Why Yale University?

Class profile

US News rank

#2

Median GPA

3.96

25th–75th: 3.90–4.00

Median LSAT

175

25th–75th: 171–178

Acceptance rate

5.7%

Class size (FT 1L)

197

Transfers admitted (2025)

11

ABA 2025 reporting cycle

2025 transfer admit profile

Actual GPAs of students Yale University admitted as transfers in the 2025 ABA cycle.

25th percentile

—

Suppressed (small cohort)

Median

3.94

50th percentile

75th percentile

—

Suppressed (small cohort)

Top employment markets

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

• Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic
  Provides full-service legal support to community-based organizations, Tribal Nations, and non-profit coalitions advancing environmental justice.
• Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic (WIRAC)
  Represents individuals, groups, and organizations in litigation and non-litigation matters related to immigration, immigrants' rights, and labor.
• Samuel Jacobs Criminal Justice Clinic
  Defends indigent clients accused of felony and misdemeanor offenses in New Haven.
• Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic
  Works on issues related to freedom of speech, press, and information access.
• Veterans Legal Services Clinic
  Provides legal assistance to veterans.
• Private Law Clinic
  Offers students the chance to engage with legal theory and scholarship while providing insight into private plaintiff-side practice.

Notable journals

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

• The Yale Law Journal— One of the nation's leading legal periodicals publishing articles, essays, and book reviews by legal faculty and professionals, as well as student notes and comments.
• Yale Law & Policy Review (YLPR)— A biannual publication dedicated to publishing legal scholarship and policy proposals by lawmakers, judges, practitioners, academics, and students.
• Yale Journal on Regulation (JREG)— A biannual student-edited law review covering regulatory, administrative, and corporate law topics.
• The Yale Journal of International Law— Publishes articles, essays, notes, and commentary on a wide range of subjects in international, transnational, and comparative law.
• Journal of Law, Economics and Organization— Promotes understanding of complex phenomena by examining matters from a combined law, economics, and organization perspective.
• Yale Journal of Law and Feminism— Focuses on issues related to law and feminism.

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.

• Cristina M. Rodríguez
  Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Immigration Law and Policy.
• Akhil Reed Amar
  Constitutional Law.
• James Forman Jr.
  Criminal Law, Race and Class Inequality, Schools, Police, and Prisons.
• Heather K. Gerken
  Election Law, Federalism, Constitutional Law.
• Daniel Markovits
  Philosophical Foundations of Private Law, Moral and Political Philosophy, Behavioral Economics.
• Judith Resnik
  Federalism, Procedure, Courts, Prisons, Equality, Citizenship.
• Kate Stith
  Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law.
• Michael Wishnie
  Immigration, Labor and Employment, Civil Rights, Veterans Law.
• Dan Kahan
  Criminal Law, Evidence, Risk Perception.
• Douglas Kysar
  Torts, Animal Law, Environmental Law, Climate Change.
• Tracey L. Meares
  Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, Policing in Urban Communities.
• Aslı Ü. Bâli
  Public International Law, Human Rights Law, Comparative Constitutional Law.

What makes Yale University distinctive

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

• ·Students can enroll in clinics as early as the spring term of their first year, allowing for extensive hands-on experience.
• ·The curriculum is highly flexible, with only a single semester of required classes (plus two writing requirements), allowing students to tailor their education to specific interests.
• ·The school does not use mandatory grades in the first year, fostering a collaborative learning environment focused on engagement rather than competition.
• ·Home to numerous interdisciplinary centers and workshops, such as the Paul Tsai China Center, the Solomon Center for Health Law & Policy, and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy.
• ·Offers unique leadership programs like the Joseph C. Tsai Leadership Program, the Carol and Gene Ludwig Program in Public Sector Leadership, and the Michael S. and Alexa B. Chae Initiative in Private Sector Leadership, preparing students for diverse careers.

Frequently asked about Yale University

Schools similar to Yale University

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