

Yale Law School - Ranking, Courses, Fees, Admission Requirements
- Private University
1075 acre campus
- Estd. 1701
- About Yale Law School
- Yale Law School Courses and Fees 2025
- Yale University Law Popular Courses
- Yale University Law Popular Programs
- Yale Law School Rankings 2025
- Yale Law School Admissions Dates 2025
- Yale Law School Admission Requirements 2025
- Yale Law School Placements 2025
- Yale Law School or Harvard Law School: Which is better?
- Yale Law School Campus Life
- Yale Law School Notable Alumni
- Yale University Law Students reviews
About Yale Law School
Established in 1824, Yale Law School (YLS) is the Law School of Yale University, which is a private research university situated in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale Law School is one of the oldest Law Schools in the United States and is still in operation.
Yale Law School provides 192 courses across various domains, including J.D., J.S.D., LL.M., M.S.L. Ph.D. Joint Degree, etc. The school started its operations in the 1800s when Seth P. Staples began training lawyers in his New Haven law office. The School got affiliated with Yale in the mid-1820s, and the students started receiving Yale degrees in the year 1843. This Law School enrolls 200 students each year and is known for a very low acceptance rate in the US.
The Notable alumni of Yale Law School include President Gerald Ford, President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Senator Chris Coons. YLS students are involved in publishing and preparing the Yale Law Review, which is one of the most highly cited university law reviews, along with other 9 other Yale Law Journals.
The Yale Law campus is located at the Sterling Law Building, which is the primary building of the Law School. With 107 faculty members, including tenured and instructional faculty, the student-to-faculty ratio is 5:1 at Yale Law School which indicates the level of attention these YLS students receive from their faculty. With an extreme focus on high employability skills, according to the American Bar Association, 99% of the Yale School graduates were able to pass the Bar exam.
Yale Law School gave 224 graduates in the year 2023, out of which 220 students were able to secure placements, giving us a Yale Law School placement rate of 98.2%. The Law school also boasts its yield rate of 86% which is the successful placements the students received. Yale Law School under Yale University is ranked no. 1 among the best 196 Law schools worldwide, according to the rankings released by the US World and News 2024.
Yale Law School is known for its large network of 13,000 alumni scattered all over the world. This Law School is considered quite competitive to get into, where the school received 4,449 applications, and only 204 members of the JD Class 2027 were offered admissions, giving a Yale Law School acceptance rate of 4.5%.
Here are some more highlights for Yale Law School:
Yale Law School (JD) |
Validation |
---|---|
Acceptance Rate (J.D. Class 2024) |
4.5% |
US World and News Ranking (2024) |
#1 |
Known for |
Clinical Programs, Jury Doctor, Constitutional Studies, Innovative curriculum |
Nobel Laureates |
3 |
J.D. (Jury Doctor) Class Size (2027) |
204 |
Placement Rate (2024) |
95.3% |
Average LSAT Score (Class 2027) |
174 (range 170-177) |
Average Package after graduating (2024) |
USD 204,668 (INR 1.75 Cr) |
Average GRE Quant Score (Class 2027) |
163 |
Average GRE Verbal Score (Class 2027) |
167 |
Average GPA (J.D. Class 2027) |
3.96 |
(USD 1 = INR 84.30)
Yale Law School is focused on inclusion and promoting diversity at its campus, 56% of the J.D. class of 2027 were women, followed by students of color, who made up 50%, with a collective representation of 78 countries.
Diversity and Enrolment Breakdown Class 2026 |
Data |
---|---|
Women |
56% |
Countries represented (Lived or worked) |
78 |
LGBTQ+ |
22% |
Students of Colour |
50% |
First Generation/Low-income college students |
24% |
At least 3 years out of college |
46% |
At least 1 year out of college |
89% |
According to official data released by the Law School, most of the Yale School graduates secured placements at Law firms of different sizes of 86 for the year 2024, which is higher than the previous year. The Yale School Acceptance rate stands at 95.3%, which is a drop from 98.9% in the year 2023.
Below are the detailed Job Sectors in which Yale Law School graduates were placed after graduation:
Employment Sector | Number of Graduates |
---|---|
Law Firms (All sizes) | 86 (sum of all categories) |
– of which at firms with 501+ lawyers | 66 |
Clerkships - Federal | 56 |
Clerkships - State, Local, and Territorial | 4 |
Clerkships - International | 2 |
Business & Industry | 11 |
Government | 8 |
Public Interest | 34 |
Education | 4 |
Law School/University Funded | 17 (across multiple sectors) |
Total Employed | 205 out of 215 graduates |
Commonly asked questions On About Law
Yes, YLS is considered quite competitive to get into as the, where the school received 4,449 applications, and only 204 members of the JD Class 2027were offered admissions which gives a Yale Law School acceptance rate of 4.5%.
Although, a student can get admission to this B-School by fulfilling the below mentioned requirements:
Yale Law School JD Requirements as an International student:
· A four years Bachelor's Degree from Accredited university
· Scanned copies of all the Academic Records
· An online application done through Law School Admissions Council (LSAC)
· Letters of recommendation (Submit at least 1)
· Essay
Yale Law School being the Law School of Yale University which is also a part of the elite educational group 'the Ivy League'. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, YLS is a ranked at #1 tying with Stanford Law School in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
According to the Times Higher Education 2024, the Law courses offered by Yale University are ranked at number 10 with an overall score of 80.7 out of 100 based on the factors like Teaching research environment, research quality, industry, employer, international outlook, faculty student ratio etc.
Yale Law School follows a strict approach in selecting the best candidates out of a large pool of applications. To stay competitive and relevant till the end of the YLS application process can be tough for many. The students are required to show great academic scores and extra-curricular activities and such. The JD Class 2027, 50% of the students had a GPA of 3.96.
Other than the GPA, the table below shows the average scores for other requirements:
Yale Law School Admission Requirements | YLS JD class 2027 Average scores |
Average LSAT Score (Class 2027) | 174 with a range of 155 to 180 |
Average GRE Quant Score (Class 2027) | 163 |
Average GRE Verbal Score (Class 2027) | 167 |
Average GPA (J.D. Class 2027) | 3.96 |
Yale University LawPopular Courses
Yale University LawPopular Programs
Yale Law School Rankings 2025
Yale Law School is the Law School of Yale University which is also a part of the elite educational group ‘the Ivy League’. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, YLS is ranked at #1 tying with Stanford Law School in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
According to the Times Higher Education 2024, the Law courses offered by Yale University are ranked at number 10 with an overall score of 80.7 out of 100 based on factors like Teaching research environment, research quality, industry, employer, international outlook, faculty-student ratio, etc. This overall score has increased from the score of 75.3 out of 100 in 2023.
Below table which mentions the rankings of the Law course specialties according to the US World and News ranking 2024:
Yale Law School Speciality Rankings |
Rank |
---|---|
Business/Corporate Law |
8 |
Clinical Training |
5 |
Constitutional Law |
3 |
Contracts/Commercial Law |
7 |
Criminal Law |
12 |
Dispute Resolution |
42 |
Environmental Law |
25 |
Health Care Law |
13 |
Intellectual Property Law |
48 |
International Law |
2 |
Legal Writing |
128 |
Tax Law |
15 |
Trial Advocacy |
90 |
Commonly asked questions On Rankings
Yale Law School being the Law School of Yale University which is also a part of the elite educational group 'the Ivy League'. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, YLS is a ranked at #1 tying with Stanford Law School in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
According to the Times Higher Education 2024, the Law courses offered by Yale University are ranked at number 10 with an overall score of 80.7 out of 100 based on the factors like Teaching research environment, research quality, industry, employer, international outlook, faculty student ratio etc. This overall score has increased from the score of 75.3 out of 100 in 2023.
Yale Law School being the Law School of Yale University which is also a part of the elite educational group 'the Ivy League'. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, YLS is a ranked at #1 tying with Stanford Law School in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
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.
According to the rankings released by the US World and News 2024, the Law studies offered by Harvard University under HLS are ranked #4 among the top 196 Law schools in the world, for Yale University, this ranking is #1.
The table compares these two best Business schools in depth:
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 85.72)
Yale Law School Admissions Dates 2025
International students looking to take admission at Yale Law School are required to plan their admissions carefully, as there is an entrance test requirement. Juris Doctor and LLM courses are offered at this school. The studnets must take LSAT or the GRE, which changes the schedule significantly.
Below are the Yale Law School application deadlines with the entrance test dates:
Program | Application Opens | Deadline | Test Deadline | Decision | Apply Via |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
J.D. (Class of 2029) | Sept 1, 2025 | Feb 15, 2026 | LSAT: Jan 2026 | Rolling / Spring 2026 | LSAC |
GRE: Feb 15, 2026 | |||||
LL.M. (2026–27) | Aug 15, 2025 | Dec 1, 2025 | N/A | Mid-March 2026 | Yale Law Site |
Yale Law School Admission Requirements 2025
Yale Law School is considered quite competitive to get into as, where the school received 4,449 applications, and only 204 members of the JD Class 2027were offered admissions which gives a Yale Law School acceptance rate of 4.5% meaning out of every 100 applications, only 4 to 5 are accepted making it an ambitious school to get into.
However, a student can get admission to this B-School by fulfilling the below-mentioned requirements:
Yale Law School JD Requirements as an International Student:
- A four-year Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university
- Scanned copies of all the Academic Records
- An online application done through Law School Admissions Council (LSAC)
- Letters of recommendation (Submit at least 1)
- Essay
- Standardized entrance test scores (LSAT/GRE)
- English language proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
Yale Law School LLM admissions requirements as an International student:
- Law Degree (Have a Juris Duty) from an ABA-approved US Law School or a first Law degree from a foreign law school
- English proficiency test scores (TOEFL)
- An online application
- Letters of recommendation (At least 2, by the superiors who can access the qualitative skills of the candidate)
- Standardized tests (LSAT/GRE)
- Statement of purpose
- Certification of finances
- Essay
- Resume/CV
- Registration for LSAC’s LLM Credential Assembly Service (CAS)
Yale Law School Admission Process 2025:
Step 1-Choose a program.
Step 2- Fill out the application form: Now go to the Law School’s Admissions Council (LSAC)website, navigate through the common app to apply for the program, and fill out the required details like academic history, essay, standardized test score, English language score, and more.
Step 3-Pay application fee of USD 85 (INR 7,296) for the JD and LLM programs.
Step 4- Wait for a response
Step 5-Attend Interview: Yale Law School conducts interviews for a very small percentage of students so it’s only on an invitation basis for the JD Program, but not for the LLM program.
(USD 1 = INR 85.72)
Commonly asked questions On Admission Requirements
According to the official website of Yale Law School, the students aspiring to be a part of YLS programs, they should have a minimum GPA of 3.3 on a scale of 4.0. Other than the GPA requirements, the students are also expected to do well in other exams.
Refer to the tale below to know more of YLS application process requirements:
YLS Exam Requirements | Yale Law School Class 2027 Average Scores |
---|---|
Average LSAT Score (Class 2027) | 174 with a range of 155 to 180 |
Average GRE Quant Score (Class 2027) | 163 |
Average GRE Verbal Score (Class 2027) | 167 |
Average GPA (J.D. Class 2027) | 3.96 |
The students are expected to apply to Yale Law School via Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) with an application fee of USD 85 (INR 7,296) and the other exam requirements.
Yale Law School JD Requirements as an International student:
· A four years Bachelor's Degree from Accredited university
· Scanned copies of all the Academic Records
· An online application done through Law School Admissions Council (LSAC)
· Letters of recommendation (Submit at least 1)
· Essay
· Standardized entrance test scores (TOEFL)
Yale href="https://www.shiksha.com/studyabroad/exams/gre">GRE)
· English language proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
Yale Law School LLM admissions requirements as an International student:
· Law Degree (Have a Juris Duty) from an ABA approved US Law School or a first Law degree from a foreign law school
· English proficiency test scores (TOEFL)
· An online application
· Letters of recommendation (At least 2, by the superiors who can access the qualitative skills of the candidate)
· Standardized tests (LSAT/GRE)
· Statement of purpose
· Certification of finances
· Essay
· Resume/CV
· Registration for LSAC's LLM Credential Assembly Service (CAS)
The students must gather all the documents which will include exam scores and other important before filling the Yale Law School online application.
After that, the below mentioned steps are to be followed for successfully applying to Yale Law School:
Step 1-Choose a program.
Step 2- Fill out the application form: Now go to the Law School's Admissions Council (LSAC)website, and navigate through the common app to apply for the programme and fill out the required details like academic history, essay, standardized test score, English language score, and more.
Step 3-Pay application fee: Students must pay the application fee of USD 85 (INR 7,296) for the JD and LLM programs.
Step 4-Wait for a response: Yale Law School will review the application and within a few weeks they will provide an offer letter to join the program.
Step 5-Attend Interview: Yale Law School conducts interviews for a very small percentage of students so it's only on invitation basis for JD Program, but not for the LLM program.
(USD 1 = INR 85.72)
Yale Law School Placements 2025
The recent employment report by Yale Law School was released for the year 2024, where its Law graduates were given placement in top Law firms. Yale Law School gave 215 graduates in the year 2024, out of which 205 students were able to secure placements, giving us a Yale Law School placement rate of 95.3%. Out of all YLS graduates, 501+ got placed in the top Law firms with an average median package of USD 215,000 (INR 1.84 Cr.).
Here are the highlights of placements of the Yale Law School graduates class of 2023:
Particulars | Data |
---|---|
Average Median Base Salary (Law Firms) | USD 215,000 (INR 1.84 Cr.) |
Average Sign-on Bonus | USD 15,000 and USD 30,000 (INR 12.8 L - INR 25.6 L) |
Top Employers | Judiciary, Big Law Firms (501+ lawyers), Government |
Average LSAT Score (Class of 2027) | 174 (range: 170–177 officially, 155–180 observed) |
Average GRE Quant Score | 163 |
Average GRE Verbal Score | 167 |
Total Graduates (Class of 2024) | 215 |
Total Employed (as of March 2025) | 205 |
(USD 1 = INR 85.72)
Below are the detailed Job Sectors in which Yale Law School graduates were placed after graduation:
Yale Law Placement | Data |
---|---|
Law Firm Employment (All Sizes) | 86 (including 66 in 501+ size firms) |
Clerkships – Federal | 56 |
Clerkships – State, Local, Territorial | 4 |
Clerkships – International | 2 |
Public Interest Jobs | 34 |
Government Jobs | 8 |
Education Sector Jobs | 4 |
Law School/University Funded Roles | 17 |
Top Employment Locations | New York (68), DC (44), California (21) |
Read more: Yale Law School Employment Report 2024
Commonly asked questions On Placements
Yale Law School boasts its gradutes' high earning potential, according to the data published on Yale official website, most of its graduates secure placements in Law firms.
Yale Law School gave 215 graduates in the year 2024, out of which 205 students were able to secure placements, giving us a Yale Law School placement rate of 95.3%. Out of all YLS graduates, 501+ got placed in the top Law firms with an average median package of USD 215,000 (INR 1.84 Cr.).
(USD 1 = INR 85.72)
Yale Law School being the Law School of Yale University which is also a part of the elite educational group 'the Ivy League'. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, YLS is a ranked at #1 tying with Stanford Law School in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
Yale law School gave 224 graduates in the year 2023, out of which 220 students were able to secure placements which gives us a Yale Law School placement rate of 98.2%. Out of all YLS graduates, 372 got placed in the top Law firms with an average median package of USD 204,668 (INR 1.75 Cr) with a tuition fee for the first year 2024-25 is USD 74,044 (INR 63.4 L). Yes, Yale Law School might be worth it as the career opportunities after this Yale Law programs can be endless with a good ROI.
Yale Law School Campus Life
Located in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale Law School takes pride in its rich cultural history. The Yale Law campus is located at the Sterling Law Building, which is the primary building of the Law school. With 107 faculty members including tenured and instructional faculty, the student-to-faculty ratio is 5:1 at Yale Law School which indicates the level of attention these YLS students receive from their faculty.
There are over 70 student organizations, 9 student journals, and 17 Student affinity groups at Yale Law School. The students enjoy the location of the school as the city of New Haven has good weather. The university provides resources like health and safety, dining & recreation, additional resources, etc. The Yale Law School students can enjoy the perfect dining experience at Yale’s Ruttenberg Dining Hall where the students can socialize and make meaningful connections. The students are allowed to opt for off-campus housing at Yale Law.
There are many options ranging from historic beds & breakfasts to modern boutique hotels, many of which are located within walking distance of the Yale Law School:
- The Blake Hotel
- Graduate New Haven
- Hotel Marcel
- Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale
- The Study at Yale
- The Marriott Courtyard New Haven at Yale
- New Haven Hotel
- New Haven Village Suites
Commonly asked questions On Campus Life
Most of the Yale Law School students choose to live off-campus due to the convinience.
There are many options ranging from historic beds & breakfasts to modern boutique hotels, many of which are located within the walking distance of the Yale Law School:
- The Blake Hotel
- Graduate New Haven
- Hotel Marcel
- Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale
- The Study at Yale
- The Marriott Courtyard New Haven at Yale
- New Haven Hotel
- New Haven Village Suites
Located in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale law School takes pride in its rich cultural history. The Yale Law campus is located at the Sterling Law Building, which is the primary building of the Law school. With 107 faculty members including tenured and instructional faculty, the students to faculty ratio is 5:1 at Yale Law School which indicates the level of attention these YLS students receive from their faculty.
There are over 70 students organisations, 9 student's journals, and 17 Student affinity groups at Yale Law School. The students enjoy the location of the school as the city of New Haven has a good weather. The university provides resources like health and safety, dining & recreation, additional resources etc. The Yale Law School students can enjoy the perfect dining experience at Yale's Ruttenberg Dining hall where the students can socialize and make meaningful connections. The students are allowed to opt for an off-campus housing at Yale Law School.
The Notable alumni of Yale Law School include President Gerald Ford, President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Senator Chris Coons. Yale Law School is known for its large network of 13,000 alumni scattered all over the world.
Yale Law School Notable Alumni | Professions of the Alumni |
---|---|
Gerald Ford | 38th President of the United States |
Bill Clinton | 42nd President of the United States |
Herbert Brownell Jr. | 62nd U.S. Attorney General |
Homer Stille Cummings | 55th U.S. Attorney General |
Samuel Alito | Associate Justice, 2006 |
Yale University LawExplore Other Streams
Yale University
Student Forum
Answered a month ago
The following are the requirements for UG and PG courses at Yale University:
Undergraduate requirements:
Application Fee or fee waiver: Applicants must pay a USD 80 application fee through the Common Application or Coalition Application website. However, applicants using these platforms can request a
B
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a month ago
Yale University acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 stands at a low of 4.6%. The university received more than 50,200 applications; however, only 2,300 candidates were offered the opportunity to enroll themselves at Yale University. This suggests that the admission criteria of the university are e
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
As per data from the official institution website, Yale School of Medicine has an acceptance rate of around 5.5%.
The university has a low acceptance rate among the universities in the USA for medical courses, and shows how selective it is in admitting students in this particular course.
Interested ca
K
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
Based on the data from the official institute website, the acceptance rate at the medical school is around 5.5%. This is one of the lowest acceptance rates among medical schools in the US & worldwide.
Candidates interested in pursuing medical studies must secure excellent grades in school level aca
K
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
As per data sourced from U.S. News, the acceptance rate of Yale School of Management is around 27%, suggesting that securing a seat in this course is on the tougher side. The acceptance rates for some of the other schools are given below:
List of Yale Schools | Admit Rate |
---|---|
School of Medicine | 5.5% |
School of Art | 6% |
Yale College | 3.9% |
School of Environment | 5.15% |
School of Management | Around 27% |
School of Engineering and Applied Science | Around 11.7% (Master's & Doctoral) |
(Sources: Official university website, US News & Princeton Re
R
Contributor-Level 10
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