Hate ads? Verify for LSD+ → Learn More

2021 Law School Rankings – Peer Assessment

  1. Harvard University
  2. Yale University
  3. Stanford University
  4. Columbia University
  5. University of Chicago
  6. New York University

How deans, faculty, and hiring partners rate 102 ABA-accredited law schools on a 1-to-5 scale. Compare schools head-to-head →

About Peer Assessment rankings

Peer assessment scores reflect how deans, faculty, and hiring partners rate each law school on a 1-to-5 scale. These scores are a component of the US News formula but are shown separately here.

Peer scores tend to be sticky: they change slowly and reflect accumulated reputation rather than current performance. A school improving rapidly may not see its peer score catch up for years.

2021 Law School Rankings Table

Harvard University logo
#1 Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Score: 4.8
Yale University logo
#1 Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Score: 4.8
Stanford University logo
#1 Stanford University
Stanford, California
Score: 4.8
Columbia University logo
#4 Columbia University
New York City, New York
Score: 4.7
University of Chicago logo
#5 University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Score: 4.6
New York University logo
#5 New York University
New York City, New York
Score: 4.6
University of California—Berkeley logo
#7 University of California—Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Score: 4.5
University of Pennsylvania logo
#8 University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Score: 4.4
University of Virginia logo
#8 University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Score: 4.4
University of Michigan logo
#8 University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Score: 4.4
Cornell University logo
#11 Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
Score: 4.3
Northwestern University logo
#12 Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois
Score: 4.2
Georgetown University logo
#12 Georgetown University
Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C.
Score: 4.2
Duke University logo
#12 Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Score: 4.2
University of California—Los Angeles logo
#15 University of California—Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Score: 4.1
University of Texas at Austin logo
#15 University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas
Score: 4.1
Vanderbilt University logo
#17 Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
Score: 4.0
Temple University logo
#18 Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Score: 3.8
Washington University in St. Louis logo
#19 Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
Score: 3.7
University of Minnesota logo
#20 University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Score: 3.6
Emory University logo
#20 Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia
Score: 3.6
University of California—Irvine logo
#20 University of California—Irvine
Irvine, California
Score: 3.6
University of Southern California logo
#20 University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
Score: 3.6
George Washington University logo
#24 George Washington University
Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C.
Score: 3.5
University of North Carolina logo
#24 University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Score: 3.5
University of California—Davis logo
#24 University of California—Davis
Davis, California
Score: 3.5
University of Notre Dame logo
#24 University of Notre Dame
South Bend, Indiana
Score: 3.5
Boston University logo
#24 Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
Score: 3.5
William & Mary Law School logo
#29 William & Mary Law School
Williamsburg, Virginia
Score: 3.4
Fordham University logo
#29 Fordham University
Bronx, New York
Score: 3.4
University of Wisconsin logo
#29 University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Score: 3.4
Boston College logo
#29 Boston College
Newton, Massachusetts
Score: 3.4
Indiana University - Bloomington logo
#33 Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Score: 3.3
University of Alabama logo
#33 University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Score: 3.3
University of Iowa logo
#33 University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Score: 3.3
Arizona State University logo
#33 Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona
Score: 3.3
Ohio State University logo
#33 Ohio State University
Columbus , Ohio
Score: 3.3
University of Florida (Levin) logo
#33 University of Florida (Levin)
Gainesville, Florida
Score: 3.3
University of Georgia logo
#33 University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Score: 3.3
University of Washington logo
#33 University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
Score: 3.3
University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign logo
#41 University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign
Champaign, Illinois
Score: 3.2
Tulane University logo
#41 Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana
Score: 3.2
University of Colorado—Boulder logo
#41 University of Colorado—Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Score: 3.2
University of California (Hastings) logo
#41 University of California (Hastings)
San Francisco, California
Score: 3.2
University of Arizona logo
#41 University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Score: 3.2
Washington and Lee University logo
#46 Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia
Score: 3.1
Florida State University logo
#46 Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
Score: 3.1
Wake Forest University logo
#46 Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Score: 3.1
University of Maryland logo
#49 University of Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland
Score: 3.0
Howard University logo
#49 Howard University
Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C.
Score: 3.0
American University logo
#49 American University
Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C.
Score: 3.0
University of Utah logo
#49 University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Score: 3.0
Yeshiva University (Cardozo) logo
#53 Yeshiva University (Cardozo)
New York City, New York
Score: 2.9
University of Connecticut logo
#53 University of Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Score: 2.9
University of Miami logo
#53 University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
Score: 2.9
Brigham Young University logo
#53 Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
Score: 2.9
University of Richmond logo
#57 University of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Score: 2.8
University of Oregon logo
#57 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Score: 2.8
University of Denver logo
#57 University of Denver
Denver, Colorado
Score: 2.8
Loyola Marymount University—Los Angeles logo
#57 Loyola Marymount University—Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Score: 2.8
Georgia State University logo
#57 Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia
Score: 2.8
University of Houston logo
#57 University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Score: 2.8
University of San Diego logo
#57 University of San Diego
San Diego, California
Score: 2.8
Pepperdine University logo
#64 Pepperdine University
Malibu , California
Score: 2.7
Brooklyn Law School logo
#64 Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn, New York
Score: 2.7
University of Pittsburgh logo
#64 University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Score: 2.7
Texas A&M University logo
#64 Texas A&M University
Fort Worth, Texas
Score: 2.7
University of Nevada—Las Vegas logo
#64 University of Nevada—Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Score: 2.7
Southern Methodist University logo
#64 Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas
Score: 2.7
George Mason University logo
#64 George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia
Score: 2.7
University of Kansas logo
#64 University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Score: 2.7
Rutgers University logo
#64 Rutgers University
Camden, New Jersey
Score: 2.7
Pennsylvania State - Penn State Law logo
#73 Pennsylvania State - Penn State Law
State College, Pennsylvania
Score: 2.6
Loyola University—Chicago logo
#73 Loyola University—Chicago
Chicago , Illinois
Score: 2.6
Illinois Institute of Technology (Kent) logo
#73 Illinois Institute of Technology (Kent)
Chicago, Illinois
Score: 2.6
University of Oklahoma logo
#73 University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Score: 2.6
University of Tennessee logo
#73 University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Score: 2.6
Northeastern University logo
#73 Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Score: 2.6
University of Hawaii logo
#73 University of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Score: 2.6
Villanova University logo
#73 Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Score: 2.6
University of South Carolina logo
#81 University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Score: 2.5
Lewis And Clark College logo
#81 Lewis And Clark College
Portland, Oregon
Score: 2.5
Baylor University logo
#81 Baylor University
Waco, Texas
Score: 2.5
University of Kentucky logo
#81 University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Score: 2.5
Indiana University - Indianapolis logo
#81 Indiana University - Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Score: 2.5
University of Nebraska logo
#81 University of Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
Score: 2.5
Pennsylvania State - Dickinson Law logo
#81 Pennsylvania State - Dickinson Law
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Score: 2.5
University of Missouri logo
#81 University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Score: 2.5
Seton Hall University logo
#81 Seton Hall University
Newark, New Jersey
Score: 2.5
Michigan State University logo
#81 Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Score: 2.5
Case Western Reserve University logo
#91 Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
Score: 2.4
University of Cincinnati logo
#91 University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Score: 2.4
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville logo
#91 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Score: 2.4
Drexel University logo
#91 Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Score: 2.4
Saint Louis University logo
#91 Saint Louis University
St. Louis, Missouri
Score: 2.4
St. John's University logo
#91 St. John's University
Queens, New York
Score: 2.4
University of Mississippi logo
#97 University of Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
Score: 2.3
Wayne State University logo
#97 Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan
Score: 2.3
University of Buffalo—SUNY logo
#97 University of Buffalo—SUNY
Buffalo, New York
Score: 2.3
University of Louisville logo
#100 University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Score: 2.2
Florida International University logo
#101 Florida International University
MIami, Florida
Score: 2.1
University of New Hampshire logo
#101 University of New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
Score: 2.1
102 schools

One data point, not a verdict

Rankings are a useful tool to orient yourself, but law schools are not sports teams. Flattening a three-year, six-figure investment into a single number will always leave out nuance. The school ranked #3 overall might be the wrong choice if your goal is public interest law in the Pacific Northwest on a full scholarship.

Use this list as a starting point, then dig deeper:

  • Look at school profiles for employment rates, debt loads, and geographic placement.
  • Use the admissions predictor to map your realistic options.
  • Search our applicant data to see where people with your numbers applied and what scholarships they received.

The best law school for you is the one that fits your career and your finances, not the one at the top of a list.

Know where you want to go. Now get help getting in.

Admissions consulting informed by the data behind these rankings. Former admissions officers, backed by LSD.Law analytics. Launching for the 2026–2027 cycle.

Join Waitlist

Also see: Best Law Schools