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

Across the 195 ABA-accredited U.S. law schools that report federal clerkships, the median is 1.4%. Values span from 23.2% at Yale Law School to 0% at University of Utah School of Law, drawn from the most recent ABA Standard 509 disclosure cycle.

Schools reporting 195
Median 1.4%
25th–75th 0.4% – 3.55%
Range 0% – 23.2%

Distribution across 195 schools · median marked

Definition

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

How to read it

Federal clerkships are the most competitive postgraduate path — even strong schools place only a small percentage of a class.

Every school, ranked

#	Law school	State	Federal clerkships
1	Yale Law School	Connecticut	23.2%
2	University of Chicago Law School	Illinois	22.7%
3	Stanford Law School	California	19.5%
4	University of Notre Dame School of Law	Indiana	17.1%
5	Harvard Law School	Massachusetts	16.6%
6	University of Texas School of Law	Texas	14.3%
7	University of Alabama School of Law	Alabama	12.3%
8	Washington University (St. Louis) School of Law	Missouri	11.7%
9	Duke University School of Law	North Carolina	11.7%
10	Vanderbilt Law School	Tennessee	10.8%
11	University of Virginia School of Law	Virginia	10.7%
12	University of Michigan Law School	Michigan	9.9%
13	University of Georgia School of Law	Georgia	9.4%
14	Washington and Lee University School of Law	Virginia	9.1%
15	Texas A&M University School of Law	Texas	8.1%
16	University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School	Pennsylvania	7.9%
17	George Mason University School of Law	Virginia	7.8%
18	Mississippi College School of Law	Mississippi	7.8%
19	Baylor University School of Law	Texas	7.3%
20	Brigham Young University School of Law	Utah	7.1%
21	Tulane University School of Law	Louisiana	7%
22	UC Berkeley School of Law	California	6.4%
23	University of Kentucky School of Law	Kentucky	6.1%
24	William & Mary School of Law	Virginia	6%
25	University of Montana School of Law	Montana	5.9%
26	Regent University School of Law	Virginia	5.8%
27	Northwestern Pritzker School of Law	Illinois	5.7%
28	University of Mississippi School of Law	Mississippi	5.7%
29	Cornell Law School	New York	5.6%
30	New York University School of Law	New York	5.5%
31	University of North Dakota School of Law	North Dakota	5.5%
32	University of Iowa School of Law	Iowa	5.1%
33	Georgetown University Law Center	District of Columbia	5%
34	University of Tennessee School of Law	Tennessee	4.8%
35	University of Florida School of Law	Florida	4.7%
36	University of Illinois School of Law	Illinois	4.6%
37	University of Arizona School of Law	Arizona	4.6%
38	Louisiana State University School of Law	Louisiana	4.5%
39	University of North Carolina School of Law	North Carolina	4.4%
40	Wake Forest University School of Law	North Carolina	4.4%
41	Indiana University-Bloomington School of Law	Indiana	4.3%
42	Columbia Law School	New York	4.1%
43	University of Kansas School of Law	Kansas	4%
44	UCLA School of Law	California	3.9%
45	Florida State University School of Law	Florida	3.8%
46	Chapman University School of Law	California	3.8%
47	University of South Dakota School of Law	South Dakota	3.7%
48	Southern Methodist University School of Law	Texas	3.6%
49	Emory University School of Law	Georgia	3.6%
50	University of Southern California School of Law	California	3.5%
51	University of Wisconsin School of Law	Wisconsin	3.5%
52	St. Mary's University School of Law	Texas	3.4%
53	University of Pittsburgh School of Law	Pennsylvania	3.3%
54	West Virginia University School of Law	West Virginia	3.3%
55	University of Minnesota School of Law	Minnesota	3.2%
56	St. John's University School of Law	New York	3.2%
57	Fordham University School of Law	New York	3.1%
58	University of Hawaii School of Law	Hawaii	3.1%
59	University of Wyoming School of Law	Wyoming	3.1%
60	University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law	Arkansas	3%
61	Case Western Reserve University School of Law	Ohio	2.8%
62	University of Nebraska School of Law	Nebraska	2.8%
63	The George Washington University School of Law	District of Columbia	2.6%
64	Temple University School of Law	Pennsylvania	2.6%
65	University of Richmond School of Law	Virginia	2.6%
66	University of Nevada-Las Vegas School of Law	Nevada	2.6%
67	University of Oklahoma School of Law	Oklahoma	2.5%
68	University of North Texas at Dallas School of Law	Texas	2.5%
69	Boston College School of Law	Massachusetts	2.3%
70	Northeastern University School of Law	Massachusetts	2.3%
71	University of Maine School of Law	Maine	2.3%
72	Brooklyn Law School	New York	2.2%
73	Rutgers University School of Law	New Jersey	2.2%
74	Samford University School of Law	Alabama	2.2%
75	Oklahoma City University School of Law	Oklahoma	2.2%
76	Arizona State University School of Law	Arizona	2.1%
77	University of San Diego School of Law	California	2.1%
78	University of Oregon School of Law	Oregon	2.1%
79	University of Memphis School of Law	Tennessee	2.1%
80	Northern Kentucky University School of Law	Kentucky	2.1%
81	Michigan State University School of Law	Michigan	2%
82	Duquesne University School of Law	Pennsylvania	2%
83	University of Maryland School of Law	Maryland	1.9%
84	Howard University School of Law	District of Columbia	1.9%
85	The Catholic University of America School of Law	District of Columbia	1.8%
86	Penn State Dickinson Law	Pennsylvania	1.8%
87	Creighton University School of Law	Nebraska	1.8%
88	University of Washington School of Law	Washington	1.7%
89	University of Houston School of Law	Texas	1.7%
90	University of Arkansas School of Law	Arkansas	1.7%
91	Campbell University School of Law	North Carolina	1.7%
92	Villanova University School of Law	Pennsylvania	1.6%
93	University of South Carolina School of Law	South Carolina	1.6%
94	Albany Law School	New York	1.6%
95	University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law	Missouri	1.6%
96	University of California-Davis School of Law	California	1.5%
97	California Western School of Law	California	1.5%
98	Boston University School of Law	Massachusetts	1.4%
99	Stetson University School of Law	Florida	1.4%
100	Syracuse University School of Law	New York	1.4%
101	Mercer University School of Law	Georgia	1.4%
102	University of the Pacific School of Law	California	1.4%
103	The Ohio State University School of Law	Ohio	1.3%
104	Lewis & Clark Law School	Oregon	1.3%
105	University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) School of Law	Minnesota	1.3%
106	Pepperdine University School of Law	California	1.1%
107	Suffolk University School of Law	Massachusetts	1.1%
108	Loyola University-New Orleans School of Law	Louisiana	1.1%
109	University of Toledo School of Law	Ohio	1.1%
110	Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles School of Law	California	1%
111	American University School of Law	District of Columbia	1%
112	University of New Mexico School of Law	New Mexico	1%
113	New York Law School	New York	1%
114	Gonzaga University School of Law	Washington	1%
115	South Texas College of Law Houston	Texas	1%
116	Washburn University School of Law	Kansas	1%
117	St. Thomas University (Miami) School of Law	Florida	1%
118	University of Tulsa School of Law	Oklahoma	0.9%
119	Drake University School of Law	Iowa	0.9%
120	Belmont University School of Law	Tennessee	0.8%
121	Loyola University-Chicago School of Law	Illinois	0.8%
122	University of Missouri School of Law	Missouri	0.8%
123	University of Cincinnati School of Law	Ohio	0.8%
124	Hofstra University School of Law	New York	0.8%
125	University of Louisville School of Law	Kentucky	0.8%
126	University of Akron School of Law	Ohio	0.8%
127	University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	0.8%
128	Cardozo, Yeshiva University School of Law	New York	0.7%
129	University of Connecticut School of Law	Connecticut	0.7%
130	Texas Tech University School of Law	Texas	0.7%
131	University at Buffalo School of Law	New York	0.7%
132	Elon University School of Law	North Carolina	0.7%
133	University of Idaho School of Law	Idaho	0.7%
134	University of California-Irvine School of Law	California	0.6%
135	University of Colorado School of Law	Colorado	0.6%
136	Florida International University School of Law	Florida	0.6%
137	Marquette University School of Law	Wisconsin	0.6%
138	Mitchell/Hamline School of Law	Minnesota	0.6%
139	Texas Southern University School of Law	Texas	0.6%
140	Seton Hall University School of Law	New Jersey	0.5%
141	Georgia State University School of Law	Georgia	0.5%
142	Santa Clara University School of Law	California	0.5%
143	University of Baltimore School of Law	Maryland	0.5%
144	Indiana University-Indianapolis School of Law	Indiana	0.5%
145	Charleston School of Law	South Carolina	0.5%
146	Chicago-Kent, Illinois Institute of Technology School of Law	Illinois	0.4%
147	University of Denver School of Law	Colorado	0.4%
148	Pace University School of Law	New York	0.4%
149	University of Illinois-Chicago School of Law	Illinois	0.4%
150	University of Miami School of Law	Florida	0.3%
151	Southwestern Law School	California	0.3%
152	New England Law/Boston	Massachusetts	0.3%
153	University of Utah School of Law	Utah	0%
154	Wayne State University School of Law	Michigan	0%
155	University of California-San Francisco School of Law	California	0%
156	Drexel University School of Law	Pennsylvania	0%
157	Seattle University School of Law	Washington	0%
158	DePaul University School of Law	Illinois	0%
159	University of Dayton School of Law	Ohio	0%
160	Saint Louis University School of Law	Missouri	0%
161	University of Detroit Mercy School of Law	Michigan	0%
162	Jacksonville University School of Law	Florida	0%
163	Ave Maria School of Law	Florida	0%
164	City University of New York School of Law	New York	0%
165	Cleveland State University School of Law	Ohio	0%
166	University of New Hampshire School of Law	New Hampshire	0%
167	Nova Southeastern University School of Law	Florida	0%
168	Quinnipiac University School of Law	Connecticut	0%
169	University of San Francisco School of Law	California	0%
170	Liberty University School of Law	Virginia	0%
171	Willamette University School of Law	Oregon	0%
172	Lincoln Memorial University School of Law	Tennessee	0%
173	Touro University School of Law	New York	0%
174	Western New England University School of Law	Massachusetts	0%
175	Atlanta's John Marshall Law School	Georgia	0%
176	Florida A&M University School of Law	Florida	0%
177	University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth School of Law	Massachusetts	0%
178	Vermont Law School	Vermont	0%
179	Western State, Westcliff University School of Law	California	0%
180	Widener University Delaware Law School	Pennsylvania	0%
181	Capital University Law School	Ohio	0%
182	University of District of Columbia School of Law	District of Columbia	0%
183	North Carolina Central University School of Law	North Carolina	0%
184	Barry University School of Law	Florida	0%
185	Faulkner University School of Law	Alabama	0%
186	Northern Illinois University School of Law	Illinois	0%
187	Roger Williams University School of Law	Rhode Island	0%
188	Widener University Commonwealth Law School	Pennsylvania	0%
189	Ohio Northern University School of Law	Ohio	0%
190	Southern Illinois University School of Law	Illinois	0%
191	Cooley Law School	Michigan	0%
192	Southern University School of Law	Louisiana	0%
193	Appalachian School of Law	Virginia	0%
194	Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	0%
195	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	0%

At the extremes

Top: Yale Law School (23.2%) · University of Chicago Law School (22.7%) · Stanford Law School (19.5%) · University of Notre Dame School of Law (17.1%) · Harvard Law School (16.6%)

Bottom: Cooley Law School (0%) · Southern University School of Law (0%) · Appalachian School of Law (0%) · Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law (0%) · Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law (0%)

FAQ

What is federal clerkships?

Share of graduates in federal judicial clerkships.

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

1.4%, across the 195 ABA-accredited schools that report it in the most recent ABA Standard 509 cycle.

Which law school has the highest federal clerkships?

Yale Law School, at 23.2%.

What counts as a strong federal clerkships?

Schools above the median of 1.4% are above average; the top tenth begins around 7.06%.

How should I read federal clerkships?