Top Law Schools (2010-2011)
Law School Rankings
Administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the LSAT is an exam designed to measure the analytical and verbal reasoning skills of prospective law school students; it is a mandatory test for applicants to ABA-approved law schools.
Ranking law schools by midhinge LSAT scores is the best methodology for several reasons. First, the LSAT-- unlike undergraduate Grade Point Averages (GPA)--is an objective measure of preparedness for law school; that is, the test is standardized and administered just four times a year. Second, the vast majority of law schools publish the 25th percentile and 75th percentile LSAT scores for entering classes but not necessarily median scores. By contrast, the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings rely upon, inter alia, LSAT scores, GPA, and "... opinions about program quality ...." (emphasis supplied).
With the foregoing in mind, the following are the top law schools in the United States along with their locations, comparative U.S. News & World Report rankings, and midhinge LSAT scores.
1. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Harvard Law School
Cambridge, Massachusetts
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 2
Midhinge LSAT Score: 173.5
Yale Law School
New Haven, Connecticut
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 1
Midhinge LSAT Score: 173.5
2. Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Columbia Law School
New York, New York
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 4
Midhinge LSAT Score: 172.5
3. Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
New York University (NYU) School of Law
New York, New York
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 6
Midhinge LSAT Score: 172
4. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Georgetown University Law Center
Washington, D.C.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 14
Midhinge LSAT Score: 170
Stanford Law School
Stanford, California
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 3
Midhinge LSAT Score: 170
University of Chicago Law School
Chicago, Illinois
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 5
Midhinge LSAT Score: 170
5. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Duke University School of Law
Durham, North Carolina
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 11
Midhinge LSAT Score: 169.5
University of Michigan Law School
Ann Arbor, Michigan
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 9
Midhinge LSAT Score: 169.5
6. Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Northwestern University School of Law
Chicago, Illinois
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 11
Midhinge LSAT Score: 169
7. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 7
Midhinge LSAT Score: 168.5
University of Virginia School of Law
Charlottesville, Virginia
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 10
Midhinge LSAT Score: 168.5
8. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
USC Gould School of Law
Los Angeles, California
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 18
Midhinge LSAT Score: 167.5
UCLA School of Law
Los Angeles, California
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 15
Midhinge LSAT Score: 167.5
Vanderbilt University Law School
Nashville, Tennessee
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 17
Midhinge LSAT Score: 167.5
9. Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Cornell University Law School
Ithaca, New York
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 13
Midhinge LSAT Score: 167
10. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
UC Berkeley School of Law
Berkeley, California
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 7
Midhinge LSAT Score: 166.5
University of Texas School of Law
Austin, Texas
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 15
Midhinge LSAT Score: 166.5
11. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Boston University School of Law
Boston, Massachusetts
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 22
Midhinge LSAT Score: 166
Emory University School of Law
Atlanta, Georgia
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 22
Midhinge LSAT Score: 166
12. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Fordham University School of Law
New York, New York
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 34
Midhinge LSAT Score: 165.5
University of Illinois College of Law
Champaign, Illinois
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 21
Midhinge LSAT Score: 165.5
13. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Boston College Law School
Boston, Massachusetts
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 28
Midhinge LSAT Score: 165
George Washington University Law School
Washington, D.C.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 20
Midhinge LSAT Score: 165
University of Notre Dame Law School
Notre Dame, Indiana
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 22
Midhinge LSAT Score: 165
Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
St. Louis, Missouri
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 19
Midhinge LSAT Score: 165
14. Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School
Provo, Utah
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 42
Midhinge LSAT Score: 164.5
15. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
University of Minnesota Law School
Minneapolis, Minnesota
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 22
Midhinge LSAT Score: 163.5
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn, New York
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 67
Midhinge LSAT Score: 163.5
Washington and Lee University School of Law
Lexington, Virginia
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 34
Midhinge LSAT Score: 163.5
16. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Temple University Beasley School of Law
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 72
Midhinge LSAT Score: 163
University of Georgia School of Law
Athens, Georgia
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 28
Midhinge LSAT Score: 163
William & Mary Law School
Williamsburg, Virginia
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 28
Midhinge LSAT Score: 163
17. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
University of Alabama School of Law
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 38
Midhinge LSAT Score: 162.5
University of Arizona James E. Rodgers College of Law
Tucson, Arizona
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 42
Midhinge LSAT Score: 162.5
UC Hastings College of the Law
San Francisco, California
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 42
Midhinge LSAT Score: 162.5
University of Colorado Law School
Boulder, Colorado
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 38
Midhinge LSAT Score: 162.5
University of Maryland School of Law
Baltimore, Maryland
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 48
Midhinge LSAT Score: 162.5
18. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Ohio State University Moritz School of Law
Columbus, Ohio
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 34
Midhinge LSAT Score: 162
Tulane University Law School
New Orleans, Louisiana
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 48
Midhinge LSAT Score: 162
Wake Forest University School of Law
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 38
Midhinge LSAT Score: 162
19. Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
George Mason University School of Law
Arlington, Virginia
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 42
Midhinge LSAT Score: 161.5
20. (tie) Top Law Schools (2010-2011): Law School Rankings
Villanova University School of Law
Villanova, Pennsylvania
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 67
Midhinge LSAT Score: 161
American University Washington College of Law
Washington, D.C.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking: 48
Midhinge LSAT Score: 161
Source(s):
"Best Law Schools," U.S. News & World Report
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Published by J.C. Grant
A writer interested in education, finance, health, history, law, music, polemics, politics, satire, sports, statistics, travel, and trivia. View profile
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13 Comments
Post a CommentVery good research, good job, please, keep posting stuff like this.
<a href="http://www.collegehelpcenter.org/">Go To College</a>
great round up
Interesting. I'm not suprised by the ones high on the list but the ones on the lower rungs are interesting....
Proud to say my son graduated from Georgetown Law!!!
Great job lining up these stats.
Interesting that the stats revealed so many "ties"! Nice work, J.C. Fun list to peruse!
Great job of putting this together.
Great compilation! Thanks :)
The lawyer we are using for my fahter's estate is charging $500 a 1/2 hour - I think he has law school well paid for!
Great... :o)