Choosing the right school is important.
The American Bar Association (ABA) consists of 400,000 members and is the largest voluntary professional association in the world. The ABA states its mission as equally serving its members, the profession and the public by defending liberty and delivering justice. One function of the ABA is to provide law schools with accreditation, 200 of which are currently accredited. Each year, a top 100 list of ABA-accredited schools is published in efforts to assist potential law students in their application decisions.
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, recently undergoing a $110 million renovation, has a 6 to 7 percent admission rate that requires students to undergo a 12-point application process, including recommendations and personal letters. Yale has a 6.8 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio, admits just 15 transfer students each year and has an honors/pass/low pass/fail grading system.
Yale Law School Admissions Office
P.O. Box 208215
New Haven, CT 06520-8215
Street address: 133 Wall St., Ruttenberg Hall
203-432-4995
www.law.yale.edu/
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School has a quick admission process that admits 600 students per academic year. High Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores improve students' chance of admission as median LSAT scores for 2010 are 173. The ratio of students to professors is 10 to 1, and the curriculum is on an honors/pass/low pass system. New for 2010 are bans on laptop use in the classroom.
Harvard Law School
1563 Massachusetts Ave.
Cainbridge, MA 02138
617-495-3100
law.harvard.edu/index.html
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School has an acceptance rate of 9 percent, and includes the use of multiple LSAT scores in its decision. The ratio of students to teachers is 8.6 to 1, and an honors/pass/restricted credit/no credit scoring system, which means that around 30 percent of the class receives honors, the remaining a passing score and almost no students receive the lowest score. While grants for tuition are available through Stanford, almost no full-tuition grants are awarded.
Stanford Law School
Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610
Office of Admissions:
650-723-4985
stanford.edu/
Columbia University School of Law
Columbia University School of Law receives 8,500 applications per academic year, with a 7 percent admission rate. Median grade point average (GPA) on applications is 3.72 and the average LSAT score is 172. International students represent 10 percent of admitted students, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 9.3 to 1. First-year students have a required course load; however, after the first year, students are allowed elective choices.
Columbia University School of Law
Office of JD Admissions
435 W. 116th St.
New York, NY 10027
212-854-2670
law.columbia.edu/
New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law receives 7,000 applications per academic year to fill just 450 seats. They offer incoming students an early action option for applications received by Oct. 15, and decisions are received by the end of the calendar year. The student-to-teacher ratio is 9.6 to 1, and the required curriculum is predetermined for the first year and a half. The employment rate after graduation from New York University School of Law is an impressive 98.2 percent.
New York University School of Law
40 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Office of Admissions
161 Avenue of the Americas, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10013
212-998-6060
law.nyu.edu
University of California Berkeley School of Law
University of California Berkeley School of Law (BOALT) receives 7,100 applications each year, admits 750 students and enrolls 270. Admission isn't strictly based on academics, BOALT has more of a holistic approach by considering letters of recommendation and personal essays as well. The ratio of student to teachers is 12.3 to 1, and the curriculum also includes exotic courses such as Modern Chinese Law and credit for working as an editor for one of BOALT's many legal journals.
University of California
Berkeley School of Law Admissions Office
5 Boalt Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
510-642-2274
law.berkeley.edu
University of Chicago Law School
The University of Chicago Law School values the use of the personal statement with student applications. It has a 16 percent admission rate out of 4,798 applications for the year 2010. The University of Chicago has a unique grading system that employs the use of quarters rather than semesters. The student-to-teacher ratio is 9.7 to 1, and 60 percent of classes have 25 students or fewer.
University of Chicago: Law School
1111 E. 60th St.
Chicago, IL 60637-2776
773-702-9494
philosophy.uchicago.edu
University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of Pennsylvania Law School also has a 16 percent admission rate, with a curriculum emphasis on clinical programs and a requirement of law-related public service. Tuition is high at approximately $65,000 per year. However, 94.4 percent of students pass the bar exam the first time, and in 2008, the graduate median annual salary was $160,000.
University of Pennsylvania Law School
3400 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215- 898-7400
law.upenn.edu
The University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School encourages students to apply early because by January, 75 percent of the seats are filled. GPA is not considered the biggest factor, and the admission rate is at 20.7 percent. First-year students stay with the same group throughout the first year before branching off to other courses or interests. The student-to-teacher ratios are 12.4 to 1, with 56.6 percent of the class in 2009 receiving scholarships.
The University of Michigan
Law School
Admissions Office
726 Oakland Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-764-0537
law.umich.edu/
Duke University School of Law
Duke University School of Law receives 6,300 applications per academic year, admits 1,500 students and only enrolls 228. The application deadline is March, but Duke recommends that applications be received no later than January. The student-to-teacher ratio is 10.2 to 1, and every classroom is wired with power at each student seat, allowing for video conferencing and web access. Students have the option to complete both their master's degree and their law degree with Duke's joint degree program.
Duke University School of Law
Box 90393
Science Drive and Towerview Road
Durham, NC 27708
919-613-7020
law.duke.edu/
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