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Duke Law (Duke)

Durham, North Carolina

Rank #6 (USNWR 2025)

171
LSAT
3.91
GPA
13.9%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles

JD Admissions & Requirements

Data from 2025 ABA 509 Report

171
LSAT
3.91
GPA
13.9%
Admit Rate

Duke Law, commonly known as Duke, is a prestigious JD program located in Durham, North Carolina. In the competitive 2025 law school rankings, Duke Law was ranked 6 by US News & World Report, making it a top-tier law school for admissions-focused applicants. According to the 2025 ABA 509 Report, Duke Law has an entering 1L class size of approximately 227 with an acceptance rate of 13.9%, positioning it among the most selective law schools for JD applicants.

Also known as
DUKE UNIVERSITY Duke
Law School Applications
6240
JD applications (2025 ABA 509)
JD Acceptance Rate
13.9%
91st percentile
JD Program Size
227
64th percentile
JD Tuition Cost
$160k
Duke Law Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2025-2026 Cycle Overview
1065 applicants
Accepted
5 / 21
Waitlisted
61
Rejected
10
-
Withdrawn
17
-

Admissions Graphs

25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles

LSAT Score: Law School Admission Test score (120-180 scale)

GPA: Undergraduate Grade Point Average (0.0-4.3+ scale)

This chart shows when decisions were made throughout the application cycle. Use the filters above to refine the data.

Decisions by Day

Daily breakdown of admission decisions for Duke Law this cycle.

DateDecisions12/0812/0912/1012/1112/1212/1312/1412/1512/1612/1712/1812/1912/2012/2112/2212/2312/2412/2512/2612/2712/280481216202428320016002208101300000000000000000200100000100400200000000000000000
Accepted
Waitlisted
Rejected

When Does Duke Law Release Decisions?

Historical decision timing patterns based on 1280 decisions from the 2024-2025 cycles.

WeekDecisionsDecJanFebMarAprMayJun020406080100120140160180200101681402327451191020029038101348501339434148291946332919182621232723121929302150445283122341316233501015202105100101601010007
Accepted
Waitlisted
Rejected

Weeks are labeled by month (Sep-Aug academic year). Higher bars indicate weeks when this school typically releases more decisions.

How to Use These Graphs
Graph Navigation:
  • Zoom: Click and drag to zoom into a specific area
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  • View details: Hover over any point to see detailed information
  • Visit profile: Click on any point to open that user's profile page
  • Toggle series: Click on any legend item to show/hide that category (accepted, waitlisted, rejected, unknown)
Advanced Features:
  • Colorblind mode: Toggle on in the controls above for an alternative color palette
  • Export/Print: Click the menu in the top-right corner of any graph to download or print
  • Cycle selection: Use the dropdown in the controls above to view data from different application cycles
  • Demographic filters: Filter by International, URM, Military, or Early Decision status to compare specific groups
  • Custom axes: On the LSAT vs. GPA graph, select different metrics to compare (dates, scholarships, etc.)
  • Compare your stats: Your own stats will appear as a blue diamond when viewing these graphs

Selectivity & Competitiveness Trends

How to interpret this chart:

  • LSAT (blue): Shows the 25th/50th/75th percentiles as a shaded band with median line. Hover to see exact values in format: 165/170/175
  • GPA (green): Shows the 25th/50th/75th percentiles as a shaded band with median line. Hover to see exact values in format: 3.45/3.65/3.85
  • Acceptance Rate (orange): Percentage of applicants who received offers (lower = more selective)
  • Applications (purple dashed): Total number of applications received each year

Rising LSAT/GPA medians, narrowing bands, or falling acceptance rates indicate increasing competitiveness. Click legend items to show/hide metrics.

Based on the 2025 ABA 509 Report, 6240 candidates submitted JD applications to Duke Law and 804 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is highly competitive for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 13.9%.

The JD program at Duke Law enrolls a first-year class of 227 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 27.61%. This means that of the 804 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 222 chose to enroll. Understanding these law school admission statistics can help prospective JD applicants evaluate their chances and plan their application strategy.

For a competitive law school application to Duke Law, students should aim to meet or exceed the median statistics shown below. Meeting these GPA and LSAT targets significantly improves your chances of admission.

What LSAT score do I need for Duke Law?

JD Admission Requirements & Application Statistics

Admissions Metrics (ABA 509)
Metric Value
Applications
6240
91st percentile
Admission Offers 804
Class Size
227
64th percentile
Acceptance Rate
13.9%
91st percentile
Yield Rate
27.61%
25th percentile
Average Statistics by Decision (LSD)
Metric Rejected All Accepted
LSAT 166.5 171.53 172.76
GPA 3.52 3.82 3.92
Softs T3.0 T3.3 T3.0
Avg Scholarship - - $67,500
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509)
25th 50th 75th
LSAT
92nd percentile
169 171 172
GPA
85th percentile
3.83 3.91 3.96
LSD User Stats
Metric 25th 50th 75th
LSAT 169.0 (0.0) 172.0 (+1.0) 175.0 (+3.0)
GPA 3.73 (-0.1) 3.88 (-0.03) 3.98 (+0.02)
* Based on 1065 self-reported applications
* Green/Red values show difference from ABA 509 data
Application Process Statistics
Avg Days: Sent to Decision 67 days
Avg Days: UR to Decision 68 days
Interview Invite Rate 0.1%
Interview → Acceptance Rate 0.0%

The above statistics show that Duke Law typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 169 (25th percentile) to 172 (75th percentile), with a median of 171.

For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.83 to 3.96, with a median of 3.91.

With an acceptance rate of 13.9%, Duke Law is considered a highly competitive law school in terms of admissions.

What these numbers mean
  • Percentiles: The 25th/50th/75th percentiles show the distribution of scores among admitted students.
  • Applications: Total number of people who applied to this law school.
  • Acceptance Rate: Percentage of applicants who received offers (lower = more selective).
  • Yield Rate: Percentage of admitted students who enrolled (higher = more desirable).

Application Status Data

Duke Law Application Status Data

Application statuses submitted by LSData users

Showing 1065 apps

Duke Law Law School Employment Outcomes

Overview

JD Employment Rate

-

First-Time Bar Pass

97.48%
99th percentile

Median Starting Salary

-
Private Sector

Employment Quality

JD Required

0.0%

BigLaw Placement

0.0%

Federal Clerkships

0.0%

Employment Quality Distribution

Law Firm Employment by Size

Employment Quality Matrix

Employment Type Full-Time
Long-Term
Full-Time
Short-Term
Part-Time
Long-Term
Part-Time
Short-Term
Total % of Grads
Bar Required 0.0%
JD Advantage 0.0%
Professional 0.0%
Other 0.0%
School-Funded 0.0%
Total Employed 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
School-Funded: May inflate stats

Generally, if you attend law school, you want to secure a bar-required position. However, at prestigious institutions, students may target specific JD advantage positions such as private equity or elite consulting roles.

Employment by Sector

Distribution

Sector Details

Employment Sector % of Graduates National Percentile
Law Firms
Judicial Clerkships
Government
Public Interest
Business
Academia

Judicial Clerkships

Bar Examination Performance

First-Time Pass Rate
97.48%
99th percentile
Takers: 278
Passed: 271
vs State Avg +14.5%
Ultimate Pass Rate
99.06%
97th percentile
Takers: 213
Passed: 211
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
82.94%
State average for jurisdictions where graduates took the bar
Understanding bar passage metrics

First-time: Immediate readiness indicator

Ultimate: Long-term success within 2 years

vs State: Performance relative to state average

Bar Passage Rates Comparison

Salary Outcomes

Private Sector
No data available
Public Sector
No data available

Career Outcomes Summary

Law school tuition at Duke Law is $160k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $52k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).

For JD graduates from Duke Law, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 97.48%. Within two years, 99.06% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +14.5% compared to the weighted state average. These bar passage metrics are important indicators of how well the law school prepares its students for this crucial professional licensing examination.

Tools for Prospective Applicants

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