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Top Law Colleges in USA: Courses, Eligibility, Fees, Scholarships and Jobs

Law studies in USA is a professional graduate entry degree which means that the law programs offered are usually equivalent to a graduate degree in other parts of the world. According to the American Bar Association (ABA), there are a total of 202 ABA-approved law colleges in USA. The demand for lawyers in US is expected to grow as individuals, businesses, and governments require legal services in many areas.

According to QS Law Rankings 2021, there are a total of 50 universities in US that are among the top 100 law colleges in the world.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2020 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), the employment estimate for legal occupations in USA is 1,150,780 with an annual mean wage of 109,630 USD.
The entry level annual salaries of law graduates in legal firms in USA range between 58,000 USD - 70,000 USD. Check job opportunities in US
According to the BLS, the projected growth in the American job market for lawyers is expected to grow by 5% through 2029, faster than the average for all occupations, and will result in about 67,600 new jobs.

Top Law Colleges in USA

With a number of universities ranking among best law colleges of the world, the table below shows the top law colleges according to QS Rankings 2022 for world-class higher education in USA:

QS Law Rankings 2022	University Name (Law School)	Programs Offered
#1	Harvard University (Harvard Law School)	JD, LLM, JSD and Joint Programs
#3	Stanford University (Stanford Law School)	JD, LLM, JSD, Stanford Program in International Legal Studies (SPILS) and Master of Legal Studies (MLS)
#19	Columbia University (Columbia Law School)	JD, LLM, Executive LLM in Global Business Law, JSD
#42	New York University (NYU) (NYU School of Law)	JD, LLM, JSD, Executive LLM in Taxation, MSL in Taxation, Advanced Professional Certificate in Taxation and Advanced Professional Certificate in Law & Business
#32	University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley School of Law)	JD, LLM, JSD, Ph.D. (Jurisprudence & Social Policy- JSP Program), Executive Education Program

Top Law Colleges in USA: Degree Types

Law colleges in USA generally offer three types of degree programs. However, there are other law degrees as well offered at various top colleges. US law college applications can be made for:

Juris Doctor J.D.- Usually a three year full-time program offered at universities. This degree allows a candidate to practice law within USA.
Master of Laws (LLM)- LLM in USA is usually a one year program offered to people who already have a JD or equivalent degree. Offered with various specializations, LLM helps to specialize in a specific area of legal study.
Master’s Degree- Include degrees such as Master of Legal Studies (MLS), Master of Studies in Law etc. These degree programs are for people who want to study law but aren't looking to become lawyers.
Doctor of Juridical Science J.S.D./ S.J.D.- Also referred to as Doctor of the Science of Law is an advanced and highest law degree offered in USA. A JSD/ SJD degree can be completed in three years of full-time study. This program is open only to students of respective law schools and hardly accept applications from international students.
Ph.D. in Law- A three year duration program that does not always require a JD degree. Available for international students as well who want to complete a degree with required coursework and academic research.
Legal Certificate- Can be completed in as little as three months with online options available.

Apart from these above mentioned programs, various law colleges in USA such as NYU School of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, University of Colorado Boulder, etc. also offer executive programs in law for professionals.

Legal studies at top law colleges in USA follow the Socrates Method for teaching. Under this teaching method, the professor cold calls on a student to state a case and respond to case-based questions. This helps in the improvement of argumentative dialogue among students usually helpful during legal practice.

Law Colleges in USA: Areas of Study

The academics for law programs are more than just coursework and include interdisciplinary intellectual dialogue, clinical experiences, first-hand lawyering, etc. There are various areas of study offering students with a wide choice of academic specializations.

The table below shows the various areas of specialization at top law colleges in USA:

Law School	Areas of Study
Harvard Law School	Law & Business; Law, Science & Technology; Criminal Justice; International & Comparative Law; Law & Government; Law & History; Law & Social Change
Yale Law School	Administrative; Constitutional; Corporate & Commercial; Criminal Justice; Environmental; Human Rights; International; IT & Media; Law & Health; Public Interest
Stanford Law School	Environmental Law & Policy; International Economic Law, Business & Policy; Law, Science & Technology; Corporate Governance & Practice
UC Berkeley School of Law	Social Justice/ Public Interest; Business & Start-ups; Tech/IP/Privacy; Environment + Energy; Criminal Justice; Constitutional/ Regulatory; International + Comparative
Columbia Law School	Gender & Sexuality, Human Rights; Environment; Criminal Law; International & Comparative Law, etc.
NYU School of Law	Taxation; International Law; Human Rights; Immigration Law; Criminal Law & Administration; Environmental & Energy, etc.

Law Colleges in USA Offering Juris Doctor (J.D.)

A Juris Doctor (J.D.) in USA is a three year program offering students with the intellectual foundation for legal studies. A J.D. degree enables a graduate to practice law in USA.

Around 202 American colleges offer Juris Doctor program. The table below shows the top US universities offering the degree:

University Name	Annual Fee (in USD)
Harvard University	65,875
Yale University	66,128
Stanford University	62,175
University of California, Berkeley	57,516
Columbia University	69,896
New York University (NYU)	33,018

Law Colleges in USA: Eligibility Criteria for Juris Doctor

Admissions for the Juris Doctor (JD) degree is open for the fall semester. To be eligible for Juris Doctor degree, an applicant must meet the following admission requirements:

bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognized university
Standardized test scores such as Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
Scores of English language proficiency such as TOEFL IELTS, etc.

Law Colleges in USA: Documents Required for Juris Doctor

Completed application form submitted through Law School Admission Council (LSAC)
Non-refundable application fee
Academic transcripts from all educational institutions attended
LAST or GRE scores
English language proficiency scores
Resume
Letters of recommendation
Statement of Purpose for Studying in USA
Essay
LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report sent to law school

The LSAC application is available from September 1. Although international students are advised to submit their applications early to allow enough time to apply for a student visa to USA. The LSAC applications are available till February 15.

Law Colleges in USA: Fees & Funding for Juris Doctor (J.D.)

The tuition fees for Juris Doctor degree range from 30,000- 70,000 USD per year depending on the university. Regardless of the citizenship of the student, law colleges in USA offer various financial aid options to help students finance their studies. There are various international scholarships to study in USA that are awarded by the universities, private agencies or organizations, etc.

Law Colleges in USA offering Masters in Law

There are various masters in law programs offered. These include LLM (Master of Law), Master of Legal Studies, Master of Studies in Law, etc. The top law colleges in USA offering masters in law are tabulated below:

University Name	Programs Offered	Duration	Annual Fee (in USD)
Harvard University	LLM	1 year	68,150
Yale University	LLM	1 year	65,792
Yale University	Master of Studies in Law (MSL)	1 year	65,792
Stanford University	LLM	9 months	62,175
	Stanford Program in International Legal Studies (SPILS)	9 months	62,175
	Master of Legal Studies (MLS)	1 year	62,175
University of California, Berkeley	LLM	9 months	63,362
Columbia University	LLM	2 years	69,896
Columbia University	Executive LLM in Global Business Law	5 years	59,558
New York University (NYU)	LLM	Up to 5 years	55,040
	Executive LLM in Taxation	Up to 5 years	59,558
	MSL in Taxation	5 years	66,036

Law Colleges in USA: Eligibility for Masters in Law

To be eligible for LLM in USA, an applicant must meet the following admission requirements:

Have a recognized professional first law degree from a recognized college. These include degrees such as:
- Juris Doctor (J.D.)
- Bachelor of Law
- LLB
- Integrated five year Bachelor of Law, or equivalent
Proof of English proficiency through one of the test scores of:
- TOEFL (iBT): 100
- IELTS: 7

Law Colleges in USA: Documents Required for Masters in Law

Completed admission application through LSAC
Academic transcripts from all educational institutions attended
Proof of English proficiency
Resume
Statement of Purpose for LLM in US
Letter of recommendation
Financial aid application
Payment of non-refundable admission application fee

NOTE- For other master programs, students need not submit a law degree. A bachelor's degree from a recognized university is acceptable. For executive master programs, an applicant might be required to provide proof of professional work experience.

Law Colleges in USA: Fees & Funding for Masters in Law

The tuition fees for masters in law range from 55,000- 70,000 USD annually based on the program and university. There are a number of scholarships to study masters degree in USA that can be undertaken by a student.

Top Law Colleges in USA offering Ph.D. in Law

Ph.D. in Law in USA is available for students who want to have a career as legal scholars and teachers. According to QS Law Rankings 2020, there are only two US law colleges among top 10 in the world that offer a Ph.D. in Law.

University Name	Programs Offered	Program Duration
Yale University	Ph.D. in Law	3 years
University of California, Berkeley	Ph.D. (Jurisprudence & Social Policy- JSP Program)	5 years

Yale University: Eligibility for Ph.D. in Law

To be eligible for admissions, an applicant is required to have a J.D. degree from a US law school. Practicing experience is not required but can be useful in qualifying the admission process.

To apply for the program, applicant must submit the following documents for admission:

Personal Statement
Research Proposal
Writing Sample
Letter of Recommendation
Test scores of LSAT exam
Academic transcripts from all educational institutions attended
CV
Payment of non-refundable application fee

UC Berkeley: Eligibility for Ph.D. in Law

UC Berkeley offers Jurisprudence & Social Policy- JSP Program, commonly referred to as Ph.D. in Law. To be eligible for the program, an applicant is required to have an academic degree acceptable at UC Berkeley (it need not be in law).

As part of the admission application, an applicant must submit-

Completed admission application
Academic transcripts from all educational institutions attended
Scores of GRE aptitude test
Letters of recommendation
Statement of purpose
Personal statement
Sample of past written work
Scores of English language proficiency

Law Colleges in USA: Fee & Funding for Ph.D.

The tuition fee for Ph.D. in Law ranges from 28,000- 40,000 USD per year. However, students are advised to check with the university regarding the exact tuition expenses. The candidates of Ph.D. programs at law colleges in USA usually receive a fellowship from the university to financially support their doctoral studies.

Law Colleges in USA: Scholarships Offered

Studying abroad in USA can cost a fortune as America is much more costly compared to other overseas destinations. Therefore to help students, there are a number of financial options.

A few of the scholarships for international students in US are available at top law colleges are:

Scholarship	University	Scholarship Details
Jagdish Bhagwati Fellowship	Columbia Law School	Awarded to graduate students; Awarding partial or fill funding
Employment Law Scholarship	Harvard University	Amount of 1,000 USD awarded to students enrolled in J.D. program
Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program	Stanford University	Full funding to Stanford graduate students
Asia Pacific Scholarship	UC Berkeley	10,000 USD from Asian/Pacific countries (India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, etc.) enrolled in LLM program
Arthur T. Vanderbilt Scholarships	New York University	Merit-based covering full-tuition fee for master’s degree program
Podell Global Graduate Legal Scholarship	NewYork University	Awarded to international LLM student covering full tuition, reasonable living expenses and airfare for one round-trip to and from New York

Law Colleges in USA: Jobs and Salaries

After a law program, a graduate working in the legal sector in USA can earn around 96,200 USD per year. Salaries in the legal sector range from 52,800 USD- 149,000 USD per year. According to reports by salaryexplorer, a legal studies graduate in USA can earn 10% more than graduates working in other sectors.

The salary after graduating from top law colleges in USA differ based on the city and state of occupation. The chart below shows the average salary by American states after a law degree.

A law graduate can look for a number of jobs in USA. The table below shows a few of the jobs taken by law graduates in USA:

Occupation	Average Annual Salary (in USD)
Lawyer	84,000- 126,000
Associate Attorney	73,000- 94,000
General Counsel	90,000- 254,000
Tax Manager	71,000- 128,000
Tax Attorney	59,000- 195,000
Federal Judge	175,000- 203,000
Corporate Lawyer	60,000- 241,000
Associate Professor of Law	78,000- 128,000
Criminal Defense Lawyer	48,000- 173,000
Government Attorney	51,000- 151,000

Legal professionals in USA are likely to observe a salary increment of 10% every 14 months. According to the recent reports, there is a slow yet continuous increase in the salary for legal professionals.

This concludes that the law colleges in USA not only provide quality education but also train international students to earn attractive incomes during their careers.