Inside scoop
Ethan Madore
Of all the T14, Northwestern is the program most focused on admitting students who have proven themselves professionally. It has the highest 1L median age, the lowest KJD acceptance rate, and the most interest in how students present in interviews and appear in professional letters of rec. If you’re just out of college, Northwestern will be a much harder admit for you. But if you’re over 25 and returning to school after some real experience in the professional world, Northwestern is likely to be the program where you feel most at home.
Admissions stats
LSAT vs GPA
Based on 2025 data from ABA
Projected from 7Sage applicants
Based on 2025 data from ABA
Your chances
Trends
Based on data from ABA
Based on data from US News and World Report
Based on data from ABA
Based on data from ABA
Why Northwestern
Ethan Madore
Northwestern strongly values leadership, experience, and maturity. Where nontraditional students might feel slightly on the social outside at other top programs, they can expect more of a measured, adult feeling at Northwestern. Expect to have married classmates, classmates with kids, and classmates whose idea of a great time is waking up early to walk their dogs.
Northwestern is in Chicago and has strong ties to that market and great professional placement programs. If your top three reasons for going to law school are career, career, and career (which, honestly, they probably should be), then Northwestern is certainly for you.
Employment
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Tuition & costs
Demographics
Out of 760 students in 2024, 53% were women, and 54% were racial or ethnic minorities.
Based on 2024 data from ABA
Yes, admission to Northwestern is highly competitive. For the 2025 application cycle, the Northwestern acceptance rate was 12.3%.
To be a competitive applicant at Northwestern, you should aim for an LSAT score around the median of 173 and a GPA of 3.96. The middle 50% of accepted students scored between 167 and 175 on the LSAT.
For the 2025 academic year, Northwestern tuition is $83,044 for full-time students. When factoring in the cost of living and additional fees, the total estimated cost of attendance is $83,938 per year.
Yes, Northwestern is a highly regarded institution. It is currently ranked #9 in the U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings for 2026.