How to Get into Columbia Law School
1. Columbia Law School Program Overview
2. About Columbia Law School
3. What Does Columbia Law School Offer
4. Class of 2025 Acceptance Rate and Statistics
5. Columbia Law School Application Details
6. Columbia Law School FAQ
Columbia Law School Program Overview
Columbia Law School is one of the most prominent law schools in the nation, with Supreme Court justices, presidents, legal scholars, and big law partners among its alumni. The school has been featured in television shows such as Daredevil, How I Met Your Mother, and Suits, which has boosted its popularity. The school’s location in New York City and its beautiful campus also are attractive to aspiring JDs.
Although the competition to gain admission to Columbia Law may seem daunting, there is no reason to self-select out of the applicant pool if you have the grades and scores to be a competitive applicant. The school typically awards roughly 900 acceptances each year—you certainly have a shot at being one of them!
Columbia Law seeks competitive applicants with regard to LSAT/GRE score and undergraduate GPA. However, being knowledgeable about the stats and other factors that are important to the school can be a game changer.
In this blog post, we at Stratus walk you through what you need to know to increase your chances of getting into Columbia Law.
About Columbia Law School
History and ranking
Columbia Law School is one of Columbia University’s 21 schools. The university opened in 1754, while the law school came along a little over 100 years later, in 1858. Located in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Columbia Law is one of the many law schools based in New York City. Columbia Law is currently ranked fourth (tied with Harvard Law School) in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Law Schools list.
Acceptance rate and class size
With an acceptance rate typically around 12%, Columbia Law has about 1,200 students enrolled. Each class consists of roughly 400 students. The first-year class is divided into four sections with around 100 students in each section. Columbia Law’s larger class size provides a wide group of students and alumni for networking.
Post-graduate status
Columbia Law’s Class of 2021 had a bar passage rate of about 98%. Around 96% of its graduates accepted jobs that require JDs, and slightly more than 1% of its graduates reported that they are looking for a job and cannot get one. Several dozen students from Columbia Law receive judicial clerkships every year, and the school has placed more than 100 students in Supreme Court clerkships.
Faculty
Columbia Law has more than 400 faculty members, including such distinguished professors as Lina Khan, chair of the Federal Trade Commission, and former Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr.
Alumni
Columbia Law counts two former US presidents (Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt) among its alumni and is the only law school to boast having more than one Supreme Court chief justice as a graduate (Charles Evans Hughes, John Jay, and Harlan Fiske Stone). In total, ten Supreme Court justices have attended Columbia Law, along with several federal judges and members of Congress.
What Does Columbia Law School Offer?
First-year curriculum
Columbia Law offers a standard first-year curriculum, which students take with their assigned class sections. Students are required to take courses in tort law, contract law, constitutional law, civil procedure, property law, and criminal law. Students also take courses in legal practice and legal methods during both semesters of their first year. These courses incorporate the content that most first-year law school writing classes offer, along with information that allows students to apply this content in real-life legal settings. Columbia Law students are also required to take a legal professions course, which is typical of other law schools. They also get to choose an elective in the second semester.
Columbia Law offers an array of courses with varying class sizes. Some have more than 100 students, while others have fewer than 20. The school’s courses cover conventional legal areas, such as tax law, labor law, and environmental law, as well as more specialized areas including anti–money laundering law and privacy law. Some Columbia Law courses culminate in a typical end-of-semester exam that determines the student’s entire grade. However, the law school also offers seminars whose grades are determined by an assigned paper.
Writing, experiential, and pro bono requirements
Columbia Law requires students to complete two writing credits and six experiential credits in addition to 40 hours of pro bono service.
Clinics
Columbia Law has ten clinics, and participating in one clinic meets the school’s experiential credit requirement. These clinics cover a wide array of areas such as criminal law and family law as well as more niche areas including science law and transition law.
Student clubs
The more than 80 student organizations at Columbia Law address a large number of legal topics and social issues. Notable clubs on campus include the Columbia International Arbitration Association and the Columbia Law and Entrepreneurship Society.
Journals
Columbia Law’s 14 journals cover engaging topics such as European law, environmental law, and law and arts. Given the large number of journals published by the school, many students have an opportunity to participate. These journals offer law students the opportunity to publish their writing, review academic papers, and participate in conferences and symposiums.
Centers
Columbia Law offers more than 30 academic centers covering different areas of the law, such as constitutional law and gender equality. These centers conduct research on their topics of focus and also organize related events. Students can participate in these centers by assisting with research and events.
Class of 2025 Acceptance Rate and Statistics
Columbia Law received 8,026 applications for its Class of 2025 and offered admission to 950.
Of the 402 students in the Class of 2025,
- 50% are women.
- 1% identify as non-binary, gender non-conforming, or bi-gender.
- 52% are people of color.
- 18% identify as LGBTQIA+.
- 58% are between ages 21 and 24.
- 34% are between ages 25 and 28.
- 8% are age 29 or older.
- 9% were STEM majors.
- 13% have at least one graduate degree.
- 20% are international students.
- 73% are at least one year out of college.
Among US students,
- 31% are from the Mid-Atlantic.
- 16% are from the South.
- 16% are from the West.
- 10% are from the Midwest.
- 7% are from New England.
Students in the Class of 2025 came from 163 colleges in 38 different states, DC, and Puerto Rico; represent 37 different countries; and collectively speak about 70 different languages.
In terms of statistics,
- For the LSAT, the 25th percentile was 171, and the 75th percentile was 175.
- For undergraduate GPA, the 25th percentile was 3.78, and the 75th percentile was 3.95.
Class of 2021 Post-Graduation Statistics
According to Columbia Law’s employment report for the Class of 2021, of the 460 graduates,
- 441 accepted jobs that require a JD.
- Two were working in jobs where having a JD is helpful.
- Two were in “professional” positions.
- Six accepted positions funded by the school.
- Three were unemployed but not seeking a job.
- Five were unemployed and seeking a job.
- One was attending another graduate program.
Graduates took jobs in the following industries/roles:
- Law firms: 361
- Business: 4
- Government: 21
- Public interest organizations: 35
- Judicial clerkships: 30
Application Requirements
- Application and application fee
- LSAT or GRE
- GPA and undergraduate transcript
- Resume
- Personal statement
- Optional essay
- Letters of recommendation
- No work experience requirement
Columbia Law School Application Details
Application
Columbia Law’s application period typically opens in early September. The school follows a rolling admissions process, so students are allowed to apply until mid-February. Columbia Law offers early decision, with a deadline of November 15.
LSAT/GRE
As noted above, Columbia Law accepts both the LSAT and the GRE. The October LSAT is the last LSAT that can count toward early decision. For the GRE, students must take the exam by November 1 for it to count toward early decision.
Letters of recommendation
Columbia Law requires applicants to submit two letters of recommendation, preferably from faculty “who can provide insight about their candidacy,” according to the school’s website. If you are not a recent graduate, submitting one professional letter and one academic letter is encouraged. Provide your recommenders with clear instructions and early deadlines, and share some bullet points to help them remember your accomplishments.
Resume
Make sure you customize your resume for your Columbia Law application. Use professional and consistent fonts, avoid small page margins, and do not exceed one page. As far as content, avoid jargon so the admissions committee can easily understand your accomplishments, and be sure to balance your work experience with law school–related skills. Your resume should include sections on your education, experience, and personal information.
Personal statement
The personal statement does not have an official limit in terms of length, but Columbia Law recommends that students submit two double-spaced pages with text that is both readable and printable. Although the school does not share the statement prompt until you apply, it is generally ideal to discuss why you are applying to law school, why you want to practice law, and your aspirations for your legal career. It is also a good idea to address why you are interested in Columbia Law in particular. Make sure to research the school to find out which of its offerings specifically connect to your legal goals so you can mention them in your essay.
Optional essay
Columbia Law’s optional essay gives applicants an opportunity to explain areas that are not fully represented in their application, such as issues with undergraduate GPA or test scores. Other topics for the optional essay could be a diversity statement or a statement of interest.
Columbia Law School FAQ
What if I attended a low-ranked undergraduate institution?
As long as your college is accredited, its undergraduate ranking does not matter; you just need to make sure you have a strong GPA and test scores.
If I take time off between college and law school to work, do I need to do legal work?
No. As long as you do something productive with your time off, such as working or completing an internship, your employment history will not hurt you and could still be beneficial.
Is Columbia Law looking for applicants with a particular undergraduate major?
No. The school accepts students from a variety of academic backgrounds.
I have a low GPA but a difficult major. Will Columbia Law overlook that?
Generally, no. Law schools usually are just interested in your overall undergraduate GPA. They will allow some flexibility for applicants who had particularly difficult majors, but this will not excuse a low GPA.
Does it matter when I apply if I don’t apply for early decision?
If you are not applying for early decision and your application is ready to go at the beginning of the cycle, it is probably a good idea to apply then, as doing so will provide a bit of an advantage. However, it is best not to rush your application. If you think you can improve your LSAT/GRE score by taking the test one or two more times in the fall, remember that substantially increasing your score will improve your chances of acceptance a lot more than applying a few weeks earlier.
Do I need to take time off between college and law school to work in order to gain a competitive edge?
Although work experience can certainly help an application, a lot of students are admitted to Columbia Law each year without work experience. Even applicants who have work experience might not get in, as several variables are involved in the admissions decision.
Are you considering applying to Columbia Law? Whether you are looking for comprehensive law admissions consulting, hourly help, or perhaps interview prep, we at Stratus Admissions Counseling can help you! Sign up for a free consultation today!