Columbia Law School
early decision Nov 15, 2026 · regular Feb 15, 2027
0 of 8 required items complete· next deadline in 29 days
Your numbers against the class of 2025
This is a comparison against published numbers, not a prediction. Admissions committees weigh essays, letters, and experience that no percentile captures.
9,463 applications, 1,120 offers, 444 enrolled · Verified 2026-08-13 · view source
What it costs, how graduates fare
- Tuition2025-26
$85,368 full-time · plus $3,022 annual fees
Living expenses $31,554 on campus
Tuition and the fees the school certifies alongside it — not a full cost of attendance.
Verified 2026-08-27 · ABA Standard 509 report
- Bar passageclass of 2025
94.7%first-time+8.1
86.6% is the average for all ABA-accredited schools’ graduates in the same jurisdictions this school’s graduates sat in · 431 of 455 first-time takers passed
99.3% of the class of 2023 were admitted within two years of graduating
A pass rate on its own says as much about which states a school feeds as about the school, so the ABA’s own like-for-like average is shown with it.
Verified 2026-08-27 · ABA bar passage report
- Employmentclass of 2025
442 of 458 (96.5%) in full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar admission
Ten months after graduation · 3 more in JD-advantage jobs · 6 still seeking · 8 of the bar-admission jobs are funded by the school
The ABA collects employment status and job type only. It collects no salary, so no salary figure comes from this filing.
Verified 2026-08-27 · ABA employment summary
- First-year attrition2024-25
1.0% of the first-year class · 4 students
No law school publishes a graduation rate, so this is not one. It is the students who left in their first year, academic and other, as filed. Transfers out are reported separately and are not counted here.
Verified 2026-08-27 · ABA Standard 509 report
- EarningsCollege Scorecard
Not a starting salary.
$220,843 median one year after finishing · $308,943 after four
$107,773 is the national median at four years for the same credential
A College Scorecard median for 2017-18 and 2018-19 completers who received federal aid, measured a fixed number of years after they finished — not what this year’s graduates are being paid, and not a figure the school or the ABA publishes. The ABA collects no salary data at all.
Verified 2026-08-27 · College Scorecard
Essays
- Personal statementRequiredstart by Oct 25, 2026
Notes & source
No official page limit; FAQ guideline is two double-spaced pages with readable fonts and margins. No prescribed topic; should be a clear, concise example of the applicant's best writing, free of spelling and grammatical errors.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
- Optional essayOptionalschool-specificstart by Nov 8, 2026
Notes & source
Applicants may submit a brief supplemental statement if they wish; completely optional and no penalty for omitting. No specific prompt or word/page limit published on the FAQ.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
- AddendumOptionalstart by Nov 12, 2026
Notes & source
Brief addenda accepted; multiple addenda should be combined into one document.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
Letters & documents
- Letter of recommendation (1 of 2)Requiredstart by Oct 18, 2026
Notes & source
Two letters required. Recent graduates (within ~2 years) must submit two academic letters from faculty who taught them in classroom settings; applicants with work experience are strongly encouraged to submit one professional and one academic letter. Maximum accepted not stated on verified pages.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
- Letter of recommendation (2 of 2)Requiredstart by Oct 18, 2026
Notes & source
Two letters required. Recent graduates (within ~2 years) must submit two academic letters from faculty who taught them in classroom settings; applicants with work experience are strongly encouraged to submit one professional and one academic letter. Maximum accepted not stated on verified pages.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
- RésuméRequiredstart by Nov 8, 2026
Notes & source
Resume listed as a required application component; no length limit published.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
- Transcripts via LSAC CASRequiredstart by Oct 25, 2026
Notes & source
All applicants must create an LSAC account and complete a Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report through LSAC.org regardless of test taken; foreign transcripts must be submitted through J.D. CAS, not directly to the school.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
- LSAT or GRERequiredstart by Sep 16, 2026
Notes & source
Both LSAT and GRE accepted. Candidates using the GRE must submit all GRE scores from exams administered within the last five years, in addition to any LSAT scores from administrations within the last five years.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
- Dean's certificationRequiredstart by Nov 1, 2026
Notes & source
Dean's appraisal(s)/certification(s) listed as an application component. Per FAQ: required with the initial application only if the applicant has disciplinary history, criminal convictions (except minor parking violations), or pending charges; otherwise required upon admission from all institutions where the applicant matriculated toward a degree.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
Administrative
- Application feeRequiredat submission
Notes & source
Application fee is $85 (regular admission page). Fee waivers available through LSAC or, for current Columbia undergraduates, by written request (per FAQ).
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
- InterviewOptionalat submission
Notes & source
By invitation only via video conference (Zoom); interviews cannot be requested. Invited candidates have five days to schedule; interviews run no longer than 20 minutes.
Verified 2026-08-12 · source page
Every item above was verified against www.law.columbia.edu on 2026-08-12. Expand any item for its own source. Always confirm against the school before you submit — and if we have something wrong, report an error.