Vanderbilt University Law School
early decision Nov 1, 2026 · regular Apr 1, 2027
0 of 8 required items complete· next deadline in 15 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.
6,124 applications, 812 offers, 172 enrolled · Verified 2026-08-14 · view source
What it costs, how graduates fare
- Tuition2025-26
$76,440 full-time · plus $2,359 annual fees
Living expenses $34,934 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
94.6%first-time+12.7
81.9% is the average for all ABA-accredited schools’ graduates in the same jurisdictions this school’s graduates sat in · 159 of 168 first-time takers passed
98.5% 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
164 of 167 (98.2%) in full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar admission
Ten months after graduation · 0 more in JD-advantage jobs · 0 still seeking · 4 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
2.0% of the first-year class · 3 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.
$156,307 median one year after finishing · $196,797 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 statementRequired · 2 pgstart by Oct 11, 2026
Please present yourself as a prospective law student by writing a personal statement. You may write about any topic that you feel will help our Admissions Committee better understand you as a person and as a prospective law student.
Notes & source
One of two required statements. Suggested directions include motivations to pursue law, personal and professional goals and interests, or thoughts on engaging the resources of law school and the legal profession. Format: two pages, 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins, submitted as an attachment to the application form.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- Perspective statementRequired · 2 pgstart by Oct 18, 2026
The quality and vibrancy of the educational environment at Vanderbilt Law arise from enrolling a student body with a broad mix of individual backgrounds, experiences, skills, knowledge, and interests. Please tell us about any aspects of your background and experiences that you believe would contribute to the educational environment.
Notes & source
Vanderbilt calls this the 'Lived Experience Statement' — the second of two required statements. Format: two pages, 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins, submitted as an attachment to the application form.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- Optional essayOptionalschool-specificstart by Oct 25, 2026
Notes & source
Beyond the two required statements, Vanderbilt states 'you may provide additional optional statements.' No specific optional prompts are published on the admissions page.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- Optional essayOptionalschool-specificstart by Oct 25, 2026
Video Essay, completed on the Vanderbilt Law Application Portal.
Notes & source
Required for Binding Early Decision applicants: 'All Binding Early Decision candidates must complete a Video Essay on their Application Portals' and an ED application 'is not complete and will not be considered' without one (upload no later than November 10). Whether the Video Essay is offered to or required of Regular Decision applicants is not stated on Vanderbilt's public pages.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- AddendumOptionalstart by Oct 29, 2026
Notes & source
Addenda are optional. Vanderbilt recommends any addendum be brief — one paragraph, no longer than one page, double-spaced — and provide additional factual context.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
Letters & documents
- Letter of recommendation (1 of 2)Requiredstart by Oct 4, 2026
Notes & source
Two letters required; 'we can accept a maximum of three letters of recommendation.' Vanderbilt recommends at least one letter come from a professor or other academic contact who can speak to the applicant's academic abilities.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- Letter of recommendation (2 of 2)Requiredstart by Oct 4, 2026
Notes & source
Two letters required; 'we can accept a maximum of three letters of recommendation.' Vanderbilt recommends at least one letter come from a professor or other academic contact who can speak to the applicant's academic abilities.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- RésuméRequired · 2 pgstart by Oct 25, 2026
Notes & source
'We require a resume as part of the application. Please limit your resume to 1-2 pages in length.'
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- Transcripts via LSAC CASRequiredstart by Oct 11, 2026
Notes & source
Register for the J.D. Credential Assembly Service (CAS) through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Applicants whose bachelor's degree is from a foreign institution where the language of instruction is not English must also submit a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test score.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
- LSAT or GRERequiredstart by Sep 2, 2026
Notes & source
Vanderbilt accepts only LSAT and JD-Next scores for the J.D. program — 'At this time, we only accept LSAT and JD-Next scores for applications to the J.D. program' — so the GRE is not accepted, despite this field's type label. Binding Early Decision applicants must take the LSAT no later than the October administration; no latest test administration is published for Regular Decision applicants.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
Administrative
- Application feeRequiredat submission
Notes & source
'A non-refundable $85 application fee with a credit or debit card.' Automatically waived for applicants with LSAC need-based or merit-based fee waivers; service-based and event-based waivers are also available (LSAC forums, law school fairs, and Virtual Vanderbilt Law J.D. Information Sessions, for those who have not yet applied). All fee waivers for the 2026-27 application cycle expire on December 31, 2026.
Verified 2026-08-14 · source page
Every item above was verified against law.vanderbilt.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.