Cornell Law School
early decision Jan 1, 2027 · regular Mar 1, 2027 · final Jul 1, 2027
0 of 6 required items complete· next deadline in 76 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.
4,608 applications, 838 offers, 217 enrolled · Verified 2026-08-14 · view source
What it costs, how graduates fare
- Tuition2025-26
$84,722 full-time · plus $690 annual fees
Living expenses $32,952 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
93.7%first-time+7.9
85.8% is the average for all ABA-accredited schools’ graduates in the same jurisdictions this school’s graduates sat in · 178 of 190 first-time takers passed
98.3% 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
196 of 197 (99.5%) in full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar admission
Ten months after graduation · 0 more in JD-advantage jobs · 0 still seeking · 6 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
0.0% of the first-year class · 0 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.
$213,356 median one year after finishing · $259,851 after four
$105,518 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 statementRequired · 5 pgstart by Dec 11, 2026
Respond to at least one of the following prompts: (1) Please describe any significant challenges you have overcome, including but not limited to economic hardship, discrimination, trauma, or disability, and/or significant accomplishments of which you are proud. (2) Explain how your life experiences will help inform your contributions to a law school learning community devoted to 'any person...any study.' (3) If your career goals include representing under-served populations or otherwise vulnerable individuals or groups, please tell us about those goals and how you hope to pursue them. (4) Is there anything else you wish the Admissions Committee to know about you beyond what you have revealed in other parts of your application?
Notes & source
Respond to at least one prompt (required); you may respond to as many as you wish but must not exceed a total of five pages. Cornell allows distinct essays per prompt or a single combined essay, so long as the total stays within five pages.
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
- Why this schoolOptionalschool-specificstart by Dec 22, 2026
Notes & source
Listed among application materials as a "'Why Cornell' Statement (optional)." Cornell's public FAQ does not publish a specific prompt or length limit for it; check the LSAC application form for any instructions.
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
Letters & documents
- Letter of recommendation (1 of 2)Requiredstart by Dec 4, 2026
Notes & source
Submit two letters of recommendation to LSAC for processing via the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. The public FAQ does not state whether letters beyond two are accepted, so no maximum is recorded here.
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
- Letter of recommendation (2 of 2)Requiredstart by Dec 4, 2026
Notes & source
Submit two letters of recommendation to LSAC for processing via the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. The public FAQ does not state whether letters beyond two are accepted, so no maximum is recorded here.
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
- RésuméRequiredstart by Dec 25, 2026
Notes & source
FAQ: 'Should I include a resume?' — 'Yes. A resume is an excellent way to present your work experience and extracurricular involvement to demonstrate your future employability in the legal profession.' The resume is listed among application materials without an 'optional' tag (unlike the Why Cornell statement), so it is recorded as required.
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
- Transcripts via LSAC CASRequiredstart by Dec 11, 2026
Notes & source
Register with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and submit transcripts to LSAC; LSAC sends the completed CAS report to Cornell. Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university (or the international equivalent).
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
- LSAT or GRERequiredstart by Nov 2, 2026
Notes & source
LSAT, GRE (school code 2456), or GMAT (school code 5JW-8V-77) accepted; scores more than five years old are not accepted. For GRE/GMAT, request that all available scores be released to Cornell; with multiple LSAT attempts, the admissions committee considers the highest score. An LSAT taken by November works for Early Decision; the November, January, or February LSAT still meets the March 1 priority deadline. 3+3 Accelerated Pathway applicants may use SAT/ACT instead.
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
- Dean's certificationOptionalstart by Dec 18, 2026
Notes & source
Not required — FAQ: 'No, a Dean's Certification is no longer a required element.'
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
Administrative
- Application feeOptionalat submission
Notes & source
THE FEE IS WAIVED FOR EVERY APPLICANT THIS CYCLE: 'We are waiving our traditional $80 application fee for all applicants this year! Cornell Law seeks to expand access and opportunity for a top-quality legal education. Therefore, as one small effort in this regard, we have chosen to waive our application fee for all applicants.' The waiver sits in a FAQ that states at its head it 'has been updated for the upcoming application season that opens on September 1, 2026', so it describes this cycle rather than the closed one — unlike Texas A&M's waiver, which names the prior cycle. Recorded as required false; $80 is what returns if the waiver lapses. LSAC's own CAS charges are separate and Cornell does not address them.
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
- InterviewOptionalat submission
Notes & source
By invitation only: Cornell invites applicants it is strongly considering for admission to complete a Kira Online Assessment (recorded online format). In-person interviews in lieu of the standardized online assessments are not conducted by the Admissions Committee.
Verified 2026-08-31 · source page
Every item above was verified against www.lawschool.cornell.edu on 2026-08-31. Expand any item for its own source. Always confirm against the school before you submit — and if we have something wrong, report an error.