Columbia University Law School has a long and prestigious history, stretching back over two centuries. It was founded in 1754 as King’s College, making it the oldest law school in the United States. Over its long history, it has been at the forefront of legal education, producing graduates who have gone on to become prominent members of the legal profession and influential figures in government and society. The first classes were held at Columbia Law School in 1858, with an initial enrollment of 37 students. Since then, the school has grown steadily, with a current enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Notable alumni include Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor; former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt; New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia; and many more distinguished figures from politics, business, law and literature. Over its long history, Columbia Law School has consistently ranked among the top law schools in the nation for its academic excellence and commitment to teaching excellence. In recent years it has also made significant strides to improve its diversity and inclusion initiatives by expanding financial aid opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds. As Columbia Law School continues to strive for excellence in legal education for generations to come, we can be sure that its rich history will continue to be an inspiration for all those who are lucky enough to pass through its doors.
Columbia University Law School is located in the state of New York. As one of the leading law programs, Columbia University Law School has a high average LSAT score of 170-175 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $160,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Columbia University Law School.
Admissions: Columbia University
Columbia Law School is one of the most prestigious schools in the United States. It is renowned for its excellent faculty and rigorous academics. Each year, thousands of applicants compete for a limited number of spots at Columbia Law School. In 2019, the school admitted 2,282 students out of a total applicant pool of 6,919. The acceptance rate was 32.9%, making it one of the most selective law schools in the country. The median LSAT score for accepted students was 173, while the median GPA was 3.85. Additionally, 45% of admitted students were women, while 11% were from underrepresented minority groups—the highest percentage among all top-tier law schools in the US. Columbia Law School also offers generous financial aid packages to its admitted students and more than half receive some form of aid each year. Of those receiving aid in 2019, nearly two thirds received merit-based scholarships and nearly a quarter received need-based grants or loans.
Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants
8,505
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances
1,235
Overall acceptance rate
14.5%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled
400
Number of full-time program applicants
8,505
Number of full-time program acceptances
1,235
Full-time acceptance rate
14.5%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled
400
Number of part-time program applicants
N/A
Number of part-time program acceptances
N/A
Part-time acceptance rate
N/A
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled
N/A
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students
3.6-3.81
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students
170-175
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students
3.6-3.81
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students
170-175
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students
N/A
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students
N/A
Careers: Columbia University
Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar
NY
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers
96.7%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers
80.7%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates
408
Graduates employed at graduation
98.8%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation
99.5%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary
$95,000
Median private sector starting salary
$160,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary
$168,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information
98%
Median public service starting salary
$54,000
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia
1.0%
Percent employed in business and industry
2.0%
Percent employed in government
2.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships
11.0%
Percent employed in law firms
81.0%
Percent employed in public interest
3.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field
0.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge
11.0%
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state
66%
Graduates employed in foreign countries
3%
Number of states where graduates are employed
23
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
2.7%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA)
67.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
1.2%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
0.5%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
10.2%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN)
1.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)
3.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
10.3%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)
0.7%
Employment location unknown
0.2%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations
The Career Services Office offers many educational and recruitment-based programs each of which is designed to meet the specific needs of each of the three J.D. classes and the international LL.M. students. For more info: http://www.law.columbia.edu/ careers.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks)
98.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent)
2.0%
Professional/other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse)
0.0%
Nonprofessional/other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path)
