Law Schools in Massachusetts: LSAT, GPA, Cost, and Jobs (2025)

Massachusetts has 8 ABA-accredited law schools, and the spread between them is bigger than in almost any other state. Harvard sits at the top with a 174 median LSAT and a 9.2% acceptance rate, then Boston University at 170, Boston College at 168, and Northeastern at 164. Below that the numbers drop fast: Suffolk and New England Law both sit in the 153-155 range with acceptance rates over 60%, and Massachusetts School of Law admits about half its applicants with a 152 median LSAT. That's not a small gap, it's 4 separate tiers inside one state. Cost tracks selectivity almost exactly, and the range is wide. Harvard charges $77,100 a year, Boston University $69,870, and Boston College $72,380. Massachusetts School of Law, the cheapest option, runs $41,565, less than 55% of Harvard's sticker. Discount rates run high at most schools, from 80.6% at Suffolk to 94.7% at Northeastern, but Harvard is the outlier at just 37.9%, so almost nobody pays full sticker except at the very top. Boston College posted the strongest outcomes in the state, a 96.5% full-time, long-term placement rate for its 2024 class, edging out both Harvard's 96.1% and Boston University's 96.0%. Even the lower-ranked schools hold up reasonably well: Northeastern placed 91.6% of its graduates, and only the bottom 2 schools, New England Law and Massachusetts, dipped into the high 70s. Is Massachusetts worth applying to if you're not planning to stay? For the top 4 schools, yes without much debate: the placement numbers and the name recognition both travel. For the bottom tier, the case gets harder, because you're paying regional tuition for outcomes that don't clearly beat what a cheaper in-state school elsewhere would give you. Run your specific numbers before assuming any Massachusetts school is automatically the better bet.