Last updated: September 2, 2026

Boston College Law School

Boston College Law School (commonly "BC Law") is the law school of Boston College, a private Jesuit research university in Newton, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston. One of the most selective law schools in the country — an 8.48% acceptance rate for Fall 2025 — BC Law combines a famously collaborative culture with elite Northeast placement: #11 nationally for Big Law hiring (National Law Journal), 95.8% of the Class of 2025 in full-time, long-term, bar-required or JD-advantage positions, and a 99.2% first-time Massachusetts bar passage rate.

Boston College Law School at a Glance

Category	Latest information
Founded	1929 (as the law program of Boston College)
Type	Private (Jesuit — Boston College)
ABA approval or accreditation	ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar)
Location	Newton, Massachusetts (Boston College campus, adjacent to Boston)
Latest U.S. News rank	#20 (2026 edition, up from #25)
Latest completed applications	7,668 (Fall 2025)
Latest acceptance rate	8.48% (2025 ABA 509)
Latest LSAT median	168 (25th 163 – 75th 169)
Latest GPA median	3.83 (25th 3.66 – 75th 3.90)
Latest entering class	219 enrolled (216 enrollees from applicant pool)
Current tuition	$75,280 (2026–27)
Current estimated cost of attendance	Not publicly confirmed this cycle (tuition verified; fees budget not retrieved)
Latest first-time bar passage	96.19% nationwide (Class of 2025); 99.2% Massachusetts
Latest bar-required employment	95.8% full-time, long-term, bar-required/JD-advantage (Class of 2025)
Current dean	Odette Lienau (Marianne D. Short, Esq. Dean; since January 2023)

Introduction

BC Law has long been one of the Northeast's most selective private law schools — its 8.48% acceptance rate for Fall 2025 is among the lowest of any school outside the T14. Its identity is built on two pillars: a Jesuit-grounded, collaborative culture (Princeton Review ranks it #10 nationally for best classroom experience) and a placement machine that punches far above its ranking — the National Law Journal ranks it #11 nationally for Big Law, and 96 of the 213-member Class of 2025 (45%) entered firms of 501+ attorneys at a $225,000 median salary. Dean Odette Lienau, who joined in January 2023 as the inaugural Marianne D. Short, Esq. Dean, has led BC to its highest U.S. News position (#20) in years.

Rankings and Reputation

Overall ranking

U.S. News (2026 edition) ranks BC Law #20, up five spots from #25 — its highest ranking in years per the BC Law alumni magazine (April 2026). BC's official profile: U.S. News profile. Its 2026–27 peer-reputation score was 3.6, placing it at #23 nationally on the TaxProf compilation.

Specialty rankings

BC Law's most cited distinctions are placement-based rather than specialty-based: #11 in the nation for Big Law hiring (National Law Journal) and #10 Best Classroom Experience (Princeton Review). Its Jesuit mission produces a distinctive public-service emphasis — including full-tuition Public Service Scholarships — alongside its large-firm pipeline (formal specialty-rank positions were not re-verified this cycle and are marked not confirmed).

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

BC Law received 7,668 applications and enrolled 219 students in the Class of 2028 (school Facts & Figures): 112 undergraduate institutions and 54 majors represented, 26% with advanced degrees, 37 states plus D.C., 51% female, 30% students of color, average age 24 (range 21–36).

LSAT and GPA

School-published Fall 2025 entering-class percentiles: LSAT 25th 163 / median 168 / 75th 169 and GPA 25th 3.66 / median 3.83 / 75th 3.90 (official Facts & Figures; the 2025 509 acceptance rate of 8.48% is per the ABA backend report).

Interpreting the numbers

BC's 8.48% acceptance rate is deceptive: it is driven partly by a very large, self-selecting applicant pool (7,668) rather than by a 175-level numeric profile. With a 168 LSAT median, BC is a classic "holistic" school — the Jesuit appraisal of the whole person is real policy here — and students with strong soft factors, service backgrounds and Boston ties outperform their numbers. The yield is strong because BC dominates the Boston market alongside BU.

Application timing

Applications open in September; the regular-decision deadline is March 1 with rolling review (official Facts & Figures and JD FAQ). Binding Early Decision: application deadline December 1, decisions by December 15, non-refundable $1,000 deposit by December 22 (school Early Decision page). Application fee $85 (U.S. News). Official links: J.D. Program · Early Decision

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

$75,280 for the 2026–27 academic year (official tuition & financial-aid page), billed in two equal installments (fall billed in June, due August). The full 2026–27 fees/cost-of-attendance table was not retrieved this cycle and is marked not publicly confirmed here.

Cost of attendance

The school's complete 2026–27 cost-of-attendance line items (fees, housing, food, books, personal, transportation) were not machine-readable in the sources reviewed; only the $75,280 tuition figure is verified. Treat any third-party COA total as unconfirmed.

Financial aid

Scholarships are used for tuition only and cannot exceed tuition charges (verified school policy). Programs verified on the school's tuition & financial-aid page: merit scholarships (all admitted students considered; notifications begin in February), full-tuition Public Service Scholarships (for applicants committed to public-service careers, with a five-year post-graduation service commitment and repayment obligation), and diversity scholarships including the Ruth-Arlene W. Howe Black Student Leadership Program (two $5,000 awards). The percentage of students receiving grants and the median grant amount were not confirmed in sources reviewed.

Debt perspective

BC's $75,280 tuition sits at the top of its band, but its placement profile (96 of 213 graduates at 501+ firms, $225,000 median) and Boston's strong-but-not-NYC cost base support the debt. The Jesuit public-service mission also means a meaningful share of each class graduates with lower debt through the Public Service Scholarship and need-based aid.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

Official school data (213-member class; 100% known status): 206 employed at 10 months (96.7%) · 198 in bar-passage-required positions (92.9%) · 95.8% in full-time, long-term bar-required/JD-advantage positions · 2.3% unemployed-seeking. Employer breakdown: law firms 150 total — 96 at 501+ attorneys, 19 at 101–250, 12 at 1–10, 7 at 26–50, 6 at 51–100, 6 at 251–500, 4 at 11–25 · judicial clerkships 18 · government 15 · public interest 14 · business 9. 89.2% of offers came before graduation.

What these numbers mean

National context: across all 36,206 ABA graduates in the Class of 2025, 82.7% landed long-term, full-time legal jobs. BC's 92.9% bar-passage-required rate runs more than 10 points above that baseline, and its 45% share at 501+ firms at a $225,000 median is T14-level — the core of its "#11 Big Law school" reputation. The ~42% of the class starting out of state shows real (if Boston-centric) national portability.

Bar passage

96.19% first-time bar passage nationwide — #12 among U.S. law schools for the Class of 2025 (school announcement); 99.2% first-time in Massachusetts (official Facts & Figures). Massachusetts/UBE and New York are the primary jurisdictions.

Where graduates go

Official destinations: Massachusetts 119, New York 43, California 8 (plus 1 foreign), across 26 states/territories and 1 foreign country; about 42% of the class started jobs out of state. Salary data (official): all jobs median $215,000 (25th $95,000 / 75th $225,000); law firms 501+ median $225,000; clerkship median $77,000; government $72,000; public interest $72,000; business $115,000.

Academics and Programs

Curriculum and special strengths

BC Law's curriculum is built on a rigorous core plus nationally recognized strength in trial advocacy and clinical training, with an explicitly values-driven Jesuit approach from Dean Lienau ("collaborative approach" as the school's stated differentiator). The faculty numbers 76 full-time professors with a 5:1 student-faculty ratio (official Facts & Figures), among the most favorable in the country.

Clinics and experiential learning

BC operates a broad clinical and experiential program (clinic roster not independently re-verified this cycle — see Academic Programs), with 641 J.D. students and 16 LL.M./exchange students currently enrolled (official Facts & Figures). Degrees: the full-time J.D. and an LL.M.; there is no part-time or evening J.D. division.

Student Life and Location

Living in Newton / Boston

BC Law's campus sits in Newton, directly on Boston College's leafy main campus and minutes from downtown Boston — the state capital, a top-10 legal market, and one of America's great student cities. The Law School is set apart from the undergraduate bustle while remaining part of BC's tight-knit community.

Student body

The Class of 2028 is 51% female, 30% students of color, drawn from 112 colleges and 37 states plus D.C., with an average age of 24. Current total enrollment is 641 J.D. students, 54% female, 38% students of color, 4% international. The culture — consistently described by students and alumni as collaborative, supportive and non-cutthroat — is the school's most cited intangible.

How BC Compares

Choose BC Law if

You want the Boston market with BigLaw outcomes (NLJ #11; 45% of the class at 501+ firms); you value a Jesuit, values-driven, collaborative culture and a 5:1 student-faculty ratio; you want one of the most selective admissions profiles in its band (8.48%); or you seek a school with a genuine public-service scholarship pathway (full tuition) alongside its firm pipeline.

Consider alternatives if

You want the national portability or T14 brand of BU's peer tier above it, a larger class, or verified grant data — BC's median grant was unconfirmed. For students comparing BC vs. BU (both ~$73–75k tuition, both Boston), BC is the smaller, more selective, more collaborative choice; BU has the higher U.S. News rank (#24 tie vs. #20 — note the official pages differ, with BC placing higher). Non-Boston applicants should weigh the school's 58% in-state placement concentration.

The TLS Verdict

BC Law is the quiet overachiever of the elite-private band: an 8.48% acceptance rate, #11 national Big Law placement, 96.19% first-time bar passage, a 5:1 faculty ratio and a culture students genuinely praise — all at a Jesuit school that treats values and collaboration as part of the curriculum. Its limits are geographic (Boston + New York concentration) and the absence of a T14 brand, but on outcomes per applicant it outperforms schools ranked above it. For Northeast-bound applicants who want elite placement without an elite-school atmosphere, BC Law is close to the optimal pick.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into BC Law?

Extremely selective for its band: an 8.48% acceptance rate for Fall 2025 (7,668 applications, 219 enrolled).

What LSAT score is competitive for BC?

The Fall 2025 median was 168; the middle 50% ran from 163 to 169.

What GPA do BC applicants typically have?

The Fall 2025 median UGPA was 3.83; the middle 50% ran from 3.66 to 3.90.

Does BC give scholarships?

Yes — merit scholarships (all admitted considered), full-tuition Public Service Scholarships, and diversity awards (e.g., the Ruth-Arlene W. Howe program); the overall grant percentage and median amount were not confirmed in sources reviewed.

What is BC's bar passage rate?

96.19% first-time nationwide for the Class of 2025 (#12 nationally), and 99.2% first-time in Massachusetts.

Is BC good for BigLaw?

Yes — ranked #11 nationally by the National Law Journal; 96 of 213 Class of 2025 graduates (45%) entered 501+ attorney firms at a $225,000 median salary, with 89.2% of all offers secured before graduation.

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

No — the J.D. is offered as a full-time program; no part-time or evening division was identified in the sources reviewed.

What is BC Law best known for?

Elite placement with a human scale: #11 Big Law hiring, a collaborative Jesuit culture, a 5:1 faculty ratio, 96.19% bar passage, and full-tuition public-service scholarships.

Contact and Key Links

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

Boston College Law School

Contents

Boston College Law School