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ABA Standard 509 · 2025 cycle · Last synced June 26, 2026

Columbia Law School

New York · Private · School ID: columbia-university
CohortsAdmissions: entering class 2025Employment: class of 2024, ~10 mo. outBar: class of 2024, first-time
First-time bar
95.85%
+10.9 pts vs state
Employed FTLT
97.4%
nat'l median 90.8%
Median LSAT
173
25–75: 169–175
Acceptance
11.8%
nat'l median 35.45%
Net tuition
$53,368
sticker $85,368

Columbia Law School is a private law school in New York. In the most recent ABA Standard 509 cycle it reported a 95.85% first-time bar passage rate (state average 85.0%). 97.4% of graduates landed full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs, and 77.5% joined large firms of 251+ attorneys. Resident tuition is $85,368 per year; a median grant of $32,000 brings median net tuition to about $53,368. The median LSAT is 173 with a 11.8% acceptance rate.

Open interactive map & comparison view
Where the 2024 class landed
MegaLaw 500+70.1%
BigLaw 251–5007.4%
Public interest6.8%
Clerkships5.7%
Small firm (2–100)3.1%
Government2.8%
Still seeking1.3%
Mid firm (101–250)0.9%
Business0.9%
No placements reported (0%): Solo, Academia. These shares count where every employed graduate landed, by sector and firm size, across all job types; they can total more than the full-time long-term (FTLT) employment headline, which counts only the stricter full-time, long-term, JD-required or JD-advantage subset.
Bar passage · first-time
This school95.85%
State avg85%
first-time +10.9 pts vs state · 2-yr ultimate 99.01% · class of 2025 first-time 94.73% (reported early 2026) · Different cohort than the admissions class above.
Admissions · 25 / 50 / 75
LSATmedian 173
169175
uGPAmedian 3.92
3.853.98
Applications → offers → enrolled
Applied9,463
Offered1,120
Enrolled 1L444
Offer rate 12% · yield 40%.
Grant distribution
No grant 46.2%Under half 35.9%Half to full 12.8%Full 5%Stipend 0.1%
Demographics
Women 54%Men 46%
White512
Black141
Hispanic148
Asian400
Two or more26
Other / unreported150
Cost detail
Resident tuition$85,368
Non-resident$85,368
Mandatory fees$3,022
Living estimate$31,554
Median grant$32,000
Grant 25 / 75$20,000 / $48,000
Cond. schol. loss
Faculty & market
Total faculty482
Full-time faculty120
Faculty of color105
Total JD enrollment1,377
Graduates458
Mean attorney salary · state$208,480

Trajectory since 2011

LSAT · 25-75 band
17320112025
Middle-50% LSAT band by entering class.
uGPA · 25-75 band
3.9220112025
Middle-50% uGPA band by entering class.
First-time bar passage
96%20112025
First-time bar passage rate by year.
Full-time resident tuition
$85k20112025
Sticker resident tuition by year.
Total JD enrollment
137720112025
Total JD enrollment by year.

Admissions

LSAT (25 / 50 / 75)169 / 173 / 175
uGPA (25 / 50 / 75)3.85 / 3.92 / 3.98
Acceptance rate11.8%
Applications received9,463
Offers extended1,120
1L enrollment444
Total JD enrollment1,377
GRE-only takers37
GRE Verbal (25 / 50 / 75)164 / 166 / 169
GRE Quant (25 / 50 / 75)160 / 164 / 168
GRE Analytical (25 / 50 / 75)5 / 5 / 5.5
1L attrition (academic / other)0 / 4
Transfers in / out50 / 4

Cost & scholarships

Resident tuition$85,368
Non-resident tuition$85,368
Mandatory fees$3,022
Living-expense estimate$31,554
Median grant$32,000
Grant 25 / 75 percentile$20,000 / $48,000
No-grant share46.2%
< half-tuition grants35.9%
Half-to-full grants12.8%
Full-tuition grants5.0%
Above-full grants (stipend)0.1%
Conditional-scholarship loss rate

Bar passage

First-Time Bar (2024 cohort)95.85%
Two-Year Ultimate Bar99.01%
State average (same exam)85.0%
Difference vs. state+10.9 pts

Different cohorts: first-time bar passage reflects graduates who entered law school about three years before the current admissions class shown above. Read the two as separate snapshots, not a single pipeline.

Job outcomes (10 months after graduation)

Total graduates458
FTLT (full-time, long-term, JD-required/advantage)97.4%
Bar-required jobs96.5%
MegaLaw 500+70.1%
BigLaw 251–5007.4%
Mid 101–2500.9%
Small 2–1003.1%
Solo0.0%
Clerkships5.7%
Government2.8%
Public interest6.8%
Business / industry0.9%
Academia0.0%
Seeking employment1.3%

Top destination states (2024)

  • New York, 362 graduates
  • District Of Columbia, 44 graduates
  • California, 34 graduates

Demographics (current JD enrollment)

Male enrollment612 (45.8%)
Female enrollment723 (54.2%)
White512
Black141
Hispanic148
Asian400
Two or more races26
Other / unreported150

Faculty

Total faculty482
Full-time120
Faculty of color105

State market context

Mean attorney salary in state$208,480

Frequently asked questions

What is the first-time bar passage rate at Columbia Law School?

Columbia Law School reported a 95.85% first-time bar passage rate in the most recent ABA Standard 509 disclosure, versus a 85.0% state average.

How much does Columbia Law School cost?

Resident tuition at Columbia Law School is $85,368 per year (about $256,104 over three years). The median grant is $32,000, bringing median net tuition to roughly $53,368 per year.

What LSAT and GPA do you need for Columbia Law School?

The median (50th-percentile) LSAT at Columbia Law School is 173 and the median GPA is 3.92; the acceptance rate is 11.8%.

What are the job outcomes at Columbia Law School?

97.4% of Columbia Law School graduates held full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs about ten months after graduation. 77.5% joined large firms of 251+ attorneys. 1.3% were still seeking employment.

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See Columbia Law School’s year-by-year trajectory since 2011 — LSAT, bar passage, employment & cost →

Other law schools in New York

See all New York law schools and how they compare →

Data from the ABA Standard 509 disclosures, self-reported by law schools and not guaranteed (raw data may have errors or omissions). State attorney-salary context: U.S. BLS OEWS 2024 (SOC 23-1011); cost-of-living: U.S. BEA Regional Price Parities. How the data is sourced & validated: Methodology. Unfamiliar with a term (FTLT, net tuition, bimodal)? Glossary. Copyright basis & permitted use: Terms.
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