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Columbia Law School (CLS)
Track decisions and applicant data for the 2024-2025 cycle — 2589 applicants reporting.
24-25 · selected
23-24 · previous
ABA 509 (2024): 7,671 apps · 901 offers · 394 enrolled · 11.75% acceptance rate
This school uses "hold" instead of "waitlist" — same thing, different name. 128 applicants are on hold this cycle and are included in the waitlist numbers above.
Detailed Breakdown
Accepted · 413 total (incl. 5 from waitlist) · 16% yield
Waitlist · 835 total · 0.6% accepted off WL
Admissions Data
| LSAT & GPA Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
(ABA · 2024)
98th percentile
|
170 | 173 | 175 |
| LSAT (LSD) | 167 | 171 | 174 |
|
GPA
(ABA · 2024)
88th percentile
|
3.81 | 3.90 | 3.96 |
| GPA (LSD) | 3.7 | 3.87 | 3.96 |
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 168.16 | 170.37 | 173.24 |
| GPA | 3.66 | 3.79 | 3.92 |
| Softs | T3.2 | T3.2 | T3.14 |
| Avg $ | - | - | $116,576 |
| Admissions Metrics (ABA 509) | |
|---|---|
| Metric | Value |
| Applications |
7671
99th percentile
|
| Admission Offers | 901 |
| Class Size |
394
94th percentile
|
| Acceptance Rate |
11.75%
97th percentile
|
| Yield Rate |
39.96%
86th percentile
|
| Application Process Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Avg Days: Sent to Decision | 101 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 83 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 5.3% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | 50.4% |
Decision Timing
Selected Cycle (2024-2025) decisions (solid) vs. 1029 decisions from Previous Cycle (2023-2024) (faded). Click the previous cycle in the legend to toggle.
Where Is Columbia Law School Trending?
Historical LSAT, GPA, and acceptance rate data from ABA 509 reports. Rising medians or falling acceptance rates indicate increasing competitiveness.
LSAT and GPA bands show 25th/50th/75th percentiles; acceptance rate is lower = more selective. Click legend items to show/hide metrics.
Overview
Employment outcomes data from ABA 509 disclosures is shown below.
JD Employment Rate
First-Time Bar Pass
Median Starting Salary
Employment Quality
JD Required
BigLaw Placement
Federal Clerkships
School-Funded Positions
Employment Quality Distribution
Law Firm Employment by Size
Employment Quality Matrix
Bar Required ★ 494 (94.5% of class)
JD Advantage 6 (1.1% of class)
Professional 5 (1.0% of class)
Other 0 (0.0% of class)
School-Funded 10 (1.9% of class)
| Employment Type | Full-Time Long-Term |
Full-Time Short-Term |
Part-Time Long-Term |
Part-Time Short-Term |
Total | % of Grads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Required ★ | 493 | 1 | — | — | 494 | 94.5% |
| JD Advantage | 6 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1.1% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1.0% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | 7 | 3 | — | — | 10 | 1.9% |
| Total Employed | 506 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 515 | 98.5% |
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
Sector Details
| Sector | % of Graduates | National Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Law Firms | 75.3% |
97th percentile
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 6.5% |
47th percentile
|
| Government | 5.0% |
7th percentile
|
| Public Interest | 10.5% |
75th percentile
|
| Business | 1.0% |
3rd percentile
|
| Academia | 0.2% |
19th percentile
|
Clerkships by Type
| Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 29 | 5.5% |
87th percentile
|
| State/Local | 4 | 0.8% | — |
| International | 1 | 0.2% | — |
Federal clerkships enhance careers in litigation and academia.
Bar Exam Performance
| Metric | Rate | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| First-Time Pass | 95.47% |
94th percentile
|
| Ultimate Pass | 96.67% |
82nd percentile
|
| Jurisdiction Weighted | 81.63% | — |
Salary Outcomes
Private Sector
Public Sector
Career Outcomes Summary
Law school tuition at Columbia Law School is $163k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $60k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
For JD graduates from Columbia Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 95.47%. Within two years, 96.67% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +13.8% 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.
Cost of Attendance
Annual Tuition
Annual Fees
Cost of Living
Scholarship & Grant Aid
Students Receiving Grants
Median Grant
Grant Range (25th–75th)
Grant Distribution
Conditional Scholarships
This school reports no conditional scholarships.
Admissions Contact
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Read moreAbout Columbia Law School admissions
Columbia Law School , commonly known as CLS, is a prestigious JD program located in New York City, New York. In the competitive 2024 law school rankings, Columbia Law School was ranked 10 by US News & World Report, making it a top-tier law school for admissions-focused applicants. According to the 2024 ABA 509 Report, Columbia Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 394 with an acceptance rate of 11.75%, positioning it among the most selective law schools for JD applicants.
About Columbia Law School Admissions
Based on the 2024 ABA 509 Report, 7671 candidates submitted JD applications to Columbia Law School and 901 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is highly competitive for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 11.75%.
The JD program at Columbia Law School enrolls a first-year class of 394 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 39.96%. This means that of the 901 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 360 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 Columbia 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.
What LSAT score do I need for Columbia Law School?
The above statistics show that Columbia Law School typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 170 (25th percentile) to 175 (75th percentile), with a median of 173.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.81 to 3.96, with a median of 3.90.
With an acceptance rate of 11.75%, Columbia Law School is considered a highly competitive 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).