ABA 509 DATA, 2025
Columbia Law School Admissions: LSAT, GPA, Cost, and Jobs (2025)
Only 53.8% of Columbia's class gets any discount. The median LSAT is 173, the median GPA a 3.9, and the acceptance rate is 11.8% on 9,463 applications.
What it takes to get in
These are the school's own reported 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT and GPA numbers from its ABA Standard 509 filing, the same disclosure every accredited law school has to file each year. The 50th percentile is the median: half the admitted class scored above it, half below.
| Year | LSAT 25th | LSAT 50th | LSAT 75th | GPA 25th | GPA 50th | GPA 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 169 | 173 | 175 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
| 2019 | 169 | 172 | 173 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| 2015 | 168 | 171 | 173 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
The median LSAT is up 1 point since 2019 and the median GPA moved +0.1.
Your odds
A 175 LSAT and up puts you in Columbia's top quarter, 173 sits you right at the median, and 169 or below drops you into the bottom 25% of the admitted class. At an 11.8% acceptance rate, even a top-quarter score is far from a guarantee. Run your own numbers through the calculator before you spend a filing fee guessing.
See where you land: the LSAT Unplugged law school chances calculator. What is 1 LSAT point worth here? See the scholarship math.
What you get out (Class of 2024)
| Class year reported | 2024 |
| FT/LT employed, 10 months out | 97.9% |
| Biglaw (101+ lawyer firms) | 73% |
| Federal clerkships | 5.5% |
| Government + public interest | 15.5% |
| Bar pass rate | 95.5% |
97.9% of the 2024 class landed a full-time, long-term job within 10 months and 73.0% went to firms of 101 lawyers or more, numbers strong enough that the $256,104 3-year sticker pays for itself fast for most of this class.
What it costs
| Sticker tuition (2025) | $85,368/yr |
| 3-year sticker total | $256,104 |
| Pays full sticker | 46.2% |
| Gets some grant | 53.8% |
53.8% of Columbia's class gets some grant money, but 46.2% pays the full $85,368 sticker, so a score above the 175 75th percentile matters more here than at most schools.
Schools like Columbia
These 6 are the closest match by median LSAT, then median GPA, out of all 196 schools in the 509 master (as of 2026). Use them as your realistic comparison set, not the list of "reach" schools everyone starts with.
FAQ
What LSAT score do you need for Columbia Law School?
The median LSAT for Columbia's 2025 class is 173. The 25th percentile is 169 and the 75th is 175, up from a 172 median in 2019.
What GPA do you need for Columbia Law School?
The median GPA is 3.9. The 25th percentile is also 3.9 and the 75th is 4.0, a tight band even by T14 standards.
What is Columbia Law School's acceptance rate?
11.8% for the 2025 cycle, based on 1,120 offers out of 9,463 applications. It's selective even against other T14 schools.
How much does Columbia Law School cost with and without aid?
Sticker tuition is $85,368 a year, or $256,104 over 3 years before living costs. 53.8% of the class gets some grant, and 46.2% pays that full price.
What jobs do Columbia Law School graduates get?
97.9% of the 2024 graduating class had a full-time, long-term job within 10 months. 73.0% went to firms with 101 or more lawyers, and 5.5% landed a federal clerkship. The bar pass rate for that class was 95.5%.
Is Columbia worth it at sticker?
Yes, for most students who get in. A 73.0% biglaw placement rate means the $256,104 3-year tuition gets serviced fast for the large majority of the class. The harder question is Columbia at full sticker versus a full-ride offer somewhere else, and that comparison is worth running before you commit.
Source: ABA Standard 509 Information Reports, 2015 to 2025, via LSAT Unplugged's 509 master. Verify against the school's filing before relying on it. Last updated 2026-09-30.
