While getting a law degree may not be easy, law continues to be one of the most lucrative and rewarding professions for students to pursue. Whether you want to study in Europe, North America or Asia, there’s a university out there with your name on it. Weigh your options with our list of the top law schools in the world and find out their acceptance rates, tuition fees and more!
Yale University
Location: New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Acceptance rate: 9-10%
Average tuition fees: $55,000 - $60,000
Scholarships offered: Hurst Horizon Scholarship, Soledad ’92 and Robert Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program
Founded in 1810, the Yale Law School has consistently been one of the best law schools in the world. Apart from having a stellar reputation, the university has also produced of notable alumni, including multiple US senators, attorney generals and former US president Bill Clinton. Another big selling point of Yale that makes it a very coveted university is that it offers 76% of its student's financial aid.
University of Oxford
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
Acceptance rate: 10-15%
Average tuition fees: £9,250-£10,000 (domestic) £30,000 - £35,000 (international)
Scholarships offered: Verulam Buildings Scholarship, New Square Chambers Scholarship
At the University of Oxford students can choose from a variety of courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level that will allow them to pursue a career in Law. Graduates from Oxford’s law school leave the program with the ability to confidently and efficiently analyse any legal situation and apply sound legal reasoning wherever required, making it one of the best law schools in the world for students that want to be well-prepared for anything the legal field may throw at them.
University of Cambridge
Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Acceptance rate: 18-20%
Average tuition fees: £9,250-£10,000 (domestic) £30,000 - £35,000 (international)
Scholarships offered: Arnold McNair Scholarships in International Law, Prathiba M Singh Cambridge Scholarship
The University of Cambridge is home to one of the top law schools in the world, and allows its students to pursue, BA, LLM, MCL and PhD courses in Law and law-related fields. The University’s faculty of law is home to the Cambridge University Law Society, which is not only the largest student-run society of law in the United Kingdom but also one of the largest worldwide. The university has great research opportunities for students and faculty members and is a very popular choice among who students who wish to pursue criminology
Harvard University Law School
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Acceptance rate: 12-15%
Average tuition fees: : $65,000 - $75,000
Scholarships offered: Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP Diversity Scholars Program, Michael Weiner Scholarship for Labor Studies
Founded in 1817, Harvard’s Law school is known for being one of the best law schools in the world, currently ranked at number 4 by the US News. The Law School also happens to be one of the oldest functioning law schools in the country. The university has produces a long list of impressive alumni including over 15 Super Court Justices and former president of the United States; Barack Obama.
Stanford University
Location: Stanford, California, USA
Acceptance rate: 9-10%
Average tuition fees: $45,000-$50,000
Scholarships offered: Yellow Ribbon Program, The Flywheel Fund for Career Choice
Established in 1893, the Stanford department of Law has one of the best law schools in the world for students who are looking for a flexible and customisable legal education program. The university allows students to pursue Joint Degree (JD) programs that lets them study law in combination with any other discipline that they may be interested in. Apart from their JD programs, some of the top courses at Stanford include Environmental Law, Criminal Defense, Immigrants' Rights and Community Law.
University of Chicago
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Acceptance rate: 15-17%
Average tuition fees: $65,000 - $75,000
Scholarships offered: David M. Rubenstein Scholars Program, James C. Hormel Public Interest Scholarship
Founded in 1902, the University of Chicago’s law school is one of the top law schools in the world and offers its students the opportunity to pursue their studies in a number of fields including law and business, law and economics, law and philosophy and legal history. The university also boasts an impressive list of alumni that have gone on to become FBI directors, best-selling authors and US senators. The School is also known for its brilliant faculty, including Barack Obama who was a senior lecturer at the college prior to his appointment as President of the United States.
Columbia University
Location: New York City, New York, USA
Acceptance rate: 18-20%
Average tuition fees: $55,000 - $75,000
Scholarships offered: Jagdish Bhagwati Fellowship, Appel Fellowship, CPRL Lemann Scholar Award
The university that the legendary former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg studied at, Columbia’s law school, is one of the oldest and best law schools in the world. The school offers its students joint and dual degree programs that provide students the flexibility to customise their course to best match their career goals. Columbia has 14 primary fields of study that students can choose from, including Law of the Workplace, Litigation and Dispute Regulation and National Security and Privacy among others.
London School of Economics
Location: London, United Kingdom
Acceptance rate: 5-7%
Average tuition fees: £9,250-£10,000 (domestic) £25,000 - £35,000 (international)
Scholarships offered: Chevening Scholarship (available to all students looking to study in the UK)
The LSE law school prides itself on having an unparalleled approach to teaching and researching law that has been achieved by its stellar faculty and dedicated student population. The university is devoted to ensuring that its students can study in an inclusive, equitable and environment that promotes both personal and professional development. Widely recognised as one of the best law schools in the world, LSE was one of the first universities to perfect their art of teaching of taxation law, banking law, company law and labour law.
UCL
Location: London, United Kingdom
Acceptance rate: 17-19%
Average tuition fees: £9,250-£10,000 (domestic) £13,000 - £15,000 (international)
Scholarships offered: The Bentham Club Scholarship
Established in 1826, the UCL law school is one of the best law schools in the world and prides itself on having an incredible program of study that will allow students to graduate with a very good practical understanding of how to practice law. The University's well-reputed faculty and close-knit studnet community are just a few of the many reasons that UCL is considered to have one of the top law programs in the world. The student-run law societies at UCL provide a great way for students to not only socialise with their peers but also provides them with opportunities to widen their professional network by interacting with alumni and professionals in the field.
University of Edinburgh
Location: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Acceptance rate: 20-35%
Average tuition fees: £8,000-£10,000 (domestic) £24,000 - £35,000 (international)
Scholarships offered: Edinburgh Law School and Ewen Cameron Scholarships, Edinburgh Legal Education Trust Scholarship for LLM
The Edinburgh Law School was founded in 1707 and has been the city’s primary legal education centre for over 300 years. As one of the best law schools in the world, the school provides its students with access to one of the best and largest Law Libraries in the UK. The school has also recently undergone redevelopment as part of a project that cost around £35 million. The project was undertaken in an effort to refurbish the college and ensure that students are provided with the best resources possible. The univeristy is also very well located - just minutes away from Scotland’s Parliament.
King’s College London
Location: London, United Kingdom
Acceptance rate: 15-20%
Average tuition fees: £9,250-£10,000 (domestic) £25,000 - £30,000 (international)
Scholarships offered: Yeoh Tiong Lay LLM Law Scholarship Programme, The Bosco Tso and Emily Ng Scholarship Programme
The Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London is not only one of the top law schools in the world, but is also one of the oldest law schools in England. Established in 1831, the school has been an important hub of legal education for almost two centuries. The school is proficient in multiple disciplines, and their research is focused towards helping society by addressing and trying to solve societal problems by seeing how the law be used to improve international trade, global finance, globalisation and climate change.
University of Melbourne
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Acceptance rate: 50-70%
Average tuition fees: AU$15,000 - AU$37,000
Scholarships offered: Alan Goldberg Scholarship, Argyle Scholarship in Law
The University of Melbourne’s Law school is consistently ranked as the top Law school in Australia and makes it to the list of the best law schools in the world, grabbing the 15th spot on the 2022 QS law school rankings. The university boasts a lively and active student community and a dedicated, award-winning faculty. With a strong alumni network and a number of globally recognised research centres, the University of Melbourne would be a dream destination for anyone who wants to pursue a career in law.
University of Toronto
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Acceptance rate: 13-15%
Average tuition fees: $30,000-$35,000 (Domestic students) $55,000-$60,000 (International students)
Scholarships offered: UofT Law Financial Aid Program, Post Graduate Debt Repayment Assistance Program
The Department of Law at the University of Toronto is not only one of the best law schools in Canada, but is also one of the best law schools in the world. The University offers its students a variety of programs like a Juris Doctor (JD), LLM and a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D). One of its top courses is its program of study in Common Law, and the university is also widely known for its highly selective admissions process.
KU Leuven
Location: Leuven, Belgium
Acceptance rate: 50-75%
Average tuition fees: €9000 - € 10,000 (domestic students) €3900 - €40,000 (international students)
Scholarships offered: Master Mind Scholarship
For being one of the top law schools in the world, you may be wondering why Leuven has such a high acceptance rate. Well, the university proudly states that it does not have a highly selective admissions process and is incredibly affordable for students in an attempt to encourage more students to pursue higher education. Its outstanding faculty and great educational program has helped it secure the 14th spot on the Time Higher Education global ranking for the best law schools in the world.
National University of Singapore
Location: Singapore
Acceptance rate: 5-10%
Average tuition fees: S$12,000- S$18,000 (domestic students) S$25,000 -S$30,000
Scholarships offered: Shook Lin & Bok LLP Scholarship, C J Koh Scholarship
The Faculty of Law and the National University of Singapore is the country’s oldest law school, first established in 1956. The NUS law school is known for being the best law program in Asia and in was ranked 11th in Times Higher Education’s list of the best law schools in the world in 2023. The school offers graduate and undergraduate degrees that give students the opportunity to pursue their education in a number of different fields, including banking and finance law, legal theory and maritime law.
That was our list of the best law schools in the world in 2023. If you’ve already decided on your choice of country, take a look at the best law schools in the USA, Australia and the UK so you can get a better look at your options. We hope you’ve found this blog helpful and wish you all the best with your academic journey!
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