Columbia University Law School was founded in 1858 in New York, New York. This private institution has an acceptance rate of just 11.3%. For the 2021 first-year class, there were 9,645 applicants, 1,089 students were accepted, and 479 students enrolled in the JD program. Accepted students had a median LSAT score of 174 and a median GPA of 3.84. Most students are between the ages of 21 and 24.

13% of students at Columbia are international students, 46.2% are of minority backgrounds, 50.5% are women, and 18% identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community. 74% of students have been out of college for at least one year and 7% have earned at least one other graduate degree prior to starting their JD. 23% of students were political science majors, 12% majored in another social science, 9% majored in history, and 9% majored in STEM. Students represent 159 undergraduate institutions, 21 countries, 6 continents, 41 states, and Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Prospective students may submit LSAT or GRE scores with their application and may be contacted for a video conference interview as a part of the admissions process. Tuition at Columbia is $75,572.

Small class sizes and a 4.5 to 1 student/faculty ratio create an intimate environment at Columbia. The school offers 14 concentration options including Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Law of the Workplace, Data Analytics, and more. There is also a plethora of dual degree options such as an MPH, MIA, MFA, MSW, and MBA. Further, as a part of the JD program, students have the option to study abroad in one of 14 countries or create their own study abroad opportunity for a semester. Alumni live and work in 119 countries, demonstrating the global emphasis of the program.

Columbia emphasizes how integral experiential learning is to their JD program. They offer externships, moot courts, clinics, and more. All JD students must earn at least six credits of experiential education in order to graduate. Columbia also has 14 law journals students may become involved with and many of these journals are leading scholarly publications.

Graduates from Columbia Law School earn an average salary of $168,314 and 95.51% pass the bar exam within two years of their graduation. Most are employed in New York, California, or Washington, D.C.

441 graduates from the class of 2021 are employed in a field where bar passage is required, 2 are employed in a position where holding a JD is an advantage, 26 hold federal clerkships, and 3 hold state, local, or territorial clerkships. 26 students are employed in law firms 250 and less and 335 are employed in law firms at least 251 in size.

The location of Columbia is certainly an advantage for law students. Located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood, the school is nestled in a hub for law, finance, media, business, and culture. The university offers a pleasant mix of a traditional college town feel and the hustle of the big city.