Why Howard University?

Class profile

US News rank

#117

Median GPA

3.63

25th–75th: 3.40–3.80

Median LSAT

154

25th–75th: 151–158

Acceptance rate

31.2%

Class size (FT 1L)

160

Transfers admitted (2025)

0

ABA 2025 reporting cycle

Top employment markets

1. 1Washington, DC
2. 2New York
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 Howard University's practical training. Mention specific clinic names in your "Why Howard University" essay where they align with your interests.

• Civil Rights Clinic
  Litigates civil rights and social justice cases on behalf of indigent clients, addressing issues like employment and housing discrimination, and police brutality.
• Movement Lawyering Clinic
  The first of its kind in the United States, it instructs students in practical advocacy for mobilized clients, activists, and organizations with political goals, including federal and state litigation and international human rights tribunals.
• Intellectual Property Trademark and Patent Clinics
  Assists local inventors and businesses with intellectual property protection, with a focus on tackling diversity issues in the field.
• Fair Housing Clinic
  Provides legal assistance to low-income tenants facing housing-related issues.
• Criminal Justice Clinic
  Offers students hands-on experience in criminal law matters.
• Investor Justice and Education Clinic
  Provides legal support and education to individuals in investor-related matters.

Notable journals

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

• Howard Law Journal— The principal scholarly publication, dedicated to promoting the civil and human rights of all people, particularly those targeted by subordination and discrimination.
• Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review— Focuses on legal scholarship in the areas of human and civil rights, nationally and internationally.

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.

What makes Howard University distinctive

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

• ·Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, serving as an intellectual and legal hub for civil rights litigation and policy work.
• ·Howard Intellectual Property Program (HIPP), which integrates social justice into intellectual property law and administration.
• ·The enduring mission to produce "social engineers," a term coined by Charles Hamilton Houston, emphasizing lawyers who use the law to solve community problems and uplift the underprivileged.
• ·Vendor's Choice Bar Preparation Program, which subsidizes half the cost of commercial bar preparation courses for all graduating students.
• ·A J.D./M.B.A. dual degree program offered in conjunction with the Howard University School of Business.

Frequently asked about Howard University

Schools similar to Howard University

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