How to Get Into Columbia Law School: The Ultimate Guide
/How hard is it to get into Columbia Law? Learn the acceptance rate, admissions requirements, and how to tackle the “Why Columbia Law?” essay
learn how to get into columbia law school
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Part 1: Introduction
If you’re interested in attending law school in one of the biggest and most exciting legal markets in the world, Columbia Law School (CLS) may be an attractive option for you.
Consistently ranked in the top five for best law schools in the United States, Columbia is a powerhouse that has produced a distinguished list of alumni that includes U.S. Presidents, Supreme Court Justices, and business titans.
Columbia Law School provides its students with excellent legal training, but the school is particularly well known for its best in class business/corporate law program. In line with its business reputation, CLS is widely regarded as the number one law school for those seeking lucrative Big Law jobs after graduation. Columbia has sent a higher percentage of its graduates to work at the 100 largest American law firms than any other school for nine years in a row.
In this post, we will cover much of what you need to know about how to get into Columbia Law School, including admissions statistics, application requirements, and real examples of essays from students who were admitted to CLS.
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Part 2: Columbia Law School programs
Columbia Law School offers several degree options to its students. The vast majority of its students pursue a Juris Doctor (J.D.), which is the traditional degree associated with going to law school in the United States. Columbia also offers a one-year Master of Laws (LL.M.), which is most often pursued by lawyers who received their law degrees outside of the United States and J.D. graduates who are looking to specialize in a particular area of the law. Lastly, students at Columbia can pursue a Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.), which prepares students for careers in legal scholarship.
In addition, Columbia Law School also has numerous joint or dual degree programs available to students interested in pursuing interdisciplinary studies. There are ten dual degrees options available to students, including the popular three- and four-year J.D./M.B.A. programs with Columbia Business School. Columbia has one recognized joint degree program with the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University (J.D./M.P.A).
Columbia Law School admissions statistics
With an incoming J.D. class size of more than 350 students and a student-faculty ratio of 4.5:1 Columbia Law School is one of the larger top-tier law schools. However, it still provides a top academic environment for its students.
Columbia Law School provides a robust picture of its incoming classes. Of the 7,754 applications CLS received during the 2022-2023 application cycle, approximately 12.2% of students were accepted. Specifically, Columbia’s J.D. 2023 entering class profile looks like this:
o Demographics
Students of Color: 52%
Women: 50%
Men: 47%
Non-binary/gender non-conforming: 3%
International Students: 19%
LGBTQ+: 26%
Out of college 1+ years: 74%
o Top 3 undergraduate majors
Political Science: 24%
Social Sciences: 14%
Economics: 12%
o Columbia Law Acceptance rate: 12.2%
o Columbia Law GPA spread
25th percentile: 3.81
75th percentile: 3.97
o Columbia Law LSAT spread
25th percentile: 169/180
75th percentile: 175/180
As you can see, gaining admission to Columbia Law School is no small task. To put some of these numbers into perspective, Columbia is tied with Stanford and the University of Chicago for third amongst all law schools in terms of the highest median LSAT score (173). Given this high bar, you should definitely spend a lot of time preparing for the LSAT to ensure you get the best score possible. While a high LSAT score alone will not guarantee admission, and students with “low” scores can still gain admission, you should aim for a score in the 170s–preferably 172 and above.
If you are still an undergraduate, you should study hard and get the best grades you can. All else equal, having a high GPA/LSAT combination improves your chances of admission.
If you are already out of college or are preparing to take time off between college and law school, you should focus on gaining as much experience as possible. As mentioned above, Columbia reports 75% of its incoming class was at least one year out of college.
In deciding how to spend your interim years, know that there is no right way to go about it. The decision of what to do with your time is yours alone. That said, here are a few things to consider when charting out your path:
Gain good work experience to build out your resume.
Learn about the legal profession.
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Part 3: Columbia Law School admissions requirements
To apply to Columbia Law School, you first need to sign up for the Law School Credential Assembly Service (CAS), which you can access online via the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). You will submit your entire application online through LSAC.
CLS has two tracks for J.D. admissions: Regular Admission and Early Decision. Both tracks use the same application, but Early Decision has a separate timeline.
Applications for both tracks traditionally open at the beginning of September. For Regular Decision, you have until February 15 to submit your application. However, admissions are rolling, so you should try to turn your application in as soon as possible to have the best chance of getting admitted. If you submit your application by December 31, you should have a decision by March. If you submit your materials on the February 15 application deadline, you should hear back from CLS by the end of April. It is possible that Columbia may contact you for an interview since they conduct invitation-only interviews for select applicants. Getting an interview is always a good sign but does not guarantee admission. Conversely, plenty of applicants are admitted without an interview, so try not to worry about it too much.
Columbia Law School’s Early Decision process works a lot like the traditional college Early Decision process you may be familiar with. By applying Early Decision, you are committing yourself to attending Columbia if you are admitted. After receiving your acceptance letter, you must decline any acceptances from other law schools and also withdraw any pending applications. Failure to take these actions will result in Columbia revoking its offer of admission, so think carefully about whether Early Decision is right for you. Applicants who do not receive an Early Decision acceptance may have their applications moved into the Regular Decision pool or rejected entirely. To apply for Early Decision, you typically have to submit your application by November 15.
Regardless of whether you apply for Regular Admission or Early Decision, you will need to submit the following materials:
The application form along with an $85 application fee.
Academic transcripts.
A résumé.
LSAT/GRE scores.
Columbia now accepts a GRE score in lieu of an LSAT score. While you can apply with either an LSAT score or a GRE score, if you take the LSAT, law schools can see that—even if you prefer to put forward your GRE score.
Two recommendation letters.
If you are currently in school or recently graduated (within two years of your application to law school), both letters should be from faculty from your school. If you have been out of school longer than two years, only one letter needs to be academic.
Essays
Mandatory: law school personal statement—two pages, double-spaced, 11 or 12 pt. font.
Optional: law school diversity statement (no length requirement). We will discuss how to write this type of essay later in the guide.
Optional: additional information, if relevant. This includes statements of strong interest in Columbia Law School and explanations of undergraduate and/or LSAT/GRE performance.
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Part 4: Columbia Law School essays (examples included)
Columbia Law School application essays are your chance to demonstrate your unique fit with the program. You may be wondering how best to do that within the parameters and prompts they have set out for you.
Let’s review some strong Columbia Law essay examples to help you understand what their admissions committee looks for.
As you read the following essays, consider how the applicant managed to hit the following key points:
Following instructions correctly is a critical skill for any lawyer and as such, Columbia Law School will scrutinize your essays with this in mind. For example, going over a specified word limit is not a good look for someone vying for a place at a top law school.
Columbia won’t just be looking at what you write but how you write. Lawyers need to be able to write well, so have your ideas flow seamlessly.
Make sure you correct mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. You don’t want to lose points by being careless.
Columbia Law School personal statement
To simplify the process of applying to law school, we suggest writing a personal statement that can be tailored to each school that you apply to. Try to keep your essay to two pages, single-spaced.
Below is an example of what our student, Jay, wrote to get into Columbia Law School (Note: some identifying details have been changed to protect the writer’s privacy.):
It was a warm December night during my freshman year of college, and I was trying to accomplish my most audacious goal – to walk on to the University’s nationally-ranked Varsity Cross Country team. To do so, I had to run 3.1 miles in 15:37 minutes. At the time, my best 3.1 mile time was only 16:02 minutes. 2.75 miles into the time trial, my lungs seared with pain and my legs felt like lead weights. I knew that I would not finish in 15:37 minutes. The team captain, who went on to become an Olympian, pulled away from me, and, with him, I watched my dream slip away. After four years of high school running and six grueling months of intense training, I finished the trial but failed to make the team.
After a few days of deep self-pity and anguish, I realized that my love of running was too great to let this setback rob me of my joy. I was going to continue distance running, even if it meant changing my goal.
As soon as I focused on the essence of my passion, the way forward became clear. I found a training partner, and together, we developed a regimen consisting of strength sessions, a nutritional plan, and endurance workouts. Although I was happy to be running, I longed for the camaraderie and sense of purpose that comes with being part of a team.
While the University had a running club, I largely avoided it because of its non-competitive nature. Instead, over the course of two years, I recruited several runners to informally train with me. Unfortunately, there were far too few of us to compete as a full team. However, in my junior year there was an influx of freshmen who, like me, were talented runners but not quite good enough for the varsity team. I recognized that this was my opportunity to finally create the team for which I longed.
After a successful recruiting drive, our ranks swelled. We soon realized that we needed a more formal structure, if we wanted to enter races. Therefore, we approached the University’s running club with a proposal to create a competitive wing of the club, which was enthusiastically endorsed.
As a legitimate team, we had to bolster our operation. Using my original training plan as a basis, we expanded the regimen and tailored it to the team’s varying ability levels. The older members were each designated a group to lead on runs, and I led additional strength training sessions in the gym. Unfortunately, my season ended early due to injury, but I stayed committed to my team. Each race, I was on the sidelines encouraging the runners, calling out directions, and providing time splits from my stopwatch. For this, the team affectionately dubbed me “Coach.”
By my senior year, the team had grown tremendously, in both size and capabilities – all without the help of a professional coach or team manager. We consistently beat Division III varsity teams and the occasional Division I team. At our peak, the National Running Club Association ranked us seventh in the nation. The running club’s membership grew from just a handful of people my freshman year to more than 100 people by my senior year.
Although I cannot take sole credit for the club’s successes, I do believe that my contribution was crucial. My commitment to the art of running, my perseverance, and my leadership abilities helped create an unprecedented opportunity for many runners that did not exist before my time at the University. This experience taught me many lessons, including the importance of perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity and how following your passion can open the door to unimaginable opportunities. I am constantly applying the lessons and skills that I gained through this experience in my daily life, and I plan to continue doing so in law school.
While I am proud of how I used my passion for running to benefit the University’s community, I hope, one day, to be of similar benefit to the global community in combating environmental threats. For example, in order to effectively mitigate climate change, we have to drastically reduce our carbon emissions. This will require a fundamental shift in how everyone in this country lives. In my opinion, sound, impactful policymaking and innovative, constructive use of the law have consistently proven themselves to be our best tools for catalyzing systemic change. I believe this is due to the fact that law and policy are manifestations of our society’s beliefs and values. Given my belief, law school is an important and logical next step in my personal development and career path, as it is the most effective way to learn about our country’s legal framework and discover how one can best utilize the system to influence change.
To me, law school is analogous to the rigorous running regimen that I undertook in high school and college. Without the regimen, I would have achieved nothing in my running career. It is from training rigorously that I gained the experience, knowledge, and skills necessary to eventually make a meaningful contribution to the running club. In law school, I believe I will have profound experiences, gain theoretical knowledge, and develop practical skills that will position me to make a meaningful contribution to our society.
I have already begun to develop my experiential knowledge base in my current role as a Legal Analyst for the Corporation. In this position, I have seen how the law can be used in a socially responsible way to revitalize and improve communities. This experience has only deepened my desire to become an environmental lawyer, specializing in renewable energy and sustainable community development.
Although I am excited and ready to get started, I know that law school will not be easy. However, my running experience has demonstrated to me that my passion for the environment will enable me to surmount the challenge that law school will present. I will do this in the same manner that I have run every race – by placing one foot in front of the other and taking it one stride at a time.
What we like most about Jay’s personal statement:
Jay uses his essay to tell an interesting story. We like this approach, because it makes the personal statement enjoyable to read while also giving the reader a look into Jay’s past life. Telling a personal story helps to humanize you to your reader, which can help them feel a connection to your application.
Jay’s personal statement focuses on the theme of overcoming adversity. This is a tried and tested approach that you can take for writing your personal statement. Law school is difficult, and you will definitely face challenges during your three years of study. By highlighting obstacles you overcame in the past, you can show your readers that you have the grit to meet and rise above the challenges you will face in law school. This will help your case for admission.
Jay does a good job of not only telling a story but also tying that story into his legal interests and how the story he shared has prepared him to pursue it. It is always important to link the story you tell in your essay back to why you want to go to law school or how it has helped prepare you for the three years you will spend pursuing your J.D. Jay does this nicely by highlighting the parallels between the story he tells and what he expects will be required of him in law school.
Columbia Law School diversity statement
Like most top law schools, Columbia allows students to include optional essays with their application. These essays can cover topics not addressed in your personal statement that will help the admissions committee better understand who you are as a person. We encourage all applicants to consider writing supplemental essays—especially what we like to refer to as diversity statements. These essays give you the chance to highlight what makes you unique and can cover a wide range of topics such as race, gender, sexuality, or particular interests that you have.
If you are unsure if writing a diversity statement is right for you, we suggest reading our guide to writing law school diversity statements and guide to law school admissions, which cover how to approach this decision.
The diversity statement example below also comes from Jay, our admitted Columbia Law School student (Note: some identifying details have been changed to protect the writer’s privacy.):
Being passionate about the environment, I often look to the natural world to inform my thought process. In nature, it is clear that diversity (often referred to as biodiversity) is a good thing. Whether looking at a managed system, such as a farm, or a natural ecosystem, biodiversity is a sign of health, strength and resiliency. The collective attributes of the multitude of species provide balance to the system and ensure that it remains vibrant, productive and sustainable. I believe that every law school is its own ecosystem, and I think that my interests and personal experiences provide me with a unique set of attributes that will allow me to invigorate and enhance Columbia Law School’s community.
As an African American interested in environmental issues, I offer a distinct perspective that is often informed by my personal experiences or those that have been relayed to me by members of my community. It was this unique combination that led me to use my senior thesis as an opportunity to explore why such a wide variance in the implementation of renewable energy policies exists amongst the 50 states. I took my analysis a step further and investigated how states could use law and policy to develop strategies for transitioning to a clean energy economy that ensures the protection of the economic and physical well-being of all people. The intersection between race and the environment was at the heart of my college studies and continues to be a prominent concern of mine. My opinion and ideas on issues such as these have been highly sought after as evidenced by my selection, as the only African American, to the University’s Environmental Institute Advisory Council.
In addition to my academic interests, my work experiences, which have shaped and been influenced by my views of race, will allow me to provide a nuanced and informed perspective to classroom discourse and campus discussions. For example, I currently work as a Legal Analyst for the Corporation in New York City. Since the 1990s, the Corporation has been tasked with using public funds to catalyze economic and cultural development in the racially diverse community of New York City. Due to the unique circumstances of my work, I have a very unusual perspective on how the law can be applied in “non-traditional” settings to enhance the community while protecting the public’s investment. I have worked with numerous clients on projects ranging from cultural to workforce to business development. I will be able to use my experiences to inform my contributions to class discussions as we think through complex legal situations and seek to use the law to shape the future of our country for the better.
In ecological systems, it is the combination of the unique characteristics of each individual species that determines whether or not the system thrives or collapses. The presence of one type of species may benefit another by providing additional resources in the form of nutrients or may prevent the system from being overrun by using population control, but each member is crucial for maintaining homeostasis. I believe that my non-traditional academic interests, coupled with my personal experiences and informed perspective on the law will allow me to provide some “nutrients” that will make the intellectual and human ecosystem that is Columbia Law School even stronger.
What we like most about Jay’s diversity statement:
After reading Jay’s diversity statement and personal statement, it is clear that he has a strong passion for the environment and wants to go to law school to pursue environmental law. If you already have a specific interest in the law, highlighting it is to your advantage. Jay makes it very clear that he knows why he wants to go to law school. This helps his admissions case, because readers know exactly what he wants from his experience. If you have an interest in the law (or think you have an interest) and can highlight it in your essays, we recommend you do so. If you end up changing your mind once you get into the school of your choice, that is fine!
Jay uses his diversity statement to emphasize multiple forms of diversity that he brings to the table. This is a great strategy because it shows he can think about topics in a complex manner. Diversity includes more than the traditional concepts of race, gender, and sexuality. While there is nothing wrong with focusing on those areas, taking time to also highlight other areas of diversity, will set your essay apart from the pack. Pursuing this strategy also opens up the diversity statement to those who might not qualify as “diverse” in one of the traditional areas. We suggest you attempt to write a diversity statement if possible.
In his essay, Jay demonstrates how he has brought his diverse perspective to bear in the past. Highlighting a track record of action demonstrates that you hold diversity as a real value, which law schools like to encourage amongst their student bodies.
Final thoughts
Gaining admission to Columbia Law School is a challenging process requiring determination and proper planning. Make sure to:
Thoroughly consider your reasons for wanting to attend Columbia Law School.
Clearly and succinctly relate these reasons to your application essay readers that will showcase your individual talents and experiences.
Be creative with your writing.
And of course, aim for the highest LSAT score and GPA possible.
By following our advice in this guide, you can break down the process into manageable steps and maximize your chances of entry.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on law school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into law school using his exclusive approach.
THERE'S NO REASON TO STRUGGLE THROUGH THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCESS ALONE, ESPECIALLY WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE. SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO ENSURE YOU LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE.