

Harvard Law School : Ranking, Fees, Courses, Requirements
- Private University
3 Campuses
- Estd. 1636
- About Harvard Law School
- Harvard Law School Courses and Fees 2025
- Harvard University Law Popular Courses
- Harvard University Law Popular Programs
- Harvard Law School Rankings 2025
- Harvard Law School Admission Dates 2025
- Harvard Law School Admissions Requirements 2025
- Harvard Law School Placements
- Harvard Law School or Yale Law School: Which is better?
- Harvard Law School Campus Life
- 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's placement rate is 97% for class of 2024. This Law School is considered bit competitive to get into, as Harvard Law School acceptance rate is 11% for its J.D. class of 2027
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.
Things to Know about Harvard Law School
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) |
11% |
|
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) |
97% (Within 10 months after Graduation) |
|
Average LSAT Score (Class 2027) |
176 |
|
Average Package after graduating (2023) |
USD 215,000 (INR 1.90 Cr) |
|
Average GRE Quant and Verbal Score Each (Class 2027) |
169 |
|
Average GPA (J.D. Class 2027) |
4.0 |
(USD 1 = INR 88.71)
|
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 inaugration. Originally it was built in Harvard Sqare, 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 #4 among best 196 Law schools around the world.
Law courses at Harvard University are ranked at #4 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 11% 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 a program among various UG and certificate programs.
Fill application form: Now go to official website and apply for programme. Fill required details like academic history, essay, standardized test score, English language score, etc.
Pay application fee: Students must pay application fee of USD 85 (INR 7.5K) for JD and LLM programs.
Wait for response: HLS will review application and reply within few weeks to join program.
Attend Interview: HLS conducts interviews on invitation basis.
Harvard University LawPopular Courses
Harvard University LawPopular Programs
Harvard Law School Rankings 2025
Harvard Law School is Law School of Harvard University, which is also part of Ivy League. 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.
According to QS World Ranking 2025, Law courses offered by Harvard University are ranked 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 1.81 Cr.) at Law firms.
According to US World and News rankings in 2024, HLS is ranked at #4 in best 196 Law schools around world.
According to QS World ranking 2024, Law courses offered by Harvard University are ranked #1 with overall score of 96.8 out of 100 based on factors like academic reputation, citations per faculty, employment outcomes, employer reputation, faculty student ratio etc.
THE 2024 gave Law Courses of Harvard University ranking of #1.
Harvard Law School Speciality Rankings | Rank |
|---|---|
Business/Corporate Law | 2 |
Clinical Training | 16 |
Constitutional Law | 1 |
Contracts/Commercial Law | 2 |
Criminal Law | 2 |
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 |
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 Starting Salary | USD 215,000 (INR 1.47 Cr) | USD 210,000 (1.47 Cr) |
Acceptance Rate (Class 2026) | 8.07% | 11.8% |
First-Year Tuition (MBA) | USD 77,100 (INR 74.6 L) | USD 71,540 (INR 71.6 L) |
Top Job Sectors Hiring | 65% of all Yale Law graduates 2023 started their careers at Law firms | 55% of all Yale Law graduates 2023 started their careers at Law firms |
Ranking (US World and News 2024) | #4 | #1 |
Placement Rate (2023) within 10 months after graduation | 97.3% | 98% |
(USD 1 = INR 84.30)
Harvard Law School Admission Dates 2025
International students can apply once a year as Harvard Law School offers 1 intake a year i.e., in August, which is known to be the Fall Semester.
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 1 |
Jan 12, 2026 |
|
Round 2 |
Feb 10, 2026 |
|
Round 3 |
Mar 16, 2026 |
Harvard Law School Admissions Requirements 2025
Harvard Law School is one of top Law schools. It is accredited by American Bar Association. Harvard Law School JD acceptance rate for class that entered in 2024 was 11% 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.
But student can get admission to this B-School by fulfilling requirements -
Harvard Law School JD Requirements as international Student-
- 4 year UG Degree from Accredited university
- LOR
- Essay
- Standardized entrance test scores (LSAT/GRE)
- Official transcripts
- CV
- SOP
Harvard Law School LLM admissions requirements as international student-
- 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
Harvard Law School Admission Process 2025
Choose program - International students must choose Law course that interests them.
Fill application form - Students must visit official website and gather all required documents before filling in application form.
Pay application fee - Students must pay application fee of USD 85 - USD 90 for JD and LLM programs.
Wait for response: Harvard Law School will review application and within a few weeks, they will provide an offer letter to join the program.
Attend Interview: HLS conducts interviews for a few percentage of students on an invitation basis.
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 candidates 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 Placements
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, which gives a Harvard Law School placement rate of 97.6%. Out of all Harvard Law School graduates, 374 got placed in top Law firms with average median package of USD 215,000 (INR 1.90 Cr). Additionally, 250 graduates pursued judicial clerkships with estimated compensation ranging between USD 65,000–75,000 (approx. INR 57.6L – INR 66.5L).
The average median salary for the year 2024, given by Law firms, increased by USD 10,000 (INR 8.87 L) from USD 205,000 (INR 1.81 Cr) in 2023 to USD 215,000 (INR 1.90 Cr) in 2024.
Top Employers
Table here shows top Salaries of Full-time Employed Graduates by Job Sector:
|
HLS 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 1.90 Cr) |
|
Judicial Clerkship |
133 |
USD 70,000(INR 62.09 L) |
|
Business & Industry |
17 |
USD 191,000 (INR 1.69 Cr) |
|
Government |
21 |
USD 74,975 (INR 66.5 L) |
|
Public Interest |
47 |
USD 65,000 (INR 57.6 L) |
(USD 1 = INR 88.71)
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 1.81 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 1.81 Cr) |
Judicial Clerkship | 133 | USD 70,005 (INR 59 L) |
Business & Industry | 17 | USD 191,000 (INR (INR 1.61 Cr) |
Government | 21 | USD 74,975 (INR 63.2 L) |
Public Interest | 47 | USD 65,000 (INR 54.8 L)) |
Education | 9 | USD 66,500 (INR 56 L) |
(USD 1 = INR 84.30)
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 secure placement at Law firms as Lawyers with a median basic salary of USD 215,000 (INR 1.81 Cr).
According to Glass door, the lawyers who graduated from Harvard are able to get USD 100,000 (INR 84 L) a year to USD 200,000 (INR 1.68 Cr) a year.
The Harvard Law School graduates go on to take up diverse roles and positions over the 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 Life
Located in the heart of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 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.
There are over 200 student organizations, 17 student journals, and 47 clinics, externships & SPOs at Harvard Law School. 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.
The HLS has residential buildings of different styles with variations in cost:
- Dormitory-Style Residential Rooms: The academic year cost for the Dormitory Standard Single room is USD 8,610 (INR 7.63L).
- Apartment-Style Rooms: The academic year cost for a Single Large Studio Apartment is USD 23,841 (INR 21.14L).
There are other kinds of room and apartment types too, the students are suggested to keep their budget in mind while selecting these on-campus accommodation options.
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 a month ago
Law is a very different study . Interdisciplinary study or some other different subject knowledge enhance the level .
Harvard is a brand worldwide and also the education is comparatively higher .You need to have some exceptional achievements to get there.Also a good research before applying for Harv
Answered a month ago
MIT vs Harvard is one decision that you want to be in the position of making, if you're looking for higher education in the USA. Fierce competitors, academic peers, and neighbours, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University are two of the most elite institutions in the world an
M
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 2 months ago
Studying at Harvard can be expensive for Indian students. Located in Cambridge, the cost of living when studying at Harvard is high. Apart from the tuition fee, students also need to pay for housing, food, transportation, insurance, among others on a monthly basis.
Indian students can check the cost
E
Beginner-Level 3
Answered 2 months ago
As per the latest employment data made available by the institute, the median salary earned by Ed.M. graduates at Harvard Education School graduates is USD 70,000 (INR 61.17 L). While Ph.D. graduates earn an even higher median salary of USD 79,500 (INR 69.47 L).
K
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 months ago
Harvard Univ acceptance rate usually stays under 5%. For class of 2029 Harvard received around 53,700 applications from prospective students. Whereas no. of students admitted stood at approximately 1950 suggesing that Harvard acceptance rate 2025 stands at 3.63% meaning that out of every 100 student
R
Contributor-Level 10
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