Last Updated on September 30, 2026
Quick answer: When deciding how to choose a law school, compare each school’s offerings in your area of law, its location and where you want to practice, class size and learning style, scholarship terms, and graduate outcomes such as bar passage and employment. ABA-required disclosures and conversations with current students help confirm fit.
How to Choose a Law School: Making the Right Decision for You
If you’re on this blog, you’ve probably heard back from all of your law schools. If you’ve received offers of admission from multiple law schools, congratulations! While the more difficult part of the application process is out of the way, another big decision awaits you. Deciding where you end up going to law school could dictate the course of your career. Do you prefer getting your JD at a campus where the weather is warm year-round? Or do your priorities lie more towards ensuring that your classrooms are divided into small sections for discussion? As you go over your acceptances and pick your favorites, consider the following factors when deciding how to choose a law school that is right for you. [1]
Academic Specialties
When thinking about how to choose a law school, you should familiarize yourself with the variety of legal specialties offered at each program. [2] Knowing your specific interest in law and what career path you want to take after graduating is one of the most strategic ways to narrow down your options, as not all law schools offer the same areas of study. For example, if you want to pursue a career in immigration law, check whether each school offers immigration clinics, courses, and faculty in that area. Some schools have deep offerings in a field while others offer only a course or two, so compare your options side by side. [3] If you choose one program and later realize that you’re unable to pursue your goals at that institution, you’ll regret your decision!
Clinics, Externships, and Journals
Beyond the course catalog, look at how each school helps you practice. Clinics let you work on real matters under faculty supervision, externships place you with judges, government offices, or nonprofits, and journals and moot court build research and advocacy skills. LSAC notes that schools differ in how much of the curriculum is required versus elective and in their clinical programs, joint degrees, and student organizations, so compare these offerings directly. [1] Ask how many students can enroll in the clinics that interest you, since popular clinics can fill quickly.
Location
Your answer to how to choose a law school should also rely on where the law schools are located. You might decide you’re tired of northeast winters and be excited about institutions on the west coast, such as UCLA or USC. Or, you may want to be near a city like New York, which is home to many international organizations. You should also think about where you hope to practice, since a school’s alumni network is often most active in its own region. Regardless, think about the pros and cons of the location of each law school on your list, as you’ll be spending the next three years in that particular area. Now that you have your options, it’s time to critically think about where you’d truly be happy on a day-to-day basis.
Visit Before You Decide
A school can look ideal on paper and feel different in person. If you can, attend admitted students’ days, sit in on a class, and walk the neighborhood where you would live. Pay attention to how students talk about their classmates and professors, how easy it is to reach courts, firms, and agencies nearby, and whether you can picture your daily routine there for three years. If travel is not practical, ask about virtual sessions and student panels.
Class Size
As you explore the question of how to choose a law school, carefully consider what you want to get out of your classroom experience once you start attending your program. Do you learn best in a large classroom lecture-style setting? Or do you prefer smaller classrooms, which offer more opportunities for participation and getting to know your classmates? Many law schools divide first-year students into sections, and some add small-group classes for skills such as legal writing. Class sizes still vary widely from school to school, so ask each admissions office about typical section sizes; our comparison of Harvard Law vs. Yale Law shows how two top schools differ. As you look at your final selection of JD programs, reflect on what is the best learning environment for you. Our overview of first-year law school classes explains what the 1L curriculum looks like.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Law school is a big investment. [4] Each school’s financial aid office is the best place to learn how scholarships and aid work at that school. When you think about how to choose a law school, build a realistic plan for all three years, not just your first. If you’ve received scholarships, read the terms closely, including whether an award is renewable and whether it depends on maintaining a certain GPA. Comparing offers side by side can help you narrow your options to schools that fit both your goals and your plan.
Housing
Speaking of where you might live, once you’ve narrowed down some locations, it’s time to think about housing availability. If you have the option of attending a law school near where you already live, that can be a positive when making your decision! If not, you need to consider whether you want to live on campus or off, what you look for in roommates, and more. Some law schools offer on-campus or university-affiliated housing, so check what each school provides. If you want a bit of space from school, you might want off-campus housing. Housing shapes your daily routine, so don’t forget about this crucial factor!
Employment Outcomes and Alumni Networks
As you narrow your list of institutions to those that offer the ideal areas of study or are situated in a city that you’ve always wanted to live in, take a look at the data for graduates at different programs that have caught your eye. What are alums up to? Law schools publicize data for different industries alumni are pursuing, take advantage of these statistics to figure out whether graduates have found success in ways that appeal to you. [5] For example, you might want to research the percentage of graduates who have judicial clerkships or have passed the bar. If an alum is involved in your ideal industry, being part of the same program allows for networking. This is a decision that will continue to impact you, the success of past students is definitely something to keep in mind when making your final choice!
Use ABA Required Disclosures
Every ABA-approved law school reports standardized data, known as Standard 509 Required Disclosures, along with employment outcomes and bar passage results, and the ABA publishes these reports so you can compare schools using the same definitions. [6] Look at the share of graduates in full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, the types of employers they join, first-time bar passage rates in the states where you want to practice, and how many graduates secure judicial clerkships. The 509 reports also cover first-year class size, attrition, and how many students kept conditional scholarships, which helps you read your own scholarship offer in context.
Numbers tell only part of the story, so pair them with conversations. Ask the admissions office to connect you with current students or recent graduates who share your interests, and ask how career services supports students pursuing your path.
Life Outside the Classroom
Life outside class matters, too, and campus visits, admitted students’ days, and LSAC law school forums are good chances to ask current students and admissions staff about it. You can’t just study all the time, sometimes you need to go out, explore, and have fun. The social life at most campuses is dedicated to undergraduates, and if you live off-campus anyway, you’re probably wondering what to do in the town on a Friday night. Berkeley, for example, is a city packed with art, music, film, and political activity. Cornell is located around student-friendly bars, while the University of Georgia offers access to miles and miles of hiking trails. While it’s definitely important to prioritize your career and education, consider what you might benefit from in your downtime to help you relax once in a while!
On your path to uncovering how to choose a law school, do your due diligence and go through websites, attend webinars, visit campuses, and talk to current students. As you’ll be making a big step in your career, this isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly. Carefully consider the factors we’ve outlined to make sure you get the most out of your legal education, and see our guide to finding the right law school fit for more questions to ask. You’ve got this!
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Deciding where to pursue your JD is one of the most important steps in your legal career. From location and cost to alumni networks and city life, weighing your options carefully will help you find the best fit.
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