Best law schools in the US – 2025 rankings

This year’s rankings feature the 70 best universities in the US for legal studies, based on the trusted Times Higher Education Subject Rankings: Law 2025. The evaluation covers teaching quality, research output, and international presence.

US law schools are key in training future legal experts, with Stanford University and Harvard University leading the pack.

The rankings follow a strict methodology developed by Times Higher Education’s data experts, ensuring reliability for students, academics, and professionals worldwide.

Top law schools in the US 2025

US Law Rank (2025)	Global Law Rank (2025)	University	Overall	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook
1	1	Stanford University	85.8	99.1	94.5	65.4	99	60.2
2	2	Harvard University	84.8	95.8	97.5	65.6	77.3	60.3
3	3	New York University	84.5	94.4	99.7	59.9	76.2	70.6
4	5	Columbia University	83.6	93	96.3	61.2	69.9	76.4
5	6	University of California, Berkeley	82.8	95.7	93.1	63.2	86.6	55.7
6	8	The University of Chicago	81	98.8	89.1	65.3	47.5	49.1
7	9	Yale University	80.7	98.4	88.9	67.6	43.3	43.7
8	17	Georgetown University	76.7	93.4	78.5	58.4	100	51.6
9	18	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	75.6	85.4	82	65.3	82.5	44.9
10	23	Duke University	73.8	82.7	76.5	62	97.3	55.1
11	24	University of Pennsylvania	73	77.7	78	67.4	54.3	63.2
12	25	University of California, Los Angeles	72.4	81.2	75.4	65.8	52.4	58.5
13	34	Cornell University	68.4	73.8	70.5	62.1	67.7	59.4
14	43	University of Virginia (Main campus)	63.3	65.3	66.2	62.3	80.1	41.7
15	52	Northwestern University	58.6	60.1	58.3	58.3	57	56.1
16	=61	Vanderbilt University	55.6	60.9	49.7	59.9	56.8	43.4
17	=63	University of Notre Dame	55.3	64	52.9	54.5	36.4	42.7
=18	=66	University of California, Irvine	55.2	52.3	41.9	72.9	65	56.6
=18	=66	University of Texas at Austin	55.2	52.6	51.2	66.4	63.4	42.8
20	72	George Mason University	53.9	52.2	42.8	70.5	58.7	48.8
21	76	Northeastern University, US	53.3	56.5	31.7	78	49.8	46.3
22	77	University of Southern California	52.9	53.9	44.7	60.2	48	58.7
23	81	University of Florida	51.8	46.9	48.2	66.2	58.2	37.8
24	82	American University	51.7	65.2	37.3	56.2	49.9	39.2
25	=83	Boston University	51.4	47.7	46.3	62.7	42.9	54.3
26	92	University of Minnesota	50.9	53.2	42.1	59.5	60.2	43.7
=27	101–125	George Washington University	46.6–49.7	46.4	36.4	58.7	66	44.1
=27	101–125	Penn State (Main campus)	46.6–49.7	46.7	32.4	67	67.2	55.6
=27	101–125	University of California, Davis	46.6–49.7	47.5	35.3	60.2	67.7	49
=27	101–125	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	46.6–49.7	51.1	32	56.1	78.7	52.9
=27	101–125	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	46.6–49.7	46	38.4	66.4	32.7	33.1
=32	126–150	Indiana University	43.6–46.5	43.8	38.4	52.4	82.9	43.9
=32	126–150	Temple University	43.6–46.5	42.1	29	69.3	55.1	38.3
=32	126–150	University of Colorado Boulder	43.6–46.5	47.1	26.4	68.2	66.5	35.5
=32	126–150	University of Washington	43.6–46.5	30.4	33.9	68.1	66.7	68.6
=37	151–175	Emory University	41.4–43.5	36.1	33.6	59.2	17.7	53.7
=37	151–175	Florida State University	41.4–43.5	39.2	22.8	72.1	22.4	37.8
=37	151–175	Michigan State University	41.4–43.5	31.4	25.3	72	65.4	37.9
=37	151–175	University of Connecticut	41.4–43.5	44.2	21.9	60.4	48.9	51.6
=37	151–175	University of Wisconsin-Madison	41.4–43.5	35.3	30.9	67.6	54.1	42.5
=42	176–200	Florida International University	39.8–41.3	31.5	20.2	71	64.5	37.8
=42	176–200	Ohio State University (Main campus)	39.8–41.3	34.3	21.9	66.5	66.3	36.6
=42	176–200	Texas A&M University	39.8–41.3	35.9	21.4	66.6	32.8	47.4
=42	176–200	University of Arkansas	39.8–41.3	36.8	26.7	69	18.9	27.4
=42	176–200	University of Miami	39.8–41.3	35	11.2	77.4	17.7	56.5
=42	176–200	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	39.8–41.3	37.5	33.1	55.6	31.7	29.9
=42	176–200	University of South Carolina-Columbia	39.8–41.3	33.5	17.6	74	60.3	36.8
=42	176–200	University of Utah	39.8–41.3	33.6	22.9	70.7	50	28.4
=50	201–250	Boston College	36.7–39.7	42.5	16.9	59.9	17.7	43.3
=50	201–250	Drexel University	36.7–39.7	28.4	21.6	70.5	27.1	44.9
=50	201–250	Georgia State University	36.7–39.7	31.9	18.2	68.1	41.9	34.4
=50	201–250	Saint Louis University	36.7–39.7	37.7	24	56.3	37.7	36.9
=50	201–250	University of Georgia (USA)	36.7–39.7	31.8	24.5	62.4	17.7	34.6
=50	201–250	University of Illinois Chicago	36.7–39.7	30.3	15.6	73.5	47.6	37.3
=50	201–250	University of Iowa	36.7–39.7	30.4	25.4	55.2	62.9	35.2
=50	201–250	University of Kansas	36.7–39.7	34.7	21.8	63.7	50	31.2
=50	201–250	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus	36.7–39.7	37.5	23.4	57.9	67.8	38.3
=50	201–250	Washington University in St Louis	36.7–39.7	33.1	24.5	60.4	17.7	58
=50	201–250	Wayne State University	36.7–39.7	32.1	18.8	64.7	18	43.4
=61	251–300	Louisiana State University	32.8–36.6	31.5	21	53.3	68.1	38.7
=61	251–300	University of Alabama	32.8–36.6	27.2	17.2	67.5	17.7	29
=61	251–300	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	32.8–36.6	24.5	20.4	72.8	31.1	34.9
=61	251–300	University at Buffalo	32.8–36.6	35.1	20.7	57.2	19.4	38.8
=61	251–300	University of Arizona	32.8–36.6	25.3	19.1	61.2	55.3	45.3
=61	251–300	University of Denver	32.8–36.6	34.9	15.6	53.3	26.1	38.2
=61	251–300	University of Kentucky	32.8–36.6	29.7	18.9	61.9	55.3	27.6
=61	251–300	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	32.8–36.6	27.1	27.8	56.6	17.7	28.1
=61	251–300	William & Mary	32.8–36.6	37.7	19.8	49.8	20.3	45.4
70	301+	University of Houston	17.0–32.7	31.8	12.9	50.5	55.2	40.2

Key Insights on the Best US Law Schools

• Stanford University claims the top spot in 2025, overtaking Harvard University, now in second place.
• New York University rises to third, while Columbia University follows in fourth.
• University of California, Berkeley breaks into the top five, excelling in teaching and research.
• The University of Chicago and Yale University hold strong at sixth and seventh, respectively.
• University of Michigan-Ann Arbor joins the top 10, replacing previous contenders.
• Georgetown University drops two spots but stays within the top 10.

How to Choose the Right US Law School

Picking the best law school is a big step for your legal career. The Times Higher Education rankings help by assessing universities in five key areas:

• Research Environment – Faculty expertise and research influence.
• Teaching Quality – Student experience and academic instruction.
• Research Quality – Output and citations in legal studies.
• Industry Collaboration – Partnerships with law firms and businesses.
• International Outlook – Diversity among faculty and students.

The rankings are based on data from the THE Subject Rankings: Law. For a deeper dive into the methodology, visit the official methodology page.