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Vanderbilt Law School (Vandy)

Nashville, Tennessee

Rank #14 (USNWR 2025)

170
LSAT
3.91
GPA
18.5%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles

JD Admissions & Requirements

Data from 2025 ABA 509 Report

170
LSAT
3.91
GPA
18.5%
Admit Rate

Vanderbilt Law School, commonly known as Vandy, is a prestigious JD program located in Nashville, Tennessee. In the competitive 2025 law school rankings, Vanderbilt Law School was ranked 14 by US News & World Report, making it a top-tier law school for admissions-focused applicants. According to the 2025 ABA 509 Report, Vanderbilt Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 172 with an acceptance rate of 18.5%, positioning it among the most selective law schools for JD applicants.

Also known as
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY Vandy
Law School Applications
6124
JD applications (2025 ABA 509)
JD Acceptance Rate
18.5%
91st percentile
JD Program Size
172
39th percentile
JD Tuition Cost
$152k
Vanderbilt Law School Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2025-2026 Cycle Overview
1331 applicants
Accepted
0 / 76
Waitlisted
31
Rejected
5
-
Withdrawn
30
-

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.

Decisions by Day

Daily breakdown of admission decisions and interview invites for Vanderbilt Law School this cycle.

DateDecisions09/1509/1609/1709/1809/1909/2009/2109/2209/2309/2409/2509/2609/2709/2809/2909/3010/0110/0210/0310/0410/0510/0610/0710/0810/0910/1010/1110/1210/1310/1410/1510/1610/1710/1810/1910/2010/2110/2210/2310/2410/2510/2610/2710/2810/2910/3010/3111/0111/0211/0311/0411/0511/0611/0711/0811/0911/1011/1111/1211/1311/1411/1511/1611/1711/1811/1911/2011/2111/2211/2311/2411/2511/2611/2711/2811/2911/3012/0112/0212/0312/0412/0512/0612/0712/0812/0912/1012/1112/1212/1312/1412/1512/1612/1712/1812/1912/2012/2112/2212/2312/2412/2512/2612/2712/2812/2912/3012/3101/0101/0201/0301/0401/0501/0601/0701/0801/0901/1001/1101/1201/1301/1401/1501/1601/1701/1801/1901/2001/2101/2201/2301/2401/2501/2601/2701/2801/29051015202530354045500001000300010001000000000000000000010000000100010001000200010002000000030000000000010002000300020003000200010001000100000004000000000001000100040001000200030000000000000001000000030002000400000001000400050004000400020001000200080001000700050002000200010004000300000003000100000001000200000001000000010000001000010001000000010001000000000000102010010010000000000000001000000000240004000000000000000100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001000000000000000000000000490015000000000000000000000000000
Accepted
Waitlisted
Rejected
Interview Invite

When Does Vanderbilt Law School Release Decisions?

Historical decision timing patterns based on 864 decisions from the 2024-2025 cycles.

WeekDecisionsSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAug02040608010012014016018010000003000300080001400012000170002700018000180001600017100500308101000012060200020026719712110040008201121781442740128130192103158200797011520214001001420139130110100081500630010500120010001000000000000100030003000200000 Today
Accepted
Waitlisted
Rejected
Interview Invite

Weeks are labeled by month (Sep-Aug academic year). Higher bars indicate weeks when this school typically releases more decisions or interview invites.

How to Use These Graphs
Graph Navigation:
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  • 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.

Based on the 2025 ABA 509 Report, 6124 candidates submitted JD applications to Vanderbilt Law School and 812 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is highly competitive for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 18.5%.

The JD program at Vanderbilt Law School enrolls a first-year class of 172 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 20.94%. This means that of the 812 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 170 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 Vanderbilt 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 Vanderbilt Law School?

JD Admission Requirements & Application Statistics

Admissions Metrics (ABA 509)
Metric Value
Applications
6124
91st percentile
Admission Offers 812
Class Size
172
39th percentile
Acceptance Rate
18.5%
91st percentile
Yield Rate
20.94%
6th percentile
Average Statistics by Decision (LSD)
Metric Rejected All Accepted
LSAT 163.2 169.46 171.76
GPA 3.35 3.75 3.89
Softs T3.0 T3.37 T3.8
Avg Scholarship - - $123,329
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509)
25th 50th 75th
LSAT
89th percentile
167 170 171
GPA
88th percentile
3.77 3.91 3.97
LSD User Stats
Metric 25th 50th 75th
LSAT 167.0 (0.0) 170.0 (0.0) 173.0 (+2.0)
GPA 3.64 (-0.13) 3.85 (-0.06) 3.96 (-0.01)
* Based on 1331 self-reported applications
* Green/Red values show difference from ABA 509 data
Application Process Statistics
Avg Days: Sent to Decision 98 days
Avg Days: UR to Decision 54 days
Interview Invite Rate 9.2%
Interview → Acceptance Rate 25.4%

The above statistics show that Vanderbilt Law School typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 167 (25th percentile) to 171 (75th percentile), with a median of 170.

For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.77 to 3.97, with a median of 3.91.

With an acceptance rate of 18.5%, Vanderbilt 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

Vanderbilt Law School Application Status Data

Application statuses submitted by LSData users

Loading application data...

Vanderbilt Law School Law School Employment Outcomes

Overview

JD Employment Rate

-

First-Time Bar Pass

94.51%
92nd percentile

Median Starting Salary

-
Private Sector

Employment Quality

JD Required

0.0%

BigLaw Placement

0.0%

Federal Clerkships

0.0%

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 0.0%
JD Advantage 0.0%
Professional 0.0%
Other 0.0%
School-Funded 0.0%
Total Employed 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
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
Judicial Clerkships
Government
Public Interest
Business
Academia

Judicial Clerkships

Bar Examination Performance

First-Time Pass Rate
94.51%
92nd percentile
Takers: 164
Passed: 155
vs State Avg +13.5%
Ultimate Pass Rate
95.48%
80th percentile
Takers: 177
Passed: 169
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
81.05%
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 Vanderbilt Law School is $152k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $69k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).

For JD graduates from Vanderbilt Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 94.51%. Within two years, 95.48% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +13.5% 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.

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