The Top 11 Law Schools with High Student LSAT Scores

  • There is a reason law schools such as Yale, Stanford and Harvard graduate top lawyers to top law firms, and that usually begins with strong grades as well as strong LSAT scores.
  • To that end, you as a prospective law student with strong LSAT scores will more than likely want to attend a school that can best facilitate your high marks.
  • Keep reading to find out what the top 11 law schools are who have high student LSAT scores.

 


Elite universities in almost every case go hand-in-hand with elite students. Sure, it may sound snobbish, but it’s true that only the best students attend the best schools.

This is particularly true with law schools.

Law schools, especially the highly regarded law schools, have reputations to uphold.

And upholding those reputations will ensure the law school’s elite standing while also continuing to produce attorneys who will further extend the law school’s status.

Thus the relationship between law school, law student and law firm are cyclical, which explains in this U.S. News and World Report article why the following 11 law schools admit students with LSAT scores of no less than 169.
 

  1. Harvard University (MA)


Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world.

The law school has an application deadline of Feb. 1. The full-time program application fee at the law school at Harvard University is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $64,978. The student-faculty ratio is 7.6:1.

U.S. News law school rank: 3

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 173
 

  1. Yale Law School


Yale Law School is the law School of Yale University. It is located in New Haven, Connecticut.

Established in 1824, Yale Law offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D., M.S.L., and Ph.D. degrees in law. The Law School at Yale University has an application deadline of Feb. 28. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at Yale University is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $64,267. The student-faculty ratio is 4.2:1.

U.S. News law school rank: 1     

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 173
 

  1. Columbia University (NY)


Columbia Law School is a professional graduate school of Columbia University, a member of the Ivy League. It has always been ranked in the top five law schools in the United States.

The law school has an application deadline of Feb. 15. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at Columbia University is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $69,916. The student-faculty ratio is 4.9:1.

U.S. News law school rank: 5

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 172
 

  1. Stanford University (CA)


Stanford Law School is a professional graduate school of Stanford University, located in Silicon Valley near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, Stanford Law has been ranked one of the top three law schools in the country, with Yale Law School and Harvard Law School, every year since 1992.

The Law School at Stanford University has an application deadline of Feb. 1. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at Stanford University is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $62,373. The student-faculty ratio is 4:1.

U.S. News law school rank: 2

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 171
 

  1. University of Chicago


The University of Chicago Law School is located on a residential campus in Chicago. The school offers a rigorous and interdisciplinary professional education that blends the study of law with the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences.

The law school has an application deadline of March 1. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at University of Chicago is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $64,089. The student-faculty ratio is 5.1:1.

U.S. News law school rank: 4

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 171
 

  1. New York University


The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City. The school offers J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan.

The school has an application deadline of Feb. 15. The full-time program application fee at the School of Law at New York University is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $66,422. The student-faculty ratio is 5.3:1.

U.S. News law school rank: 6

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 170
 

  1. University of Pennsylvania


The University of Pennsylvania Law School is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldest law schools in the United States, and is currently ranked 7th overall.

The law school has an application deadline of March 1. The full-time program application fee at the law school at University of Pennsylvania is $80. Its tuition is full-time: $65,804. The student-faculty ratio is 4.9:1.

U.S. News law school rank: 7

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 170
 

  1. Duke University (NC)


Duke University School of Law is the law school and a constituent academic unit of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law began as the Trinity College School of Law in 1868.

The school has an application deadline of Feb. 15. The full-time program application fee at the School of Law at Duke University is $70. Its tuition is full-time: $64,722. The student-faculty ratio is 5.5:1.

U.S. News law school rank: 10 (tie)

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 169
 

  1. Northwestern University (Pritzker) (IL)


Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, often shortened to Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, is one of the professional graduate schools of Northwestern University, located in Chicago, Illinois. Northwestern Law is a member of the "Top 14", a group of law schools that have national recognition.

The School of Law at Northwestern University (Pritzker) has an application deadline of Feb. 15. The full-time program application fee at the School of Law at Northwestern University (Pritzker) is $75. Its tuition is full-time: $64,402. The student-faculty ratio is 3.6:1.

U.S. News law school rank: 10 (tie)

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 169
 

  1. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)


The Law School at University of Michigan—Ann Arbor has an application deadline of Feb. 15. The full-time program application fee at the Law School at University of Michigan--Ann Arbor is $75. Its tuition is full-time: $59,762 (in-state) and full-time: $62,762 (out-of-state). The student-faculty ratio is 6.8:1.

Students at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Law School can get a jump-start on their legal education by beginning in the summer. About a quarter of students will enroll in Summer Start, an early education program that transitions students into Michigan Law and gives them more flexibility with course selection later in their academic career. In a typical year, the class at the Law School has about 315 students, roughly split between male and female.

U.S. News law school rank: 9

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 169
 

  1. University of Virginia           


The School of Law at University of Virginia has an application deadline of March 4. The full-time program application fee at the School of Law at University of Virginia is $80. Its tuition is full-time: $60,700 (in-state) and full-time: $63,700 (out-of-state). The student-faculty ratio is 6.5:1.

Like all the academic departments at the University of Virginia, the School of Law operates on a strict, student-run honor system. Students pledge not to lie, cheat or steal, and anyone found guilty by a peer jury is expelled from the school. Each class has about 350 students, and the student body has slightly more males than females. Students can earn joint degrees, such as a J.D. and an MBA through the Darden School of Business in four years.

U.S. News law school rank: 8

Median LSAT score for full-time students entering in Fall 2018: 169
 
Conclusion

Because the LSAT is such an integral part of the admissions process into law school, it will behoove elite students, particularly those with high LSAT scores to stick with like-minded law schools that have histories of graduating law students to high-end legal jobs who at the time of their admission, also had high LSAT scores.

In short, when it comes to applying to law school, it is important that you select the school that best reflects who you are as a student as well as a successful LSAT test taker.