The top 14 law schools, over the years
"The T14" means the fourteen law schools at the top of the U.S. News rankings. It has been remarkably stable: in every edition from 1990 to 2023 the top 14 were the same fourteen schools, except 2012 (Texas tied with them for 14th), 2018 (Texas in place of Georgetown) and 2022 (UCLA in place of Georgetown). The grid below shows each school's rank in all 38 editions since the first in 1987.
- The usual fourteen: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, Columbia, NYU, Penn, Virginia, Michigan, Duke, Northwestern, Berkeley, Cornell and Georgetown.
- The exceptions: Texas was in the top 14 in 1987, 2012 (tied for 14th), 2018 and 2026; UCLA in 1987, 2022 and every edition since 2024; Vanderbilt and WashU arrived in the last two editions. Going the other way, Northwestern and Cornell were out in 1987, Georgetown in 2018, 2022, 2024 and 2027, Cornell again in 2026, and Berkeley in 2027. Ties in the newest editions have made the group as large as 17.
Who gets in. The bands below show the LSAT and undergraduate GPA of each year's entering class, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with a line through the middle. "All schools" is LSAC's figures for its applicants who entered ABA-approved law schools: there the band is the 25th to 75th percentile and the line the median. LSAC's tables to 2020 and from 2021 are not directly comparable, so the graphs draw them apart. "Top 14" is the schools in the top 14 of the edition released the spring that class entered, from the ABA's figures: each line is the schools' own 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles averaged, weighted by the size of each school's whole first-year class. That is an approximation; no one publishes the percentiles of the combined classes.
- The LSAT gap has barely moved. The top 14's average median sits 13 to 15 points above the national median every year: 170.3 against 157 in 2011, and 172.3 against 159 in 2025. Both dipped when applications slumped in 2013–2017. The top 14's rose after 2020; LSAC's national figure rose too, though its tables change at that point.
- The GPA gap is closing. The top 14's average median rose from 3.78 to 3.94 while the national median rose from 3.41 to 3.68, so the gap fell from 0.37 to 0.26. It narrowed within each of LSAC's tables too: from 0.37 to 0.32 by 2020, and from 0.30 to 0.26 from 2021.
- Yield varies enormously. Since 2017 (when the ABA began counting entrants from each year's applicants separately), Yale has enrolled roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of the students it admits (64% to 77%), Harvard between about half and three-fifths (46% to 59%), and Stanford between two-fifths and a half (40% to 51%); most of the others enroll between a fifth and two-fifths.
Sources: U.S. News rankings, as compiled by Stanford Law School's library (Lomio et al.; Wilson) and Tipping the Scales, and archived pages of usnews.com; the ABA's Standard 509 disclosures (2011–2025); and LSAC's national figures for entering students. Figures before 2011 are still being gathered.
| ’87 | ’90 | ’91 | ’92 | ’93 | ’94 | ’95 | ’96 | ’97 | ’98 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale | 1= | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1= | 1= | 1= | 2= |
| Stanford | 4= | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2= | 3 | 3 | 2= | 2= | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2= | 2= | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2= | 2= | 2= | 2= | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1= | 1= | 1= | 1 |
| Harvard | 1= | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2= | 2 | 2 | 2= | 2= | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2= | 2= | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2= | 2= | 2= | 2= | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4= | 5= | 4= | 6= | 6 |
| Chicago | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4= | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6= | 7= | 6= | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4= | 4= | 4= | 4= | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4= | 4= | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2= |
| Columbia | 4= | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4= | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4= | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4= | 4= | 4= | 4= | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4= | 4= | 4= | 8= | 8 | 10= | 9= |
| NYU | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4= | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6= | 7 | 5= | 9= | 8= | 7= |
| Penn | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11= | 8 | 11 | 8= | 12= | 13 | 10= | 7= | 7= | 7= | 7 | 7 | 6= | 7= | 8 | 7= | 7= | 7= | 7= | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6= | 6 | 4 | 4= | 5 | 4= |
| Virginia | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8= | 7 | 8= | 7= | 7= | 9 | 9 | 8= | 8= | 10= | 9= | 10= | 10 | 9= | 7= | 7= | 8 | 8= | 8= | 8= | 9= | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8= | 4= | 4 | 4= |
| Michigan | 3 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8= | 7 | 7 | 8= | 8= | 7 | 7= | 7= | 7= | 7= | 8= | 8= | 8= | 9= | 9 | 9 | 7= | 10 | 9= | 10= | 11 | 11= | 8= | 8 | 9 | 9= | 10= | 10 | 10= | 9= | 8= | 9= |
| Duke | 12 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8= | 10 | 10 | 8= | 8= | 10= | 10= | 12 | 12= | 10= | 11= | 11 | 10= | 12= | 10= | 11= | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10= | 8= | 11= | 10= | 11= | 10= | 12 | 10= | 11 | 5= | 4= | 6= | 7= |
| Northwestern | 16 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11= | 14 | 14 | 12= | 12= | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12= | 10= | 10 | 12 | 12 | 9= | 10= | 11= | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10= | 11= | 10= | 9= | 12 | 13 | 10= | 9= | 10= | 9= |
| Berkeley | 7 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8= | 12= | 9 | 7 | 10= | 8= | 9 | 7= | 10= | 13 | 11= | 8= | 8= | 6 | 6= | 7= | 9= | 7= | 9= | 9 | 8= | 8= | 12 | 9= | 10= | 9= | 9 | 9 | 10= | 12 | 13 | 16= |
| Cornell | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12= | 10= | 10= | 12 | 13 | 10= | 12 | 11= | 13 | 13 | 12= | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13= | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14= | 13= | |
| Georgetown | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12= | 13 | 12= | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14= | 13 | 14 | 13= | 14 | 14 | 15= | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14= | 14= | |
| Texas | 11 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15= | 16 | 16= | 15= | 15= | 14= | 16= | 15= | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16= | 16= | 16= | 14= | 16= | |||||||
| UCLA | 14 | 16 | 16= | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15= | 15 | 15 | 16= | 15= | 15= | 16= | 15 | 16= | 16 | 15= | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13= | ||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16= | 16= | 15 | 16= | 16= | 15= | 16= | 16 | 16= | 16= | 14= | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||
| WashU | 16= | 16 | 16= | 14= | 13= | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16= | 16= | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 16= | 16= |
Blue: in the top 14 (= a tie). Grey: ranked 15th or 16th. From 2000 on, each column is the year in the edition’s name, which runs a year ahead: the 2026 edition was released in April 2025 (U.S. News’s own page calls it 2025). The 1987 and 1990–1998 columns are the year released.
All schools: LSAC’s figures for its applicants who entered ABA-approved law schools. LSAC’s tables to 2020 and from 2021 are drawn apart: LSAC says the two are not directly comparable.
All schools: LSAC’s figures for its applicants who entered ABA-approved law schools. LSAC’s tables to 2020 and from 2021 are drawn apart: LSAC says the two are not directly comparable.
Which schools, each year
The usual fourteen, except: 2011 (15 schools; with Texas); 2017 (14 schools; with Texas; without Georgetown); 2021 (14 schools; with UCLA; without Georgetown); 2023 (14 schools; with UCLA; without Georgetown); 2024 (15 schools; with UCLA); 2025 (17 schools; with UCLA, Texas, Vanderbilt, WashU; without Cornell). Each class is matched to the edition released that spring, before it entered in the fall. Each top-14 line is the schools’ own 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles averaged, weighted by the size of each school’s whole first-year class: an approximation, since no one publishes the percentiles of the fourteen classes combined.
Each school’s entering LSAT
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale | 68 | 69 | 70 | 64 | 70 | 71 | 73 | 76 | 77 |
| Stanford | 42 | 43 | 41 | 40 | 45 | 47 | 44 | 45 | 51 |
| Harvard | 53 | 50 | 54 | 46 | 54 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 |
| Chicago | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 30 |
| Columbia | 31 | 34 | 29 | 32 | 39 | 34 | 38 | 40 | 37 |
| NYU | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 29 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
| Penn | 24 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 36 | 35 | 36 | 38 | 39 |
| Virginia | 32 | 35 | 37 | 37 | 42 | 39 | 43 | 40 | 44 |
| Michigan | 26 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 36 | 34 | 38 | 43 |
| Duke | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 27 | 30 | 35 | 32 | 28 |
| Northwestern | 21 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
| Berkeley | 24 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 36 |
| Cornell | 22 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 25 |
| Georgetown | 24 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 29 |
| Texas | 27 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 34 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 41 |
| UCLA | 20 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 28 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 31 |
| Vanderbilt | 12 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 21 |
| WashU | 18 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
Entrants from that year’s applicant pool ÷ offers, from 2017, when the ABA began counting those entrants separately; its earlier counts include deferred admits, so earlier years are not on the same footing.
Updated 2026-10-20