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 2022 (which were published in 2021) 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).
The U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) law school rankings for 2023 showcase a highly competitive landscape among top-tier institutions. Stanford University and Yale University share the first spot, closely followed by the University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University, Harvard University, and New York University, which all tie for the fifth rank. The rankings consider a multitude of factors including the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT scores and GPAs of enrolled students, as well as the acceptance rate, painting a comprehensive picture of each school's selectivity and the quality of its students.
Stanford and Yale Universities both have 25th percentile LSAT scores of 170 or above and 75th percentile scores reaching 176 and 178 respectively, indicating a highly accomplished student body. Yale, however, has a slightly lower acceptance rate at 5.7%, reflecting a higher level of competitiveness for admission. Both schools also boast strong GPA percentiles, with 75th percentile GPAs hitting 3.99 for both schools, illustrating the high academic achievements of their students.
In the fifth spot, Duke University, Harvard University, and New York University exhibit a diverse range of LSAT and GPA percentiles, with Duke showing slightly lower metrics, but still boasting strong figures. Duke’s 75th percentile LSAT score stands at 171, with Harvard and NYU reaching 176 and 174 respectively. Harvard's GPA and LSAT scores are highly competitive, tying with the leaders Stanford and Yale at several points. NYU, while still being a top-ranked institution, does have a higher acceptance rate at 15.7%, suggesting a slightly less selective admissions process. Nonetheless, the continued presence of these institutions at the top of the USNWR rankings underscores their esteemed reputation and the high caliber of their law programs.