T14 Law Schools Explained (2026)

The T14 law schools are the fourteen schools that have sat at the top of American legal education for decades: Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Penn, UVA, Michigan, Berkeley, Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, and Georgetown. This T14 law schools guide explains what the group is, why the number fourteen stays stable, and what the verified 2025 medians demand of applicants.

By Ali Unar, Georgetown Law, Founder of Lovare Institut. Ali Unar is a Georgetown Law student and the founder of Lovare Institut, an admissions and LSAT-prep practice built on primary-source law school data and more than 5,000 real application materials.

Verified August 2026. Every median, GPA, and acceptance rate on this page is drawn from each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class.

What are the T14 law schools?

The T14 law schools are, in traditional order, Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Penn, UVA, Michigan, Berkeley, Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, and Georgetown. The term T14 describes the fourteen schools whose graduate employment reach is national rather than regional. The table below lists each school with its verified 2025 median LSAT, median GPA, and acceptance rate.

SchoolMedian LSATMedian GPAAcceptance rateYale Law School1743.964.06%Stanford Law School1733.966.1%University of Chicago Law School1743.979.74%Columbia Law School1733.9211.84%Harvard Law School1743.969.2%NYU Law1723.9213.39%Penn Carey Law1733.958.05%UVA Law1733.9910.17%Michigan Law1713.888.57%Berkeley Law1703.9214.84%Duke Law School1713.9112.88%Northwestern Pritzker Law1733.9612.3%Cornell Law School1733.9218.19%Georgetown Law1713.9315.75%

Source: each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, fall 2025 entering class.

Read the T14 law schools table as a snapshot of a class that has already enrolled, not a cutoff. A median is the middle number, so at every one of these fourteen schools half of the entering class landed below the posted LSAT and half below the posted GPA. That is why the T14 medians describe the center of a class rather than a wall you must clear.

The fourteen schools are usually written in a rough order of reputation, but the 2025 ABA 509 figures show how compressed the top of the market really is. Across all fourteen T14 law schools the median LSAT runs from 170 to 174 and the median GPA from 3.88 to 3.99. The numeric distance between the first school and the fourteenth is small, which is precisely why the group holds together as a single tier.

Why do the T14 matter?

The T14 law schools matter because their hiring reach is national, not regional. Graduates of the top 14 law schools compete for positions at large national firms, federal clerkships, and academic and government roles across every market, rather than being anchored to one city or state. That portability, more than prestige alone, is what the T14 label is really tracking.

Most American law schools serve a regional market well: their graduates cluster in the surrounding state or metro area, and their reputation is strongest there. The T14 are the schools whose degree travels. A T14 graduate can plausibly recruit in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco in the same cycle, and that geographic optionality is the concrete benefit that keeps the T14 in demand.

The T14 also matter because they are the primary feeders into the outcomes that make the cost of law school defensible: national law firm associate jobs and federal clerkships. This guide does not publish placement percentages, because those specific figures belong in each school's ABA 509 employment report and should be read there rather than estimated. For any of the fourteen T14 law schools, pull its 509 disclosure to see its verified employment outcomes.

Why has the number 14 stayed stable?

The number fourteen has stayed stable because the same fourteen schools keep clustering at the very top of national law-school rankings year after year. Ranking inputs move slowly, employment reach is sticky, and no fifteenth school has broken in durably. That stability is why the T14 label has outlived any single ranking edition and become a term of art in admissions.

The T14 is not an official designation. It is a convention that grew out of decades of national rankings in which the same fourteen names occupied the top, sometimes trading places among themselves but rarely dropping out. Because the schools just outside the group are strong regional performers rather than national ones, there is a visible break in employment reach after the fourteenth school, and that break is what the number fourteen marks.

Stability also comes from the inputs themselves. The 2025 ABA 509 medians show how tightly the fourteen cluster: a four-point LSAT band and a roughly one-tenth GPA band separate the strongest and weakest medians in the group. When entering credentials are that compressed, small movements in rankings do not reshuffle the membership, and the T14 stays the T14 from one year to the next.

What LSAT and GPA do you need to get into a T14?

Across the T14 law schools, the 2025 ABA 509 median LSAT ranges from 170 at Berkeley Law to 174 at Yale, Chicago, and Harvard, and the median GPA ranges from 3.88 at Michigan Law to 3.99 at UVA Law. To be competitive at a given T14 school, aim to meet or beat both of its medians, because a number at the median keeps you in the middle of the class.

The practical target depends on which of the fourteen you are aiming at. A 170 LSAT sits at Berkeley Law's median but three points under the 173 median shared by Stanford, Columbia, Penn, UVA, Northwestern, and Cornell, and four points under the 174 median at Yale, Chicago, and Harvard. Every LSAT point at the top of the T14 range is scarce, so a retake that moves you from 170 to 173 changes which T14 law schools treat you as a median applicant.

GPA works the same way but is harder to change after college, which is why the LSAT carries so much strategic weight for T14 hopefuls. With T14 median GPAs running as high as UVA Law's 3.99, an applicant below the GPA median usually needs an LSAT at or above the school's LSAT median to offset it. The 2025 ABA 509 medians in the table above are the anchor for setting your own targets.

Is there a difference within the T14?

Yes, but the difference within the T14 law schools is smaller in credentials than in selectivity and market focus. The 2025 ABA 509 medians are compressed into a 170 to 174 LSAT band and a 3.88 to 3.99 GPA band, yet acceptance rates swing widely, from Yale's 4.06% to Cornell's 18.19%. The meaningful gaps inside the T14 are selectivity, geography, and fit, not median scores.

Because the medians are so close, an applicant who is competitive at one T14 school is usually in range at most of them. What separates the fourteen is how many applicants each admits relative to its pool. Yale Law's 4.06% acceptance rate and Stanford Law's 6.1% rate, both from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures, sit far below Cornell Law's 18.19% and Georgetown Law's 15.75%, even though all four post median LSATs within a few points of each other.

Geography is the other real difference. Several T14 law schools are strongest in a particular national market even though all fourteen recruit nationally, so fit with your intended city matters when you choose among offers. The credential difference within the T14 is minor; the strategic difference is which school gives you the best combination of selectivity odds, market, and cost for your specific goals.

What is the hardest T14 law school to get into?

By acceptance rate, the hardest T14 law school to get into is Yale Law School, which posted a 4.06% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, the lowest in the group. Stanford Law School follows at 6.1%. Both pair those rates with a 174 and 173 median LSAT respectively, so the difficulty is a function of volume, not just scores.

Acceptance rate is only one lens on difficulty, and it can mislead if read alone. A school with a higher acceptance rate is not necessarily easier for a specific applicant, because the applicant pools differ and yield-conscious schools sometimes reject or waitlist very high-credential candidates. Still, Yale Law's 4.06% and Stanford Law's 6.1% are the two lowest verified acceptance rates in the T14, which is why both are considered the hardest reaches even for strong applicants.

The lesson for a school list is to treat every T14 as a reach and to apply broadly within the group rather than betting on one name. Because the 2025 ABA 509 medians are so tightly clustered, an applicant at or above the T14 median band has a real case at many of the fourteen, but no single T14 school, least of all Yale Law, should be treated as a safety.

Which T14 law schools have the highest acceptance rates?

Among the T14 law schools, the highest 2025 ABA 509 acceptance rates belong to Cornell Law School at 18.19%, Georgetown Law at 15.75%, and Berkeley Law at 14.84%. These are still selective by any national standard, but within the T14 they admit a larger share of applicants than Yale Law at 4.06% or Stanford Law at 6.1%.

A higher acceptance rate does not mean lower medians. Cornell Law posts a 173 median LSAT and a 3.92 median GPA in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, matching or beating several schools with lower acceptance rates. What the higher rate reflects is a combination of pool size, yield behavior, and class size, so an applicant should read Cornell Law's 18.19% as a slightly wider door, not an easier bar on scores.

For applicants building a realistic T14 strategy, the schools with higher acceptance rates are often where a strong but not perfect profile has the best odds. Berkeley Law's 14.84% acceptance rate, paired with the lowest median LSAT in the group at 170, can make it a comparatively attainable T14 target for an applicant whose GPA is strong. Every one of these figures comes from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures.

Do the T14 medians mean you cannot get in below them?

No. A median is the midpoint of the entering class, so at every T14 law school roughly half of enrolled students came in below the posted median on at least one number. The 2025 ABA 509 medians are targets, not floors. Applicants below a median get in every year, usually by being clearly above on the other number or by a strong overall file.

The T14 admissions math rewards being at or above a school's medians because medians are what each school protects to keep its ranking inputs. But the schools also report a 25th percentile in their 509 disclosures, and a quarter of every T14 class sits below it on the relevant number. An applicant below a T14 median on GPA who is at or above on the LSAT is a common admit, which is the splitter pattern many applicants use to break into the group.

The honest way to use the T14 medians is as a ranking of difficulty for your specific profile, not as pass-fail lines. If your LSAT is above a school's median and your GPA is a little below, that school is a realistic reach; if you are below both medians, it is a long reach that needs the rest of your file to carry real weight. The 2025 ABA 509 medians and 25th percentiles together tell that story.

How should you use the T14 medians to build a school list?

Use the T14 medians to sort the fourteen into reaches and strong reaches for your exact numbers, then apply broadly across the group. Because the 2025 ABA 509 medians are compressed into a narrow band, an applicant competitive at one T14 is usually in range at several, and applying to more of the fourteen raises the odds of at least one admit far more than fixating on one school does.

Start by placing your LSAT and GPA against each school's medians and 25th percentiles in the table. Schools where you are at or above both medians are your best T14 chances; schools where you clear one median and sit near the 25th percentile on the other are live reaches; schools where you are below both medians are long shots that need an exceptional file. That sorting turns fourteen names into a ranked, evidence-based list rather than a wish.

Then weigh cost and market against odds. The best law schools for you are the ones where your odds, your likely scholarship, and your target legal market line up, not simply the highest-ranked name that admits you. A free profile evaluation can map your LSAT and GPA against all fourteen T14 medians at once so your list reflects the 2025 ABA 509 reality rather than guesswork.

Frequently asked questions about the T14 law schools

What are the T14 law schools?

The T14 law schools are the fourteen schools that consistently top national rankings: Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Penn, UVA, Michigan, Berkeley, Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, and Georgetown. The term T14 refers to this group as a whole. What unites the T14 law schools is national employment reach, which is why they are treated as a single tier above strong regional schools.

Why do the T14 law schools matter?

The T14 law schools matter because their degrees carry nationally rather than regionally. A T14 graduate can recruit for national law firm jobs, federal clerkships, and government and academic roles across multiple markets in one cycle. That geographic optionality, not prestige for its own sake, is the concrete reason applicants pay so much attention to which schools make the T14.

What LSAT do you need for a T14 law school?

For the T14 law schools, the 2025 ABA 509 median LSAT ranges from 170 at Berkeley Law to 174 at Yale, Chicago, and Harvard. A competitive T14 applicant generally targets a 170 at the low end of the group and a 173 or 174 for the most selective names. Every point matters because the T14 medians are compressed into a four-point band.

What GPA do you need for a T14 law school?

Across the T14 law schools, the 2025 ABA 509 median GPA runs from 3.88 at Michigan Law to 3.99 at UVA Law. Meeting a school's GPA median keeps you at the center of its class. An applicant below a T14 median GPA usually needs an LSAT at or above that school's median to stay competitive, since GPA is fixed after college.

What is the hardest T14 law school to get into?

By acceptance rate, the hardest T14 law school to get into is Yale Law School, at a 4.06% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, followed by Stanford Law School at 6.1%. Both pair those low rates with median LSATs of 174 and 173. Because of that volume, every applicant should treat Yale Law and Stanford Law as reaches.

Which T14 law school has the highest acceptance rate?

Among the T14 law schools, Cornell Law School posts the highest acceptance rate at 18.19% in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, ahead of Georgetown Law at 15.75% and Berkeley Law at 14.84%. The higher rate does not signal lower medians: Cornell Law still reports a 173 median LSAT and a 3.92 median GPA, so it remains highly selective within the group.

Which T14 law school has the highest median GPA?

UVA Law has the highest median GPA among the T14 law schools at 3.99, according to its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, just ahead of Chicago Law at 3.97. The lowest median GPA in the T14 belongs to Michigan Law at 3.88. Because UVA Law's median GPA is so high, applicants below it typically need a strong LSAT to compete there.

Which T14 law school has the lowest median LSAT?

Berkeley Law has the lowest median LSAT among the T14 law schools at 170, per its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, while Yale, Chicago, and Harvard share the highest at 174. The four-point spread shows how tightly the T14 clusters. Berkeley Law's 170 median, paired with a 14.84% acceptance rate, can make it a comparatively attainable T14 target for high-GPA applicants.

Is Georgetown a T14 law school?

Yes. Georgetown Law is traditionally the fourteenth member of the T14 law schools. Its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure reports a 171 median LSAT, a 3.93 median GPA, and a 15.75% acceptance rate. Georgetown Law is one of the larger T14 classes and recruits nationally, with particular strength in the Washington market, which keeps it firmly inside the group.

Do the T14 law schools change order every year?

The internal order of the T14 law schools shifts as rankings update, but the membership rarely changes. The same fourteen schools occupy the top because their entering medians and employment reach move slowly. The 2025 ABA 509 medians sit in a narrow 170 to 174 LSAT band, so small ranking movements reshuffle positions within the T14 without pushing any school out.

Can you get into a T14 law school below its medians?

Yes. Because a median is the midpoint, roughly half of every T14 law school class enrolled below the posted median on at least one number. Each school's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure also reports a 25th percentile, and a quarter of the class sits below it. Applicants below a T14 median on one metric commonly get in by clearing the other median.

Are the T14 the same as the best law schools?

The T14 law schools are what most people mean by the best law schools when they are talking about national reputation and employment reach. The label captures the fourteen schools whose degrees travel across markets. Strong law schools exist outside the T14, especially for regional careers, but as a national tier the top 14 law schools and the T14 refer to the same group.

How many law schools are in the T14?

There are exactly fourteen law schools in the T14, which is where the name comes from. The group is Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Penn, UVA, Michigan, Berkeley, Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, and Georgetown. The number has stayed at fourteen because the same schools keep clustering at the top of national rankings, with a visible break in employment reach after the fourteenth school.

What comes after the T14 law schools?

After the T14 law schools, the market shifts from national to regional. Schools ranked just outside the top 14 are often excellent, but their employment reach concentrates in a home state or region rather than spanning every national market. That break in portability, not a gap in teaching quality, is what separates the T14 from the strong schools immediately below it.

Sources

Every LSAT median, GPA median, and acceptance rate on this page comes from each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report for the fall 2025 entering class, published in the American Bar Association's required disclosures database at https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/. The fourteen schools cited are Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Penn, UVA, Michigan, Berkeley, Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, and Georgetown.

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