Columbia Law School
New York, New York · Private · ABA-approved since 1923 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Columbia Law School is a private law school in New York, New York, approved by the American Bar Association since 1923. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 173, higher than 95% of ABA-approved schools, saw 94.7% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 96.5% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- Tuition and fees of $88,390, more than 99% of schools charge.
- 81.7% of graduates went to firms of more than 250 lawyers or federal clerkships.
- A median LSAT of 173, higher than 95% of ABA-approved schools.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Columbia University received 9,463 completed applications and made 1,120 offers, an acceptance rate of 11.8%. 444 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 169 | 173 | 175 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.85 | 3.92 | 3.98 |
A quarter of the class scored 169 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 175 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 173, 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.
37 of the entering students were admitted on a GRE score instead of the LSAT.
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 $88,390 a year. That is more than 99% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $31,554 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $85,368 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $3,022 |
| Living costs, on campus | $31,554 |
| Living costs, off campus | $31,554 |
| Living costs, at home | $5,814 |
In 2024-25, 54% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $32,000, and the middle half of awards ran from $20,000 to $48,000. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $56,390 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 | 36% |
| Half to full tuition | 13% |
| Full tuition | 5% |
| 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 plus off-campus living costs come to about $359,832. With the median scholarship every year, about $263,832. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 455 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 431 passed: 94.7%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 86.6%, so the school finished 8.1 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 other jurisdictions | 33 | 31 | 93.9% | 80.5% |
| California | 27 | 25 | 92.6% | 82.7% |
| District of Columbia | 34 | 34 | 100% | 87.5% |
| New York | 361 | 341 | 94.5% | 87.3% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 421 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 418 had passed one within two years: 99.3%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 458 2025 graduates, 442 (96.5%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 3 more (0.7%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 6 (1.3%) were unemployed and looking for work. 8 of the full-time, long-term jobs were funded by the school.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 458 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 355 (77.5%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in New York (332), followed by District of Columbia (36) and California (28).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 4 first-year students left Columbia University: 0 for academic reasons (0%) and 4 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 4 first-year students transferred out and 50 transferred in from other law schools. The students who transferred in had a median first-year law school GPA of 3.77.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Columbia University offered 275 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 72% had fewer than 25 students and 6% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 305 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 205 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 1,127 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 638 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 18 |
The school reports 120 full-time faculty and 362 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 1,377 J.D. students, that is about 11 students per full-time faculty member.
How Columbia University compares in New York
New York has 15 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Columbia University ranks first in median LSAT, 2nd in first-time bar passage, 3rd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 15th-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 Columbia University'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | 173 | 3.92 | $88,390 | 94.7% | 96.5% |
| Cornell University Ithaca, NY | 173 | 3.92 | $85,412 | 93.7% | 99.5% |
| New York University New York, NY | 172 | 3.92 | $87,214 | 96.9% | 98.1% |
| University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | 173 | 3.95 | $84,492 | 94.4% | 97.2% |
| Northwestern University Chicago, IL | 173 | 3.96 | $80,633 | 91.8% | 92% |
| Stanford University Stanford, CA | 173 | 3.96 | $79,707 | 99.4% | 86.8% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Columbia Law School?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 173, with the middle half scoring 169 to 175. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.92. The school accepted 11.8% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Columbia Law School?
94.7% of Columbia University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 86.6%. Within two years of graduating, 99.3% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Columbia Law School cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $88,390 a year. Most students pay less: 54% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $32,000.
Do Columbia Law School graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 96.5% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 0.7% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 1.3% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Columbia Law School ABA-accredited?
Yes. Columbia Law School has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1923, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.