.64 3.84
147-193 University of the Pacific (Mcgeorge) 150 153 156 3.03 3.35 3.54
129 Belmont University 153 156 158 3.28 3.63 3.84
141 University of Memphis 148 152 155 2.93 3.32 3.55
147-193 Florida A&M University 145 146 149 2.87 3.1 3.43
147-193 Samford University 150 153 156 3.25 3.48 3.65
147-193 South Texas College Of Law—Houston 150 152 155 2.85 3.15 3.38
147-193 Western Michigan University (Cooley) 141 145 150 2.62 2.95 3.32
70 Loyola University—Chicago 157 159 161 3.2 3.4 3.57
111 University of Mississippi 151 155 157 3.16 3.48 3.75
83 University of Cincinnati 153 157 159 3.39 3.64 3.82
99 University of Louisville 151 154 157 3.16 3.46 3.67
129 Duquesne University 150 152 155 3.17 3.4 3.69
141 University of South Dakota 147 152 154 3.15 3.44 3.78
147-193 Florida Coastal School Of Law 146 147 151 2.66 2.94 3.36
141 Vermont Law School 145 150 154 2.88 3.24 3.51
83 University of San Diego 155 159 161 3.29 3.57 3.68
129 New York Law School 150 153 155 3.11 3.35 3.59
147-193 Western New England University 146 148 152 2.95 3.36 3.67
147-193 Southern Illinois University—Carbondale 147 149 153 2.99 3.22 3.5
147-193 Golden Gate University 147 150 152 2.79 3.14 3.38
70 University of Kansas 152 157 159 3.34 3.65 3.87
99 University of New Mexico 151 155 157 3.16 3.47 3.72
111 University of Tulsa 151 154 156 3.13 3.42 3.63
70 University of Kentucky 154 155 158 3.36 3.62 3.8
102 Cleveland State University 150 154 157 3.23 3.43 3.69
147-193 Western State College Of Law 147 148 152 2.68 3.17 3.4
111 West Virginia University 152 154 157 3.15 3.45 3.7
83 Wayne State University 154 159 161 3.16 3.56 3.73
147-193 Liberty University 149 152 154 3.02 3.37 3.76
141 Willamette University 149 153 156 2.77 3.16 3.51
147-193 Southern University 142 145 147 2.68 2.99 3.31
147-193 Appalachian School of Law 143 145 149 2.64 3.13 3.4
147-193 Widener University—Delaware 147 149 151 2.9 3.21 3.46
102 Hofstra University 150 154 156 3.19 3.53 3.73
118 Albany Law School Of Union University 151 153 156 3.07 3.37 3.64
147-193 Southwestern Law School 151 153 155 3.03 3.3 3.56
133 Creighton University 150 152 155 2.95 3.19 3.54
88 University of New Hampshire 152 156 158 3.16 3.45 3.61
70 University of Tennessee 156 159 161 3.32 3.65 3.85
147-193 St. Mary's University 149 151 154 2.87 3.24 3.5
118 DePaul University 152 155 156 3.05 3.39 3.61
74 St. John's University 153 159 161 3.32 3.62 3.78
88 University of Oregon 154 157 160 3.26 3.51 3.65
147-193 Mississippi College 145 148 152 2.89 3.19 3.43
102 Marquette University 150 154 156 3.25 3.44 3.63
147-193 Atlanta's John Marshall Law School 147 150 152 2.65 3.13 3.48
133 University of Missouri—Kansas City 151 153 156 3.19 3.41 3.67
A rank of 147-193 means that the school is in the bottom tier as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
* The data in this table is user-reported and may be inaccurate.
Can I get into with aGPA andLSAT?

Summary

The U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) law school rankings for 2024 showcase a highly competitive landscape among top-tier institutions. Stanford University and Yale University share the first spot, followed by the University of Chicago. Tied in fourth place are Duke University, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Virginia. The USNews rankings consider a multitude of factors including (but not limited to) the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT scores and GPAs of first year enrolled students, as well as the acceptance rate, in an effort to paint a comprehensive picture of each school's selectivity and the quality of its students.

Stanford and Yale Law Schools both have 25th percentile LSAT scores of 171 or above and 75th percentile scores reaching 175 and 177 respectively, indicating a highly accomplished student body. Yale, however, has a slightly lower acceptance rate at 5.6%, reflecting a higher level of competitiveness for admission. Both schools also boast strong GPA percentiles, with 75th percentile GPAs hitting 3.99 for Stanford and 4.0 for Yale, illustrating the high academic achievements of their students.

In the fourth spot, UPenn, Duke, Harvard, and UVA exhibit a diverse range of LSAT and GPA percentiles, which for many feel much more achievable (especially the 75th percentile, Harvard excluded) than Stanford or Yale. Duke, UChicago, and UVA stand out due to their acceptance rates above 10%. Interestingly, in the past high acceptance rates have led to increased applicants which drive down acceptance rates leading to much of the T-6 floating around a 5-10% acceptance rate, and the rest of T-14 around 10-15%.

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jb2028
18:36
By comparison, Tennessee has 2% of the class fail out (https://law.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023-ABA-Standard-509-Information-Report.pdf), 16% fail the bar even in a bad year (https://law.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/UTK-College-of-Law-Bar-Passage-20241.pdf), and just 1 in 10 did not find legal or JD advantage jobs (https://law.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/EQ-Summary-Report-Class-of-2023.pdf)
jb2028
18:38
Depending on your stats the answer could also be option C, reapply next year for >50% at Tennessee/substantial $ at other good schools (most spend their scholarship budget by June 30th), but that depends on your situation and goals
jb2028
18:39
Standardized info on curves is harder to find, but this says Elon curves to a 2.67 which is downright predatory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_law_school_GPA_curves
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
18:41
appreciate it. i am well removed from undergrad and am pushing through for this year. have significant business experience and want to do corporate law and/or property. not educated on the curve and how that works, will look into that
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
18:42
questioning whether i go to school for free at a lesser school or pay some out of pocket at a better name for the same degree at end of the day, the numbers don't lie
jb2028
18:54
@DisillusionedHomelessWalnut: The way the curve works is a below-median student at Tennessee (curves to a 3.1, so B/B+) can end up with a better GPA than an above-average student at Elon (curves to a 2.67/B-minus), so the student from Tennessee will have a better transcript *and* get better jobs on average than someone with the same class rank at Elon
jb2028
18:56
Your real alarm bell is Elon's curve (linked here, p. 70 https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/996/2019/07/2017-2018_Academic_Catalog-and-Student_Handbook.pdf) *requires* profs to give 20% of first-year students a C-minus or worse, when the school's bar for "satisfactory academic progress" is a C+ average
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
18:59
ooooffff. thanks. i mean, full ride is cool and all, but damn
jb2028
18:59
The only scenario where a school does something like that (curve to a 2.67, dismiss students below 2.25) is when they're admitting a lot of students who may not pass the bar, then flunking people out mercilessly so the school can keep its accreditation (ABA requires 75% of grads to pass the bar within two years, can't fail the bar if the school doesn't let you graduate)
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
18:59
the dean told me "no students had their scholarships reduced in the past three years, and to my recollection only one scholarship in 19 years has been reduced when a student was in good standing"
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:01
yeah, i get that and appreciate you validating that point. i like to think it really wouldn't apply to me and assume it happens due to the lower standards of admissions they utilize, but is it (full ride) worth the risk? that's the fly in the ointment
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:02
just trying to weigh all angles, seems like just biting the bullet and paying the modest amount to UTK is a smarter decision
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:04
end of cycle is for the birds, but i'm playing the hand i was dealt :)
jb2028
19:06
In general you are going to be better off at a school that wants its students to succeed. UTK seems to fit the description - they are not in any danger of losing their accreditation, don't need to force people out. Elon very much does not, if their bar passage drops 2% they'll be in violation of ABA requirements so they won't give students any leway
jb2028
19:06
*leeway
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:08
i appreciate your insight, friend
manifestmoreadmissions
19:11
im too lazy to provide the same level of detail as JB but I agree UTK seems like a better bet to actually achieve your career goals and set yourself up for success. I would understand being conflicted if it were like UTK vs Belmont or a lower ranked school that isn't considered predatory but because it's Elon that makes it more clear to me
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:15
thank you
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:17
the counterpoint bouncing around my head is basically "if i'm worth a damn, as i think i am, i'll be just fine no matter what the curve is" but you folks are nudging me in the direction of logic and common sense
manifestmoreadmissions
19:18
plenty of the people who fall behind are worth a damn it's just that some schools are basically set up to screw people over
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:19
yeah. fall behind as in....miss homework? can't keep up with readings? something else?
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:20
kinda nervous coming in as an untraditional guy around KJD's, billy madison vibes over here
jb2028
19:21
Re: costs, it's worth looking at costs all around, both schools cost (net tuition, $0 at Elon/$30K over 3 years if you're in-state at UTK) PLUS three years not earning money or advancing in your career, which is worth 6 figures if you make decent money now. $30K in tuition is a small share of total costs in this comparison
jb2028
19:24
"Fall behind" in this context means law school curves are rigid, no matter how hard everyone studies half the class will be below-median, 25% in the bottom quarter, etc. It's not super predictable either, so a student above GPA or LSAT median could still end up bottom half or 1/4 of the class
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:27
gotcha. predatory in that instance is certainly appropriate
manifestmoreadmissions
19:32
i am not kjd but im glad jb cleared that up for you lmao
jb2028
19:32
And assuming similar class rank, UTK grads tend to do better in public data. Top students at UTK have a shot at biglaw (pays $225K), top students at Elon end up at small/medium firms (worse pay). Average students at UTK can get jobs at small/medium firms, average students at Elon are on the bubble for any firm job at all. Below-average students at UTK have a shot at firm jobs or other work, below-average students at Elon might not get jobs (or pass the bar, or avoid academic dismissal). That's the major advantage of well-regarded schools - more upside, less downside
manifestmoreadmissions
19:32
but yeah just reiterating that you could be worth so many damns and still not do well because its set up for that
jb2028
19:37
(This is ignoring public service/government jobs, because the stats there don't tell us much about the type of job - "super competitive Department of Justice job in DC making $90K" and "local government job earning $50K" both get lumped together under the "public service" label, but say v. different things about a school's job placement
DisillusionedHomelessWalnut
19:38
really appreciate all the insight
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