Last updated: August 26, 2026

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School is a private law school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that enrolled a first-year class of 265 students in Fall 2025 with a median LSAT of 173 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.95. It is ranked #4 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News rankings and admits about 8.1% of applicants. The central decision issue for admitted applicants is whether Penn's elite BigLaw placement (about two-thirds of each class into firms of 500+ attorneys) and its distinctive law-and-business culture justify a total cost of attendance of $120,294 in 2026–27 when weighed against merit offers from peer schools.

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Penn Carey Law at a Glance

Category	Latest information
Founded	1850
Type	Private
ABA approval or accreditation	ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education)
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Latest U.S. News rank	#4 tie (2026 edition)
Latest completed applications	8,074 (Fall 2025)
Latest acceptance rate	8.05% (Fall 2025)
Latest LSAT median	173 (Fall 2025)
Latest GPA median	3.95 (Fall 2025)
Latest entering class	265 (Fall 2025)
Current tuition	$81,796 (2026–27)
Current estimated cost of attendance	$120,294 (2026–27)
Latest first-time bar passage	94.42% (2025, first-time takers)
Latest bar-required employment	245 of 252 graduates, 97.2% (Class of 2025)
Current dean	Sophia Z. Lee

The admissions figures are drawn from Penn Carey Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (entering class as of October 2025). Employment figures come from the school's official Class of 2025 employment page (status as of the March 15 following graduation). The 509 reports a first-year class of 265, while the employment report covers 252 graduates in the Class of 2025; the difference reflects normal year-to-year and reporting-period variation. Tuition and cost data are from Penn's published 2026–27 budget. Sophia Z. Lee became dean on July 1, 2023, the first woman to lead the school; she succeeded Theodore Ruger.

Introduction

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, founded in 1850, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and the law school of an Ivy League university. It is located on Penn's campus in University City, Philadelphia, adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania's other professional schools, including the Wharton School. The school enrolls roughly 764 J.D. students.

Penn's defining identity is the integration of law with business and interdisciplinary study — it is widely described as the most business-oriented of the elite national law schools, with unusually strong ties to Wharton, a signature JD/MBA program, and a professional, collaborative culture. It is also a genuinely national school whose graduates place heavily into the largest law firms in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and California. The school was renamed "Carey Law School" in 2019 following a $125 million gift from the W.P. Carey Foundation, the largest gift in its history; its full official name is the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Rankings and Reputation

Penn Carey Law is ranked #4 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, its return to the top four after placing fifth in 2025. Penn's reputation among employers is elite, driven by its deep BigLaw placement record, its law-and-business orientation, and its standing as one of the most consistently highly ranked schools in the country.

Overall ranking

U.S. News edition	Penn rank
2026	4 (tie)
2025	5
2024	4 (tie)

Specialty rankings

Penn is consistently ranked among the top five law schools for corporate and business law, and it is widely regarded as the leading national school for students combining law with business training. Specific U.S. News specialty rank numbers for the current edition were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed and are therefore not listed here.

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

Admissions metric	Fall 2025
Completed applications	8,074
Offers of admission	650
Acceptance rate	8.05%
Enrollees from applicant pool	254
Total in first-year class	265
Yield (enrollees / offers)	39.1%

The difference between the 254 enrollees from the applicant pool and the 265 total first-year students is accounted for by approximately 11 deferred matriculants reported separately in the 509.

LSAT and GPA

Statistic	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile
LSAT	167	173	174
Undergraduate GPA	3.77	3.95	4.00

Penn also accepts the GRE.

Interpreting the numbers

A 173 median LSAT places Penn near the top of the selectivity scale, though its 25th-percentile LSAT of 167 is slightly more forgiving than at Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, or Columbia — Penn admits a broad range of strong files and weighs the overall application heavily. These are medians, not cutoffs: no LSAT or GPA guarantees admission.

Application timing

The application fee is $85, submitted through LSAC. The Regular Decision deadline is March 1. Penn offers a binding Early Decision program with two rounds: Round 1 by November 15 and Round 2 by January 7. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and applying earlier in the cycle is generally advantageous.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

Tuition for the 2026–27 academic year is $81,796. The General Fee is $4,268, the Clinical Fee $770, and the Learning Support Fee $1,350. Tuition is the same for residents and non-residents because Penn is private.

Cost of attendance

Expense	2026–27
Tuition	$81,796
General Fee	$4,268
Clinical Fee	$770
Learning Support Fee	$1,350
Housing	$16,328
Food	$5,320
Books & supplies	$2,700
Personal expenses	$1,784
Transportation	$960
Health insurance	$5,018
Total cost of attendance	$120,294

Financial aid

Penn awards a mix of merit- and need-based aid. Per the 2025 Standard 509 report, 59% of students (450 of approximately 760) received grants, with a median grant of $42,246, a 25th percentile of $29,512, and a 75th percentile of $60,000. The median grant is among the highest of the elite national schools, reflecting Penn's aggressive use of merit scholarships to compete for top applicants.

Debt perspective

The combination of a high median grant and strong BigLaw placement makes Penn one of the better financial value propositions in the top tier for many students, though those paying near full price face a total three-year cost approaching $360,000. Penn operates a Loan Repayment Assistance Program for graduates entering public-interest and government careers. Applicants should model net cost after scholarships rather than sticker price when comparing offers.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

Employment category	Graduates
Total graduates	252
Total employed	252 (100%)
Bar passage required	245 (97.2%)
J.D. advantage	5 (2.0%)
Professional position	2 (0.8%)
Unemployed — seeking	0
Employment status unknown	0

Employment by type (of the 252 employed):

Employer type	Graduates
Law firms (total)	189 (75.0%)
501+ attorneys	169 (67.1%)
251–500	9
101–250	2
51–100	4
26–50	2
11–25	1
2–10	1
Judicial clerkships (immediate)	26 (10.3%)
Public interest	26 (10.3%)
Government/military	5 (2.0%)
Business & industry	4 (1.6%)
Academia	2 (0.8%)
Law-school-funded (long-term)	15

What these numbers mean

Penn's Class of 2025 outcomes are exceptional. Every graduate with known employment status was employed, 97.2% held bar-passage-required positions, and 67.1% of the entire class joined firms of 501+ attorneys — one of the highest BigLaw rates in the nation. About 10% entered public interest and 10% took immediate judicial clerkships, and Penn's clerkship pipeline is notably strong over time: in the May 2025–April 2026 window, Penn graduates and alumni held 80 clerkships, including 2 U.S. Supreme Court clerkships, 22 federal circuit clerkships, and 37 district clerkships. Penn is one of only a few schools with multiple recent Supreme Court clerks.

Bar passage

Bar statistic	2025 report
First-time takers	251
First-time passers	237
First-time pass rate	94.42%
ABA weighted average	84.56%
Difference	+9.86%
Ultimate bar passage (2-year average)	98.4%

Penn's first-time bar passage rate has consistently ranked among the highest in the country, and its graduates sit for the bar in many jurisdictions, with large contingents in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Where graduates go

Penn is a New York-and-east-coast-dominant national school. Its graduates concentrate in New York, Pennsylvania (particularly Philadelphia), Washington, D.C., and California, with additional placement in major national and international markets. Exact state-by-state figures for the Class of 2025 were published as graphical data and are not reproduced here; the regional pattern is consistent with recent classes.

Academics and Programs

The J.D. requires a standard first-year curriculum followed by broad upper-level electives, and it is built around Penn's signature cross-disciplinary approach — roughly two-thirds of Penn students earn a certificate, joint degree, or dual degree, with an emphasis on law and business.

Law and business, certificates, and joint degrees

Penn's most distinctive feature is its integration with the Wharton School and the broader university. The JD/MBA program with Wharton is the most prominent such program in the country, and Penn offers a wide range of certificates and dual degrees spanning business, health law, environmental law, technology, and public policy. About 44% of the Class of 2025 earned a certificate in addition to the J.D.

Clinics and experiential learning

Penn operates a broad clinical program through its Gittis Center for Clinical Legal Studies, with in-house clinics in areas including entrepreneurship, immigration, environmental law, civil rights, and interdisciplinary child advocacy, along with externships and simulation courses that give students direct client-representation and practice experience.

Student Life and Location

Living in Philadelphia / University City

Penn Carey Law is located on the University of Pennsylvania campus in University City, Philadelphia, a vibrant urban setting just across the Schuylkill River from Center City. Philadelphia offers a major legal market of its own — including large firms, the Third Circuit, and federal and state courts — at a materially lower cost of living than New York, Boston, or Washington, D.C., which is reflected in Penn's comparatively moderate housing budget.

Student body

With roughly 764 J.D. students, Penn is mid-sized among elite national schools — smaller than Harvard, Columbia, or NYU, larger than Yale, Stanford, or Chicago. Students run a number of journals (including the University of Pennsylvania Law Review) and a wide range of organizations, and the school's professional, collaborative culture is frequently noted. There is no part-time or evening program.

How Penn Carey Law Compares

Choose Penn if

You want elite BigLaw placement (about two-thirds of the class into 500+ attorney firms) with a professional, business-oriented culture.
You are interested in a JD/MBA or law-and-business career path.
You prefer a major-city setting with a lower cost of living than New York or Boston.

Consider alternatives if

You are primarily targeting federal appellate clerkships straight out of law school (Columbia, Chicago, Stanford, or Yale may place a higher percentage immediately).
You want a smaller, more intimate student body.
You are set on a specific non-coastal market where Penn's alumni density is thinner.

The TLS Verdict

Penn Carey Law is one of the most consistently excellent choices in legal education: a top-five school whose 67.1% BigLaw placement, 100% employment rate, and 94.4% first-time bar passage are matched by very few peers, combined with a median grant of more than $42,000 that makes it substantially cheaper than the need-only schools for many admitted students. The principal caveats are its east-coast orientation and its business-forward culture, which may suit some applicants better than others. For applicants targeting BigLaw — particularly with a JD/MBA or corporate bent — Penn is about as strong a value as the T14 offers; for those prioritizing public interest or immediate appellate clerkships, other schools may fit better.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into Penn Carey Law?

Very hard. For Fall 2025, Penn accepted 8.05% of applicants (650 offers from 8,074 completed applications), one of the most selective rates in the country.

What LSAT score is competitive for Penn?

The median LSAT for the Fall 2025 entering class was 173, with a middle-50% range of 167 to 174. Scores at or above 173 are competitive, but no score guarantees admission given the holistic review.

What GPA do Penn applicants typically have?

The median undergraduate GPA for Fall 2025 was 3.95, with a middle-50% range of 3.77 to 4.00.

Does Penn give scholarships?

Yes. Penn awards substantial merit-based aid. Per the 2025 ABA 509 report, 59% of students received grants with a median award of $42,246.

What is Penn's bar passage rate?

For the most recent finalized report (2025), Penn's first-time bar passage rate was 94.42%, about 10 points above the ABA weighted average, with a two-year ultimate passage rate of 98.4%.

Is Penn good for BigLaw?

Yes. For the Class of 2025, 169 of 252 graduates (67.1%) joined firms of 501+ attorneys — among the highest BigLaw placement rates of any law school in the country.

Is Penn good for joint degrees?

Yes, especially with Wharton. The JD/MBA program is one of the strongest and most prominent in the nation, and Penn offers a wide range of certificates and dual degrees.

Does Penn offer a part-time J.D.?

No. Penn offers a full-time J.D. program only.

What is Penn Carey Law best known for?

Penn is best known for its elite BigLaw placement, its integration with the Wharton School and business education, its collaborative professional culture, and its consistent top-five ranking.

Contact and Key Links

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
3501 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6204

Admissions Phone: 215-898-7400 (JD Admissions); 215-898-7483 (main)

Admissions Email: [email protected]

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

University of Pennsylvania Law School

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