ABA Standard 509 · 2025 cycle · Last synced May 31, 2026

Columbia Law School

New York · Private · School ID: columbia-university

Columbia Law School is a private law school in New York. In the most recent ABA Standard 509 cycle it reported a 95.8% first-time bar passage rate (state average 85.0%). 97.4% of graduates landed full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs, and 77.5% joined large firms of 251+ attorneys. Resident tuition is $85,368 per year; a median grant of $32,000 brings median net tuition to about $53,368. The median LSAT is 173 with a 11.8% acceptance rate.

Open interactive map & comparison view

Admissions

LSAT (25 / 50 / 75)169 / 173 / 175
uGPA (25 / 50 / 75)3.85 / 3.92 / 3.98
Acceptance rate11.8%
Applications received9,463
Offers extended1,120
1L enrollment444
Total JD enrollment1,377
GRE-only takers37
Transfers in / out50 / 4

Cost & scholarships

Resident tuition$85,368
Non-resident tuition$85,368
Mandatory fees$3,022
Living-expense estimate$31,554
Median grant$32,000
Grant 25 / 75 percentile$20,000 / $48,000
No-grant share46.2%
< half-tuition grants35.9%
Half-to-full grants12.8%
Full-tuition grants5.0%
Above-full grants (stipend)0.1%
Conditional-scholarship loss rate

Bar passage

First-Time Bar (2024 cohort)95.8%
Two-Year Ultimate Bar99.3%
State average (same exam)85.0%
Difference vs. state+10.8 pts

Different cohorts: first-time bar passage reflects graduates who entered law school about three years before the current admissions class shown above. Read the two as separate snapshots, not a single pipeline.

Job outcomes (10 months after graduation)

Total graduates458
FTLT (full-time, long-term, JD-required/advantage)97.4%
Bar-required jobs96.5%
MegaLaw 500+70.1%
BigLaw 251–5007.4%
Mid 101–2500.9%
Small 2–1003.1%
Solo0.0%
Clerkships5.7%
Government2.8%
Public interest6.8%
Business / industry0.9%
Academia0.0%
Seeking employment1.3%

Top destination states (2024)

Demographics (current JD enrollment)

Male enrollment612 (45.8%)
Female enrollment723 (54.2%)
White512
Black141
Hispanic148
Asian400
Two or more races26
Other / unreported150

Faculty

Total faculty482
Full-time120
Faculty of color105

State market context

Mean attorney salary in state$208,480

Frequently asked questions

What is the first-time bar passage rate at Columbia Law School?

Columbia Law School reported a 95.8% first-time bar passage rate in the most recent ABA Standard 509 disclosure, versus a 85.0% state average.

How much does Columbia Law School cost?

Resident tuition at Columbia Law School is $85,368 per year (about $256,104 over three years). The median grant is $32,000, bringing median net tuition to roughly $53,368 per year.

What LSAT and GPA do you need for Columbia Law School?

The median (50th-percentile) LSAT at Columbia Law School is 173 and the median GPA is 3.92; the acceptance rate is 11.8%.

What are the job outcomes at Columbia Law School?

97.4% of Columbia Law School graduates held full-time, long-term JD-required or JD-advantage jobs about ten months after graduation. 77.5% joined large firms of 251+ attorneys. 1.3% were still seeking employment.

Other law schools in New York

Source: ABA Standard 509 Required Disclosure for Columbia University, published by the American Bar Association at abarequireddisclosures.org. State attorney salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS 2024 (occupation code 23-1011). Cost-of-living from U.S. BEA Regional Price Parities. Methodology: /methodology.html.