Judicial clerkships: every U.S. law school, ranked

Across the 195 ABA-accredited U.S. law schools that report judicial clerkships, the median is 6.8%. Values span from 44% at Seton Hall University School of Law to 0% at Ave Maria School of Law, drawn from the most recent ABA Standard 509 disclosure cycle.

Schools reporting 195
Median 6.8%
25th–75th 2.95% – 12.35%
Range 0% – 44%

Distribution across 195 schools · median marked

Definition

What it is: Share of graduates in judicial clerkships (state and federal).
Reported by: The American Bar Association, in each school’s annual Standard 509 Required Disclosure.
Unit: Percent

How to read it

Clerkship share signals academic strength and judicial ties; it overlaps with public-interest pipelines and swings sharply by region.

Every school, ranked

#	Law school	State	Judicial clerkships
1	Seton Hall University School of Law	New Jersey	44%
2	Rutgers University School of Law	New Jersey	34.8%
3	University of Maryland School of Law	Maryland	32.2%
4	Widener University Delaware Law School	Pennsylvania	27.7%
5	Yale Law School	Connecticut	27.5%
6	University of Minnesota School of Law	Minnesota	26.1%
7	University of Baltimore School of Law	Maryland	26%
8	University of Hawaii School of Law	Hawaii	25.5%
9	Regent University School of Law	Virginia	25.2%
10	University of Notre Dame School of Law	Indiana	23.8%
11	University of Chicago Law School	Illinois	23.6%
12	William & Mary School of Law	Virginia	23.6%
13	The Catholic University of America School of Law	District of Columbia	22.1%
14	Washington and Lee University School of Law	Virginia	21.8%
15	University of South Carolina School of Law	South Carolina	21.6%
16	Vermont Law School	Vermont	21.5%
17	University of Richmond School of Law	Virginia	20.5%
18	Stanford Law School	California	20%
19	University of Montana School of Law	Montana	20%
20	University of Nevada-Las Vegas School of Law	Nevada	19.7%
21	Harvard Law School	Massachusetts	19.6%
22	University of Arizona School of Law	Arizona	19.2%
23	Drexel University School of Law	Pennsylvania	18.8%
24	University of Iowa School of Law	Iowa	18.4%
25	University of South Dakota School of Law	South Dakota	18.3%
26	University of Texas School of Law	Texas	18.2%
27	University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) School of Law	Minnesota	18.1%
28	George Mason University School of Law	Virginia	18%
29	University of Alabama School of Law	Alabama	17.1%
30	University of Maine School of Law	Maine	17%
31	University of Georgia School of Law	Georgia	16.5%
32	University of Michigan Law School	Michigan	15.7%
33	University of Kentucky School of Law	Kentucky	15.7%
34	University of Oregon School of Law	Oregon	15.5%
35	Temple University School of Law	Pennsylvania	15.4%
36	American University School of Law	District of Columbia	14.8%
37	Mississippi College School of Law	Mississippi	14.6%
38	Vanderbilt Law School	Tennessee	14.4%
39	Washington University (St. Louis) School of Law	Missouri	14.3%
40	Brigham Young University School of Law	Utah	14.2%
41	Pace University School of Law	New York	14.2%
42	Roger Williams University School of Law	Rhode Island	14.2%
43	Villanova University School of Law	Pennsylvania	14.1%
44	University of Colorado School of Law	Colorado	14%
45	Duke University School of Law	North Carolina	13.9%
46	University of Connecticut School of Law	Connecticut	13.4%
47	University of North Carolina School of Law	North Carolina	13.1%
48	Lewis & Clark Law School	Oregon	13.1%
49	University of Kansas School of Law	Kansas	12.7%
50	University of Virginia School of Law	Virginia	12%
51	University of New Mexico School of Law	New Mexico	12%
52	University of Mississippi School of Law	Mississippi	11.9%
53	Charleston School of Law	South Carolina	11.9%
54	Indiana University-Bloomington School of Law	Indiana	11.6%
55	University of Tennessee School of Law	Tennessee	11.3%
56	University of District of Columbia School of Law	District of Columbia	11.2%
57	University of North Dakota School of Law	North Dakota	11%
58	University of Idaho School of Law	Idaho	10.9%
59	Texas A&M University School of Law	Texas	10.5%
60	Drake University School of Law	Iowa	10.5%
61	University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School	Pennsylvania	10.3%
62	Louisiana State University School of Law	Louisiana	10.1%
63	Arizona State University School of Law	Arizona	10%
64	The George Washington University School of Law	District of Columbia	9.8%
65	University of Utah School of Law	Utah	9.7%
66	University of Memphis School of Law	Tennessee	9.6%
67	UC Berkeley School of Law	California	9.5%
68	Wake Forest University School of Law	North Carolina	9.5%
69	University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law	Missouri	9.4%
70	Tulane University School of Law	Louisiana	9.3%
71	Georgetown University Law Center	District of Columbia	9.2%
72	Mitchell/Hamline School of Law	Minnesota	8.9%
73	University of Missouri School of Law	Missouri	8.8%
74	Widener University Commonwealth Law School	Pennsylvania	8.6%
75	Boston College School of Law	Massachusetts	8.5%
76	University of Washington School of Law	Washington	8.5%
77	Penn State Dickinson Law	Pennsylvania	8.5%
78	Boston University School of Law	Massachusetts	8.4%
79	Northwestern Pritzker School of Law	Illinois	8.3%
80	Baylor University School of Law	Texas	8.2%
81	University of Denver School of Law	Colorado	8.1%
82	University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	8.1%
83	Northeastern University School of Law	Massachusetts	8%
84	University at Buffalo School of Law	New York	8%
85	Hofstra University School of Law	New York	8%
86	University of Illinois School of Law	Illinois	7.8%
87	New York University School of Law	New York	7.7%
88	University of Nebraska School of Law	Nebraska	7.7%
89	New York Law School	New York	7.7%
90	Jacksonville University School of Law	Florida	7.7%
91	Gonzaga University School of Law	Washington	7.6%
92	Willamette University School of Law	Oregon	7.6%
93	Loyola University-New Orleans School of Law	Louisiana	7.3%
94	Washburn University School of Law	Kansas	7.1%
95	University of Florida School of Law	Florida	7%
96	Liberty University School of Law	Virginia	7%
97	University of California-Davis School of Law	California	6.9%
98	Florida State University School of Law	Florida	6.8%
99	City University of New York School of Law	New York	6.8%
100	Cornell Law School	New York	6.6%
101	University of Pittsburgh School of Law	Pennsylvania	6.6%
102	West Virginia University School of Law	West Virginia	6.6%
103	Fordham University School of Law	New York	6.4%
104	Cardozo, Yeshiva University School of Law	New York	6.3%
105	Campbell University School of Law	North Carolina	6.1%
106	University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth School of Law	Massachusetts	6.1%
107	University of Wisconsin School of Law	Wisconsin	5.9%
108	Albany Law School	New York	5.8%
109	Columbia Law School	New York	5.7%
110	Quinnipiac University School of Law	Connecticut	5.7%
111	St. John's University School of Law	New York	5.6%
112	Michigan State University School of Law	Michigan	5.6%
113	Brooklyn Law School	New York	5.6%
114	New England Law/Boston	Massachusetts	5.5%
115	Seattle University School of Law	Washington	5.4%
116	Syracuse University School of Law	New York	5.3%
117	Duquesne University School of Law	Pennsylvania	5.3%
118	Howard University School of Law	District of Columbia	5.2%
119	Elon University School of Law	North Carolina	5.2%
120	Samford University School of Law	Alabama	5%
121	Emory University School of Law	Georgia	4.9%
122	Mercer University School of Law	Georgia	4.9%
123	UCLA School of Law	California	4.8%
124	University of Wyoming School of Law	Wyoming	4.7%
125	Suffolk University School of Law	Massachusetts	4.7%
126	Chapman University School of Law	California	4.6%
127	Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	4.6%
128	The Ohio State University School of Law	Ohio	4.5%
129	Creighton University School of Law	Nebraska	4.4%
130	St. Mary's University School of Law	Texas	4.3%
131	Case Western Reserve University School of Law	Ohio	4.2%
132	Belmont University School of Law	Tennessee	4.2%
133	University of Louisville School of Law	Kentucky	4.2%
134	Northern Kentucky University School of Law	Kentucky	4.2%
135	Ohio Northern University School of Law	Ohio	4.1%
136	Southern University School of Law	Louisiana	3.9%
137	University of San Diego School of Law	California	3.8%
138	University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law	Arkansas	3.8%
139	Southern Methodist University School of Law	Texas	3.6%
140	University of Southern California School of Law	California	3.5%
141	University of Dayton School of Law	Ohio	3.3%
142	University of California-Irvine School of Law	California	3.2%
143	Wayne State University School of Law	Michigan	3.2%
144	Stetson University School of Law	Florida	3.1%
145	University of New Hampshire School of Law	New Hampshire	3.1%
146	University of Akron School of Law	Ohio	3%
147	University of Houston School of Law	Texas	2.9%
148	Loyola University-Chicago School of Law	Illinois	2.7%
149	Southern Illinois University School of Law	Illinois	2.7%
150	Chicago-Kent, Illinois Institute of Technology School of Law	Illinois	2.6%
151	University of Oklahoma School of Law	Oklahoma	2.5%
152	University of North Texas at Dallas School of Law	Texas	2.5%
153	University of Cincinnati School of Law	Ohio	2.4%
154	University of California-San Francisco School of Law	California	2.3%
155	South Texas College of Law Houston	Texas	2.3%
156	Appalachian School of Law	Virginia	2.3%
157	Pepperdine University School of Law	California	2.2%
158	Texas Tech University School of Law	Texas	2.2%
159	Oklahoma City University School of Law	Oklahoma	2.2%
160	University of Detroit Mercy School of Law	Michigan	2.1%
161	Touro University School of Law	New York	2.1%
162	University of the Pacific School of Law	California	2%
163	Atlanta's John Marshall Law School	Georgia	2%
164	University of Miami School of Law	Florida	1.8%
165	Saint Louis University School of Law	Missouri	1.8%
166	University of Illinois-Chicago School of Law	Illinois	1.8%
167	Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles School of Law	California	1.7%
168	University of Arkansas School of Law	Arkansas	1.7%
169	Southwestern Law School	California	1.7%
170	Capital University Law School	Ohio	1.7%
171	California Western School of Law	California	1.5%
172	Nova Southeastern University School of Law	Florida	1.5%
173	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	1.4%
174	Florida International University School of Law	Florida	1.3%
175	DePaul University School of Law	Illinois	1.3%
176	Western New England University School of Law	Massachusetts	1.2%
177	Marquette University School of Law	Wisconsin	1.1%
178	University of Toledo School of Law	Ohio	1.1%
179	Faulkner University School of Law	Alabama	1.1%
180	Georgia State University School of Law	Georgia	1%
181	Santa Clara University School of Law	California	1%
182	St. Thomas University (Miami) School of Law	Florida	1%
183	University of Tulsa School of Law	Oklahoma	0.9%
184	Indiana University-Indianapolis School of Law	Indiana	0.9%
185	Florida A&M University School of Law	Florida	0.9%
186	Northern Illinois University School of Law	Illinois	0.9%
187	Cleveland State University School of Law	Ohio	0.8%
188	North Carolina Central University School of Law	North Carolina	0.7%
189	Cooley Law School	Michigan	0.7%
190	Texas Southern University School of Law	Texas	0.6%
191	Barry University School of Law	Florida	0.4%
192	Ave Maria School of Law	Florida	0%
193	University of San Francisco School of Law	California	0%
194	Lincoln Memorial University School of Law	Tennessee	0%
195	Western State, Westcliff University School of Law	California	0%

At the extremes

Top: Seton Hall University School of Law (44%) · Rutgers University School of Law (34.8%) · University of Maryland School of Law (32.2%) · Widener University Delaware Law School (27.7%) · Yale Law School (27.5%)

Bottom: Barry University School of Law (0.4%) · Ave Maria School of Law (0%) · University of San Francisco School of Law (0%) · Lincoln Memorial University School of Law (0%) · Western State, Westcliff University School of Law (0%)

FAQ

What is judicial clerkships?

Share of graduates in judicial clerkships (state and federal).

What is the median judicial clerkships across U.S. law schools?

6.8%, across the 195 ABA-accredited schools that report it in the most recent ABA Standard 509 cycle.

Which law school has the highest judicial clerkships?

Seton Hall University School of Law, at 44%.

What counts as a strong judicial clerkships?

Schools above the median of 6.8% are above average; the top tenth begins around 19.66%.

How should I read judicial clerkships?