Columbia Law School is one of the oldest law schools in the country. Founded in 1858, Columbia Law students learn in an environment that fosters inclusiveness and diversity. Columbia University has an extremely high acceptance rate, making it among the most selective undergraduate programs in the country. In this post, we explore the details of columbia law school acceptance rates, nyu law school class profile, columbia law school requirements, columbia law tuition and columbia law school ranking.

The class of 2021 had an overall admit rate of 13%, with a median LSAT score of 170 and a median GPA of 3.92. The median age was 24 years old, and 61% were women. The average applicant had taken between five and six years to complete their undergraduate degree—with 89% having graduated with at least a bachelor’s degree—and 57% had completed some graduate work before applying for law school. Read on to learn more about columbia law school acceptance rate, nyu law school class profile, columbia law school requirements, columbia law tuition and columbia law school ranking.

Columbia’s most popular majors included economics (8%), political science (7%), history (6%), philosophy (5%), sociology (5%) and biology (4%).

columbia law school acceptance rate

We begin with columbia law school acceptance rate, then nyu law school class profile, columbia law school requirements, columbia law tuition and columbia law school ranking.

Admissions Statistics	2020	2017
Acceptance Rate	16.8%	21.3%
LSAT Score (Median)	172	171
LSAT Score (25th-75th percentile)	170-174	168-173
GPA (Median)	3.75	3.70
GPA Range (25th-75th percentile)	3.63-3.84	3.59-3.81

nyu law school class profile

Now we consider nyu law school class profile, columbia law school requirements, columbia law tuition and columbia law school ranking.

Bar Exam Statistics	2020	2017
State in which most graduates took bar exam:	NY	NY
School’s bar passage rate:	97.7%	92.4%
State overall bar passage rate:	75.7%	72.7%
School bar pass rate vs. state bar pass rate:	+22.0%	+19.7%

Students & Faculty	2020	2017
Total Students:	1268	N/A
Men:	51.1%	52.7%
Women:	48.9%	47.3%
Student Racial Demographics:
White:	50.2%	N/A
Black:	9.5%	N/A
Hispanic:	9.5%	N/A
Asian:	12.4%	N/A

columbia law school requirements

More details coming up on columbia law school requirements, columbia law tuition and columbia law school ranking.

Last year, the law school’s acceptance rate into the JD program was 11.3%. For the admitted students, the median GPA and LSAT scores were 3.84 and 174, respectively. We’re not saying that it isn’t possible to get into law school with a low GPA—but you’ll have more than twice as many applicants with a 3.84 than you will with a 2.5.

An LSAT score of 174 is also pretty high, but it’s not impossible to achieve if you’ve taken a lot of standardized tests and have scored well on them in the past.

For those of you who don’t want to retake the LSAT or raise your GPA (or both), there are other ways to get into law school: applying through your undergraduate institution’s pre-law program, taking classes at another school while still in high school, or working on an undergrad degree while taking various pre-law classes at a community college (which can count toward your eventual JD).

columbia law tuition

Standard Cost of Attendance

Financial aid starts with the standard cost of attendance (COA) for a student in the J.D. and LL.M. programs. The items listed below form the basis for what the Financial Aid Office can permit in overall financial aid, including student loans. Although charges for tuition and fees are not finalized by the University Trustees until June, the following information for the current academic year (2021-2022) can provide you with a guideline for tuition, fees, and related expenses. Please keep in mind that an increase to these charges is anticipated for the 2022-2023 academic year.

2021-2022 Expenses	Costs
Tuition	$73,584
Student Activity Fee	$256
University Services & Support Fee	$1,002
Health & Related Services Fee	$1,246
Student Health Insurance (may be waived with proof of comparable coverage for U.S. students)	$3,892
Total University Charges	$79,980

Living costs for the the nine-month, 2021–2022 academic year are budgeted as follows:

2021-2022 Living Expenses (For the 9-month academic year)	Costs for Academic Year
Room (Rent/Utilities = $1,600/month)	$14,400
Food	$6,840
Personal	$4,800
Total Living Expenses	$26,040
Document Fee (one-time charge for new Columbia University students)	$105
Books & Supplies [Only books/texts required as part of the academic course(s) will be allowed in the COA]	$1,500
Academic Year Budget	$107,625*

*This is the Standard Cost of Attendance (COA), which is used to determine eligibility for LRAP.

NOTE: For students borrowing federal student loans for the 2021-2022 academic year, the average educational loan fees for borrowers at Columbia Law School will automatically be added to the cost of attendance at the time of loan certification. Based upon an assessment of Law School borrowing during the 2020-2021 academic year, the average educational loan fees amount to $2,332 ($215 for Unsubsidized loans and $2,117 for Graduate PLUS loans).

columbia law school ranking

Columbia University is ranked No. 4 (tie) in Best Law Schools.

National Comparison Rankings

The national comparison rankings below compare Columbia School of Law to other ABA-approved law schools in the United States. The rankings were determined by comparing the statistics reported by each school.

2019 National Rankings – Columbia School of Law

#9 in Median Undergraduate GPA – 3.80
Columbia School of Law is tied for #9 regarding the highest median undergraduate GPA (3.80) among those applicants granted admission who enrolled as full-time students.

#6 in Acceptance Rate – 15.86%
Columbia School of Law ranks #6 regarding student selectivity with an acceptance rate of 15.86% among those who applied for admission.

#17 in Student-to-Faculty Ratio – 3:1
Columbia School of Law ranks #17 regarding the lowest student-to-faculty ratio with a 3:1 faculty ratio

#2 in Median LSAT – 172
Columbia School of Law ranks #2 regarding the median LSAT score, with a score of 172 among those applicants granted admission who enrolled as full-time students.

#13 in Bar Passage Rate – 95.11%
Columbia School of Law ranks #13 regarding the highest bar passage rate among first-time test takers.

#4 in Highest Tuition – $69,896
Columbia School of Law ranks #4 regarding the highest tuition among full-time resident (in-state) students.

#75 in Presence of Minority Faculty – 15.16%
Columbia School of Law ranks #75 regarding the highest percentage of racial or ethnic minority faculty (15.16%).

#103 in Presence of Female Faculty – 38%
Columbia School of Law is tied for #103 regarding the highest percentage of faculty who are female (38%).

If you’re a lawyer or want to be one, look no further than Columbia University. It’s renowned for its highly qualified and experienced faculty, its extensive course offerings, and the prestige it brings.

How did we choose the Law School Rankings? The rankings were calculated based on a comparison of the US’s top law schools. We asked people to share their opinion of the best law school and ranked them according to our community.