Columbia University School of Law
435 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
www.law.columbia.edu/admissions
Private
LSAT: 170 – 175
GPA: 3.61 – 3.82
Enrollment: 1344
Application Deadline: 2/15
Founded in 1858, Columbia Law School is one of the first law schools established in the United States, and it continues to place among the handful of the most highly selective J.D. programs in the nation. It also boasts one of the highest tuition rates — at approximately $48,000 for the 2010-2011 school year.
The Columbia student body has a very international flavor with 10 percent of its J.D. class coming from outside the United States. Many LL.M. candidates from abroad are also studying at the law school.
“The entire environment is an international one,” said Curtis Milhaupt, professor and vice dean of international programs.
Columbia’s library also has one of the largest and most comprehensive law collections in the world. As for research facilities, Columbia boasts some of the most sophisticated technologies of any law school in the nation.
The law school’s main building has undergone significant expansion and improvements, including library renovations and the creation of a student commons that includes a student lounge and café.
Unique to Columbia is a summer program, which places more than 150 students in civil and human rights internships in law firms and organizations throughout the country and around the world.
Tuition: $50,428
Median grant awarded: $15,000
Percent receiving grants: 49.1%
Bar Passage Rate/State Rate: 96.06%/86.51%
Post-grad employment rate: 98.9%
Average first-year class size: 105
Minority enrollment: 32.2%
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 10.9
