Best Schools for Transfer Students

The best law schools for transfer students are the ones that admit sizable transfer classes and place graduates well, led by several T14 and strong regional schools. Because transfer admission rests on 1L grades, your realistic targets depend on your class rank. The schools taking the most transfers are reported annually in each school's ABA Standard 509 disclosure rather than as one verified list.

By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Every figure on this page was verified in August 2026 against the sources listed below.

Which law schools are best for transfer students?

The best law schools for transfer students combine three things: they admit a meaningful number of transfers each year, they integrate them fully into law review and on-campus recruiting, and they post strong employment outcomes. A school that takes only a handful of transfers, or that shuts newcomers out of journals and interviews, is a weaker landing spot even if it ranks well. The schools admitting the largest transfer classes are reported in each school's ABA Standard 509 disclosure (transfers in and out) rather than in the verified data used here.

Law schools that accept the most transfer students

Every ABA-approved school reports how many students it admits by transfer, so the intake figures are public. The table points to the two numbers that matter, how many transfers a school takes and its entering median LSAT for context, both to be read from current ABA data.

Law schoolTransfers admittedMedian LSAT (context)NotesTop transfer destinations are reported in ABA 509 transfer dataSee each school's ABA 509 reportSee each school's ABA 509 reportSee each school's law review and OCI policy

Each transfer count comes from the school's most recent ABA Standard 509 report at abarequireddisclosures.org, which lists transfers in and out by year; those specific schools and counts are not reproduced in the verified data used here.

How this transfer ranking is built and where the data comes from

A transfer ranking should not copy the general U.S. News order, because a school that is excellent for first-year students can still be a poor transfer destination. The better inputs are the ABA 509 transfer-in counts, whether transfers can join law review through a write-on competition, access to on-campus interviewing in the fall, and overall employment outcomes. Weighting those factors is what separates a genuine transfer-friendly school from one that merely backfills seats, and each of those inputs is published in the school's ABA disclosures and its own policies rather than in the verified data used here.

How to choose the right transfer target for you

Match your target to your 1L class rank, since that is what transfer admission turns on. Aim at schools where your rank clears their usual transfer bar, confirm that transfers get real access to journals and recruiting, and weigh what you would give up, including scholarship money that will not follow you. A transfer is worth it mainly when the new school clearly improves your job prospects in the market you care about.

Frequently asked questions

Which law schools accept the most transfer students?

The law schools that admit the largest transfer classes are usually a mix of T14 and strong regional schools that use transfers to backfill seats, and their counts are published in each school's ABA Standard 509 report. Because intake changes yearly, the specific schools and numbers should be read from current ABA 509 transfer data at abarequireddisclosures.org rather than from a fixed list.

Can I transfer law schools?

Yes, most ABA-approved law schools accept transfers after the first year, and admission depends mainly on your 1L grades and class rank. Whether a specific school is a realistic target depends on how your rank compares to its usual transfer standard and on how many transfers it takes, which each school reports in its ABA Standard 509 disclosure rather than as one verified figure.

How hard is it to transfer into a top law school?

Transferring into a top school is competitive and generally requires finishing near the top of your 1L class, because seats are limited and admission is grade-driven with no LSAT cushion. A modest or lateral move is more attainable with solid grades. The specific rank a top school expects is described by its own admissions office rather than published as one verified figure.

Do you lose your scholarship when you transfer law schools?

Usually yes. Merit scholarships from your original school do not follow you, and the school you transfer into may offer little or no aid to transfer students. That lost money is one of the biggest trade-offs of transferring, so weigh it against the outcome gains. Each target school's transfer aid policy is set by that school rather than published as one verified figure.

Sources

• ABA Standard 509 disclosures (2025)

Verified August 2026.