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Justice is truth in action.
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Harvard Law School
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Rank #6 (USNWR 2024)
174
LSAT
3.95
GPA
11.0%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles
JD Admissions & Requirements
Data from 2024 admissions cycle
174
LSAT
3.95
GPA
11.0%
Admit Rate
Harvard Law School is a prestigious JD program located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the competitive 2024 law school rankings, Harvard Law School was ranked 6 by US News & World Report, making it a top-tier law school for admissions-focused applicants. For the 2024 admissions cycle, Harvard Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 560 with an acceptance rate of 11.0%, positioning it among the most selective law schools for JD applicants.
Also known as
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
HLS
Law School Applications
7231
JD application volume in 2024 cycle
JD Acceptance Rate
11.0%
JD Program Size
560
JD Tuition Cost
$154k
If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.
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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...
Read more
3.97 / 172 • Harvard University • 5 months ago
Sometimes you just have to put all your eggs in one basket.
Read more
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
2024-2025 Cycle Overview
2548 applicants
Accepted
120
/
242
Waitlisted
293
Rejected
1527
-
Withdrawn
153
-
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.
For law school applicants interested in the 2024 admissions cycle at Harvard Law School, 7231 candidates submitted JD applications and 793 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is highly competitive for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 11.0%.
The JD program at Harvard Law School enrolls a first-year class of 560 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 58.13%. This means that of the 793 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 461 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 Harvard 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 |
7231
|
| Admission Offers | 793 |
| Class Size |
560
|
| Acceptance Rate |
11.0%
|
| Yield Rate |
58.13%
|
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 170.27 | 171.05 | 173.87 |
| GPA | 3.78 | 3.81 | 3.94 |
| Softs | T3.19 | T3.16 | T3.09 |
| Avg Scholarship | - | - | $137,684 |
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
| LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
|
171 | 174 | 176 |
|
GPA
|
3.89 | 3.95 | 4.00 |
| LSD User Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | 25th | 50th | 75th |
| LSAT | 168.0 (-3.0) | 172.0 (-2.0) | 175.0 (-1.0) |
| GPA | 3.73 (-0.16) | 3.89 (-0.06) | 3.97 (-0.03) |
* Based on 2548 self-reported applications
* Green/Red values show difference from ABA 509 data
* Green/Red values show difference from ABA 509 data
| Application Process Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Avg Days: Sent to Decision | 76 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 69 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 12.9% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | 73.8% |
The above statistics show that Harvard Law School typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 171 (25th percentile) to 176 (75th percentile), with a median of 174.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.89 to 4.00, with a median of 3.95.
With an acceptance rate of 11.0%, Harvard 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).
Application Status Data
Harvard Law School Application Status Data
Application statuses submitted by LSData users
Showing 2548 apps
Harvard Law School Law School Employment Outcomes
Overview
JD Employment Rate
90.7%
First-Time Bar Pass
96.1%
Median Starting Salary
-
Private Sector
Employment Quality
JD Required
88.6%
BigLaw Placement
51.4%
Federal Clerkships
18.0%
School-Funded Positions
3.9%
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 ★ | 551 | 3 | — | — | 554 | 89.1% |
| JD Advantage | 10 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 1.6% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 13 | 2.1% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | 17 | 6 | — | — | 24 | 3.9% |
| Total Employed | 578 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 601 | 96.6% |
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 | 60.1% |
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 21.4% |
|
| Government | 3.4% |
|
| Public Interest | 7.6% |
|
| Business | 2.7% |
|
| Academia | 1.4% |
|
Judicial Clerkships
Clerkships by Type
| Clerkship Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 112 | 18.0% |
|
| State/Local | 19 | 3.1% | — |
| 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
96.1%
Takers:
564
Passed:
542
vs State Avg
+16.2%
Ultimate Pass Rate
99.65%
Takers:
571
Passed:
569
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
79.91%
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 $154k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $74k 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 96.1%. Within two years, 99.65% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +16.2% 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.