Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
early decision Oct 15, 2026 · regular Feb 15, 2027
0 of 6 required items complete· next deadline in 121 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.
7,976 applications, 981 offers, 250 enrolled · Verified 2026-08-14 · view source
What it costs, how graduates fare
- Tuition2025-26
$79,722–$79,772 full-time · resident to non-resident · plus $861 annual fees
Living expenses $28,220 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
91.8%first-time+9.3
82.5% is the average for all ABA-accredited schools’ graduates in the same jurisdictions this school’s graduates sat in · 236 of 257 first-time takers passed
98.1% 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
243 of 264 (92.0%) in full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar admission
Ten months after graduation · 14 more in JD-advantage jobs · 4 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
1.0% of the first-year class · 2 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.
$210,979 median one year after finishing · $291,132 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 Jan 25, 2027
Notes & source
The admission policy page lists the file components the Admissions Committee reviews holistically: 'data forms; a personal statement; responses to optional essays; letters of recommendation; an optional video interview; resumes; transcripts; and test scores.' The public site does not publish a personal statement prompt or length limit — those instructions appear inside the LSAC application, which opens September 1.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- Optional essayOptionalschool-specificstart by Feb 8, 2027
Notes & source
The admission policy page confirms 'responses to optional essays' are part of file review, but the specific optional essay prompts and length limits are published only inside the LSAC application (opens September 1, 2026 for this cycle) and could not be verified from the public site as of 2026-08-14.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
Letters & documents
- Letter of recommendationRequiredstart by Jan 18, 2027
Notes & source
Letters of recommendation are among the file components the Admissions Committee reviews. The public pages do not state how many letters are required or the maximum accepted — that is specified inside the LSAC application. Letters arrive as part of the LSAC CAS report.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- RésuméRequiredstart by Feb 8, 2027
Notes & source
Resumes are among the file components the Admissions Committee reviews; the committee weighs work experience and career progression heavily in its published decision factors (85% of the 2025 entering class had at least one year of post-undergraduate experience, per the class profile). No format or page guidance is published on the public site.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- Transcripts via LSAC CASRequiredstart by Jan 25, 2027
Notes & source
An LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report is required for all applicants — including those applying with only a GRE score. The CAS report includes transcripts, GPA, and letters of recommendation.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- LSAT or GRERequiredstart by Dec 17, 2026
Notes & source
Northwestern Pritzker Law welcomes both LSAT and GRE results (either or both). Policy is to review and report the highest LSAT score earned; LSAT and GRE scores are valid for five years. GRE school code 2579; official GRE reports required. February LSAT is accepted for the same fall, but the school cannot guarantee seats will remain. For binding ED, the last accepted LSAT is the October administration.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
Administrative
- InterviewOptionalat submission
Notes & source
Optional but strongly embedded in the process: approximately 95% of entering JD classes have completed an interview, and Northwestern describes its program as the longest-standing law school admissions interview program in the country. Opt in on the application form; after submitting you receive an invitation to an online video interview (Kira platform) to complete within 14 days: unlimited unrecorded practice questions, then five scored questions with 30 seconds to think and 90 seconds to respond (about 20-25 minutes total, one attempt per question, no re-recording). Responses are viewed only by the Admissions Committee. ED candidates MUST complete the online video interview; for regular decision the completion deadline is February 15.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- Application feeRequiredat submission
Notes & source
$75 nonrefundable (amount as listed in the school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 report; the FAQ discusses waivers without stating the amount). Fee waivers: from September 1 through December 31, waivers are granted automatically via a registration form; from January 1 on, a need-based waiver application is required, reviewed on a rolling weekly basis.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
Every item above was verified against www.law.northwestern.edu on 2026-08-14. Expand any item for its own source. Always confirm against the school before you submit — and if we have something wrong, report an error.