New York University School of Law

Last updated: August 21, 2026

New York University School of Law

New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University in New York City. Founded in 1835, it is located in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan and offers a full-time Juris Doctor|J.D. program as well as LL.M. and J.S.D. programs. NYU Law is known for its broad academic offerings, including international law, taxation, criminal law, public interest law, corporate and commercial law, and clinical education. Its location in New York City also places students near major law firms, courts, government agencies, financial institutions, and nonprofit organizations.

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NYU Law at a Glance

New York University School of Law at a Glance

Category	Information
School	New York University School of Law
University	New York University
Location	New York City, New York
Founded	1835
ABA Status	ABA-approved; Council-approved since 1930
JD Program	Full-time day program
JD Enrollment	Approximately 1,370 full-time day JD students
2025 Entering Class	452 students
Completed Applications	10,546
Acceptance Rate	13.39%
LSAT	169 / 172 / 174 (25th / 50th / 75th percentile)
GPA	3.81 / 3.92 / 3.97 (25th / 50th / 75th percentile)
2026–27 Tuition	$87,312
2026–27 Mandatory Fees	$3,326
2026–27 Estimated Cost of Attendance	$127,668
Employment Rate	99.28% (Class of 2025, 10 months after graduation)
First-Time Bar Passage Rate	96.94% (2025 examination cycle)
Primary Employment Market	New York
Median Overall Salary	$225,000 (Class of 2025 detailed employment report)
Median Law Firm Salary	$225,000 (Class of 2025)
Notable Strengths	International law, tax law, criminal law, public interest law, clinical education, corporate and commercial law, intellectual property and technology

Introduction

New York University School of Law, commonly known as NYU Law, is the law school of New York University. It was founded in 1835 and is located in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, near Washington Square Park.

NYU Law operates a full-time, three-year Juris Doctor program. The school also offers Master of Laws|LL.M. and Doctor of Juridical Science|J.S.D. degrees and several dual-degree programs.

The school's location places students near New York City's courts, law firms, financial institutions, government offices, nonprofit organizations and other legal employers.

NYU Law has a broad academic curriculum and is particularly associated with international and global law, taxation, criminal law, public interest law, corporate and commercial law, intellectual property, regulation and public policy.

The school reports approximately 1,370 full-time day J.D. students, 38 centers and institutes, 58 clinics and externships, 10 student-run publications and more than 100 student organizations.

For prospective students, NYU Law may be particularly relevant to applicants interested in major-market legal practice, large law firms, public-interest careers, international law, tax, criminal law and other specialized fields. Its principal tradeoffs include a highly competitive admissions process and a high published cost of attendance.

Rankings and Reputation

U.S. News Rankings

For the 2026–27 U.S. News Best Law Schools rankings, NYU Law is ranked No. 7 nationally. The school moved up from No. 8 in the previous ranking cycle.

Ranking / Recognition	Result	Year
U.S. News Best Law Schools	No. 7 nationally	2026–27
International Law	No. 1	2026–27
Tax Law	No. 1	2026–27
Criminal Law	No. 1, tied with Stanford	2026–27
Clinical Training	No. 2	2026–27
Business/Corporate Law	No. 2	2026–27
Intellectual Property Law	No. 3	2026–27
Constitutional Law	No. 5	2026–27
Environmental Law	No. 8	2026–27

The U.S. News ranking is a third-party assessment based on the publication's methodology and should not be treated as an objective measure of every aspect of legal education.

Specialty rankings measure particular areas of legal education and should not be interpreted as comprehensive rankings of the entire J.D. program.

National and Regional Reputation

NYU Law has a national rather than exclusively regional reputation. Although New York is its largest employment market, graduates also enter legal markets throughout the United States and internationally.

For the Class of 2025, 74.15% of employed graduates were working in New York. California accounted for 5.31% and Washington, D.C. accounted for 5.07%.

The school's national profile is particularly relevant for applicants interested in large law firms, public-interest organizations, government, international legal work and other major legal markets.

Admissions

Entering Class

The Fall 2025 entering J.D. class consisted of 452 students.

Admissions Measure	2025
Completed applications	10,546
Admission offers	1,412
Acceptance rate	13.39%
Enrollees from applicant pool	430
Total first-year class	452
Enrollment rate from offers	30.45%
Full-time students	452
Part-time students	0

The ABA report notes that 22 students in the first-year class had deferred admission from a previous year and were therefore not part of the current-year applicant pool.

NYU's institutional Fall 2025 class profile reports 10,575 applicants. The difference between the institutional and ABA figures reflects different reporting methodologies. The 10,546 figure is used for the standardized ABA acceptance-rate calculation.

LSAT and GPA

For the Fall 2025 entering class, the ABA reported:

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

Of the 452 matriculating students, 448 had LSAT scores reported. Three matriculants were admitted using the GRE and one was reported in another admissions-test category.

Interpreting the Numbers

NYU Law's admissions statistics indicate a highly selective applicant pool. The 172 LSAT median and 3.92 GPA median place the typical enrolled student at a high academic level.

An LSAT or GPA above the median does not guarantee admission. Similarly, an applicant below one or both medians may still be considered depending on the rest of the application.

NYU requires applicants to take either the LSAT or GRE. Applicants with both exams may submit both, but the school does not treat a particular numerical combination as an automatic admission threshold.

The 13.39% acceptance rate means that applicants should treat NYU Law as highly competitive even when their academic credentials are close to the published medians.

Application Timing

For Fall 2027 admission, applicants should consult NYU Law's official J.D. admissions page for the current application cycle and deadlines.

Application Item	Deadline
Application opens	September 1, 2026
Early Decision	November 15, 2026
Programmatic scholarship priority	December 1, 2026
Final programmatic scholarship deadline	January 1, 2027
Regular Decision	February 15, 2027

The Early Decision program is binding. Applicants seeking consideration for certain programmatic scholarships should pay attention to the earlier scholarship deadlines.

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

NYU's current 2026–27 estimated student expense budget lists:

Expense	2026–27
Tuition	$87,312
Health, Registration, Service and Technology Fees	$3,326

The J.D. is a full-time program, so NYU does not publish a separate part-time J.D. tuition schedule.

Estimated Living Expenses

NYU's 2026–27 student budget estimates:

Expense	Estimated Amount
Housing	$21,300
Food	$7,200
Books and Supplies	$1,650
Health Insurance	$4,952
Transportation	$1,400
Loan Fees	$528
Total Estimated Student Budget	$127,668

The budget is an estimate used to determine the amount of financial aid available to students and may be modified.

International students may have additional expenses associated with relocation, visas, SEVIS, international travel and settling in the United States that are not included in the standard student expense budget.

Scholarships

NYU offers general financial aid as well as specialized scholarship programs.

The 2025 ABA scholarship data for the 2024–25 academic year show:

Scholarship Measure	Number	Percentage
Students included in scholarship report	1,327	—
Students receiving grants	870	66%
Students receiving less than half tuition	656	49%
Students receiving half to full tuition	66	5%
Students receiving full tuition	148	11%

The reported grant distribution was:

Grant Measure	Amount
25th percentile	$12,000
Median grant	$20,000
75th percentile	$35,750

NYU Law does not award scholarships that are conditional on law-school academic performance. The school therefore does not publish an ABA conditional-scholarship retention worksheet.

NYU offers a range of scholarships to incoming and current students. Specialized programs include the Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholarship and the Furman Academic Scholars Program.

Scholarship availability should not be interpreted as a prediction of the aid an individual applicant will receive.

Debt Perspective

NYU's cost of attendance is an important consideration because the published 2026–27 student budget is $127,668.

A simple three-year multiplication of that figure would exceed $383,000, although such a calculation is not an estimate of an individual student's actual debt. Scholarships, personal resources, summer earnings, changes in tuition, living arrangements, borrowing decisions and loan interest can materially change the total.

The financial picture also varies considerably by career. NYU's Class of 2025 employment data show a $225,000 overall median salary and a $225,000 median law-firm salary, while public-interest and government positions had substantially lower reported median salaries.

NYU also operates a Loan Repayment Assistance Program for eligible graduates pursuing public-service careers.

Prospective students should compare actual net cost, scholarship terms, expected career path and geographic preferences rather than relying on published tuition alone.

Employment Outcomes and Bar Passage

Employment

The most recent available employment report covers the Class of 2025 and reports employment status approximately ten months after graduation.

Employment Measure	Class of 2025
Graduates	417
Employed	414 (99.28%)
Bar-passage-required positions	409
J.D.-advantage positions	5
Unemployed and seeking	3
Full-time, long-term employed	414

Employment by Sector

Sector	Percentage of Employed Graduates
Law firms	71.26%
Public interest	17.87%
Judicial clerkships	7.73%
Government	2.42%
Business and industry	0.72%

Among graduates entering private practice, 87.80% of law-firm placements were with firms employing 501 or more attorneys.

Salary Information

For the Class of 2025, NYU's detailed employment data report:

Salary Measure	Amount
Overall 25th percentile	$91,571
Overall median	$225,000
Overall 75th percentile	$225,000
Overall mean	$181,530
Law-firm median	$225,000
Public-interest median	$81,000
Government median	$84,801
Judicial-clerk median	$81,937

NYU's current At a Glance page separately displays a $215,000 median overall salary, while the detailed employment table reports $225,000. This profile uses the detailed Class of 2025 employment table for the salary statistic.

What These Numbers Mean

NYU's 99.28% employment rate is a strong headline outcome, but the sector distribution is important.

Large private law firms are the dominant employment destination, accounting for 71.26% of employed graduates. Public-interest positions represented 17.87%, while government and clerkships accounted for smaller shares.

The high median salary is also influenced by the concentration of graduates entering large law firms.

The employment figures describe outcomes for a particular graduating class and do not establish that attendance at NYU alone caused those outcomes. Student credentials, career choices, labor-market conditions and other factors also influence employment.

Bar Passage

NYU's most recent bar-passage report covers 2025 graduates and the 2025 bar examination cycle.

Measure	Result
First-time takers	425
First-time passers	412
NYU first-time pass rate	96.94%
Council weighted average	86.37%
Difference	+10.57 percentage points

For New York:

Measure	Result
First-time takers	355
Passers	345
NYU pass rate	97.18%
Council-accredited New York law-school average	87.27%

NYU's California and District of Columbia first-time takers each recorded a 100% pass rate in the 2025 data.

The bar-pass rate is an outcome for a particular graduating cohort and examination cycle and should not be treated as a guarantee for future graduates.

Regional Employment

New York is NYU Law's dominant employment market.

Employment Market	Percentage of Employed Graduates
New York	74.15%
California	5.31%
District of Columbia	5.07%

The school reports that 77.54% of employed graduates were located in the broader Mid-Atlantic region.

Other graduates entered markets throughout the United States and abroad.

Academics and Programs

NYU Law offers a broad curriculum organized around areas including corporate and commercial law, criminal law, global and international law, taxation, regulation and public policy, intellectual property, environmental law, litigation and other fields.

International and Global Law

International and global law is one of NYU Law's prominent academic areas.

Relevant programs include the Hauser Global Law School Program, Guarini Institute for Global Legal Studies, Institute for International Law and Justice, US-Asia Law Institute and other international programs.

Students can study subjects including international human rights, international commercial law, international arbitration, international trade and investment, international environmental law and international institutions.

NYU was ranked No. 1 in International Law in the 2026–27 U.S. News specialty rankings.

Tax Law

NYU has a longstanding tax-law program through its Graduate Tax Program and extensive tax curriculum.

The school offers J.D. coursework in areas including business taxation, international taxation, estate and gift taxation, nonprofit taxation, tax policy and tax controversy.

J.D. students may also pursue a J.D./LL.M. in Taxation.

NYU was ranked No. 1 in Tax Law in the 2026–27 U.S. News specialty rankings.

Criminal Law

NYU offers substantial coursework and clinical opportunities in criminal law and criminal justice.

The Peter L. Zimroth Center on the Administration of Criminal Law studies issues involving prosecutorial power and discretion.

Other NYU programs address criminal defense, sentencing, civil rights and related criminal-justice issues.

NYU was ranked No. 1 in Criminal Law, tied with Stanford in the 2026–27 U.S. News specialty rankings.

Corporate, Commercial, Technology and Intellectual Property Law

NYU offers extensive coursework in corporate and commercial law, antitrust, intellectual property, information law and technology.

Its New York City location provides access to a large concentration of law firms, financial institutions, technology companies and corporate employers.

NYU was ranked No. 2 in Business/Corporate Law and No. 3 in Intellectual Property Law in the 2026–27 U.S. News specialty rankings.

Human Rights and Public Interest Law

NYU has extensive infrastructure supporting public-interest careers.

The Public Interest Law Center provides career counseling, programming and funding opportunities.

The school also operates numerous public-interest clinics and specialized scholarship programs.

The Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholarship is one of NYU's prominent public-service programs.

NYU also provides public-interest summer funding to eligible students.

Practical Training

NYU reports 58 clinics and externships.

The 2025 ABA Standard 509 report recorded:

Experiential Measure	2025
Clinic seats available	669
Clinic seats filled	650
Field-placement positions filled	350
Simulation-course seats available	977
Simulation-course seats filled	752
Co-curricular offerings	177

Clinical and experiential opportunities include criminal defense, civil litigation, business transactions, immigration, environmental and climate justice, international organizations, veterans' rights and other areas.

Students should not assume that every student receives a particular clinic. Many clinics and externships use application or matching processes.

Student Life and Location

Living in New York City

NYU Law is located in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, near Washington Square Park.

The location places students close to New York's courts, law firms, government offices, financial institutions, nonprofit organizations and cultural institutions.

Students can generally use the city's subway and bus systems, walking and cycling for transportation.

NYU's 2026–27 student budget allocates $21,300 for housing and $7,200 for food.

NYU also provides law-student housing options. Actual housing costs vary based on university housing availability, neighborhood, apartment type, roommates and commuting distance.

Student Body

The 2025 ABA report lists 1,405 J.D. students as of October 5, 2025.

Student Body Measure	Information
Total J.D. enrollment	1,405, 2025 ABA report
Current institutional J.D. enrollment	Approximately 1,370 full-time day J.D. students
2025 first-year class	452
Part-time J.D. students	0
Student organizations	More than 100
Student-run publications	10
Centers and institutes	38
Clinics and externships	58

The 2025 entering class included students from 109 colleges, 36 states including Washington, D.C., and 20 countries.

NYU reports that 71% of the entering class had been out of college for one to four years, 12% had been out of college for five or more years and 8% held advanced or professional degrees.

Student organizations cover professional, academic, cultural, public-interest and social interests.

How NYU Law Compares

Choose NYU Law If

NYU Law may be particularly attractive if you:

• Want to build a career in the New York legal market
• Want access to large law firms
• Are interested in international or global law
• Want to specialize in tax law
• Are interested in criminal law or criminal justice
• Want extensive public-interest infrastructure
• Value a large selection of clinics and experiential opportunities
• Want a law school with a national employment footprint
• Prefer an urban law-school environment in a major legal and financial center

The Class of 2025 employment data provide particularly strong evidence for New York and large-law-firm placement, while the school's academic offerings support international, tax, criminal and public-interest interests.

Consider Alternatives If

Another law school may be preferable if:

• It offers you a substantially lower net cost
• You receive a significantly larger scholarship elsewhere
• You intend to practice primarily in a geographic market where another school has a stronger alumni or recruiting concentration
• Your preferred specialty has stronger resources at another school
• You prefer a traditional residential campus instead of a dense urban environment
• You are pursuing public-interest work and another school's scholarship or loan-repayment package produces a materially better financial outcome

NYU's national reputation means it is not limited to New York, but the school's employment data show that New York remains its largest employment market by a substantial margin.

The TLS Verdict

NYU Law is a highly selective national law school with strong employment outcomes and extensive academic resources. The Fall 2025 entering class had a 172 median LSAT and 3.92 median GPA, while 99.28% of the Class of 2025 was employed ten months after graduation.

Its clearest strengths include its New York location, large-law-firm placement, international and tax programs, criminal-law resources, public-interest infrastructure and extensive clinical offerings.

The principal concern is cost. NYU's 2026–27 estimated student budget is $127,668, making scholarship and debt considerations particularly important. Students entering large-firm practice may have a different financial outlook from students entering lower-paying government or public-interest positions.

NYU is likely to be a strong fit for applicants who want a nationally recognized J.D. and are comfortable with New York's cost of living, particularly those targeting New York, large law firms, international law, tax, criminal law or public-interest careers.

Applicants should compare actual scholarship offers, employment goals and geographic preferences rather than relying on rankings alone.

What Students Say

The following section summarizes publicly available student and applicant discussions. These observations represent anecdotal community sentiment and are not official NYU findings or statistically representative survey results.

Frequently Mentioned Positives

Collaborative Culture

Some student and applicant discussions describe classmates as collaborative and willing to share outlines or study resources.

These descriptions vary by individual and cohort and should not be treated as a measured characteristic of the entire student body.

Public-Interest Environment

Public-interest resources are mentioned positively in some applicant discussions, particularly in connection with NYU's Public Interest Law Center, public-interest scholarships and summer funding.

These perceptions are consistent with the school's official public-interest infrastructure but remain anecdotal when attributed to individual student discussions.

Location

Students frequently identify the Greenwich Village location as an advantage because of access to restaurants, public transportation, Washington Square Park and the broader New York City environment.

Academic Breadth

Students interested in specialized fields can draw on NYU's large number of centers, institutes, clinics and academic offerings.

The breadth of opportunities is an objective feature of the school, while individual student assessments of those opportunities are subjective.

Frequently Mentioned Concerns

Cost

Cost is a recurring concern in public applicant discussions. This concern is also consistent with NYU's official 2026–27 published budget of $127,668.

Housing

Some students describe finding affordable housing in New York City as challenging, while others choose university housing or shared apartments.

Individual experiences vary considerably.

Access to Particular Clinics

NYU has many clinics and externships, but access to a specific opportunity is not guaranteed.

The school's clinical programs use application and matching procedures for many placements.

Geographic Concentration

Some students seeking careers outside New York may need to make an intentional effort to build connections in another market.

The official employment data show that New York accounts for 74.15% of employed Class of 2025 graduates, although NYU also places graduates throughout the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is NYU Law a good law school?

NYU Law is a highly selective national law school ranked No. 7 overall in the 2026–27 U.S. News rankings. It also has particularly strong specialty rankings in international law, tax law and criminal law.

Its Class of 2025 reported a 99.28% employment rate ten months after graduation.

Whether NYU is a good fit depends on an applicant's career goals, geography, scholarship and debt considerations.

What LSAT score is competitive for NYU Law?

For the Fall 2025 entering class, NYU reported an LSAT range of 169 / 172 / 174 at the 25th, median and 75th percentiles.

A 172 or higher places an applicant around or above the median enrolled student, but no LSAT score guarantees admission.

What is NYU Law's acceptance rate?

NYU's 2025 ABA acceptance rate was 13.39%, based on 10,546 completed applications and 1,412 admission offers.

How much is NYU Law tuition?

For 2026–27, NYU Law lists tuition of $87,312 and health, registration, service and technology fees of $3,326.

The school's estimated total annual student budget is $127,668.

What is NYU Law's bar passage rate?

For 2025 graduates taking the bar in the 2025 examination cycle, NYU reported a 96.94% first-time bar passage rate.

For New York, the first-time pass rate was 97.18%.

What is NYU Law known for?

NYU Law is particularly associated with international law, tax law, criminal law, public-interest law, corporate and commercial law, intellectual property and clinical education.

Its 2026–27 U.S. News specialty rankings placed it No. 1 in international law and tax law and No. 1, tied with Stanford, in criminal law.

Does NYU Law have a part-time program?

No. NYU's J.D. is a full-time day program. The 2025 ABA report lists 452 full-time first-year students and zero part-time students.

Does NYU Law offer full-tuition scholarships?

Yes. NYU offers several full-tuition scholarship programs, including the Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholarship and other specialized programs.

The 2025 ABA scholarship data show that 148 students, or 11% of students included in the scholarship report, received full-tuition grants in the reported year.

Where do NYU Law graduates work?

New York is the dominant employment market.

74.15% of employed Class of 2025 graduates worked in New York. California accounted for 5.31% and Washington, D.C. for 5.07%.

How competitive is NYU Law admission?

Admission is highly competitive.

The 2025 ABA data show a 13.39% acceptance rate, a 172 median LSAT and a 3.92 median GPA.

When should I apply to NYU Law?

For Fall 2027 admission, the application opens September 1, 2026.

The Early Decision deadline is November 15, 2026, and the Regular Decision deadline is February 15, 2027.

Applicants seeking consideration for certain programmatic scholarships should review the earlier December 1 and January 1 deadlines.

Is NYU Law nationally portable?

NYU has a national employment footprint, although New York is its primary market.

The Class of 2025 included placements in California, Washington, D.C., other states and foreign countries.

Contact and Key Links

New York University School of Law

40 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
(212) 998-6100

Official links

• NYU School of Law
• JD application process
• ABA required disclosures
• Employment outcomes
• 2026–27 NYU tuition and student budget

Sources

• Rank #7
  
• NYU Law School ABA Standard 509 Information Report (2025)
• NYU ABA required disclosures
• NYU Law employment outcomes
• NYU 2026–27 Graduate and Professional Student Expense Budget
• NYU Law At a Glance
• NYU Law Bar Passage Report
• NYU JD Admissions