Best law schools in Illinois

The State of Illinois is home to nine law schools that are accredited by the American Bar Association, and five ranked among the best law schools in the United States.
 

The five schools on this list were selected based on the quality of their academic programs, bar passage rates, students' opportunities to participate in clinics and internships/externships and graduate employment rates.

 
5.Chicago-Kent College of Law (IIT) Law School
 

Admissions Statistics (2019 Entering Class)
Acceptance Rate	50.24%
Median LSAT Score	157
Median Undergraduate GPA	3.43

 
Founded in 1888, Chicago-Kent College of Law is among the oldest law schools in Illinois, highly regarded for its high-achieving faculty, scholarships, and student body.
 
As a pioneer in many aspects, Chicago-Kent is one of the first schools to incorporate computers into its classrooms. The school focuses on professional accountability and teaches intellectual discipline, thorough intensive research, analysis, and a client-first approach in terms of the law.
 
Chicago-Kent College of Law takes pride in its unique three-year legal writing program, the only one of its kind in Chicago.
 
Ranked 87th by U.S. News & World Report, the school boasts an 11.1:1 student-faculty ratio.
 
4. Loyola University Law School (Chicago)
 

Admissions Statistics (2019 Entering Class)
Acceptance Rate	44.39%
Median LSAT Score	159
Median Undergraduate GPA	3.39

 
Located in downtown Chicago, just a short walk from the landmark Water Tower, Loyola College has an impressive reputation for producing acclaimed politicians and trial lawyers.
 
One of the things that make Loyola law stand out is its various degree programs, including SJD, which is similar to a doctorate, and the diversity in terms of both students and faculty.
 
The school regularly hosts art exhibitions as well as cultural events that promote a whole-person approach to learning.
 
Loyola law school sits 77th in the U.S. News & World Report rankings and has a high acceptance rate pegged at 55 percent of applicants.
 
Students at Loyola University, Chicago, can expect to earn up to $60,000 on average in the public sector and an $80,500 median in the private sector.
 
3.University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Law School
 

Admissions Statistics (2019 Entering Class)
Acceptance Rate	36.66%
Median LSAT Score	161
Median Undergraduate GPA	3.64

 
Established in 1897, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC Law) is an AALS member and an ABA-approved school.
 
The UIUC campus accommodates over 500 students in different law programs and boasts a record 84 percent graduation rate. The one thing that makes the school stand out entirely from other law schools is the net price. At $16,249 per year, UIUC is one of the most affordable law schools in the country.
 
Ranked relatively high by U.S. News, sitting at position 39 in the list of best law schools, UIUC Law has a great student-faculty at a ratio of 11.6:1
 
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Law school has an impressive 60.6 percent employability rate for its graduates; the public sector's median starting salary is $65,000 and $80,000 for the private sector.
 
2.Northwestern University (Pritzker)
 

Admissions Statistics (2019 Entering Class)
Acceptance Rate	18.01%
Median LSAT Score	168
Median Undergraduate GPA	3.77

 
Located in Chicago, the Pritzker School Law School at Northwestern University is an AALS and ABA-accredited school member. It has gained an excellent reputation for producing renowned attorneys through the years.
 
Founded in 1859, Northwestern University law school offers a variety of J.D., LLM, and MSL programs.
 
With an acceptance rate of only 18.01 percent, it is one of the schools considered relatively competitive. At Northwestern University, students can enroll in both full-time and part-time law courses.
 
Pritzker law school is ranked #12 by Vault.com and #10 by the U.S. News & World Report.
The law school boasts an impressive student-faculty ratio of 6.5:1 and has an enormous 1L section size. It is 32 percent larger than the law schools in Illinois and a record 40 percent higher than any other private school.
 
Students at Northwestern should not be too worried about passing the bar exams, as the school has a 93 percent bar-exam pass rate.
 
Salary predictions for 2020 Northwestern graduates are up to $60,000 average for the public sector and a median of $180,000 in the private sector.
 
 
1.University of Chicago Law School

Admissions Statistics (2019 Entering Class)
Acceptance Rate	18.61%
Median LSAT Score	170
Median Undergraduate GPA	3.88

 
Since its founding in 1909, the Law School at the University of Chicago has established itself as one of the most reputable legal education centers not just in the State of Illinois but all of the United States. 
 
UChicago Law offers law students a lot of opportunities to gain hands-on experience. The clinical programs are run through seven specialized units. Options include the Corporate Lab Clinic, Legal Aid Clinic, Immigrant Child Advocacy Clinic, and Exoneration Project Clinic.
 
Ranked #4 by the U.S. News & World Report, UChicago Law offers robust interdisciplinary opportunities, including Law and Philosophy, Law and Economics, Law and Business, and Legal History programs.
 
UChicago Law is also well-known for its clerkships record; an estimated 16-30% of each graduating class get a state-level placement.
 
One of the reasons law students chooses UChicago Law is the high employability rate of its alumni. Most UChicago Law graduates end up in top law firms or get a clerkship at the Supreme Court.
 
See also:
 

• The Top 10 Law Schools That Can Graduate You to a Big Law Firm Job 
• About 50% of Students at the University of Chicago Law School Receive Scholarship 
• Illinois Law School Directory