Why University of Notre Dame?
Notre Dame Law School is the oldest continuously operating Catholic law school in the United States, offering a legal education deeply informed by faith and emphasizing law as a vocation in service to others.
University of Notre Dame is a very selective JD program with an acceptance rate of approximately 24.6%. The median entering 1L profile is a 3.89 GPA and 168 LSAT, with the 25th–75th percentile bands at 3.78–3.95 GPA and 163–170 LSAT. The full-time first-year class is approximately 166 students. Recent graduates have placed most heavily in Illinois, New York, and California — useful context if your geographic preference shapes your school list. In the 2025 ABA reporting cycle, University of Notre Dame admitted 10 transfer students into the 2L class, with a median 1L GPA of 3.59. 1 1L transferred out.
Specialty strengths
Class profile
- US News rank
- #20
- Median GPA
- 3.89
- 25th–75th: 3.78–3.95
- Median LSAT
- 168
- 25th–75th: 163–170
- Acceptance rate
- 24.6%
- Class size (FT 1L)
- 166
- Transfers admitted (2025)
- 10
- ABA 2025 reporting cycle
2025 transfer admit profile
Actual GPAs of students University of Notre Dame admitted as transfers in the 2025 ABA cycle.
- 25th percentile
- —
- Suppressed (small cohort)
- Median
- 3.59
- 50th percentile
- 75th percentile
- —
- Suppressed (small cohort)
1 1L transferred out of University of Notre Dame in the same cycle — context for how portable University of Notre Dame's 1L credit is among admissions committees elsewhere.
Top employment markets
- 1Illinois
- 2New York
- 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 University of Notre Dame's practical training. Mention specific clinic names in your "Why University of Notre Dame" essay where they align with your interests.
- Exoneration Justice ClinicInvestigates, litigates, and overturns wrongful convictions.
- Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty ClinicPromotes religious freedom for all through advocacy, student formation, and scholarship.
- Community Development ClinicProvides transactional legal services to nonprofits and small businesses.
- Intellectual Property ClinicAdvises and represents local businesses and entrepreneurs on intellectual property issues.
- Global Human Rights ClinicProvides real-world lawyering experiences in representing individuals, organizations, and groups combating human rights violations worldwide.
- Immigration ClinicStudents work exclusively on immigration cases.
Notable journals
Student-edited publications you could write for or cite as a research interest.
- Notre Dame Law Review— General legal scholarship, published five times a year.
- Journal of Legislation— Addresses federal, state, and local legislative issues.
- Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law— International and comparative legal scholarship.
- Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy— Analyzes law and public policy from an ethical perspective.
- The American Journal of Jurisprudence— Publishes critical discussions of the moral foundations of law and legal systems.
- Notre Dame Journal on Emerging Technologies— Bridges legal scholarship with science, policy, and ethics in technological innovations.
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.
Antitrust
- G. Marcus Cole· also Bankruptcy, Commercial Law, Race and the Law
Constitutional Law
- Randy Kozel· also Federal Courts, Judicial Decision-Making
- Richard W. Garnett· also First Amendment, Criminal Law
Property
- Nicole Stelle Garnett· also Land Use, Local Government Law, Education Law
Administrative Law
- Jeffrey Pojanowski· also Constitutional Law, Statutory Interpretation
Criminal Law
- Stephen F. Smith· also Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law
- Jimmy Gurulé· also International Criminal Law, National Security Law
International Law
- Paolo G. Carozza· also Human Rights, Comparative Constitutional Law
Cyberlaw
- Patricia L. Bellia· also National Security Law, Constitutional Law
Private Law
- Paul B. Miller· also Fiduciary Law, Legal Theory
What makes University of Notre Dame distinctive
Programs, history, or institutional features that set this school apart beyond rank.
- ·The London Law Programme, the oldest study-abroad program offered by a U.S. law school and the only year-long ABA-approved overseas program.
- ·A wide array of dual degree programs, including J.D./MBA, J.D./M.S. in Engineering, Science & Technology Entrepreneurship (ESTEEM), J.D./M.A. in English, J.D./Master of Global Affairs, and J.D./Ph.D. in Political Science.
- ·Programs in Chicago and Washington, D.C., allowing students to pursue externships and studies in major urban centers.
- ·A foundational commitment to Catholic intellectual tradition, encouraging students to explore the moral and ethical dimensions of law.
- ·The Research Program on Law and Market Behavior (ND LAMB) promotes foundational research on legal and policy issues at the intersection of law and market behavior.
Using this for your "Why University of Notre Dame" essay
Strong "Why X Law School" essays are concrete and specific to the school — not interchangeable templates. Use these facts to anchor your essay, then layer on what you've found from the school's own faculty pages, clinical program descriptions, and journal listings.
Important note: admissions committees actively reject AI-written personal statements and "Why X" essays. Use this page as research material to write your own essay — never as a template to copy. Authentic, specific, personally-grounded reasoning is the only thing that wins these essays.
Frequently asked about University of Notre Dame
What is the median GPA and LSAT at University of Notre Dame?▾
University of Notre Dame's most recent entering 1L class had a median GPA of 3.89 and a median LSAT of 168. The 25th–75th percentile range was 3.78–3.95 GPA and 163–170 LSAT. Per ABA 509 disclosures.
What is University of Notre Dame's acceptance rate?▾
University of Notre Dame's most recent reported acceptance rate was approximately 24.6%, per ABA 509 disclosures.
What clinics does University of Notre Dame offer?▾
University of Notre Dame's notable clinical programs include: Exoneration Justice Clinic, Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, Community Development Clinic, Intellectual Property Clinic, Global Human Rights Clinic. Visit the school's official clinical programs page for the full list.
What journals does University of Notre Dame publish?▾
University of Notre Dame's notable student-edited journals include: Notre Dame Law Review, Journal of Legislation, Notre Dame Journal of International & Comparative Law, Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, The American Journal of Jurisprudence.
Where do University of Notre Dame graduates work?▾
University of Notre Dame graduates concentrate employment in Illinois, New York, California, per the school's most recent ABA 509 employment summary.
How many transfer students does University of Notre Dame admit?▾
University of Notre Dame admitted 10 transfer students into the 2L class in the 2025 ABA reporting cycle, with a median 1L GPA of 3.59.
Schools similar to University of Notre Dame
Other schools at a comparable rank tier — useful for building a transfer list, balanced 0L application list, or essay-research shortlist.
About to start at University of Notre Dame?
Case Cub is the AI study platform built for the 1L grind: case briefs, issue spotters, flashcards, outline generators. Walk into your first finals already practiced.
Try Case Cub free →Sources (3) — verify any fact above
- https://law.nd.edu/academics/experiential-learning/clinics/
- https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/journals/
- https://law.nd.edu/about/the-law-school/
Generated from public sources via search-grounded AI on 4/27/2026. If any fact looks wrong, click through to verify and let us know.