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August 21, 2026

Ivy League Law Schools

The Ivy League law schools are the law schools at the five Ivy League universities that have one: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Carey Law). Princeton, Brown, and Dartmouth have no law school. All five sit in the T14, feed heavily into large firms and federal clerkships, and admit only very high LSAT and GPA numbers.

By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Figures on this page were verified in August 2026 or point readers to the current source.

What are the Ivy League law schools?

The Ivy League law schools are the law schools operated by the five Ivy League universities that have one: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania, whose school is Penn Carey Law. The other three Ivy League universities, Princeton, Brown, and Dartmouth, have no law school. All five belong to the T14, the group that has effectively always held the top U.S. News tier.

Why isn't every top law school in the Ivy League?

The Ivy League is an athletic conference, not a ranking of law schools, so several of the strongest programs sit outside it. Stanford, the University of Chicago, NYU, the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, the University of California, Berkeley, and Duke all rank among the national leaders without being Ivy League. That is why admissions professionals use the T14 label instead of Ivy League to describe the elite tier.

What do the Ivy League law schools have in common?

The five Ivy League law schools share national prestige, deep alumni networks, and strong placement into big firms, federal clerkships, and academia. They are also among the most selective and most expensive law schools, with medians near the top of the LSAT and GPA scales. Their acceptance rates and price tags should be confirmed against current data. about 196 ABA-approved law schools.

How do you get into an Ivy League law school?

Admission generally requires an LSAT and GPA at or above a school's medians, ideally near the 75th percentile, along with strong essays, recommendations, and experience. Applicants far below either median face long odds, and splitters with a very high LSAT but low GPA succeed only occasionally. Apply early in the cycle and compare your numbers to each school's ABA 509 data. about 196 ABA-approved law schools.

Frequently asked questions

Which Ivy League schools have law schools?

Five of the eight Ivy League universities have law schools: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania, home to Penn Carey Law. Princeton, Brown, and Dartmouth do not have a law school. All five schools that do are members of the T14, the group of consistently top-ranked U.S. law schools.

Is Harvard Law an Ivy League school?

Yes, Harvard Law School is an Ivy League law school, since Harvard University is a member of the Ivy League athletic conference. Harvard Law is also one of the largest and most prestigious law schools in the country and sits firmly in the T14. It is frequently ranked just behind Yale among U.S. law schools. current U.S. News overall rank.

Are Ivy League law schools better than Stanford or Chicago?

Not necessarily, because Stanford and the University of Chicago rank among the very top law schools despite not being Ivy League. The Ivy League is a sports conference, not a measure of law school quality, so Stanford, Chicago, and NYU compete directly with the Ivy law schools. The T14 grouping is a better guide to the elite tier than the Ivy label.

What LSAT do you need for Ivy League law school?

Ivy League law schools have some of the highest LSAT medians anywhere, so competitive applicants generally score at or above each school's median and ideally near its 75th percentile. There is no fixed cutoff, and a very strong GPA can offset a slightly lower score. Check each school's current 25th to 75th percentile range. about 196 ABA-approved law schools.

Sources

Verified August 2026.

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