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New York Law School

Founded in June of 1891, New York Law School is the nation’s second-oldest independently operating law school. Located in southern Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood, it is home to 1,596 law students – 1190 full-time and 406 part-time.

Admission and Tuition

Admission to NYLS is not exceptionally selective – of the overall total of 4,188 applicants, 53% (2246) were accepted. It should be noted, however, that the part-time program (39.5%) is much more selective than the full-time (56.9%). In 2009, matriculant GPAs ranged from a 25^th percentile of 3.02 to a 75^th percentile of 3.48, with a median of 3.25; the 25^th and 75^th percentiles for LSAT score were 152 and 157 respectively, with a median of 154. Of the nearly 2500 students accepted, 736 decided to attend, giving NYLS a matriculation rate of 32.7%. The entering class for 2009 was a clean split between genders, with 50% male and 50% female. Self-identified minorities (including Asian and Asian-American) made up 22.4% of the class.

NYLS is a private school and thus charges a flat tuition rate, regardless of a student’s residency status. For 2009-2010, the full-time tuition was $44,800 per year, and part-time $34,500. Though these costs are not much higher than the typical private law school, scholarship and grant money is an issue of some concern to NYLS students. The median grant total was only $10,000 for full-time students, and only 0.4% of students received grants for more than half-tuition.

Academics

At NYLS, the entire first year of study and part of the second are composed of required courses – including the typical Contracts, Torts, Property, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, and Constitutional Law (2 semesters). In addition, first and second year students are required to enroll in a number of practical courses: Evidence, Lawyering, Professional Responsibility, Corporate Practice, Legal Writing, Legislation and Regulation, and Written and Oral Advocacy. These courses are designed to give the student more “hands-on” experience, an increasingly common approach to legal education at third and fourth-tier law schools. NYLS emphasizes the issues of law as a trade to a greater extent than legal philosophy or policy issues.

Following another popular trend, NYLS offers students the opportunity to work towards a JD/MBA with the Zicklin School of Business. Students are also encouraged to try out for the NYLS Law Review as well as the school’s moot court team. One glaring drawback to academic life at NYLS is the student-to-faculty ratio – at 22.1, it is the highest in the third tier, and one of the highest of all A.B.A.-accredited law schools. This can make it difficult for students to develop close relationships with professors, contributing to the school’s reputation as a “degree mill.”

Quality of Life

There is certainly no shortage of activities in the Manhattan and tri-state area to keep students entertained. Museums, cafés, restaurants, and other excursion-worthy destinations abound. Of course, being located in Manhattan does have its drawbacks, especially the area’s cost of living. For a student living close to campus, NYLS estimates room and board to cost nearly $17,000. Many students choose to commute; although this can certainly save money, with it comes the inconvenience of travel.

After Graduation

Most students graduate from NYLS as very capable attorneys. In 2008, 86.3% of first-time test takers passed the New York bar exam, nearly 1 percent higher than the state average. The vast majority of NYLS graduates stay in New York for their legal careers.

Job prospects for graduates are not exactly rosy, though nearly 93% reported being employed nine months after graduation. Fierce competition from numerous other New York City law schools, as well as other top law schools from around the country, often limits the number of “biglaw” jobs available to NYLS grads. Some do manage to break into the market, and do quite well – the median reported private sector salary is $160,000*. In contrast, the 25th percentile earned $71,250. Overall, 66% of NYLS graduates enter the private sector, working for either law firms or businesses. Another 14% gain government jobs of some sort. Reflecting its third-tier status, NYLS has few graduates enter public interest (6.0%), clerkships (4.0%), or academia (4.0%). The average salary for these and other public-sector jobs was $53,500.

Conclusion

NYLS gives its students a good, practical legal education. However, tuition is expensive, and job prospects are not stellar, especially amidst the current economic climate. Debt-averse individuals should consider looking at other law schools, since the average NYLS student graduates owing nearly $130,000 in student loans, making the school #2 in the nation in terms of graduates with the highest debt.

Fast Facts:

New York Law School
57 Worth Street
New York, NY 10013-2960
admissions@nyls.edu

Rank: Tier 3
Median GPA: 3.25 (FT), 3.07 (PT)
Median LSAT: 154 (FT), 152 (PT)
Entering class size: 569 (FT), 167 (PT)
Full-Time Tuition: $44,800
% Employed 9 Months after Graduation: 93%
Median Private Sector Salary: $160,000* (Class of 2008)
*Only 27% of graduates employed in the private sector reported salary data. This means roughly 8% of the Class of 2008 reported a $160,000 salary.