Job Prospects For Law School Graduates
Before investing in a law degree, it’s important to identify law schools where graduates have high employment rates. Experts say schools where the vast majority of students graduated with lasting full-time jobs are a safer bet than those where graduates often struggle to find employment.
Here are the 10 law schools with the highest percentage of 2015 graduates who at graduation had full-time jobs lasting at least a year. The employment rates for these schools exclude graduates with university- or law school-funded positions.
10. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
U.S. News law school rank: 8 (tie)
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 83.1 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 80.5 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and where a J.D. was an advantage: 2.5 percent
More on the law school at University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.
9. Yale University (CT)
U.S. News law school rank: 1
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 84.5 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 81.2 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and where a J.D. was an advantage: 3.3 percent
More on Yale Law School.
8. Cornell University (NY)
U.S. News law school rank: 13
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 86.9 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 85.2 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and where a J.D. was an advantage: 1.6 percent
More on Cornell Law School.
7. Columbia University (NY)
U.S. News law school rank: 5
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 87.2 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 85.5 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and where a J.D. was an advantage: 1.7 percent
More on Columbia Law School.
6. Harvard University (MA)
U.S. News law school rank: 3
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 87.3 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 83.9 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year where a J.D. was an advantage: 3.4 percent
More on Harvard Law School.
5. Duke University (NC)
U.S. News law school rank: 10 (tie)
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 88 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 86.1 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and where a J.D. was an advantage: 1.9 percent
More on the law school at Duke University.
4. Stanford University (CA)
U.S. News law school rank: 2
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 88.2 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 84.1 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and where a J.D. was an advantage: 4.1 percent
More on Stanford Law School.
3. New York University
U.S. News law school rank: 6
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 88.9 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 86.2 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and where a J.D. was an advantage: 2.7 percent
More on NYU Law School.
2. University of Chicago
U.S. News law school rank: 4
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 90.3 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 90.3 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that that lasted at least a year and where a J.D. was an advantage: 0 percent
More on the University of Chicago Law School.
1. University of Pennsylvania
U.S. News law school rank: 7
2015 graduates employed at graduation in a full-time job that lasted at least a year for which bar passage was required or a J.D. degree was an advantage: 92.3 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and required bar passage: 88.2 percent
2015 graduates who left school with a full-time job that lasted at least a year and where a J.D. was an advantage: 4.1 percent
More on the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Prepare for the Legal Job Market
Aspiring lawyers who want to learn more about recent law school graduates’ job prospects can access the complete 2018 U.S. News Best Law Schools rankings.
For more guidance on finding a law school that matches your career goals, follow U.S. News Education on Facebook and Twitter.
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10 Law Schools With the Highest Full-Time Employment Rates originally appeared on usnews.com
