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- About Harvard Law School
- Harvard Law School Courses and Fees
- Harvard University Law Popular Courses
- Harvard University Law Popular Programs
- Harvard Law School Rankings 2026
- Harvard Law School Admission Dates
- Harvard Law School Admissions Requirements 2026
- Harvard Law School Job Outcomes
- Harvard Law School or Yale Law School: Which is better?
- Harvard Law School Campus
- Harvard Law School Notable Alumni
- Harvard University Law Students reviews
About Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is Law School of Harvard University which is private university founded in 1817 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. HLS is oldest Law School in US.
Harvard Law School provides many graduate Law programs including JD, SJD, LLM, etc. Approximately 1,990 students attend HLS each year.
Harvard Law School campus is built on 1000 acres of land. With 119 full-time faculty members, the student-to-faculty ratio is 7:1 at Harvard Law School Harvard Law School placement rate is 96.6% for class of 2024. This Law School is considered bit competitive to get into, as Harvard Law School acceptance rate is 9.2% for its J.D. class of 2028.
The Law School has a career support department named the Office of Career Services (OCS). These career services are also open for Harvard Law School alumni.
University Information
Harvard Law School is known for its large network of 40,000 alumni from all over the world. Here are some more highlights for Harvard Law School:
|
Harvard Law School |
Validation |
|---|---|
|
Acceptance Rate (J.D. Class 2024) |
9.2% |
|
US World and News Ranking (2025) |
#6 |
|
Known for |
Clinical Programs, Jury Doctor, Constitutional Studies, Criminal Law Studies |
|
Nobel Laureates |
1 (Barack Obama) |
|
J.D. (Jury Doctor) Class Size (2027) |
793 |
|
Placement Rate (2024) |
96.6% (Within 10 months after Graduation) |
|
Average LSAT Score (Class 2027) |
176 |
|
Average Package after graduating (2023) |
USD 215,000 (INR 1.94 Cr) |
|
Average GRE Quant and Verbal Score Each (Class 2027) |
169 |
|
Average GPA (J.D. Class 2027) |
4.0 |
(USD 1 = INR 90.35)
|
Diversity and Enrolment Breakdown Class 2026 |
Data |
|---|---|
|
Women |
53% |
|
International |
9% |
|
LGBTQ+ |
22% |
|
Students of Colour |
43% |
History of Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School was founded in 1817 with bequest from Isaac Royall, Jr. On Sep 5, 2017, a memorial was created at HLS to honor enslaved people whose labor helped its foundation. This law school has moved twice since its inauguration. Originally it was built in Harvard Square, then it moved to Dane Hall and currently it is located in Austin Hall.
Read more: Harvard Law School Placement Report 2024
Commonly asked questions On About Law
Harvard Law School is under Harvard University which holds Ivy League status. This Law School is famous for ROI. HLS placement rate is 97.6% with average annual package of USD 215,000 in top Law firms of US.
HLS is near Boston City making it accessible for HLS students to take up internships and clerkships. According to US world and news ranking, Harvard University Law courses are ranked #6 among best 196 Law schools around the world.
Law courses at Harvard University are ranked at #6 by US World and News. Students from all over the world apply to these courses due to high employability, internships & clerkships provided by the school. HLS acceptance rate is 9.2% for JD program. Low acceptance rate suggests that out 100 applicants, only 11 students are get offer. It is hard to get Harvard Law School.
Choose program among various UG and certificate programs.
Fill application form- Now go to official website and apply for program. Fill required details such as- academic history, essay, standardized test score, English language score, etc.
Pay application fee- Students must pay application fee of USD 85 for JD and LLM programs.
Wait for response- HLS will check application and reply within few weeks to join program.
Attend Interview- HLS conduct interview on invitation basis.
Harvard University LawPopular Courses
Harvard University LawPopular Programs
Harvard Law School Rankings 2026
Harvard Law School is Law School of Harvard University, which is also part of Ivy League. According to Shiksha Popularity Ranking, Harvard University Ranking for Law courses is #1 in USA in 2026. Shiksha also ranks L.L.M. program offered under Harvard Law School at #1 in USA in 2026.
By Other Ranking Bodies
According to US World and News rankings in 2025, Harvard Law School is ranked #6 in the list of best 196 Law schools around the world. QS World Ranking 2025 ranks Law courses offered by Harvard University at #1. Times Higher Education 2025 rankings place Harvard Law at #2.
Table below mentions rankings of Law course specialties according to US World and News ranking 2025:
|
Harvard Law School Specialty Rankings |
Rank |
|---|---|
|
Business/Corporate Law |
1 |
|
Clinical Training |
24 |
|
Constitutional Law |
2 |
|
Contracts/Commercial Law |
1 |
|
Criminal Law |
3 |
|
Dispute Resolution |
3 |
|
Environmental Law |
10 |
|
Health Care Law |
7 |
|
Intellectual Property Law |
12 |
|
International Law |
2 |
|
Legal Writing |
132 |
|
Tax Law |
10 |
|
Trial Advocacy |
36 |
Commonly asked questions On Rankings
HLS is under Harvard University which is among prestigious group of Ivy League.
According to US World and News rankings in 2025, HLS is ranked #6 in best 196 Law schools around world. It has tied with Duke Law School.
The HLS Placement rate for the class 2024 stands at 97.6% (within 10 months of graduation) with the average median salary of USD 215,000 (INR 1.94 Cr.) at Law firms.
According to US World and News rankings in 2025, HLS is ranked at #6 in best 196 Law schools around world.
According to QS World ranking 2025, Law courses offered by Harvard University are ranked #1 based on factors like academic reputation, citations per faculty, employment outcomes, employer reputation, faculty student ratio etc.
THE 2025 gave Law Courses of Harvard University ranking of #2.
While both the universities are considered two of the best in the entire world, Harvard enjoys the location of Cambridge, Massachusetts which has close proximity to Boston where the Law students have better access to internships and clerkships, on the other hand Yale Law School is situated at New Haven which makes it a bit isolated Law School, away from a lot of important Law universities.
Criteria | Harvard Law School | Yale Law School |
|---|---|---|
Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts | New Haven |
Average Salary | USD 215,000 (INR 1.94 Cr) | USD 210,000 (1.89 Cr) |
Acceptance Rate (Class 2026) | 9.2% | 5.2% |
First-Year Tuition (LLM) | USD 80,760 (INR 72.96 L) | USD 76,636 (INR 69.24 L) |
Ranking (US World and News 2025) | #6 | #1 |
(USD 1 = INR 90.35)
Harvard Law School Admission Dates
International students can apply once in a year as Harvard Law School offers 1 intake a year in August which is known to be Fall Semester.
The Admissions at Harvard Law School are done on a round and seasonal basis. The deadlines for the same are mentioned in the table below:
|
JD Rounds (August Entry) |
Application Deadline |
|---|---|
|
Round 2 |
Feb 10, 2026 |
|
Round 3 |
Mar 16, 2026 |
Harvard Law School Admissions Requirements 2026
Harvard Law School is one of top Law schools. It is accredited by American Bar Association. Acceptance rate of Harvard Law School for class that entered in 2024 was 9.2% which means out of every 100 applications, only 11 students received offer letter, which makes it quite difficult to get admission at Harvard Law School.
Undergraduate Admission Requirements
JD degree at Harvard Law School is considered an undergraduate degree. But students cannot apply for this course after Class 12 as the university require the students to hold a UG degree to pursue this program. Mentioned below are Harvard Law School JD admissions requirements as international student-
- 4 year UG Degree from Accredited university
- LOR
- Essay
- Standardized entrance test scores (LSAT/GRE)
- Official transcripts
- CV
- SOP
Postgraduate Admission Requirements
Mentioned below are Harvard Law School LLM admissions requirements for international students-
- Law Degree from ABA approved US Law School or first Law degree from foreign law school
- English proficiency test scores
- LOR
- Standardized tests
- SOP
- Essay
- CV
- Official transcripts
Commonly asked questions On Admission Requirements
Students from all over world apply to HLS. Harvard Law School applications are open for Indian students, but Indian student has to meet some requirements.
Below mentioned are documents and exam requirements an Indian student has to meet to apply to HLS Law programs:
Harvard Law School JD Requirements as International student:
· 4 years Bachelor's Degree
· Scanned copies of all Academic Records
· Online application done through Law School Admissions Council
· LOR
· Essay
· LSAT/GRE
Harvard Law School follows strict approach in selecting best candidates. To stay competitive and relevant till the end of HLS application process can be tough for many. Students are required to show great academic scores and extra-curricular activities and such. JD Class 2027, 50% of the students had GPA of 3.95.
Other than GPA, table below shows average scores for other requirements:
HLS Requirements | HLS JD class 2027 Average scores |
|---|---|
Average LSAT Score (Class 2027) | 174 |
Average GRE Quant Score (Class 2027) | 167 |
Average GRE Verbal Score (Class 2027) | 165 |
Average GPA (J.D. Class 2027) | 3.95 on a scale of 4.0 |
Out of many applications, Harvard Law School tries to select best students for Law programs. To apply for Harvard Law School, international students have to take entrance exam. Students can either take GRE or LSAT.
Both the previously mentioned exams are valid, and the school says, that it does make it an advantage if the students take both the exams.
The table below shows the average scores for other requirements:
HLS Requirements | HLS JD class 2027 Average scores |
|---|---|
Average LSAT Score (Class 2027) | 174 |
Average GRE Quant Score (Class 2027) | 167 |
Average GRE Verbal Score (Class 2027) | 165 |
Average GPA (J.D. Class 2027) | 3.95 on a scale of 4.0 |
Harvard Law School Job Outcomes
In recent employment report by Harvard Law School for 2024, Law graduates were given placement in top law firms like Davis Polk, Paul, Weiss, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, etc. Harvard Law School gave 622 graduates in 2024, out of which 601 graduates reported employment within 10 months of graduating from school. Out of all Harvard Law School graduates, 374 got placed in top Law firms with average median package of USD 215,000 (INR 1.94 Cr). Additionally, 250 graduates pursued judicial clerkships with estimated compensation ranging between USD 65,000–75,000 (approx. INR 58.72 L – INR 67.76 L).
Harvard Law School Placement Rate
The Harvard Law School placement rate is 97.6% in 2024. Table here shows top salaries of full-time employed graduates by job sector:
|
HLS Graduates’ Top Placements (Class 2024) |
Average Median Salary of HLS MBA graduate (2024) |
|---|---|
|
Law Firm |
USD 215,000 (INR 1.94 Cr) |
|
Judicial Clerkship |
USD 70,000 (INR 63.24 L) |
|
Business & Industry |
USD 191,000 (INR 1.72 Cr) |
|
Government |
USD 74,975 (INR 67.74 L) |
|
Public Interest |
USD 65,000 (INR 58.72 L) |
ROI after Education at Harvard Law School
The average median salary for 2024, given by Law firms, increased by USD 10,000 (INR 9.03 L) from USD 205,000 (INR 1.85 Cr) in 2023 - USD 215,000 (INR 1.94 Cr) in 2024. Table here shows ROI of pursuing Law from Harvard Law School by showing average salary of Law graduates along with the tuition fee which they invested:
| Course | Fees (Investment) | Starting Salary (ROI) |
|---|---|---|
| Law | USD 80,760 (INR 72.96 L) | USD 65,000 - USD 215,000 (INR 58.72 L - INR 1.94 Cr) |
(USD 1 = INR 90.35)
Commonly asked questions On Placements
According to the employment data 2024 published by Harvard Law School, the top industry where the HLS graduates are getting the highest package is Law firms job sector which is USD 215,000 (INR 1.94 Cr).
Here is the table showing top Salaries of Full-time Employed Graduates by Job Sector:
Harvard Law School MBA Graduates’ Top Placements(Class 2024) | No. of HLS Graduates | Average Median Salary of HLS MBA graduate (2024) |
|---|---|---|
Law Firm | 374 | USD 215,000 (INR 1.84 Cr) |
Judicial Clerkship | 133 | USD 70,005 (INR 53.25 L) |
Business & Industry | 17 | USD 191,000 (INR (INR 1.72 Cr) |
Government | 21 | USD 74,975 (INR 67.74 L) |
Public Interest | 47 | USD 65,000 (INR 58.72 L) |
Education | 9 | USD 66,500 (INR 60.08 L) |
(USD 1 = INR 90.35)
Harvard Law School is known for state of the art learning infrastructure, high quality graduates and faculty to students' ratio. HLS graduates are able to get placement at Law firms as Lawyers with a median basic salary of USD 215,000 (INR 1.94 Cr).
According to Glass door, lawyers who graduated from Harvard are able to get USD 100,000 (INR 90.35 L) a year to USD 200,000 (INR 1.80 Cr) a year.
Harvard Law School graduates go on to take up diverse roles and positions over span of their careers. According to the Harvard Law School employment report 2024, 374 graduates got placed at Law firms followed by 133 students going into Judicial Clerkships.
| Sector | No. of Graduates |
|---|---|
| Law Firm | 374 |
| Judicial Clerkship | 133 (Federal: 112, State: 19, International: 2) |
| Business & Industry | 17 |
| Government | 21 |
| Public Interest | 47 |
| Education | 9 |
Below is the table mentioning the HLS graduates with various locations:
| Location | No. of Graduates Employed |
|---|---|
| New York | 197 |
| District of Columbia | 107 |
| California | 75 |
| Foreign Countries | 12 |
Harvard Law School Campus
Harvard University takes pride in its rich cultural history. Harvard Law School has a beautiful campus with a happening atmosphere, as the students studying here have close proximity to great restaurants, movie theatres, clubs, recreational activities centers, etc. Harvard Law School campus is surrounded by beautiful neighborhoods and parks. The university offers accommodation options to international students.
Harvard Law School Campus Location
The Harvard University is located in the heart of Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, United States. Out of the 3 campuses of the university, Harvard Law School is based on Cambridge campus.
Harvard Law School Campus Life
Below mentions are some important points about the campus life at Harvard-
- There are over 200 student organizations, 17 student journals, and 47 clinics, externships & SPOs at Harvard Law School for students to participate in.
-
The students are presented with the option to opt for on-campus and off-campus. More than 1/3 of the law students live on-campus making the on-house campus a popular choice. The students can apply for on-campus housing at Harvard via the official portal.
Commonly asked questions On Campus Life
Harvard University has 200+ student led organisations, 17 student journals, libraries, museums and theatres, communities, enriching extracurricular activities.
There are on-campus and off-campus housing options available for Harvard Law students.
67% of HLS student body lives off campus
86% of HLS students living off campus live in private off campus housing
14% of HLS students living off campus live in Harvard University Housing
Average monthly rent paid by HLS student in 2015 was USD 1,500
Yes Law schools are considered tough as currilculum is generally rigorous and schedules are quite hectic, but students of HLS say that it is less stressful than others.
Students are provided with all kinds of resources such as accommodation, city guides, students' organisations, supportive communities on HLS website.
One-third of the students live on-campus, although off-campus housing is also available within walking distance to Harvard Law School.
Yes, the main Harvard Law School campus has 19 buildings and it is located northwest corner of Harvard Yard, bordered by Massachusetts Avenue and Everett Street in Cambridge. This school is located at Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA. The nearest landmarks to HLS are Harvard Yard, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Divinity School.
The main buildings include Wasserstein Hall, Langdell Hall (main library), Austin Hall, and Pound Hall.
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Harvard University
Student Forum
Answered Yesterday
Times Higher Education (THE) is one of the leading ranking bodies to rank universities globally on a lot of parameters.
Some of these parameters considered to rank universities worldwide are research, citations, teaching, industry and international outlook.
In 2026, the overall score that Harvard reci
P
Contributor-Level 9
Answered Yesterday
As per the Harvard University THE world rankings, there is a slight decrease in the position of the university. So, in the year 2025, Harvard ranked #3 which moved to #5 in 2026.
Harvard University also bagged top rankings in categories, such as -
- Engineering
- Law
- Life Science
- Clinical and Health
L
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 days ago
Below mentioned are steps to apply at HMS for international students-
Step 1-Choose a program
Step 2- Fill the application form: Go to the AMCAS Portal
Step 4-Wait for a response: Harvard Medical School will review the application and within a few weeks they will provide an offer letter to join the
K
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
For the Class of 2025, Harvard Uni placement rate for MBA graduates is around 90% (received a job offer three months after graduation). The graduates have landed job roles in Consulting, Technology, Venture Capital, and Private Equity industries. The median base salary of the MBA graduates of Harvar
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
IIT and Harvard University, both are tough to enter when it comes to admission. Students studying in India believe that IIT is too tough as the admission is only based on the JEE Advanced scores, and ranks. The acceptance rate at IIT is too low (1-2%). On the other hand, Harvard with acceptance rat
J
Contributor-Level 9
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