Top Schools of Law in Washington DC

By | January 6, 2023

We have created a 2019 ranking of the best colleges in Washington DC that offer Law degrees to help you find a school that fits your needs. Each school’s ranking is based on the compilation of our data from reliable government sources, student surveys, college graduate interviews, and editorial review. In addition, you can view our entire list of all law schools located within Washington DC. We also provide reviews, facts, and questions and answers for schools on our site and offer you access to get valuable information from colleges and universities today.

American University Washington College of Law Washington, D.C.
Score 55
Peer assessment score (5.0 highest) 3.0
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (5.0 highest) 3.2
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students 3.13-3.56
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 158-164
Overall acceptance rate 22.3%
Student/faculty ratio 13.4
Graduates employed at graduation 86.6%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 95.5%
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 92.0%
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar NY
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 80.7%

American University Washington College of Law

Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law Washington, D.C.
Score 42
Peer assessment score (5.0 highest) 2.5
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (5.0 highest) 2.9
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students 3.13-3.55
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 156-160
Overall acceptance rate 32.7%
Student/faculty ratio 12.8
Graduates employed at graduation 68.3%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 91.9%
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 88.0%
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar MD
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 85.4%

Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law

George Washington University Law School Washington, D.C.
Score 69
Peer assessment score (5.0 highest) 3.5
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (5.0 highest) 3.8
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students 3.41-3.86
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 163-168
Overall acceptance rate 22.4%
Student/faculty ratio 14.2
Graduates employed at graduation 93.4%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 98.9%
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 95.1%
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar NY
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 80.7%

George Washington University Law School

Georgetown University Law Center Washington, D.C.
Score 77
Peer assessment score (5.0 highest) 4.2
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (5.0 highest) 4.3
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students 3.42-3.79
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 167-171
Overall acceptance rate 22.7%
Student/faculty ratio 12.4
Graduates employed at graduation 93.5%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 97.0%
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 96.8%
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar NY
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 80.7%

Georgetown University Law Center

Howard University School of Law Washington, D.C.
Score N/A
Peer assessment score (5.0 highest) 2.3
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (5.0 highest) 2.7
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students 2.92-3.51
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 150-156
Overall acceptance rate 20.8%
Student/faculty ratio 16.5
Graduates employed at graduation 72.4%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 85.5%
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 64.1%
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar MD
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 85.4%

Howard University School of Law

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law Washington, D.C.
Score N/A
Peer assessment score (5.0 highest) 1.4
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (5.0 highest) 1.4
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students 2.8-3.26
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 149-153
Overall acceptance rate 22.3%
Student/faculty ratio 12.2
Graduates employed at graduation N/A
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 79.6%
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 92.3%
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar MD
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 85.4%

University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

About Washington DC

Washington DC or the District of Columbia is a planned capital. You can see that in the spacious city. After the United States had fought for independence, New York City and later Philadelphia was designated as the capital, but the desire to create a new city on the Potomac River quickly came up .

For this purpose, an area was separated from the states of Virginia and Maryland in 1791, with Washington DC initially growing very slowly and therefore the areas west of the Potomac returned to Virginia in 1846 and form what is now neighboring Arlington County. A Frenchman named Pierre Charles L´Entfant (1754 – 1825) was commissioned to design the new capital.

The city was named after the first President of the United States, George Washington (1732 – 1799) and should not be confused with the U.S. state of Washington (State) on the Pacific.

Politically, the federal district is something special in the United States. It reports directly to the United States Congress, and Washington DC residents have been allowed to vote in presidential elections since 1964. The city is considered a stronghold of the Democrats, which is also a reason why the upgrade to the full state of the United States is not necessarily in the interest of the Republicans.

Special status and seat of international organizations

The residents of Washington DC are otherwise significantly restricted in elections. The city has a mayor and a city council, but the highest authority remains the congress. Washington DC has one delegate, but it is only allowed to vote on the committees. The district is not represented in the Senate. This state has repeatedly led to discussions about the status, but so far it has not been possible to resolve it.

Various proposals such as the return of the area to Maryland with the exception of some government institutions or the declaration of representation rights by law have so far failed. This situation is rather paradoxical for the residents of Washington DC, because on the one hand they have the privilege of being residents of the capital city, and on the other hand they have only limited political rights.

Otherwise, Washington DC, with the surrounding suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, is the seventh largest metropolitan area in the United States and the center of power in the country. This is where the top power of all government elements in the separation of powers of the United States are. Both the Congress, the President and the Supreme Court are located in the city. In addition, there are countless foreign embassies, lobbyist associations, national and international groups and international organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington DC

Contrary to the country’s overall composition, the capital of the USA is predominantly African-American, although dominance has waned somewhat in recent decades. Today, almost half of the residents are African-American, followed by Americans of European origin, as well as Asians, Native Americans and Latin Americans. Despite being the capital, Washington DC has some poorer neighborhoods in the surrounding area. This is also one of the reasons why overall crime statistics have been relatively high in the past.

The strongest religions in the city are the Catholic Church, the Baptists, the Anglicans as well as Muslim and Jewish minorities.