The southernmost state in scenic New England, Connecticut has one of the highest per capita incomes of any state in the United States. Much of it is within the New York metropolitan area, so it’s a stomping ground for celebrities, politicians, and public figures of all types. It’s where the wealthy and powerful live, work, and play. And where people aspire to be the best.
It’s therefore hardly a surprise Connecticut is home to Yale, whose law school has been considered one of the best in the nation for decades. Located in the city of New Haven, Yale Law School has produced some of the top lawyers and leaders in the nation. These include President Bill Clinton, several current supreme court justices, federal court judges, senators, state politicians, and more.
It’s hard to compete with Yale, but Connecticut is also home to two other notable law schools. Read below to learn what it takes to compete for a slot at the top law schools in a state that makes no apologies for aiming high.
Top Law Schools in Connecticut
1. Yale University Law School
2. University of Connecticut School of Law
3. Quinnipiac University School of Law
Let’s see what makes each of these programs stand out, and whether any could be a good fit for you.
1. Yale University Law School
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #2
Tuition: $78, 961 (full-time)
Median Undergrad GPA of Program Entrants: 3.96
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 174
Acceptance Rate: 4.1%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 96.5%
Yale has one of the best law schools in the world and is the definition of Ivy League. If you are lucky enough to be accepted, you may find yourself entering its grand campus as a law student with big dreams and emerging as a future federal court judge, supreme court justice, or even president of the United States. It’s happened before. Bill Clinton, born in the small city of Hope, Arkansas, attended law school here and ended up president of the country in the 1990s! Anything is possible with a Yale law degree. It’s consistently ranked one of the best law schools in the United States by U.S. News and World Report and produces future world leaders.
If you are thinking about applying, be sure you have close to a 4.0 GPA and LSAT scores over 170. Considering this is Yale, the high tuition (comparable to the other top schools) seems justified. The student-faculty ratio is 4.2:1, so you are assured personalized attention at this prestigious law school.
2. University of Connecticut School of Law
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #58
Tuition: $31,600 (in-state) $62,642 (out-of-state)
Median Undergrad GPA of Program Entrants: 3.78
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 162
Acceptance Rate: 20.1%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 84%
The University of Connecticut School of Law is located in the state capital of Hartford, placing law school students smack bam in the middle of the action, close to local courts, agencies, law firms, and corporations.
Popular in-house legal clinics include animal law, intellectual property and entrepreneurship, tax law, criminal defense, health equity, and transactional law.
Externship clinics are offered as well. For students interested in national affairs, the UConn School of Law offers a semester program in Washington, D.C.
UConn legal journals include the Connecticut Law Review, the Connecticut Insurance Law Review, the Connecticut Journal of International Law, and the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal.
The application deadline is April 30, giving you ample time to get your package together. Tuition for full-time (in-state) is less than half that of Yale, though out-of-state students pay considerably more.
3. Quinnipiac University School of Law
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #136
Tuition: $57,760 (full-time)
Median Undergrad GPA of Program Entrants: 3.65
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 155
Acceptance Rate: 43.1%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 73.7%
Located in North Haven, the School of Law at Quinnipiac University is the newest law school in Connecticut. It received full accreditation from the American Bar Association in 1992.
You can enter the school’s regular JD program (a part-time option is available), pursue a JD dual-degree option, pursue an optional JD certificate, get an accelerated dual degree, or enroll in a JD concentration program. Concentrations are offered in civil advocacy and dispute resolution, criminal law and advocacy, cybersecurity and information privacy, family law, health law, intellectual property, workplace law, and international law and policy.
The school has a late application deadline of August 1, so you have plenty of time to procrastinate, reconsider, or make a last-minute decision to submit. There is no application fee, but the $57,760 tuition falls in the high-middle range for full-time students. To cut it in half, consider part-time study.
How Do I Get Accepted to a Law School in Connecticut?
Whether you are applying to the best law schools in Connecticut or Colorado, the process is the same. The first step in the law school admissions timeline is to take the LSAT. Although there are no required LSAT scores for law school, getting into a Connecticut law school is rather difficult, and the median LSAT scores at these three schools give you an indication of how you compare to their previous incoming classes. Remember, law schools want to attract the best, so make sure you give yourself the best chance by getting a high LSAT score.
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