How do you select schools? Which are your "reach," "competitive," and "safety" schools? There are many factors to consider when determining the schools you want to apply to, including but not limited to:
•National vs. regional schools •Size & Location
•Admissions standards (average LSAT score and GPA) •Cost/Scholarships (see Navigating Scholarships)
•Campus culture •Facilities, faculty and resources
Outcomes (bar passage, employment) •Career services support
List and rank order your criteria to help determine which law schools are the best fit for you.
A note about US News & World Report rankings: Honestly, don't believe the hype. Rankers determine factors they believe are important and weigh them in relation to each other. The criteria may not be as important to you, or the weight of importance may not be as high to you. Decide what you consider importance and use tools to evaluate the schools based on your list, not someone else's. "But don't you have to go to a T-14 or top 10 or top 20 law school to find a job?" In short, no, unless you are 100% certain you want to pursue Big Law (and even then it's not absolutely necessary). Working in Big Law is more easily obtained when graduating from a top-ranked school, but factors in addition to rankings should always be considered.
ABA Directory of Law School Public Interest & Pro Bono Programs - For students interested in pursuing public interest law, learn about programs that have public interest curriculum and pro bono opportunities.
ABA (American Bar Association) Standard 509 Disclosures - Summary of admission and information schools are required to post on their websites, all in one location, including bar passage rates and employment outcomes.
⭐ AccessLex Institute Student Center: A comprehensive site that provides lots of information pertaining to law school and the legal profession (financing, researching schools, tips for application components, etc.).
XPlore JD is a free online search tool that helps you build a list of potential schools through your answers to various questions.
The Analytix Tool included within lets you compare up to five law schools at one time using various criteria including average LSAT score, average undergraduate GPA, bar passage rate and much more.
⭐LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools: Search by average GPA and LSAT score, geographic region or simply alphabetically.
⭐Law School Transparency - Search schools, build your own list based on your own criteria.
My Rank (Spivey Consulting) - Site that lets you determine what criteria is most important to you when comparing/ranking law schools.
⭐ 7Sage - View application components, average GPA, LSAT score, # of letters of recommendations and personal statement prompts for the current application cycle.
Wilson-Stern Book of Law School Lists - Updated regularly, this vast resource contains outlines law schools by various characteristics such as special degree and joint programs, clinical opportunities, financial/scholarship information and more.