Top 2013 Law School Rankings
USINFO | 2013-11-11 15:17

 
Published October 2006, last updated May 2013

Top Law Schools consolidates law school rankings, thereby giving you necessary information to help determine which law schools you should apply to. The variability in these rankings should illustrate that the 2013 law school rankings can act only as a guide, and that you should be the final evaluator of what law school is best for you.

After acceptance, we recommend that you personally visit each law school that you are seriously considering attending. Which law school you attend not only impacts where you will spend three enjoyable and educational years, but also where you will get a job and probably settle down.

Below the 2013 Law School Rankings is a short description of all of the law school ratings listed below. A* indicates that this school is tied with another law school for that position. 

Please click on the links of several law schools, which are our exclusive, in-depth profiles of these schools.
Law School Rankings

2013 USN
Rank
(March, 2013)
2012 USN
Rank
2011 USN
Rank
2010 USN
Rank
2009 USN
Rank
Law School ATL
Rankings
(May 2013)
2013 GPA
25th-75th
Percentile
2013 LSAT
25th-75th
Percentile
1 1 1 1 1 Yale U (CT) 1 3.84-3.98 170-176
2* 3 2 2 2 Harvard U (MA) 3 3.77-3.95 170-175
2* 2 3 3 3 Stanford U (CA) 2 3.76-3.96 168-173
4* 4 4 4 4 Columbia U (NY) 8 3.58-3.82 170-174
4* 5 5 5 6* U Chicago 4 3.65-3.96 167-173
6 6 6 6 5 New York U 10 3.54-3.84 169-173
7* 7* 7* 7* 8 U Pennsylvania 5 3.55-3.94 164-171
7* 7* 9* 10 10* U Virginia 7 3.53-3.93 164-171
9* 7* 9* 7* 6* UC Berkeley (Boalt) 9 3.68-3.91 163-170
9* 10 7* 9 9 U Michigan-Ann Arbor 12 3.57-3.83 166-170
11 11 11 11* 10* Duke U (NC) 6 3.58-3.85 166-170
12 12 12 11* 10* Northwestern U (IL) 13 3.38-3.84 164-171
13 14 13 13 13 Cornell U (NY) 11 3.54-3.77 166-169
14 13 14* 14 14 Georgetown U (DC) 16 3.43-3.82 165-170
15* 16* 14* 15* 15* U Texas-Austin 14 3.52-3.82 163-169
15* 16* 16* 17 17 Vanderbilt U (TN) 15 3.43-3.85 163-170
17 15 16* 15* 15* UCLA 17 3.58-3.89 164-169
18 18 18* 18 18 U Southern California 20 3.51-3.8 165-168
19* 19 20* 22* 20* U Minnesota-Twin Cities 32 3.36-3.89 158-168
19* 23 18* 19 19 Washington U (MO) 25 3.34-3.78 160-168
21* 20* 20* 20 28* George Washington U 31 3.32-3.77 161-168
21* 29* 35* 38* 30* U Alabama 27 3.31-3.94 158-167
23* 24* 30* 22* 20* Emory U (GA) 29 3.35-3.82 161-166
23* 22 23* 22* 23* U Notre Dame (IN) 18 3.43-3.8 161-167
25 26* 23* 27 23* Indiana U-Bloomington 40 3.39-3.88 156-166
26* 29* 27* 26 26* U Iowa 37 3.46-3.8 158-164
26* 24* 30* 34* 30* Washington & Lee U 38 3.4-3.73 159-165
28 20* 30* 34* 30* U Washington 41 3.5-3.82 162-166
29* 26* 40* 38* 55* Arizona State U 50 3.3-3.82 161-165
29* 26* 22 22* 20* Boston U 23 3.52-3.83 162-167
31* 29* 27* 28* 26* Boston College 21 3.4-3.71 161-166
31* 38 30* 28* 30* U North Carolina 24 3.33-3.69 160-164
33* 35* 27* 28* 28* William and Mary (VA) 34 3.45-3.84 161-166
33* 34 35* 28* 35* U Georgia 19 3.33-3.82 158-165
33* 35* 35* 28* 35* U Wisconsin-Madison 3.33-3.72 157-164
36* 39* 35* 34* 35* Ohio State U 46 3.43-3.79 158-164
36* 44* 39 38* 40 Wake Forest U (NC) 30 3.4-3.75 159-165
38* 29* 30* 34* 30* Fordham U (NY) 48 3.34-3.68 162-166
38* 43 42* 42* 43* U Arizona (Rogers) - 3.28-3.79 159-162
38* 29* 23* 28* 35* UC Davis 45 3.38-3.71 160-165
41* 39* 40* 42* 41* George Mason U (VA) - 3.27-3.79 158-164
41* 39* 42* 48* 43* U Maryland - 3.32-3.77 151-164
41* 47 42* 42* 45* U Utah - 3.32-3.8 156-162
44* 39* 42* 42* 41* Brigham Young U (UT) 28 3.4-3.81 158-165
44* 44* 47* 38* 45* U Colorado-Boulder - 3.35-3.79 159-166
46 48 47* 47 51 U Florida 44 3.33-3.73 160-164
47 35* 23* 21 23* U Illinois (UIUC) 33 3.23-3.74 158-165
48* 51* 50* 54* 51 Florida State U - 3.29-3.73 157-162
48* 51* 50* 48* 49* Southern Methodist U 22 3.3-3.81 157-164
48* 51* 47* 48* 45* Tulane U (LA) 39 3.23-3.63 156-163
48* 44* 42* 42* 39 UC (Hastings) - 3.29-3.75 158-165
48* 57 56* 60* 59* U Houston 35 3.23-3.7 159-163
53 58* 67* 86* 77* U Richmond (VA) - 3.21-3.6 158-163
54* 51* 56* 64* 65* Baylor U (TX) - 3.23-3.72 158-163
54* 58* 61* 60* 65* Georgia State U 42 3.19-3.6 156-161
56* 49* 50* 48* 45* American U (DC) - 3.18-3.58 156-162
56* 58* 61* 72* 65* Temple U (PA) - 3.17-3.64 158-163
58* 62* 56* 54* 52* U Connecticut - 3.25-3.66 157-162
58* 62* 71* 64* 55* U Kentucky - 3.25-3.73 155-161
58* 56 50* 52* 49* Yeshiva U (Cardozo) - 3.3-3.67 158-165
61* 49* 54* 52* 55* Pepperdine U (CA) - 3.34-3.74 156-164
61* 89* 84* 93* >100 U Nebraska-Lincoln   3.31-3.83 155-161
61* 69* 56* 60* 59* U Tennessee-Knoxville   3.3-3.75 156-161
64* 76* 60 72* 65* Pennsylvania State U   3.23-3.73 156-160
64* 69* 61* 72* 77* Seton Hall U (NJ) 36 3.23-3.72 154-161
64* 69* 77* 80* 77* U Denver (Sturm)   3.18-3.64 155-161
64* 69* 79* 67* 77* U New Mexico 26 3.09-3.7 152-158
68* 67* 61* 56* 55* Case Western Reserve   3.1-3.6 156-161
68* 62* 61* 80* 77* IIT (Chicago-Kent)   3.09-3.62 154-161
68* 51* 54* 56* 71* Loyola (Los Angeles)   3.29-3.65 157-162
68* 89* 84* 86* 94* U of Arkansas-Fayetteville   3.25-3.74 153-158
68* 89* 100* >100 98* U Louisville (KY)   3.17-3.68 155-159
68* 76* 71* 78* 75* U Nevada-Las Vegas   3.23-3.7 156-161
68* 82* 71* 72* 71* U Oklahoma   3.1-3.58 155-161
68* 65* 67* 56* 61* U San Diego   3.28-3.63 157-162
76* 79* 84* 80* 75* Louisiana State U   3.09-3.6 153-160
76* 67* 71* 78* 87* Loyola U Chicago   3.12-3.57 156-160
76* 69* 77* 60* 71* U Miami (FL) 49 3.14-3.57 155-159
76* 79* >100 93* 65* U Missouri-Columbia   3.1-3.74 152-159
80* 65* 67* 67* 61* Brooklyn Law School   3.08-3.5 158-164
80* 82* 79* 98* 94* Catholic U (DC)   3.06-3.52 153-159
80* 58* 67* 64* 61* Lewis and Clark (OR)   3.24-3.65 156-162
80* 82* 95* >100 >100 Michigan State   3.24-3.72 152-160
80* 69* 61* 56* 52* U Cincinnati   3.2-3.73 156-161
80* >100 95* 72* >100 U Hawaii   3.04-3.59 154-160
86* 76* 71* 86* 94* Northeastern U (MA)   3.27-3.67 154-163
86* 82* 84* 80* 87* Rutgers-Newark (NJ)   2.99-3.47 155-160
86* 82* 84* >100 85* U at Buffalo-SUNY   3.19-3.67 152-158
86* 89* 79* 67* 65* U Kansas   3.22-3.71 154-159
86* 99* >100 >100 >100 University of Tulsa (OK)   3.05-3.61 153-158
91* 99* 84* 80* 77* Rutgers-Camden (NJ) 43 3.02-3.58 153-160
91* 69* 71* 67* 71* U Pittsburgh   3.09-3.6 155-160
91* >100 95* 93* >100 West Virginia University   3.14-3.65 152-158
94* 96* 95* >100 87* Marquette U (WI)   3.15-3.56 153-158
94* 82* 79* 80* 77* U Oregon   3.09-3.63 155-160
96* 96* 84* 93* 85* Santa Clara U (CA)   3-3.45 156-160
96* 96* 100* 86* >100 Syracuse University   3.12-3.46 152-156
98* 89* 79* 86* 87* Indiana U-Indianapolis   3.19-3.68 152-159
98* 79* 95* 72* 87* St. John's U (NY)   3.12-3.66 153-161
98* >100 >100 >100 87* U South Carolina   3.01-3.58 154-159
98* >100 84* 67* 61* Villanova U (PA)   3.29-3.69 155-161
>100 82* 84* 86* 77* Seattle U   3.07-3.54 154-159
>100 >100 >100 >100 94* St. Louis U 47 3.23-3.7 151-159
>100 89* 84* 98* 87* DePaul U (IL)   3.07-3.56 153-160
>100 >100 >100 >100 100* Gonzaga University   3-3.58 152-157
>100 89* 84* 86* 100* Hofstra University   2.95-3.59 153-159
>100 >100 100* 98* >100 University of the Pacific   3.13-3.67 152-160
>100 >100 >100 93* >100 Chapman University (CA)   3.2-3.6 154-160
>100 >100 >100 >100 100* University of Maine   3.1-3.53 152-157
>100 >100 >100 98* >100 William Mitchell College of Law (MN)   3.11-3.57 150-158
>100 >100 100* 98* 98* U of San Francisco   2.98-3.51 153-159
 
You may also be interested in third tier and fourth tier law schools.

Note: UC Irvine School of Law was opened in 2009 and is currently not ranked by US News.

For another excellent source on law school rankings, visit the Prelaw Handbook which lists the most prestigious law schools and also includes law school rankings on selectivity and other factors.

US News law school rankings - the most well known and controversial of all national law school rankings, this report has defined what are perceived as the top law schools. Rankings of previous years are also included to help you see trends. Details of their approach to rankings can be found on their page about Best Law Schools Rankings Methodology.

Above The Law Rankings - the ATL Rankings do not look at inputs like GPA and LSAT scores and instead look at outputs like the quality and prestige of employment outcomes. Details of their methodology can be found on the ATL Top 50 Law School rankings.

With law school admissions becoming increasingly competitive, be prepared and spend time on every aspect of your law school application. The best book I have found for increasing your chances of admission is How to Get Into the Great Law Schools. We also recommend several other excellent books for law school applicants.

A final note of caution on the 2013 law school rankings - what is the best law school is a personal choice and should not be solely determined by national law school ratings but instead by what school best suits all of your desires. For example, because I wanted to live and practice law in California, I choose to attend the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) over other top law schools that were ranked higher.

The best advice, personally visit the law schools you are seriously thinking of attending after you have been accepted. Put time and thought in to what is one of the most important decisions of your life.
 
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