Hate ads? Verify your stats for ad-free LSD+ → Hate ads? Verify for LSD+ → Learn More
Connection lost
Server error
Yale Law School (YLS)
Track decisions and applicant data for the 2022-2023 cycle — 1152 applicants reporting.
22-23 · selected
21-22 · previous
ABA 509 (2022): 4,129 apps · 236 offers · 197 enrolled · 5.72% acceptance rate
Detailed Breakdown
Accepted · 81 total (incl. 6 from waitlist) · 50.6% yield
Waitlist · 169 total · 3.6% accepted off WL
Admissions Data
| LSAT & GPA Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | 50th | 75th | |
|
LSAT
(ABA · 2022)
100th percentile
|
171 | 175 | 178 |
| LSAT (LSD) | 169 | 172 | 175 |
|
GPA
(ABA · 2022)
98th percentile
|
3.87 | 3.94 | 3.99 |
| GPA (LSD) | 3.75 | 3.88 | 3.97 |
| Average Statistics by Decision (LSD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metric | Rejected | All | Accepted |
| LSAT | 170.82 | 171.51 | 175.0 |
| GPA | 3.78 | 3.82 | 3.96 |
| Softs | T3.21 | T3.17 | T2.96 |
| Avg $ | - | - | $139,715 |
| Admissions Metrics (ABA 509) | |
|---|---|
| Metric | Value |
| Applications |
4129
88th percentile
|
| Admission Offers | 236 |
| Class Size |
197
60th percentile
|
| Acceptance Rate |
5.72%
100th percentile
|
| Yield Rate |
71.19%
98th percentile
|
| Application Process Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Avg Days: Sent to Decision | 73 days |
| Avg Days: UR to Decision | 99 days |
| Interview Invite Rate | 3.2% |
| Interview → Acceptance Rate | 51.4% |
Decision Timing
Selected Cycle (2022-2023) decisions (solid) vs. 465 decisions from Previous Cycle (2021-2022) (faded). Click the previous cycle in the legend to toggle.
Where Is Yale 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 Statistics Notice
11.7% of employed graduates are in school-funded positions, which may temporarily inflate employment rates.
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 ★ 170 (79.8% of class)
JD Advantage 13 (6.1% of class)
Professional 2 (0.9% of class)
Other 0 (0.0% of class)
School-Funded 25 (11.7% 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 ★ | 170 | 0 | — | — | 170 | 79.8% |
| JD Advantage | 13 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 6.1% |
| Professional | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0.9% |
| Other | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| School-Funded | 13 | 12 | — | — | 25 | 11.7% |
| Total Employed | 196 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 210 | 98.6% |
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 | 38.5% |
17th percentile
|
| Judicial Clerkships | 25.8% |
96th percentile
|
| Government | 8.5% |
28th percentile
|
| Public Interest | 19.7% |
98th percentile
|
| Business | 3.3% |
8th percentile
|
| Academia | 2.8% |
89th percentile
|
Clerkships by Type
| Type | Graduates | % of Class | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 51 | 23.9% |
100th percentile
|
| State/Local | 4 | 1.9% | — |
Federal clerkships enhance careers in litigation and academia.
Bar Exam Performance
| Metric | Rate | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| First-Time Pass | 98.14% |
99th percentile
|
| Ultimate Pass | 99.04% |
95th percentile
|
| Jurisdiction Weighted | 80.69% | — |
Salary Outcomes
Private Sector
Public Sector
Career Outcomes Summary
Law school tuition at Yale Law School is $138k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $50k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).
For JD graduates from Yale Law School, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 98.14%. Within two years, 99.04% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +17.4% 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.
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
Also known as
Wisdom from Yale Law School Admits
Apply early, kids…. save yourself the heartache Take the LSAT
Read moreGenuinely shocked and so honored by the results I’ve received this cycle. Coming in, I could...
Read moreMy top 5 takeaways: Apply early You probably can’t game HYS Be explicit about what you want...
Read moreRural low-income, nURM, nKJD, queer. “Dropped out” of traditional high school because of an...
Read moreALRIGHT, CYCLE COMPLETE! I cannot wait to start my legal education at YLS! This cycle went way...
Read moreWrote Why Northwestern, Why WashU, Yale Optional 2, Columbia LSAT Addendum (lol), Georgetown...
Read moreAbout Yale Law School admissions
Yale Law School , commonly known as YLS, is a prestigious JD program located in New Haven, Connecticut. In the competitive 2022 law school rankings, Yale Law School was ranked 1 by US News & World Report, making it a top-tier law school for admissions-focused applicants. According to the 2022 ABA 509 Report, Yale Law School has an entering 1L class size of approximately 197 with an acceptance rate of 5.72%, positioning it among the most selective law schools for JD applicants.
About Yale Law School Admissions
Based on the 2022 ABA 509 Report, 4129 candidates submitted JD applications to Yale Law School and 236 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is highly competitive for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 5.72%.
The JD program at Yale Law School enrolls a first-year class of 197 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 71.19%. This means that of the 236 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 168 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 Yale 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 Yale Law School?
The above statistics show that Yale Law School typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 171 (25th percentile) to 178 (75th percentile), with a median of 175.
For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.87 to 3.99, with a median of 3.94.
With an acceptance rate of 5.72%, Yale 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).