Yale University is the consensus pick for the top law school in the country. The U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings have had Yale in the No. 1 spot every year since the inception of the rankings in 1987. In 2010, Yale scored 100, the maximum score, on the ranking system. It is extremely difficult to gain acceptance to Yale Law School, as only 6.9 percent of applicants are offered admission. The three-year program has a total enrollment of 613 students who are taught by more than 120 instructors. Annual tuition costs $44,000. One aspect that makes Yale stand apart from other law schools is its lack of a traditional grading system. First-semester classes are graded pass-fail, and classes after that are graded on a scale of honors, pass or low pass.
Yale Law School
127 Wall St.
New Haven, CT 06511
203-432--4992
U.S. News and World Report ranked Harvard second in its 2010 rankings with a score of 97 out of 100. Since 1990, Harvard Law has not been ranked lower than third in the annual rankings. Its annual tuition of $43,900 is a little less than Yale's but higher than Stanford's. Harvard's enrollment of 1,771 is more than double that at Yale and Stanford. Despite the large class, Harvard has a personal touch in the admissions process. Harvard Law is one of the few schools in the country that uses a phone interview before making its final acceptance choices. Six of the current nine Supreme Court justices attended Harvard Law.
Harvard Law School
1563 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-3100
Stanford University, the top law school in the West, has not been ranked lower than third in the U.S. News and World Report rankings since 1997. In the 2010 rankings, Stanford ranks third with a score of 93 out of 100. Annual tuition costs $42,420 with a very low student-faculty ratio of 8.0. Stanford Law usually accepts about 9 percent of applicants. The school has changed the way it evaluates applicants and is putting more emphasis on LSAT scores. Stanford is building a new law school building that should open for the 2011-12 school year.
Stanford Law School
Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610
650-723-2465