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Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University
Reviewed: 01/16/23
Joining the highest-ranked law schools in the nation is sure to propel you into a successful legal career. Read on to learn more about Ivy League law schools and what it takes to join them!
While some claim that the name was coined by a sportswriter, and others argue that it came from the evergreen vines growing on their buildings, one thing is certain. It's indisputable that the Ivy League are some of the oldest and most prestigious schools in the nation.
As the most sought-after schools in America, it’s no surprise that Ivy League law schools are top choices for aspiring lawyers. If you’d like to join an Ivy League law school yourself, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about how to do so!
While there are eight Ivy League schools in total, only five of them have law schools:
As the best law school in the nation, Yale is an Ivy League school that has gained an impressive reputation for itself in the legal world. This law school is best known for constitutional law, in which it ranks number one, and commercial and international law, where it ranks number four.
With over 20 legal centers for students to practice a wide range of law, including unique specialities such as animal cruelty, islamic law, women’s rights, and Chinese law policy reform, students are given ample opportunity to gain well-rounded expertise in the legal field.
Proving just how successful Yale graduates are, both Hillary and Bill Clinton graduated from Yale in 1973! In fact, their love story began in the Yale library where they first met as JD students.
As an Ivy school, Yale is extremely competitive. Only 4.1% of applicants gain admission into this law school, and this percentage has a median GPA of 3.9 and a median LSAT score of 174.
Columbia University ranks fourth as the best law school in the nation and is another Ivy League law school that offers limitless options for a lifetime of personal, professional, and intellectual growth.
With a strong emphasis on continual support, Columbia law students work closely with experts in the field and top employers around the world to ensure they are prepared for their legal careers.
Columbia also has a robust curriculum that is constantly evolving to meet the growing needs of the legal world and the leaders that continue to shape it. As such, they offer courses covering traditional legal areas and emerging ones!
Yale isn’t the only distinguished school to produce White House members with the same family name! Both Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt went to Columbia Law School to earn legal degrees!
Getting into this president producing law school requires strong academic achievement. Accepted students have a median GPA of 3.84 and a median LSAT score of 174. Columbia has an acceptance rate of 11.4%.
Harvard University is not only the most well-known Ivy League school, but it is also the oldest! Harvard was founded in 1636, making it the longest running university in the nation. A few centuries later in 1817, its law school opened and has been transforming legal education ever since.
With in-house clinics, externship clinics, and even independent clinics that students create on their own, Harvard offers its students more clinical opportunities than any law school in the world!
The depth of resources Harvard offers doesn’t just stop at its clinics! Harvard has over 500 legal courses for students to pursue, world-renowned faculty, and is home to the largest academic law library in the world, which likely explains why this Ivy League law school ranks fourth in the nation.
To join Harvard and reap all of its benefits, prospective students should aim to score a 174 on the LSAT and maintain a 3.92 GPA. Only about 6.9% of all applicants are able to meet these high standards and gain admission to this highly coveted law school.
The University of Pennsylvania Penn Carey Law School ranks sixth in the nation and is dedicated to creating lawyers of tomorrow.
With the belief that modern lawyers should also be experts in business, social work, communications, international studies, health, technology, education, and other emerging fields, UPenn offers its students a cross-disciplinary curriculum.
Students are able to take graduate level courses at UPenn’s sister schools or complete joint degrees to enrich and diversify their studies and eventual practice.
Continuing their mission to serve the emerging legal world, UPenn offers its students the chance to work in nine legal clinics of varying emerging and traditional areas of law. Students are not only educated on the intricacies of law through these clinics, but also serve the needs of underserved communities.
Students hoping to attend UPenn should have a GPA of 3.9 and LSAT score of 171 to be considered competitive. Only 9.4% of applicants are accepted into this Ivy League school.
The final Ivy League law school on this list is Cornell, which ranks 12th in the nation. Cornell offers its students the oldest and most distinguished law programs in international and comparative legal education.
As a prestigious law school, it has an outstanding faculty, a diverse curriculum, a leading law journal for students to contribute to, and various clinics for students to gain hands-on legal experience.
Cornell has a tight-knit, small law community that allows students to form strong relationships with their peers and professors. Each student receives individualized mentorship to ensure their professional and personal goals are met.
While Cornell has the highest acceptance rate on this list at 15.6%, prospective students must still have high scores to be considered for admission. Cornell’s median GPA is 3.86 and its median LSAT score is 171.
Aside from being one of the T14 law schools, Cornell also ranks as the number one school for job placement in large law firms!
If you have any remaining questions about Ivy League law schools, read on to find your answers!
Yale is the best Ivy League school for law as it ranks number one in the nation.
Yes, Cornell Law is an Ivy League Law school!
No, while NYU is a T14 law school, it is not a part of the Ivy League.
Princeton University, Dartmouth College, and Brown University are the three ivy league schools that do not have law schools.
As the most distinguished law schools in the nation, Ivy League schools are the most challenging to get into! They require high LSAT scores and GPAs.
Yale Law is the hardest Ivy League school to get into. It has a low acceptance rate of 4.1% and high LSAT and GPA requirements.
By joining an Ivy League law school you’re guaranteed to get the highest-quality of education and access to unparalleled resources and opportunities! While getting into these schools will be challenging, doing so will certainly help you meet and surpass all of your legal career goals!
