Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Chicago, Illinois · Private · ABA-approved since 1923 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is a private law school in Chicago, Illinois, 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 91.8% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 92% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- 75.4% 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.
- Tuition and fees of $80,633, more than 95% of schools charge.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Northwestern University received 7,976 completed applications and made 981 offers, an acceptance rate of 12.3%. 250 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 167 | 173 | 175 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.76 | 3.96 | 4.00 |
A quarter of the class scored 167 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.
16 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 $80,633 a year for Illinois residents and $80,583 for everyone else. That is more than 95% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $28,220 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $79,772 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $861 |
| Tuition, full-time, nonresident | $79,722 |
| Fees, full-time, nonresident | $861 |
| Living costs, on campus | $28,220 |
| Living costs, off campus | $28,220 |
| Living costs, at home | $28,220 |
In 2024-25, 76% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $40,000, and the middle half of awards ran from $20,000 to $50,000. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $40,633 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 | 34% |
| Half to full tuition | 40% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 2% |
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 $326,559. With the median scholarship every year, about $206,559. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 257 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 236 passed: 91.8%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 82.5%, so the school finished 9.3 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 30 | 24 | 80% | 82.7% |
| District of Columbia | 12 | 10 | 83.3% | 87.5% |
| Illinois | 157 | 147 | 93.6% | 81.1% |
| New York | 36 | 34 | 94.4% | 87.3% |
| 8 other jurisdictions | 22 | 21 | 95.5% | 80.1% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 266 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 261 had passed one within two years: 98.1%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 264 2025 graduates, 243 (92%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 14 more (5.3%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 4 (1.5%) were unemployed and looking for work. 9 of the full-time, long-term jobs were funded by the school.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 264 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 184 (69.7%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Illinois (140), followed by New York (35) and California (25).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 2 first-year students left Northwestern University: 0 for academic reasons (0%) and 2 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 4 first-year students transferred out and 38 transferred in from other law schools. The students who transferred in had a median first-year law school GPA of 3.66.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Northwestern University offered 233 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 62% had fewer than 25 students and 0% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 256 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 256 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 191 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 729 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 3 |
The school reports 121 full-time faculty and 147 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 776 J.D. students, that is about 6 students per full-time faculty member.
How Northwestern University compares in Illinois
Illinois has 9 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Northwestern University ranks 2nd in median LSAT, 3rd in first-time bar passage, 3rd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 8th-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | 174 | $84,906 | 96.7% | 96.8% |
| Northwestern University | 173 | $80,633 | 91.8% | 92% |
| University of Illinois | 166 | $39,904 | 93.2% | 92.2% |
| Chicago-Kent College of Law | 161 | $54,080 | 79.7% | 75.4% |
| Loyola University Chicago | 161 | $59,666 | 85.7% | 79.7% |
| DePaul University | 158 | $55,628 | 83.8% | 81.3% |
| University of Illinois Chicago | 153 | $42,080 | 68.8% | 71.2% |
| Northern Illinois University | 150 | $24,067 | 61.9% | 70.1% |
| Southern Illinois University | 149 | $22,088 | 74.2% | 73% |
More on each, and on the Illinois bar exam: law schools in Illinois.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Northwestern 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | 173 | 3.96 | $80,633 | 91.8% | 92% |
| Stanford University Stanford, CA | 173 | 3.96 | $79,707 | 99.4% | 86.8% |
| University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | 173 | 3.95 | $84,492 | 94.4% | 97.2% |
| Harvard University Cambridge, MA | 174 | 3.96 | $82,352 | 97.9% | 93.2% |
| Yale University New Haven, CT | 174 | 3.96 | $78,961 | 98.5% | 87.2% |
| University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA | 173 | 3.99 | $77,900 | 95.1% | 98.1% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 173, with the middle half scoring 167 to 175. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.96. The school accepted 12.3% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law?
91.8% of Northwestern University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 82.5%. Within two years of graduating, 98.1% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $80,633 a year for Illinois residents and $80,583 for nonresidents. Most students pay less: 76% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $40,000.
Do Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 92% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 5.3% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 1.5% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1923, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.