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Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.
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Harvard Law School
Cambridge, Massachusetts
173
LSAT
3.89
GPA
12.49%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
JD Admissions & Requirements
Data from 2019 admissions cycle
173
LSAT
3.89
GPA
12.49%
Admit Rate
Harvard Law School is a prestigious JD program located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For the 2019 admissions cycle, Harvard Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 564 with an acceptance rate of 12.49%, positioning it among the most selective law schools for JD applicants.
Also known as
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
HLS
Law School Applications
7333
JD application volume in 2019 cycle
JD Acceptance Rate
12.49%
JD Program Size
564
JD Tuition Cost
-
Law school: Where you spend three years learning to think like a lawyer, then a lifetime trying to think like a human again.
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Wisdom from Harvard Law School Admits
4.0 / 174 • Harvard University • 3 months ago
LSAT: 167 -> 168 -> 174 I used LSAT Demon + The Loophole (highly recommend both) GPA: ...
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3.97 / 178 • Yale University • 5 months ago
Genuinely shocked and so honored by the results I’ve received this cycle. Coming in, I could...
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3.97 / 172 • Harvard University • 5 months ago
Sometimes you just have to put all your eggs in one basket.
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p
3.95 / 175 • University of Pennsylvania • 5 months ago
what, like it’s hard? (it is, in fact, hard)
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4.0 / 170 • Harvard University • 5 months ago
I think the reason I did very well despite being KJD and below T14 LSAT median is that my...
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3.82 / 171 • Harvard University • 5 months ago
None of this would’ve been possible without the guidance of previous applicants and LSD
Read more
Harvard Law School Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2019-2020 Cycle Overview
1236 applicants
Accepted
70
/
184
Waitlisted
173
Rejected
480
-
Withdrawn
102
-
Admissions Graphs
Drag the handle in the bottom right of the chart to resize
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
Filters
LSAT Score: Law School Admission Test score (120-180 scale)
GPA: Undergraduate Grade Point Average (0.0-4.3+ scale)
Drag the handle in the bottom right of the chart to resize
This chart shows when decisions were made throughout the application cycle. Use the filters above to refine the data.
How to Use These Graphs
Graph Navigation:
- Zoom: Click and drag to zoom into a specific area
- Reset zoom: Double-click anywhere on the graph
- View details: Hover over any point to see detailed information
- Visit profile: Click on any point to open that user's profile page
- Toggle series: Click on any legend item to show/hide that category (accepted, waitlisted, rejected, unknown)
Advanced Features:
- Colorblind mode: Toggle on in the controls above for an alternative color palette
- Export/Print: Click the menu in the top-right corner of any graph to download or print
- Cycle selection: Use the dropdown in the controls above to view data from different application cycles
- 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.
Admission Statistics Not Available
Detailed admission statistics for this school are currently unavailable.
Application Status Data
Harvard Law School Application Status Data
Application statuses submitted by LSData users
Showing 1236 apps
Harvard Law School Law School Employment Outcomes
Overview
JD Employment Rate
93.3%
First-Time Bar Pass
96.5%
Median Starting Salary
-
Private Sector
Employment Quality
JD Required
87.5%
BigLaw Placement
51.1%
Federal Clerkships
17.7%
School-Funded Positions
4.3%
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 ★ | 524 | 6 | — | — | 530 | 88.5% |
| JD Advantage | 27 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 4.8% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 7 | 1.2% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | 20 | 5 | — | — | 26 | 4.3% |
| Total Employed | 571 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 592 | 98.8% |
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 | 58.6% |
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 21.4% |
|
| Government | 2.8% |
|
| Public Interest | 10.7% |
|
| Business | 4.0% |
|
| Academia | 1.3% |
|
Judicial Clerkships
Clerkships by Type
| Clerkship Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 106 | 17.7% |
|
| State/Local | 20 | 3.3% | — |
| International | 2 | 0.3% | — |
Federal clerkships are highly prestigious positions that significantly enhance career prospects in litigation and academia.
Bar Examination Performance
First-Time Pass Rate
96.5%
Takers:
572
Passed:
552
vs State Avg
+20.9%
Ultimate Pass Rate
99.48%
Takers:
579
Passed:
576
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
75.6%
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
No data available
Public Sector
No data available
Career Outcomes Summary
Law school tuition at Harvard Law School is - annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately - for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
For JD graduates from Harvard Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 96.5%. Within two years, 99.48% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +20.9% 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.