Academic Prestige and Ranking
Yale Law School consistently ranks as one of the top law schools in the nation, often in the top 5. The QS World University Rankings ranked Yale Law School as 1st in 2016, 2nd in 2017, 4th in 2018, 3rd in 2019 and again 1st in 2020. The QS World University Rankings considers the academic performance of universities around the world and takes into consideration academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio and citations per faculty.
Yale Law School has an academic reputation of 4.6 out of 5 according to QS World University Rankings. Academic reputation is based on responses to surveys distributed to academics around the world. The surveys are used to assess the perceived quality of academic research and excellence at the institution. Yale Law School has an academic reputation that is equal to Harvard Law School, each at a level of 4.6 out of 5 . On a national ranking, Yale Law School is 3rd in terms of academic research output. Harvard Law School has consistently been ranked as one of the most prestigious law schools worldwide for several decades, ranking within the top 10 law schools globally every year since 2003. Harvard Law School was ranked 1st in the QS World Rankings from 2004 to 2015, before being superseded in 2016 when Yale Law School moved to 1st place. In 2018, Harvard Law School was once again ranked 1st in the world. In 2019 it was once again rated 1st, but was surpassed when Yale Law School retook the position in 2020.
According to QS World University Rankings, Harvard Law School has an academic reputation of 4.6 out of 5. Harvard Law School’s faculty/staff ratio is also the same as Yale Law School, 4.6 out of 5. In terms of national rankings, Harvard Law School is 11th in terms of research output and 21st in terms of overall reputation.
Faculty Experience and Curriculum
A critical aspect when selecting between Yale Law and Harvard Law hinges on the faculty expertise and curriculum offerings. While both institutions boast a number of world-renowned scholars, unique programs at each institution allow for slightly different foci of legal study.
Yale Law prides itself on offering a broadist scope of subjects of study, with Harvard Law having a more decidedly liberal-arts style approach. Aside from the Law School’s climb to number one in the areas of International Law and Intellectual Property, Harvard’s vast offerings of over 300 courses and 12 study abroad programs give students an insight into areas of the law not as prominent at Yale.
Yale, home of highly revered faculty such as Akhil Reed Amar, has offered elite scholars across multiple disciplines for decades. They also allow students to teach their own course in their third year, and also receive credit for courses taught by highly respected judges and practitioners. While Harvard Law allows for patent and other firms to partner with the school to hire graduates, Yale allows students to gain experience working in complex and high-stakes cases and to study under some of the most prominent jurists in the country.
Furthermore, Yale Law School maintains a curricular blend of both theoretical and practical courses. Combined with its myriad of clinics, these courses afford students a comprehensive view of the law, ranging from a practical perspective to a theoretical analysis. It gives sentencing and sentencing policy seminars, cybercrime courses, family mediation classes, and numerous other unique tonics of study not available at Harvard.
Campus Experience and Culture
Yale Law School, known for its collegial atmosphere, fosters a strong sense of community among students. The Student Bar Association (SBA) organizes various social events and activities throughout the year, creating opportunities for students to connect with each other in a relaxed setting. One of the most popular traditions at Yale Law is the "Frosh Weekend," where first-year students participate in a series of social events designed to help them acclimate to law school and form lasting friendships.
At Yale, student organizations play a vital role in campus life. The school has over 80 student organizations, ranging from the Yale Law Journal to various moot court teams and advocacy groups. Student-run publications and organizations allow students to explore their interests outside the classroom, while lobbying and advocacy groups enable them to engage with their communities and advocate for various causes.
The atmosphere at Yale Law is characterized by a supportive and collaborative approach to studying. Students typically study together in groups, forming study partnerships or joining larger study organizations such as The Examined Life. Faculty members are known for being approachable and helpful, further contributing to the friendly and welcoming environment.
In contrast, campus life and activities at Harvard Law School are slightly different. The school provides numerous opportunities for students to get involved in social and extracurricular activities. For example, the Harvard Law Review and other student journals host social events to foster community among their members, such as mixers and networking events.
Harvard Law School also has a vibrant student organization scene. With over 90 student organizations on campus, students can participate in professional groups, advocacy clubs, and cultural associations. The school’s plethora of organizations provides an array of social activities and networking opportunities for students to develop both professionally and personally.
The atmosphere at Harvard Law is highly competitive, with students describing the culture as "intense" and "meritocratic." While students study in groups, they also place a great emphasis on academic excellence and achieving high marks. The grading system at Harvard Law is partly responsible for this competitive culture, as students are graded on a strict curve and compete against each other for top marks in classes.
Both Yale and Harvard Law schools offer rich campus life and culture with numerous student organizations and activities. However, the supportive and friendly atmosphere at Yale Law contrasts sharply with the competitive and meritocratic environment at Harvard Law. Applicants should consider these factors when deciding which law school to attend, as another important aspect of the law school experience is the ability to thrive in the chosen environment.
Alumni Network and General Options
Two of the most prestigious law schools in the United States are Yale Law and Harvard Law, and it is no surprise that most graduates from either of these schools go on to have lucrative and successful careers. Yale Law and Harvard Law have extraordinarily large official alumni networks, not to mention countless more informal connections. Yale Law has an outstanding record of placing its graduates with some of the best employers to be found in the legal field, and Surveyed 2019 J.D. First Employment Data reveals that 91.4% of the Duke Law Class of 2018 found employment at the firm, government, or business level. The average starting salary for a Yale Law graduate is about $100,000 per year.
Similar numbers apply to Harvard Law graduates. Harvard Law has 50,174 total living alumni, and it claims that its alumni are 150 countries all over the world. Important organizations and institutions that have Harvard Law graduates working at the highest levels include the President of the United States, the United States Supreme Court, the UN, the Hague, and the World Trade Organization. Six out of ten editors of the United States Reports, the official record of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions, have been Harvard Law graduates . Fourteen Harvard Law graduates have served on the U.S. Supreme Court, including current justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor. The average starting salary for Harvard Law graduates is about $115,000 per year.
Overall, an alumni network is important to consider when choosing which law school you would like to attend because it can directly affect your hiring options after you graduate. No long-term career is possible without proper job placement, after all. What might surprise some people is that Yale Law has a greater number of alumni working in the U.S. Senate than Harvard Law. Of the 100 Senators elected to represent all 50 U.S. states in the Senate, only 40 of them currently provide legitimate Facebook or Twitter accounts. Yale Law graduates who currently represent a state include Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, Delaware Senator Tom Carper, and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. A graduating class of Yale Law produces about 200 lawyers per year. By comparison, the graduating class of Harvard Law produces about 600 lawyers per year. In total more than 1,900 lawyers currently being represented in the U.S. Senate graduated from Harvard Law.
Admissions Criteria and Selectiveness
Enrollment in both Yale Law and Harvard Law is highly selective. In fact, Yale Law is the most selective law school in the country. Harvard Law accepts considerably more applicants than Yale Law, to start over 500 students a year. However, acceptance to Harvard Law remains highly competitive. Harvard Law historically has accepted about 13-14% of its applicants each year. In 2017, Harvard Law admitted 12.9% of applicants. Yale Law accepted only 6.9%. Harvard Law had 1,881 applicants in 2017 and Yale Law only had 6,444 applicants. Yale Law enrolls a smaller class than Harvard Law and the much smaller number of applicants for Yale Law leads to a greater ability to be discriminatory in their selection process.
The LSAT is required of all applicants and is used in part in order to determine acceptance. In the 2017 applications cycle, Yale Law received more than 7,300 applications, admitted over 500 applicants and enrolled 220 students. 50% of those who applied to Yale Law had LSAT scores of 173 or higher. Yale Law is considered the hardest law school to get into, not just for its selectiveness, but also because of the lowest rate of acceptance of all US law schools. Harvard Law School received 3,577 applications, admitted over 3,000 and enrolled 558 students. Harvard Law typically scores 10-20 points lower than Yale Law.
Harvard Law admitted 475 students for the incoming class of 2017. Around 73% of students to enter Harvard Law have graduated in the top 10% of their classes at their respective undergraduate schools and 96% graduated from the top 25%. Yale Law requires graduate students to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and strongly recommends a 4-year degree. The median GPA of those admitted into Yale Law School for 2017 was 3.9 and the median GPA for those who were offered admission to Harvard Law in the same year was 3.83. It is likely that these statistics are similar for other years.
Each Law School has a minimum GPA requirement for admission, however, applicants who fall under the average GPA for their school may still be considered. Also, although the LSAT score is a large factor in admission, it is not the only factor. The Strong Interest Inventory is also an important component to consider when determining if a law school will accept an applicant. This is a standardized law school admission test that is taken online and is anonymous. Yale Law’s median LSAT scores are 170 and Harvard Law’s are 173.
Financial Aid and Tuition
At Yale Law, there is a commitment to meeting the demonstrated financial need of both citizens and noncitizens. Approximately 14% of students have federal loans. Yale Law does not participate in the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Program, relying instead upon institutional and private loans to cover awarded financial needs. The schools themselves provide substantial scholarship aid. For 2017, Yale Law provided 403 need-based grants, which totaled $24,244,100, along with another 38 merit-based grants (totaling $1,184,373), for an average amount of $63,574 per student. Yale had only 34 students taking advantage of federal loans. Roughly 58% of Yale Law students received school grants, with an average grant totaling 28% of the total cost of attendance, and 100% of students receiving some form of financial aid funding . At Harvard Law, around 93% of students receive financial assistance. In 2018, the average need-based scholarship was $27,600 and 16% of students received full-need scholarships, with the grant size around $6,000. A number of endowed scholarships are offered for members of specific communities, or who have certain career goals. Some particular funds are offered to veterans, 1Ls, or advocates working towards making the world a more just place. Merit-based scholarships are further divided into students receiving some amount ranging from partial to full funding, and those who receive the Dean’s Scholar Grant. Both schools have similar costs. We’ve compared the average annual tuition for Harvard Law and Yale Law below.