Law Courses at Columbia University
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Columbia University LawWhat’s new?
Applications at the Columbia Law School are accepted intake-wise. The Columbia Law School Graduate course application deadlines are as follows:
- JD (Juries Doctor) Program: Feb 15, 2025
- M deadlines at Columbia Law School are closed for the year Autumn 2025 intake, notifications of results will be out by Mar 2, 2025
The students are expected planning to be admitted in the Columbia JD program, are expected to register themselves on the CAS portal through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for credentials evaluation.
- About Columbia Law School
- Columbia Law School Courses and Fees 2025
- Columbia University Law Popular Programs
- Columbia University Law Popular Courses
- Columbia Law School Rankings 2025
- Columbia Law School Admissions 2025
- Columbia Law School Admissions Requirements 2025
- Columbia Law School Placements 2025
- Columbia Law School or Harvard Law School: Which is better?
- Columbia Law School Campus Life
- Columbia Law School Notable Alumni
- Columbia University Law Students reviews
About Columbia Law School
Established in 1858, Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law School of Columbia University which is a private Ivy League university situated in New York City, United States. Columbia Law School is one of the oldest Law Schools in the United States. It was founded as the Columbia College Law School 167 years ago.
Columbia Law School provides courses across many domains, including JD, JSD, LLM, MSL, PhD, and Joint Degrees like JD/MBA which allows students to obtain a JD and MBA within three years. The Columbia LLM program is considered one of the best in the United States.
The school’s main building, Jerome L. Green Hall, was structured by Mas Abramowitz and Wallace Harrison, the architects of the United Nations Headquarters. One of the mesmerizing structures at the Columbia Law School is Arthur W. Diamond Library which is considered one of the most comprehensive libraries in the world. Also, it is the third largest private academic Law library in the United States crossing 1,000,000 volumes and subscriptions to more than 7,450 journals and other serials.
This law school enrolls around 200 students each year and is known for its very low acceptance rate in the US. Columbia Law School is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), which it received in 1923.
CLS students are involved in publishing and preparing the Columbia Law Review the most highly cited university law review which was ranked #2 by the Washington and Lee University Law School in 2023.
With 450 faculty members, the student-to-faculty ratio is 5.5:1 at Columbia Law which indicates the level of attention these CLS students receive from their faculty. With an extreme focus on high employability skills, according to the American Bar Association, 95.39% of the Columbia School graduates were able to pass the Bar exam in 2023.
According to the American Bar Association, the median salary for a CLS graduate in the class of 2023 was USD 280,926 (INR 2.42 Cr) which is higher than any other Law School in the United States.
Columbia Law School gave 427 graduates in the year 2023, out of which 418 students were able to secure placements which gives us a Columbia Law School placement rate of 97.8%. This Law school under Columbia University is ranked at no. 8 among the best 196 Law schools around the world, according to the rankings released by the US World and News 2024.
Things to Know about Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School is known for its large network of over 27,000 alumni in 119 countries of the world. This Law School is considered quite competitive to get into as, where the school received 7,782 applications, and only 394 students were extended an offer, which gives a Columbia Law School acceptance rate of 11.7%.
Here are some more highlights for Columbia Law School:
Columbia Law School (JD) |
Validation |
---|---|
Acceptance Rate (J.D. Class 2027) |
11.7% |
US World and News Ranking (2025) |
#8 |
Known for |
Clinical Programs, Jury Doctor, Environmental Law Studies, Innovative curriculum, Law and Economics movement, Small class size |
J.D. (Juries Doctor) Class Size (2027) |
394 |
Placement Rate (2023) |
97.8% |
Median LSAT Score (JD Class 2027) |
173 with a range of 170 to 175 |
Average Package after graduating (2023) |
USD 280,926 (INR 2.42 Cr) |
Average GRE Quant Score (Class 2027) |
164 |
Average GRE Verbal Score (Class 2027) |
164 |
Median GPA (J.D. Class 2027) |
3.90 |
(USD 1 = INR 86.47)
Columbia Law School is focused on inclusion and promoting diversity at its campus, 56% of the J.D. class 2027 was women, followed by the students of color which was 50%, with a collective representation of 78 countries. The JD Class Members of the Class 2027 include: Advisers, Advocates, Analysts, Art historian, Athletes, Attorneys, Bankers, Barista, CEO, College instructor, Consultants, Creative executive, Diplomat, Eagle Scout, Editor, Engineers, Event coordinator, Fulbright Scholars, Graphic designer, Intelligence officer, Military officers and veterans, Paralegals, Pharmacist, Reporter, Teach for America participants, Teachers, Television producer, Trader, Translator, Uber driver, Web developer, Writer.
Diversity and Enrolment Breakdown JD Class 2027 |
Data |
---|---|
Women |
56% |
Men |
41% |
LGBTQ+ |
26% |
Countries Represented |
22 |
International Students |
24% |
According to official data released by the Law School, most of the Columbia School graduates secured placements at Law firms of different sizes of 339 for the year 2023.
Below are the detailed Job Sectors the Columbia Law School graduates were placed after graduation:
Columbia Law School Graduates Job Sectors (2023) |
Number of Columbia Law School Graduates 2023 |
---|---|
Law Firms |
339 |
Business & Industry |
3 |
Government |
15 |
Public Interests |
30 |
Clerkships - Federal |
22 |
Clerkships - State, Local, and Territorial |
6 |
Education |
2 |
Commonly asked questions On About Law
Q: Is Columbia better than Harvard law?
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 Columbia University Law courses, this ranking is #8.
The table compares these two best Business schools in depth:
Criteria | Harvard Law School | Columbia Law School |
---|---|---|
Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts | New York, United States |
Average Starting Salary (LLM) | USD 215,000 (INR 1.47 Cr) | USD 280,926 (INR 2.42 Cr) |
Acceptance Rate (Class 2026) | 8.07% | 11.7% |
First-Year Tuition (MBA) | USD 77,100 (INR 74.6 L) | USD 81,888 (INR 70.8 L) |
Top Job Sectors Hiring | Law firms, Judiciary | Law firms, Business & Management |
Ranking (US World and News 2024) | #4 | #1 |
Placement Rate (2023) within 10 months after graduation | 97.3% | 97.8% |
(USD 1 = INR 86.47)
Q: Does Columbia Law belong to Ivy league?
Established in 1858, Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law School of Columbia University which is a private Ivy League university situated in New York City, United States. Columbia Law School is one of the oldest Law Schools in the United States. It was founded as the Columbia College Law School 167 years ago.
According to the US World and News rankings 2024, Columbia Law School was ranked at #8 among the best 196 Law schools of the world.
Q: Is Columbia Law School prestigious?
Columbia Law School being the Law School of Columbia University which is a world renowned university known for its quality of education. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, CLS is ranked #8 in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
According to the Times Higher Education 2024, the Law courses offered by Columbia University are ranked at number 4 with an overall score of 86.5 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 decreased from the score of 90.9 out of 100 in 2023.
Q: Is Columbia Law School hard to get into?
Yes, it is considered hard to get into Columbia Law School due to the high competition. The JD Class 2027 acceptance rate of this Law school was 11.7% which means that out of every 100 applications, only 11 to 12 applicants were rolled out an offer letter.
Although, a student can get admission to this B-School by fulfilling the below mentioned requirements:
Columbia 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 leas
· Essay
· Standardized entrance test scores (LSAT/GRE)
· English language proficiency (TOEFL)
Q: What is the student-to-faculty rate of Columbia Law School?
With 450 faculty members, the students to faculty ratio is 5.5:1 at Columbia Law which indicates the level of attention these CLS students receive from their faculty. With an extreme focus of high employability skills, according to American Bar Association, 95.39% of the Columbia School graduates were able to pass the Bar exam in 2023.
Columbia University LawPopular Programs
Columbia University LawPopular Courses
Columbia Law School Rankings 2025
Columbia Law School is the Law School of Columbia University which is a world-renowned university known for its quality of education. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, CLS is ranked #8 in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
According to the Times Higher Education 2024, the Law courses offered by Columbia University are ranked at number 4 with an overall score of 86.5 out of 100 based on factors like Teaching research environment, research quality, industry, employer, international outlook, faculty-student ratio, etc. This overall score has decreased from the score of 90.9 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:
Columbia Law School Speciality Rankings |
Rank |
---|---|
Business/Corporate Law |
2 |
Clinical Training |
19 |
Constitutional Law |
7 |
Contracts/Commercial Law |
1 |
Criminal Law |
7 |
Dispute Resolution |
26 |
Environmental Law |
6 |
Health Care Law |
60 |
Intellectual Property Law |
12 |
International Law |
4 |
Legal Writing |
128 |
Tax Law |
6 |
Trial Advocacy |
103 |
Commonly asked questions On Rankings
Q: What is Columbia Law School ranked in the world?
Columbia Law School Rankings 2025
Columbia Law School being the Law School of Columbia University which is a world renowned university known for its quality of education. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, CLS is ranked #8 in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
According to the Times Higher Education 2024, the Law courses offered by Columbia University are ranked at number 4 with an overall score of 86.5 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 decreased from the score of 90.9 out of 100 in 2023.
Q: Is Columbia Law School worth it?
Columbia Law School being the Law School of Columbia University which is a world renowned university known for its quality of education. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, CLS is ranked #8 in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
International students are required to pay tuition fee at Columbia Law School to pursue Law courses. The Columbia Law School tuition fee for the year 2024-25 is USD 81,888 (INR 70.8 L).
According to American Bar Association, the median salary for an CLS graduate in the class 2023 was USD 280,926 (INR 2.42 Cr) which is higher than any other Law School in the United States.
Q: Is Columbia Law School good?
Columbia Law School being the Law School of Columbia University which is a world renowned university known for its quality of education. According to the US World and News rankings body in 2025, CLS is ranked #8 in the list of the best 196 Law schools around the world.
According to the Times Higher Education 2024, the Law courses offered by Columbia University are ranked at number 4 with an overall score of 86.5 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 decreased from the score of 90.9 out of 100 in 2023.
Columbia Law School Admissions 2025
Admissions at Columbia Law School are done on an intake basis. The deadlines for the same are mentioned in the table below:
Columbia Law School Programs |
Application Deadline |
Decisions out |
---|---|---|
Juris Doctor (JD) Program |
February 15, 2025 |
Early April |
Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program |
December, 2025 (Tentative) |
Early April |
Summer Program in U.S. Intellectual Property Law |
July 25, 2025 |
- |
Joint Degree Programs (JD/MBA) |
February 15, 2025 |
- |
Columbia Law School Admissions Requirements 2025
Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), a prestigious accreditation. Columbia Law School is considered quite competitive to get into as the, where the This Law School is considered quite competitive to get into as, where the school received 7,782 applications, and only 394 students were extended an offer, which gives a Columbia Law School acceptance rate of 11.7% meaning out of every 100 applications, only 11 to 12 are accepted making it an ambitious school to get into.
Although, a student can get admission to this B-School by fulfilling the below-mentioned requirements:
Columbia 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 the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC)
- Letters of recommendation
- Essay
- Standardized entrance test scores (LSAT/GRE)
- English language proficiency (TOEFL)
Columbia 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, and 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: Students must pay the application fee of USD 85 (INR 7,296) for the LLM programs and USD 90 for JD programs.
Step 4- Wait for a response: Columbia 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: Columbia 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 86.47)
Commonly asked questions On Admission Requirements
Q: What is the LSAT score for Columbia Law School?
Columbia Law School is one of the toughest schools to get an admission to. There is no minimum requirements mentioned for LSATs, but the median LSAT score of CLS JD 2027 was 173 with a range of 170 to 175.
CLS JD Class Average Scores | Scores |
---|---|
Median LSAT Score (JD Class 2027) | 173 with a range of 170 to 175 |
Average GRE Quant Score (Class 2027) | 164 |
Average GRE Verbal Score (Class 2027) | 164 |
Median GPA (J.D. Class 2027) | 3.90 |
Q: What are the admission requirements for JD at Columbia Law school?
Columbia Law School is considered quite competitive to get into as the, where the This Law School is considered quite competitive to get into as the, where the school received 7,782 applications, and only 394 students were extended an offer, which gives a Columbia Law School acceptance rate of 11.7% meaning out of every 100 applications, only 11 to 12 are accepted making it an ambitious school to get into.
Although, a student can get admission to this B-School by fulfilling the below mentioned requirements:
Columbia 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 leas
· Essay
· Standardized entrance test scores (LSAT/GRE)
· English language proficiency (TOEFL)
Q: What GPA is required for Columbia Law School?
The Columbia Law School has no minimum requirements mentioned in their admission requirements.
The table below mentions the average scores received by the JD Class of 2027:
Columbia Law School Average Scores JD School 2027 | Scores |
---|---|
Median LSAT Score (JD Class 2027) | 173 with a range of 170 to 175 |
Average GRE Quant Score (Class 2027) | 164 |
Average GRE Verbal Score (Class 2027) | 164 |
Median GPA (J.D. Class 2027) | 3.90 |
(USD 1 = INR 86.47)
Columbia Law School Placements 2025
According to the American Bar Association, the median salary for a CLS graduate in the class of 2023 was USD 280,926 (INR 2.42 Cr) which is higher than any other Law School in the United States.
Columbia Law School gave 427 graduates in the year 2023, out of which 418 students were able to secure placements which gives us a Columbia Law School placement rate of 97.8%.
Here are the highlights of placements of the Columbia Law School graduates class of 2023:
Columbia Law School Particulars (2023) |
Data (2023) |
---|---|
Average Median Base Salary (Law Firms) |
USD 280,926 (INR 2.42 Cr) |
Average Sign on bonus |
Varies by firms |
Top Employers |
· Law Firms · Public Interests · Government |
Average LSAT Score (Class 2027) |
173 with a range of 170 to 175 |
Average GRE Quant Score (Class 2027) |
164 |
Average GRE Verbal Score (Class 2027) |
164 |
Median GPA (J.D. Class 2027) |
3.90 |
(USD 1 = INR 86.47)
Columbia Law School Graduates Job Sectors (2023) |
Number of Columbia Law School Graduates 2023 |
---|---|
Law Firms |
339 |
Business & Industry |
3 |
Government |
15 |
Public Interests |
30 |
Clerkships - Federal |
22 |
Clerkships - State, Local, and Territorial |
6 |
Education |
2 |
Read more: Columbia Law School Employment Report 2023
Commonly asked questions On Placements
Q: What is the average salary in Columbia Law School?
Columbia law School gave 427 graduates in the year 2023, out of which 418 students were able to secure placements which gives us a Columbia Law School placement rate of 97.8%. This Law school under the Columbia University is ranked at no. 8 among the best 196 Law schools around the world, according to the rankings released by the US World and News 2024.
According to American Bar Association, the median salary for an CLS graduate in the class 2023 was USD 280,926 (INR 2.42 Cr) which is higher than any other Law School in the United States.
Q: Where are the Columbia Law School graduates placed?
According to official data release by the Law School, most of the Columbia School graduates secured placements at Law firms of different sizes which was 339 for the year 2023.
Below are the detailed Job Sectors the Columbia Law School graduates were placed after graduation:
Columbia Law School Graduates Job Sectors (2023) | Number of Columbia Law School Graduates 2023 |
---|---|
Law Firms | 339 |
Business & Industry | 3 |
Government | 15 |
Public Interests | 30 |
Clerkships - Federal | 22 |
Clerkships - State, Local, and Territorial | 6 |
Education | 2 |
Q: Is Columbia better than Harvard law for placements?
Columbia law School gave 427 graduates in the year 2023, out of which 418 students were able to secure placements which gives us a Columbia Law School placement rate of 97.8%.
According to American Bar Association, the median salary for an CLS graduate in the class 2023 was USD 280,926 (INR 2.42 Cr) which is higher than any other Law School in the United States.
With an extreme focus of high employability skills, Harvard Law School placement rate stands at 97.3% for the HLS class of 2023 with an average package of USD 215,000 (INR 1.81 Cr).
Columbia Law School Campus Life
Located in New York, Columbia Law School takes pride in its rich cultural history. With 65 core faculty members, the student-to-faculty ratio is 5.5:1 at Columbia Law School which indicates the level of attention these CLS students receive from their faculty.
There are over 50 student organizations and many choices for the students to choose from. Columbia University provides a wide range of subsidized on-campus housing options for students studying Law. The SLS students are given options to choose from furnished single dormitory rooms to four-bedroom apartments facilitated with full kitchens.
Columbia University is also known for its Columbia Lions where various sorts of sports are played such as Basketball, swimming etc. Columbia College is on Morningside Heights which covers the land area of 36 acres.
The campus is made safe with the help of many concerned offices and organizations. There are over 40 student organizations, including academic, spiritual, and student leadership groups. The Columbia Law School students can access mental health counseling, life management resources, and wellness. If the concern is the residential services, on-campus housing at Columbia College is only available to full-time students. Housing includes single and double-room options in their residence hall and on-campus cottages. If a student wishes to opt for on-campus housing, they have to pay a security deposit of USD 155 (INR 13,148).
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Columbia University LawStudents Ratings & Reviews
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- 100% students never faced discrimination in this university
Columbia University
Student Forum
Answered 3 weeks ago
Both universities are good in own way you choose to your priority based so I give some points in given below it help to choose right to your priority.
1.if you choose columnbia this programme is reserch oriented and provide to you varieties of laps and projects.
And if you choose ummass it is mainly
a
Beginner-Level 3
Answered 3 weeks ago
Columbia University's Columbia Business School offers Master of Science in Financial Economics Degree program. The duration of this programme is 2 years. The application deadline for MS in Financial Economics at Columbia University is January 15, 2025 for the Fall semester.
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
Columbia University is one of the finest universities in the United States of America for continuing higher education. The University offers a variety of programs for its international and domestic students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The University graduates work for top-notch compani
R
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 3 weeks ago
The application deadline for the MS in Financial Engineering programme at Columbia University is January 15, 2025, and the decision timeline ranges from Late February to Late March. The programme does not have rolling admissions so students are advised to submit all application materials by the re
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
The Financial Economics program at Columbia University is a two-year STEM-eligible master's degree programme offered by the Finance Division of Columbia Business School. Columbia University's MSFE programme has an acceptance rate of 8% for the class of 2023 and 9% for the class of 2024.
M
Contributor-Level 10
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Is Columbia University better than UMass Amherst for an MS in computer science?