City University of New York School of Law
Long Island City, New York · Public · ABA-approved since 1985 · Data updated November 2, 2026
City University of New York School of Law is a public law school in Long Island City, New York, approved by the American Bar Association since 1985. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 155, higher than 25% of ABA-approved schools, saw 69% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 73.4% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- Tuition and fees of $16,013, less than 97% of schools charge.
- First-time bar passage 17.8 points below the average for the states where its graduates sat.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, City University of New York received 2,300 completed applications and made 659 offers, an acceptance rate of 28.6%. 219 students enrolled in the first-year class (161 full-time, 58 part-time). The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 152 | 155 | 161 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.26 | 3.54 | 3.77 |
A quarter of the class scored 152 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 161 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 155, is in the stronger half of this class; one below the 25th percentile is a long shot unless something else in the file stands out.
Where would your numbers fall in this class?
Enter an LSAT score and undergraduate GPA. We compare them with the class that entered in fall 2025. This shows where your numbers sit, not your chances: admissions offices read the whole file.
Tuition, living costs and scholarships
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $16,013 a year for New York residents and $26,203 for everyone else. That is less than 97% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $30,805 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $15,450 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $563 |
| Tuition, full-time, nonresident | $25,640 |
| Fees, full-time, nonresident | $563 |
| Tuition, part-time, resident | $14,540 |
| Living costs, off campus | $30,805 |
| Living costs, at home | $15,959 |
In 2024-25, 14% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $8,000, and the middle half of awards ran from $8,000 to $8,000. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $8,013 a year in tuition and fees, before living costs. That is a rough guide, since awards vary and some students get nothing.
| Size of grant, all students | Share of students |
|---|---|
| Less than half tuition | 11% |
| Half to full tuition | 6% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 0% |
Scholarships that can be cut. The school reports that it does not award scholarships that are reduced or ended because of grades, other than for failing to stay in good academic standing.
Three years, roughly. At 2025-26 prices, three years of full-time tuition and fees at the in-state rate plus off-campus living costs come to about $140,454. With the median scholarship every year, about $116,454. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 197 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 136 passed: 69%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 86.8%, so the school finished a full 17.8 points below that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 185 | 129 | 69.7% | 87.3% |
| 5 other jurisdictions | 12 | 7 | 58.3% | 78.4% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 200 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 169 had passed one within two years: 84.5%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 192 2025 graduates, 141 (73.4%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 8 more (4.2%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 20 (10.4%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 192 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 4 (2.1%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in New York (143), followed by California (4) and New Jersey (4).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 5 first-year students left City University of New York: 2 for academic reasons (1%) and 3 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 3 first-year students transferred out and 6 transferred in from other law schools. The students who transferred in had a median first-year law school GPA of 3.06.
Classes, clinics and faculty
City University of New York offered 121 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 61% had fewer than 25 students and 3% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 323 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 301 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 36 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 590 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 29 |
The school reports 66 full-time faculty and 29 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 695 J.D. students, that is about 11 students per full-time faculty member.
How City University of New York compares in New York
New York has 15 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, City University of New York ranks 13th in median LSAT, 13th in first-time bar passage, 14th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and the lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | 173 | $88,390 | 94.7% | 96.5% |
| Cornell University | 173 | $85,412 | 93.7% | 99.5% |
| New York University | 172 | $87,214 | 96.9% | 98.1% |
| Fordham University | 168 | $79,248 | 90.8% | 85.5% |
| Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University | 165 | $76,458 | 87.8% | 89.1% |
| St. John's University | 164 | $76,742 | 87.5% | 90.4% |
| Brooklyn Law School | 161 | $76,946 | 85.5% | 84.6% |
| Albany Law School | 158 | $64,234 | 86.7% | 88.5% |
| Syracuse University | 158 | $66,940 | 84.8% | 71.2% |
| Hofstra University | 157 | $74,860 | 79.2% | 86.3% |
| New York Law School | 157 | $73,524 | 86.5% | 74.8% |
| University at Buffalo | 157 | $29,750 | 88.5% | 91.2% |
| City University of New York | 155 | $16,013 | 69% | 73.4% |
| Pace University | 154 | $57,756 | 65.2% | 80.8% |
| Touro University | 153 | $62,150 | 67.9% | 75.2% |
More on each, and on the New York bar exam: law schools in New York.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to City University of New York's, so an applicant who fits here is likely to be a similar fit there. Compare what each costs and how its graduates fare.
| School | Median LSAT | Median GPA | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City University of New York | 155 | 3.54 | $16,013 | 69% | 73.4% |
| Gonzaga University Spokane, WA | 155 | 3.55 | $58,787 | 85.8% | 78.3% |
| University of Memphis Memphis, TN | 155 | 3.53 | $21,228 | 72.6% | 79.8% |
| Nova Southeastern University Davie, FL | 155 | 3.52 | $50,710 | 74.5% | 69.5% |
| Liberty University Lynchburg, VA | 154 | 3.54 | $45,348 | 85.3% | 88% |
| Pace University White Plains, NY | 154 | 3.54 | $57,756 | 65.2% | 80.8% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into City University of New York School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 155, with the middle half scoring 152 to 161. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.54. The school accepted 28.6% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at City University of New York School of Law?
69% of City University of New York graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 86.8%. Within two years of graduating, 84.5% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does City University of New York School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $16,013 a year for New York residents and $26,203 for nonresidents. Some students pay less: 14% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $8,000.
Do City University of New York School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 73.4% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 4.2% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 10.4% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is City University of New York School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. City University of New York School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1985, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.