Best Law Schools 2025

The most selective law school in America at a 4.06% acceptance rate and the uncontested #1 by cross-admit preference. More than one in four graduates (26%) secure federal clerkships, while a class of just 204 means the smallest student-to-opportunity ratio in the T14. 63% of students receive financial aid with a median grant of $34,747.

The smallest class in the top three (193 students) with the most generous financial aid in the T14: a $52,797 median grant, nearly double the T14 average. Stanford pairs elite outcomes (40.2% at 500+ attorney firms, 17.6% clerking federally) with the strongest public interest commitment among the top five at 16.1%.

The largest T14 class (579) produces the highest volume of elite placements: 112 federal clerkships and 320 graduates at 500+ attorney firms in a single year. A 96.1% bar passage rate across that volume, with 60.1% of graduates entering law firms and 21.4% clerking.

The highest federal clerkship rate in the T14: 28.1% of graduates clerk for federal judges. Combined with 48.7% at 500+ attorney firms, 76.9% of Chicago graduates enter large firms or federal clerkships, the highest combined rate in the top 14. A 97.0% employment rate, 97.1% bar passage, and 78% receiving financial aid.

Places more graduates into 500+ attorney firms than any other school: 342 in a single year, a rate of 65.4%. Columbia's 75.3% law firm employment rate reflects its position in the largest BigLaw market in the country. 54% of students receive grants from a pool of 9,463 applications.

Places 64.1% of graduates at 500+ attorney firms, with 72% in law firms overall. Penn offers the second-highest median scholarship in the T14 at $42,246, with 59% of students receiving grants. An 8.05% acceptance rate and 96.25% bar passage.

A 75.3% combined BigLaw and federal clerkship rate (60.2% at 500+ firms, 15.1% clerking federally) puts UVA among the top four for elite placement. Lower tuition ($74,078) and cost of living ($28,770) than most T14 peers, with 66% of students receiving grants at a $35,000 median.

The highest public interest employment rate in the T14 at 22.2%, nearly double the next closest school. NYU receives more applications than any T14 peer (10,546) and splits between a strong BigLaw pipeline (54.1% at 501+ firms) and the deepest public interest commitment in elite legal education. 66% receive grants.

The highest bar passage rate in the T14 at 97.27%, with 91% of students receiving financial aid, tied for the highest grant rate among the top 14. Michigan places 50.3% at 500+ firms and 10.2% in federal clerkships, at a cost of living ($26,886) well below most T14 locations.

The lowest resident tuition in the T14 at $62,532, with 86% of students receiving grants. Berkeley places 52.2% at 500+ attorney firms while maintaining the second-highest public interest rate (16.7%) among the top 14. A 14.84% acceptance rate with a class of 374.

The highest overall employment rate in the T14 at 98.2% and the highest law firm placement rate at 78.7%, with 67.9% at 500+ firms alone. Duke achieves this with a small class (227) and the most generous grant rate: 94% of students receive financial aid at a $35,000 median.

A 64.1% placement rate at 500+ attorney firms, with 77.0% in law firms overall. Northwestern's median LSAT of 173 ties for the highest outside the top three, and 76% of students receive grants at a $40,000 median, the third-highest median scholarship in the T14.

The most affordable T14 for residents at $59,084 in tuition, the lowest in the top 14. Places 50.5% of graduates at 500+ attorney firms while maintaining a 14.2% public interest rate. 83% of students receive grants, with the third-lowest cost of living in the T14.

The highest BigLaw placement rate in the T14: 71.9% of graduates enter 500+ attorney firms, and 84.2% enter law firms overall, both the highest marks among the top 14. A 98.0% employment rate (second only to Duke) and a small class of 217. 91% receive financial aid.