Discover the 2020 Best Law Schools

Nancy Pham

See the top 20 law schools.

The first step in pursuing a legal career is finding the right school. Discover which law schools earned a top-20 spot in the 2020 U.S. News Best Law Schools rankings.

20. University of Minnesota

Full-time enrollment: 590

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $44,919 (in-state); $53,607 (out-of-state)

2018 acceptance rate: 34.9 percent

More about the University of Minnesota Law School.

18 (tie). Vanderbilt University (TN)

Full-time enrollment: 577

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $57,558

2018 acceptance rate: 23.7 percent

More about Vanderbilt Law School.

18 (tie). Washington University in St. Louis

Full-time enrollment: 728

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $57,445

2018 acceptance rate: 30 percent

More about the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.

17. University of Southern California (Gould)

Full-time enrollment: 614

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $64,908

2018 acceptance rate: 19.2 percent

More about the USC Gould School of Law.

16. University of Texas--Austin

Full-time enrollment: 997

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $35,715 (in-state); $53,035 (out-of-state)

2018 acceptance rate: 20.9 percent

More about the UT School of Law.

15. University of California--Los Angeles

Full-time enrollment: 955

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $45,600 (in-state); $52,094 (out-of-state)

2018 acceptance rate: 22.5 percent

More about the UCLA School of Law.

14. Georgetown University (DC)

Full-time enrollment: 1,790

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $62,244

2018 acceptance rate: 21.2 percent

More about Georgetown Law.

13. Cornell University (NY)

Full-time enrollment: 595

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $65,541

2018 acceptance rate: 21.1 percent

More about Cornell Law School.

10 (tie). Duke University (NC)

Full-time enrollment: 682

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $64,722

2018 acceptance rate: 20.2 percent

More about Duke Law School.

10 (tie). Northwestern University (Pritzker) (IL)

Full-time enrollment: 752

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $64,402

2018 acceptance rate: 19.3 percent

More about the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

10 (tie). University of California--Berkeley

Full-time enrollment: 976

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $49,325 (in-state); $53,276 (out-of-state)

2018 acceptance rate: 20.2 percent

More about Berkeley Law.

9. University of Michigan--Ann Arbor

Full-time enrollment: 1,012

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $59,762 (in-state); $62,762 (out-of-state)

2018 acceptance rate: 19.6 percent

More about the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor Law School.

8. University of Virginia

Full-time enrollment: 923

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $60,700 (in-state); $63,700 (out-of-state)

2018 acceptance rate: 15.3 percent

More about the UVA School of Law.

7. University of Pennsylvania

Full-time enrollment: 755

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $65,804

2018 acceptance rate: 14.6 percent

More about Penn Law.

6. New York University

Full-time enrollment: 1,380

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $66,422

2018 acceptance rate: 23.6 percent

More about NYU Law.

5. Columbia University (NY)

Full-time enrollment: 1,268

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $69,916

2018 acceptance rate: 16.8 percent

More about Columbia Law School.

4. University of Chicago

Full-time enrollment: 600

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $64,089

2018 acceptance rate: 17.5 percent

More about the University of Chicago Law School.

3. Harvard University (MA)

Full-time enrollment: 1,737

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $64,978

2018 acceptance rate: 12.9 percent

More about Harvard Law School.

2. Stanford University (CA)

Full-time enrollment: 565

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $62,373

2018 acceptance rate: 8.7 percent

More about Stanford Law School.

1. Yale University (CT)

Full-time enrollment: 621

2018-2019 tuition and fees: $64,267

2018 acceptance rate: 6.9 percent

More about Yale Law School.

Explore the Best Graduate Schools rankings.

Check out more of the Best Graduate Schools rankings and get advice on applying to and paying for law school. Follow U.S. News Education on Facebook and Twitter for more tips and advice.

Top full-time law schools

-- 1. Yale University

-- 2. Stanford University

-- 3. Harvard University

-- 4. University of Chicago

-- 5. Columbia University

-- 6. New York University

-- 7. University of Pennsylvania

-- 8. University of Virginia

-- 9. University of Michigan--Ann Arbor

-- 10 (tie). Duke University

-- 10 (tie). Northwestern University (Pritzker)

-- 10 (tie). University of California--Berkeley

-- 13. Cornell University

-- 14. Georgetown University

-- 15. University of California--Los Angeles

-- 16. University of Texas--Austin

-- 17. University of Southern California (Gould)

-- 18 (tie). Vanderbilt University

-- 18 (tie). Washington University in St. Louis

-- 20. University of Minnesota

Nancy Pham is a senior digital producer for the Consumer Advice team at U.S. News. You can email her at npham@usnews.com.