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New York University School of Law

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Last updated: August 26, 2026

New York University School of Law

New York University School of Law is a private law school in New York City that enrolled a first-year class of 452 students in Fall 2025 from approximately 10,575 applicants, with a median LSAT of 172 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.92. It is ranked #7 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News rankings and is widely regarded as the strongest law school in the country for public interest law and tax law. The central decision issue for admitted applicants is whether NYU's elite New York BigLaw placement and unmatched public-interest infrastructure justify a total cost of attendance exceeding $120,000 per year when weighed against merit offers from peer schools.

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NYU Law at a Glance

Category Latest information
Founded 1835
Type Private
ABA approval or accreditation ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education)
Location New York, New York
Latest U.S. News rank #7 tie (2026 edition)
Latest completed applications 10,575 (Fall 2025, school-reported)
Latest acceptance rate approx. 13.4% (Fall 2025, 2025 509 report)
Latest LSAT median 172 (Fall 2025)
Latest GPA median 3.92 (Fall 2025)
Latest entering class 452 (Fall 2025)
Current tuition $87,312 (school-published student expense budget)
Current estimated cost of attendance $118,137 (most recent full budget published, 2024–25)
Latest first-time bar passage 97.1% in New York (2025 report)
Latest bar-required employment 409 of 417 graduates, 98.1% (Class of 2025)
Current dean Troy McKenzie

The admissions figures are drawn from NYU Law's official Fall 2025 entering-class profile (452 students from 10,575 applicants) and the 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report. The school reports 10,575 applicants on its entering-class page, while aggregators of the 2025 509 report 10,546 completed applications; this profile uses the school-reported figure for the entering-class table. Employment figures are from NYU's official Class of 2025 ABA report (status 10 months after graduation). Troy McKenzie, the Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law and a 2000 graduate of NYU Law, is the current dean; he announced in 2026 that he will step down at the end of the 2026–27 academic year.

Introduction

New York University School of Law.jpg



New York University School of Law, founded in 1835, is one of the largest and most prominent law schools in the United States, located in Greenwich Village on NYU's campus in Lower Manhattan. It enrolls roughly 1,370 full-time J.D. students (no part-time or evening program). NYU is a genuinely national school with two distinctive pillars: it is the acknowledged leader in public-interest legal education, with the most extensive public-service funding and Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) in the country, and it is simultaneously a dominant supplier of associates to the largest New York law firms.

The school operates 39 centers and institutes, 55 clinics and externship programs, more than 100 student organizations, and 10 student-run publications. Its faculties of tax law, public-interest law, and international law are widely regarded as the strongest in the nation.

Rankings and Reputation

NYU Law is ranked #7 (tie) in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings. NYU formally suspended its participation in the U.S. News rankings in 2023, so its ranked position reflects U.S. News's own methodology using publicly available data rather than data NYU submitted. Despite its ranked position, NYU's reputation among employers is elite, anchored by its #1 ranking in tax law and #2 ranking in business/corporate law.



Overall ranking

U.S. News edition NYU rank
2026 7 (tie)
2025 8

Earlier-year positions were not independently confirmed in the sources reviewed. NYU's withdrawal from the U.S. News survey in 2023, and the resulting methodology adjustments, make year-to-year comparisons less meaningful than at participating schools.

Specialty rankings

NYU is ranked #1 in tax law and #2 (tie) in business/corporate law in the 2026 U.S. News specialty rankings, and it is consistently regarded as the leading school in the country for public-interest law. Its international law and litigation programs are also perennially ranked at or near the top.

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

Admissions metric Fall 2025
Completed applications 10,575
Enrolled in first-year class 452
Acceptance rate approx. 13.4%
LSAT 25th / median / 75th 169 / 172 / 174
UGPA 25th / median / 75th 3.81 / 3.92 / 3.97

NYU's entering class draws from 109 undergraduate colleges, 36 states (plus D.C.) and 20 countries. Approximately 71% of matriculants had been out of college one to four years; 8% held advanced or professional degrees.

LSAT and GPA

Statistic 25th percentile Median 75th percentile
LSAT 169 172 174
Undergraduate GPA 3.81 3.92 3.97

NYU also accepts the GRE.

Interpreting the numbers

A 172 median LSAT places NYU solidly within the top tier but slightly below the 173–174 medians of Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, and Columbia, reflecting both an extremely large applicant pool and a larger entering class. These are medians, not cutoffs: NYU reads files holistically and explicitly states that "there are no combination of grades and scores that assure admission or denial." No LSAT or GPA guarantees admission.

Application timing

The application fee is $85, payable by credit card through LSAC. NYU offers a binding Early Decision program with a November 15 deadline (late December decisions) and a Regular Decision deadline of February 15. Applications for the Fall 2027 cycle opened September 1. Applying earlier in the cycle is generally advantageous, particularly for Early Decision candidates.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

The school's published student expense budget lists tuition of $87,312 for the current year, plus approximately $3,326 in health, registration, service, and technology fees. Tuition is the same for residents and non-residents because NYU is private.

Cost of attendance

Expense 2024–25 (most recent full budget published)
Tuition $79,954
Health, registration, service, and tech fees $3,198
Housing $20,930
Food $6,870
Books and supplies $1,600
Health insurance (basic) $4,177
Transportation $1,188
Loan fees $220
Total $118,137

The full line-item budget for 2026–27 was not published in machine-readable form in the sources reviewed; tuition and fees have risen since the 2024–25 budget shown above, and applicants should confirm the current-year total with NYU's Office of Financial Aid. The 2025–26 tuition-and-fees figure most widely reported is approximately $87,214–$87,312.

Financial aid

NYU awards a mix of merit-based and need-based aid. Per the 2025 ABA Standard 509 report, approximately 66% of students receive grant or scholarship funding, with a median grant of $20,000 and a 25th–75th percentile range of $12,000–$35,750. NYU Law's JD admissions office states that it does not base admissions decisions on financial need.

Debt perspective

NYU is among the most expensive law schools in the country, and students who pay near full price can accumulate very substantial debt. The compensating factor is the school's Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), the largest and most generous of any U.S. law school: more than 500 NYU Law graduates in public service currently have their debt burden paid in full or in part, and the program substantially mitigates risk for graduates entering government, public interest, and academia. Applicants comparing offers should model net cost after scholarships and LRAP eligibility rather than sticker price.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

Employment category Graduates
Total graduates 417
Total employed 414 (99.3%)
Bar passage required 409 (98.1%)
J.D. advantage 5
Professional position 0
Enrolled in graduate studies 0
Unemployed — seeking 3
Employment status unknown 0

Employment by type (of the 414 employed):

Employer type Percentage of employed
Law firms (total) 71.3%
  501+ attorneys 87.8% of firm-bound
  251–500 4.4%
  101–250 3.1%
  51–100 2.7%
  26–50 1.4%
Public interest 17.9%
Judicial clerkships (immediate) 7.7%
  Federal (of clerkships) 71.9%
Government 2.4%
Business & industry 0.7%

Law-school-funded positions: 24 graduates. Approximately 20% of each NYU class eventually clerks, with many graduates working for one or more years before starting (the 7.7% figure reflects only clerkships begun within 10 months of graduation).

What these numbers mean

NYU's Class of 2025 outcomes are elite on both of the dimensions that define the school. Nearly two-thirds of employed graduates (62.6%) joined firms of 501+ attorneys, one of the highest BigLaw rates in the country, and 99.3% of the class was employed 10 months out. Simultaneously, 17.9% of employed graduates took public-interest positions — by a wide margin the highest share of any T14 school — supported by NYU's unmatched public-service funding and LRAP. The 98.1% bar-required employment rate confirms that nearly every graduate seeking a legal job obtained one.

Bar passage

Bar statistic 2025 report
New York first-time takers 343
New York first-time passers 333
New York first-time pass rate 97.08%
New York ABA-school average 82.96%
Difference +14.12%

NYU's first-time bar passage rate in New York has been at or near the top of all ABA-approved law schools in recent years, and the school's graduates also sit for the bar in many other jurisdictions.

Where graduates go

NYU is a New York-dominant national school. For the Class of 2025, 74.2% of employed graduates took positions in New York, 5.3% in California, and 5.1% in Washington, D.C. The Mid-Atlantic region (NY, NJ, PA) accounted for 77.5% of placements. Median law-firm salary was $225,000 and the median overall salary was $225,000 (mean $181,530).

Academics and Programs

The J.D. requires a standard first-year curriculum followed by an extensive range of upper-level electives. NYU's academic identity is built on three pillars: the strongest public-interest program in the country, the #1-ranked tax program, and deep strength in international, corporate, and litigation law.

Public interest, tax, and interdisciplinary study

NYU offers the most extensive public-interest curriculum and funding of any U.S. law school, anchored by its Lawyering Program, public-service law centers, and the largest Loan Repayment Assistance Program in the country. Its Graduate Tax Program is the largest and most highly ranked tax program in the nation, and its international law, corporate law, and litigation programs are perennially ranked at or near the top.

Clinics and experiential learning

NYU operates 55 clinics and externship programs across subjects including civil rights, environmental law, immigration, domestic violence, entrepreneurship, and international human rights, giving students direct client-representation and practice experience. The school's clinical program is among the largest in the country.

Student Life and Location

NYU.jpeg

Living in New York City / Greenwich Village

NYU Law is located in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, one of the most desirable urban settings in the country and the center of the world's largest legal market. The location provides unmatched access to law firms, courts, government agencies, and public-interest organizations, offset by very high living costs that drive the total cost of attendance above $118,000. The campus is dense, walkable, and fully integrated into New York City.

Student body

With roughly 1,370 J.D. students, NYU is among the larger elite national schools. Students run 10 publications, more than 100 organizations, and a vibrant public-interest community. The school's size and urban setting support an extremely wide range of extracurricular and clinical opportunities.

How NYU Compares

Choose NYU if

  • You are committed to public interest or government work and want the most generous LRAP and public-service infrastructure in the country.
  • You want to practice in New York, particularly in BigLaw or tax law.
  • You value an urban campus with unmatched access to the largest legal market in the world.

Consider alternatives if

  • You are primarily targeting federal clerkships (Chicago, Stanford, or Yale may offer higher immediate placement rates).
  • You cannot manage New York living costs and would face large debt without a scholarship.
  • You prefer a smaller, more intimate program (Yale, Stanford, or Chicago may fit better).

The TLS Verdict

NYU Law offers one of the most versatile elite legal educations in the country. It is simultaneously a top-five BigLaw producer (62.6% of employed graduates into 501+ firms), the undisputed leader in public-interest law, and the #1 tax school, all in the world's largest legal market. Its 99.3% employment rate, 98.1% bar-required employment, and 97.1% New York first-time bar passage confirm that the degree delivers exceptional outcomes across almost every career path. The principal caution is cost: a six-figure annual budget with a median grant of $20,000 means many students graduate with substantial debt, mitigated only by NYU's extraordinary LRAP for public-service careers. For applicants targeting New York BigLaw, tax, or public interest, NYU is about as strong a choice as exists; for those prioritizing small classes or maximum federal clerkship placement, smaller T14 peers may fit better.

What Students Say

The following reflects recurring themes in Top-Law-Schools.com forum discussions. These comments are anecdotal and not representative survey results.

Frequently mentioned positives

Forum participants consistently highlight NYU's dominant New York BigLaw placement, the unmatched public-interest community and LRAP, the Greenwich Village location, the strength of the tax and corporate programs, and the collaborative rather than cutthroat student culture. Many note that NYU's size means a critical mass of students in every specialty.

Frequently mentioned concerns

The most common concerns are the very high cost of attendance and living expenses, the large student body, and NYU's weaker immediate federal clerkship numbers relative to smaller peer schools. Some discussion also notes that the public-interest funding, while generous, is competitive and requires planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into NYU Law?

Very hard. For Fall 2025, NYU enrolled 452 students from about 10,575 applicants, an acceptance rate of roughly 13.4%, placing it among the most selective law schools in the country.

What LSAT score is competitive for NYU?

The median LSAT for the Fall 2025 entering class was 172, with a middle-50% range of 169 to 174. Scores at or above 172 are competitive, but no score guarantees admission given the holistic review.

What GPA do NYU applicants typically have?

The median undergraduate GPA for Fall 2025 was 3.92, with a middle-50% range of 3.81 to 3.97.

Does NYU give scholarships?

Yes. NYU awards both merit- and need-based aid. Per the 2025 ABA 509 report, approximately 66% of students received grants, with a median grant of $20,000.

What is NYU's bar passage rate?

For the most recent finalized report (2025), NYU's first-time New York bar passage rate was 97.1%, well above the 83.0% average for ABA-approved schools in New York.

Is NYU good for BigLaw?

Yes. For the Class of 2025, 62.6% of employed graduates joined firms of 501+ attorneys — among the highest BigLaw rates of any law school — and the median law-firm salary was $225,000.

Is NYU good for public interest?

Yes, uniquely so. NYU places about 18% of employed graduates directly into public-interest work — the highest of any top law school — and operates the largest and most generous Loan Repayment Assistance Program in the country.

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

No. NYU offers a full-time day J.D. program only; there is no part-time or evening division.

What is NYU Law best known for?

NYU is best known for being the nation's leading public-interest law school, the #1 tax law program, and a dominant New York BigLaw placement school.

Contact and Key Links

New York University School of Law
Office of JD Admissions, Wilf Hall, 139 MacDougal Street
New York, NY 10012

Admissions Phone: 212-998-6060

Admissions Email: [email protected]

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

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