{"id":156006,"date":"2026-07-08T15:32:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/07\/08\/the-law-schools-with-the-lowest-acceptance-rates\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T15:32:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:32:54","slug":"the-law-schools-with-the-lowest-acceptance-rates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/07\/08\/the-law-schools-with-the-lowest-acceptance-rates\/","title":{"rendered":"The Law Schools With The Lowest Acceptance Rates"},"content":{"rendered":"

How can you measure a law school\u2019s worth, aside from the employment statistics of its graduates? Another telling sign of its success may be its selectivity, that is, a school\u2019s acceptance rate.<\/p>\n

But which law schools had the lowest acceptance rates? There\u2019s a ranking for that, of course.<\/p>\n

According to U.S. News, the average acceptance rate in fall 2025 was 36 percent. Among the schools with the lowest acceptance rates, the average rate was much lower, at 11 percent. As you may have guessed, the law schools with the lowest acceptance rates are some of the usual suspects, the elite schools found at the tippy top of the U.S. News rankings.<\/p>\n

Please feel free to check them out below, courtesy of\u00a0U.S. News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
School<\/th>\nApplicants Fall 2025<\/th>\nAcceptances Fall 2025<\/th>\nAcceptance Rate<\/th>\nU.S. News Rank<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yale University (CT)<\/a><\/td>\n5,562<\/td>\n226<\/td>\n4%<\/td>\n2 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stanford University (CA)<\/a><\/td>\n5,526<\/td>\n337<\/td>\n6%<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Pennsylvania (Carey)<\/a><\/td>\n8,074<\/td>\n650<\/td>\n8%<\/td>\n4 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boston College (MA)<\/a><\/td>\n7,668<\/td>\n650<\/td>\n8%<\/td>\n20 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Michigan<\/a><\/td>\n8,982<\/td>\n770<\/td>\n9%<\/td>\n9 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Harvard University (MA)<\/a><\/td>\n8,872<\/td>\n816<\/td>\n9%<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Virginia<\/a><\/td>\n6,734<\/td>\n685<\/td>\n10%<\/td>\n4 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Chicago (IL)<\/a><\/td>\n6,581<\/td>\n641<\/td>\n10%<\/td>\n2 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Southern California (Gould)<\/a><\/td>\n7,204<\/td>\n805<\/td>\n11%<\/td>\n26 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill<\/a><\/td>\n3,459<\/td>\n387<\/td>\n11%<\/td>\n18 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Columbia University (NY)<\/a><\/td>\n9,463<\/td>\n1,120<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n9 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of California, Los Angeles<\/a><\/td>\n8,623<\/td>\n1,039<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n13 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Northwestern University (Pritzker) (IL)<\/a><\/td>\n7,976<\/td>\n981<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n9 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boston University (MA)<\/a><\/td>\n7,892<\/td>\n953<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n24 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Texas A&M University<\/a><\/td>\n5,240<\/td>\n634<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n22 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
New York University<\/a><\/td>\n10,546<\/td>\n1,412<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n7 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Duke University (NC)<\/a><\/td>\n6,240<\/td>\n804<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n7 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vanderbilt University (TN)<\/a><\/td>\n6,124<\/td>\n812<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Georgia<\/a><\/td>\n4,695<\/td>\n597<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n26 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Texas at Austin<\/a><\/td>\n6,297<\/td>\n881<\/td>\n14%<\/td>\n16 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

\n

Thirteen of the 20 law schools with the lowest acceptance rates fall within the top of the most recent U.S. News rankings, with Texas (#16), UNC (#18), Boston College (#20), Texas A&M (#22), Boston University (#24), USC (#26), and Georgia (#26) sneaking in to complete the list. The only top 14 schools that didn\u2019t make the cut here were Cornell and Washington University in St. Louis, with acceptance rates of about 18 percent and 19 percent, respectively.<\/p>\n

Where does your law school stand when it comes to its acceptance rate? Check out your school\u2019s most recent\u00a0Standard 509 Report<\/a>\u00a0to find out.<\/p>\n

20 Law Schools That Are Hardest to Get Into<\/a> [Short List \/ U.S. News]<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Staci Zaretsky<\/a> is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email<\/a> her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky<\/a>, X\/Twitter<\/a>, and Threads<\/a>, or connect with her on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post The Law Schools With The Lowest Acceptance Rates<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(Image via Getty)\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How can you measure a law school\u2019s worth, aside from the employment statistics of its graduates? Another telling sign of its success may be its selectivity, that is, a school\u2019s acceptance rate.<\/p>\n

But which law schools had the lowest acceptance rates? There\u2019s a ranking for that, of course.<\/p>\n

According to U.S. News, the average acceptance rate in fall 2025 was 36 percent. Among the schools with the lowest acceptance rates, the average rate was much lower, at 11 percent. As you may have guessed, the law schools with the lowest acceptance rates are some of the usual suspects, the elite schools found at the tippy top of the U.S. News rankings.<\/p>\n

Please feel free to check them out below, courtesy of\u00a0U.S. News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
School<\/th>\nApplicants Fall 2025<\/th>\nAcceptances Fall 2025<\/th>\nAcceptance Rate<\/th>\nU.S. News Rank<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yale University (CT)<\/a><\/td>\n5,562<\/td>\n226<\/td>\n4%<\/td>\n2 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stanford University (CA)<\/a><\/td>\n5,526<\/td>\n337<\/td>\n6%<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Pennsylvania (Carey)<\/a><\/td>\n8,074<\/td>\n650<\/td>\n8%<\/td>\n4 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boston College (MA)<\/a><\/td>\n7,668<\/td>\n650<\/td>\n8%<\/td>\n20 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Michigan<\/a><\/td>\n8,982<\/td>\n770<\/td>\n9%<\/td>\n9 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Harvard University (MA)<\/a><\/td>\n8,872<\/td>\n816<\/td>\n9%<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Virginia<\/a><\/td>\n6,734<\/td>\n685<\/td>\n10%<\/td>\n4 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Chicago (IL)<\/a><\/td>\n6,581<\/td>\n641<\/td>\n10%<\/td>\n2 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Southern California (Gould)<\/a><\/td>\n7,204<\/td>\n805<\/td>\n11%<\/td>\n26 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill<\/a><\/td>\n3,459<\/td>\n387<\/td>\n11%<\/td>\n18 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Columbia University (NY)<\/a><\/td>\n9,463<\/td>\n1,120<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n9 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of California, Los Angeles<\/a><\/td>\n8,623<\/td>\n1,039<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n13 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Northwestern University (Pritzker) (IL)<\/a><\/td>\n7,976<\/td>\n981<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n9 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boston University (MA)<\/a><\/td>\n7,892<\/td>\n953<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n24 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Texas A&M University<\/a><\/td>\n5,240<\/td>\n634<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n22 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
New York University<\/a><\/td>\n10,546<\/td>\n1,412<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n7 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Duke University (NC)<\/a><\/td>\n6,240<\/td>\n804<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n7 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vanderbilt University (TN)<\/a><\/td>\n6,124<\/td>\n812<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Georgia<\/a><\/td>\n4,695<\/td>\n597<\/td>\n13%<\/td>\n26 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
University of Texas at Austin<\/a><\/td>\n6,297<\/td>\n881<\/td>\n14%<\/td>\n16 (tie)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

Thirteen of the 20 law schools with the lowest acceptance rates fall within the top of the most recent U.S. News rankings, with Texas (#16), UNC (#18), Boston College (#20), Texas A&M (#22), Boston University (#24), USC (#26), and Georgia (#26) sneaking in to complete the list. The only top 14 schools that didn\u2019t make the cut here were Cornell and Washington University in St. Louis, with acceptance rates of about 18 percent and 19 percent, respectively.<\/p>\n

Where does your law school stand when it comes to its acceptance rate? Check out your school\u2019s most recent\u00a0Standard 509 Report<\/a>\u00a0to find out.<\/p>\n

[Short List \/ U.S. News]<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Staci Zaretsky<\/a> is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email<\/a> her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky<\/a>, X\/Twitter<\/a>, and Threads<\/a>, or connect with her on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How can you measure a law school\u2019s worth, aside from the employment statistics of its graduates? Another telling sign of its success may be its selectivity, that is, a school\u2019s acceptance rate. But which law schools had the lowest acceptance rates? There\u2019s a ranking for that, of course. According to U.S. News, the average acceptance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":156007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Staci-Zaretsky-N2z1Zz.jpg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}