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Boston College Law School

Newton, Massachusetts

Rank #31 (USNWR 2020)

164
LSAT
3.69
GPA
31.84%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles

JD Admissions & Requirements

Data from 2020 admissions cycle

164
LSAT
3.69
GPA
31.84%
Admit Rate

Boston College Law School is a prestigious JD program located in Newton, Massachusetts. In the competitive 2020 law school rankings, Boston College Law School was ranked 31 by US News & World Report, making it a strong option for prospective law students in the current application cycle. For the 2020 admissions cycle, Boston College Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 255 with an acceptance rate of 31.84%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.

Also known as
BOSTON COLLEGE BC
Law School Applications
5094
JD application volume in 2020 cycle
JD Acceptance Rate
31.84%
81st percentile
JD Program Size
255
84th percentile
JD Tuition Cost
$59k

Success in law school is 10% intelligence and 90% persistence.

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Boston College Law School Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2020-2021 Cycle Overview
1207 applicants
Accepted
34 / 277
Waitlisted
277
Rejected
187
-
Withdrawn
301
-

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.

How to Use These Graphs
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  • Toggle series: Click on any legend item to show/hide that category (accepted, waitlisted, rejected, unknown)
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  • 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.

For law school applicants interested in the 2020 admissions cycle at Boston College Law School, 5094 candidates submitted JD applications and 1622 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is selective for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 31.84%.

The JD program at Boston College Law School enrolls a first-year class of 255 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 15.35%. This means that of the 1622 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 249 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 Boston College Law School, students should aim to meet or exceed the median statistics shown below. Meeting these GPA and LSAT targets significantly improves your chances of admission.

JD Admission Requirements & Application Statistics

Admissions Metrics (ABA 509)
Metric Value
Applications
5094
91st percentile
Admission Offers 1622
Class Size
255
84th percentile
Acceptance Rate
31.84%
81st percentile
Yield Rate
15.35%
2nd percentile
Average Statistics by Decision (LSD)
Metric Rejected All Accepted
LSAT 161.71 164.76 166.51
GPA 3.39 3.58 3.68
Softs T3.22 T3.3 T3.29
Avg Scholarship - - $94,160
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509)
25th 50th 75th
LSAT
83rd percentile
160 164 165
GPA
71st percentile
3.46 3.69 3.79
LSD User Stats
Metric 25th 50th 75th
LSAT 162.0 (+2.0) 165.0 (+1.0) 168.0 (+3.0)
GPA 3.41 (-0.05) 3.62 (-0.07) 3.8 (+0.01)
* Based on 1207 self-reported applications
* Green/Red values show difference from ABA 509 data
Application Process Statistics
Avg Days: Sent to Decision 69 days
Avg Days: UR to Decision 24 days
Interview Invite Rate 0.0%
Interview → Acceptance Rate -

The above statistics show that Boston College Law School typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 160 (25th percentile) to 165 (75th percentile), with a median of 164.

For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.46 to 3.79, with a median of 3.69.

With an acceptance rate of 31.84%, Boston College Law School is considered a selective 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

Boston College Law School Application Status Data

Application statuses submitted by LSData users

Showing 1207 apps

Boston College Law School Law School Employment Outcomes

Overview

JD Employment Rate

87.4%
71st percentile

First-Time Bar Pass

91.46%
85th percentile

Median Starting Salary

$190,000
Private Sector
100th percentile

Employment Quality

JD Required

79.3%
75th percentile

BigLaw Placement

33.7%
91st percentile

Federal Clerkships

1.6%
52nd percentile

School-Funded Positions

1.2%

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 195 8 203 82.5%
JD Advantage 10 2 12 4.9%
Professional 3 1.2%
Other 1 0.4%
School-Funded 2 1 3 1.2%
Total Employed 207 11 0 0 222 90.2%
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 60.6%
88th percentile
Judicial Clerkships 6.1%
44th percentile
Government 9.8%
41st percentile
Public Interest 3.7%
18th percentile
Business 10.2%
56th percentile
Academia 0.0%
0th percentile
Unemployment Rate: 7.3% (graduates actively seeking employment)

Judicial Clerkships

Clerkships by Type

Clerkship Type Graduates % of Class National Rank
Federal 4 1.6%
52nd percentile
State/Local 11 4.5%

Federal clerkships are highly prestigious positions that significantly enhance career prospects in litigation and academia.

Bar Examination Performance

First-Time Pass Rate
91.46%
85th percentile
Takers: 246
Passed: 225
vs State Avg +10.4%
Ultimate Pass Rate
97.0%
90th percentile
Takers: 233
Passed: 226
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
81.04%
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
Median Salary $190,000
100th percentile
25th Percentile $89,000
86th percentile
Public Sector
Median Salary $56,000
40th percentile

Career Outcomes Summary

Law school tuition at Boston College Law School is $59k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $41k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).

After completing their JD program at Boston College Law School, graduates entering private law firms earn a median starting salary of $190,000. JD graduates pursuing public sector legal careers start at approximately $56,000. These post-law school employment outcomes are important factors for evaluating the return on investment for your legal education.

For law school applicants interested in specific legal career paths, it's worth noting that 60.6% of Boston College Law School JD graduates secure positions at law firms after graduation. Additionally, 6.1% of graduates obtain prestigious judicial clerkships, and 3.7% pursue public interest law careers. Overall, 87.4% of JD graduates were employed at jobs that required a JD within 10 months of graduation.

For JD graduates from Boston College Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 91.46%. Within two years, 97.0% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +10.4% 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.

A lawyer is a person who writes a 10,000-word document and calls it a 'brief'.

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