Yale Law School
New Haven, Connecticut · Private · ABA-approved since 1923 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Yale Law School is a private law school in New Haven, Connecticut, approved by the American Bar Association since 1923. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 174, higher than 98% of ABA-approved schools, saw 98.5% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 87.2% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- Harder to get into than 99% of schools: it accepted 4.1% of applicants.
- A median LSAT of 174, higher than 98% of ABA-approved schools.
- First-time bar passage 13.1 points above the average for the states where its graduates sat.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Yale University received 5,562 completed applications and made 226 offers, an acceptance rate of 4.1%. 204 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 171 | 174 | 177 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.90 | 3.96 | 4.00 |
A quarter of the class scored 171 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 177 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 174, 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.
17 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 $78,961 a year. That is more than 93% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $28,202 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $76,636 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $2,325 |
| Living costs, on campus | $28,202 |
| Living costs, off campus | $28,202 |
| Living costs, at home | $28,202 |
In 2024-25, 63% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $34,747, and the middle half of awards ran from $24,825 to $47,286. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $44,214 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 | 15% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 14% |
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 $321,489. With the median scholarship every year, about $217,248. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 206 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 203 passed: 98.5%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 85.4%, so the school finished a full 13.1 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 17 | 17 | 100% | 82.7% |
| District of Columbia | 56 | 55 | 98.2% | 87.5% |
| New York | 89 | 87 | 97.8% | 87.3% |
| 20 other jurisdictions | 44 | 44 | 100% | 79.7% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 216 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 216 had passed one within two years: 100%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 211 2025 graduates, 184 (87.2%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 12 more (5.7%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 1 (0.5%) were unemployed and looking for work. 21 of the full-time, long-term jobs were funded by the school.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 211 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 75 (35.5%).
Where graduates work
The most common place for employed graduates to work was New York (70), followed by District of Columbia (46) and California (19).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 0 first-year students left Yale University: 0 for academic reasons (0%) and 0 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (0%).
Transfers run both ways: 0 first-year students transferred out and 11 transferred in from other law schools. The students who transferred in had a median first-year law school GPA of 3.94.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Yale University offered 224 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 77% had fewer than 25 students and 3% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 856 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 704 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 56 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 182 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 0 |
The school reports 85 full-time faculty and 181 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 626 J.D. students, that is about 7 students per full-time faculty member.
How Yale University compares in Connecticut
Connecticut has 3 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Yale University ranks first in median LSAT, first in first-time bar passage, first in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 3rd-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale University | 174 | $78,961 | 98.5% | 87.2% |
| University of Connecticut | 162 | $31,600 | 82.8% | 81.7% |
| Quinnipiac University | 155 | $57,760 | 75.4% | 76.4% |
More on each, and on the Connecticut bar exam: law schools in Connecticut.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Yale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale University | 174 | 3.96 | $78,961 | 98.5% | 87.2% |
| Harvard University Cambridge, MA | 174 | 3.96 | $82,352 | 97.9% | 93.2% |
| University of Chicago Chicago, IL | 174 | 3.97 | $84,906 | 96.7% | 96.8% |
| 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% |
| Washington University (St. Louis) St. Louis, MO | 175 | 3.96 | $73,684 | 89.6% | 94.1% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Yale Law School?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 174, with the middle half scoring 171 to 177. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.96. The school accepted 4.1% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Yale Law School?
98.5% of Yale University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 85.4%. Within two years of graduating, 100% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Yale Law School cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $78,961 a year. Most students pay less: 63% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $34,747.
Do Yale Law School graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 87.2% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 5.7% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 0.5% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Yale Law School ABA-accredited?
Yes. Yale Law School has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1923, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.