Why Cardozo School of Law?

Class profile

US News rank

#59

Median GPA

3.78

25th–75th: 3.56–3.87

Median LSAT

164

25th–75th: 159–166

Acceptance rate

33.8%

Class size (FT 1L)

315

Transfers admitted (2025)

3

ABA 2025 reporting cycle

2025 transfer admit profile

Actual GPAs of students Cardozo School of Law admitted as transfers in the 2025 ABA cycle.

25th percentile

—

Suppressed (small cohort)

Median

—

50th percentile

75th percentile

—

Suppressed (small cohort)

8 1Ls transferred out of Cardozo School of Law in the same cycle — context for how portable Cardozo School of Law's 1L credit is among admissions committees elsewhere.

Top employment markets

1. 1New York
2. 2New Jersey
3. 3California

Where the most recent graduating class concentrated employment, per the school's ABA 509 employment summary. Use this as a signal of where the alumni network and OCI recruiting pipeline are strongest.

Signature clinics

Clinical programs that define Cardozo School of Law's practical training. Mention specific clinic names in your "Why Cardozo School of Law" essay where they align with your interests.

• Filmmakers Legal Clinic
  Provides legal support to independent filmmakers and builds on Cardozo's strength in entertainment law.
• Patent Diversity Project Clinic
  Focuses on intellectual property, particularly patent law, and promotes diversity in the field.
• Bet Tzedek Civil Litigation Clinic
  Represents individuals with disabilities who cannot afford private counsel in various civil cases.
• Entrepreneurship and Community Business Clinic
  Offers legal assistance to startups, small businesses, and nonprofits led by low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs.
• Immigration Justice Clinic
  Provides legal services to immigrants and advocates for immigration justice.
• Mediation Clinic
  Students learn and practice conflict resolution skills by mediating various disputes.

Notable journals

Student-edited publications you could write for or cite as a research interest.

• Cardozo Law Review— Publishes articles and student notes on a wide range of legal topics, committed to empirical, interdisciplinary, and philosophical scholarship.
• Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal— Focuses on arts, entertainment, intellectual property, First Amendment, sports, cyberlaw, and media law.
• Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution— Dedicated to scholarship in alternative dispute resolution.
• Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice— Addresses issues of equality, civil rights, and social justice.
• Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review— Explores international and comparative legal issues.
• Law & Literature— Examines the intersection of legal studies and literary analysis.

Faculty highlights

Well-known faculty grouped by primary specialty. If a professor's scholarship aligns with your interests, name them in your essay and reference a specific paper or course.

• Melanie Leslie
  Trusts & Estates, Property Law (Dean)
• Myriam Gilles
  Civil Rights, Class Actions
• Michael Herz
  Environmental Law, Administrative Law
• Peter Markowitz
  Immigration Law, Clinical Education
• Alexander Reinert
  Civil Rights, Constitutional Law
• Anthony Sebok
  Torts, Legal Philosophy
• Stewart Sterk
  Property Law, Trusts & Estates
• Edward Zelinsky
  Tax Law, Employee Benefits
• Michel Rosenfeld
  Comparative Law, Legal Philosophy
• Ekow Yankah
  Criminal Law, Legal Philosophy
• Jessica Roth
  Criminal Law, Ethics

What makes Cardozo School of Law distinctive

Programs, history, or institutional features that set this school apart beyond rank.

• ·The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice focuses on addressing wrongful convictions and promoting criminal justice reform.
• ·The Intensive Trial Advocacy Program (ITAP) provides immersive, hands-on training in trial skills.
• ·Offers a unique May/Summer-entry J.D. program, allowing students to spread out their first-year curriculum over three semesters.
• ·Home to the FAME Center for fashion, arts, media & entertainment law, offering specialized courses and opportunities.
• ·The Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights engages in scholarship and advocacy related to human rights and atrocity prevention.
• ·The E. Nathaniel Gates Scholars Program supports first-generation college or graduate students and those who faced significant barriers to a legal career.

Frequently asked about Cardozo School of Law

Schools similar to Cardozo School of Law

Other schools at a comparable rank tier — useful for building a transfer list, balanced 0L application list, or essay-research shortlist.