How many letters of recommendation do you need for Yale law?

Asked by: Domingo Ortiz  |  Last update: November 30, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (23 votes)

Yale Law School requires at least two letters and will accept up to three letters of recommendation. We strongly prefer letters from at least two professors with whom you have studied who can speak to your academic performance and who have had a chance to personally evaluate significant aspects of your academic work.

How many recommendation letters does Yale accept?

For degree programs, three letters of recommendation are required. (To a maximum of five). For non-degree programs, two letters of recommendation are required.

How difficult is it to get into Yale Law School?

With an acceptance rate of just 6.9%, it's no wonder that Yale is the hardest law school to get into. Only around 1 in 15 of their highly qualified applicants makes it through. The median GPA score of a student enrolled at Yale University is 3.92, while the median LSAT score is 173.

How many letters of recommendation do you need for Harvard law school?

Two letters of recommendation are required, but you may submit up to three. We strongly recommend that at least one letter of recommendation come from an academic source.

What are the requirements for Yale Law School?

To apply to Yale law school, you will need to pay the $85 application fee, submit an application form, your transcripts from every undergraduate and graduate institution you've attended, at least two letters of recommendation from former professors, your LSAT or GRE scores, the mandatory law school personal statement, ...

Former Law School Admission Officer on letters of recommendation

37 related questions found

How many letters of recommendation do you need for Yale Law School?

Yale Law School requires at least two letters and will accept up to three letters of recommendation. We strongly prefer letters from at least two professors with whom you have studied who can speak to your academic performance and who have had a chance to personally evaluate significant aspects of your academic work.

What is the hardest law school to get into?

According to Lawschooli, the ten hardest law schools with the lowest acceptance rates are:
  • Yale University: 6.9%
  • Stanford University: 9.72%
  • University of Pennsylvania: 14.6%
  • University of Virginia: 15.3%
  • Harvard University: 15.6%
  • Columbia University: 16.8%
  • University of Chicago: 17.5%
  • Duke University: 20.2%

Is 4 letters of recommendation too much law school?

Schools vary on the number of letters of recommendation they require, so make sure to check each school's requirements in LSAC. Typically, two-four letters are required, meaning schools most commonly require two letters but will accept up to four.

What did Elle Woods get on her LSAT?

Elle Woods, a fictional character portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde, is known for her remarkable LSAT score—179 out of 180. Portrayed as a stereotypical "valley girl," she embarks on a journey to Harvard Law School in the movie that has since become a cult favorite.

How hard is it to get 173 on LSAT?

What Does A 173-180 LSAT Score Mean? First off, if you're in this score range, congratulations: you're officially above the mean, median, and mode (you're welcome, stats fans). In fact, you're besting 99.4 to 99.9 percent of your peers – not bad at all.

Does Yale Law prefer Yale students?

Due to their varied academic background, Yale College students are often some of the best applicants to YLS, YLS director of admissions Craig Janecek said.

Can you get a full ride to Yale Law?

This year, nearly 15%, or one in seven students in the current 1L class, receives full-tuition scholarships to attend Yale Law School. Launched in 2022, the scholarship covered 51 students in its first year and expanded to cover 75 in its second.

What is the lowest GPA Yale will accept?

Yale does not set a strict minimum GPA requirement for admission; however, the average GPA of admitted students is typically around 4.0. This reflects the competitive nature of the admissions process, where students are expected to demonstrate strong academic performance.

Is 3 letters of recommendation enough?

Recommendation Letters. Most graduate schools require 3 letters of recommendation. However, you should double-check how many each school requires, and do NOT send more than asked for. Sending too many letters or information not requested by the school, can actually HURT your candidacy.

Does Yale Law interview all applicants?

Yale Law School will select some applicants for interviews as part of the evaluation process. If you are selected for an interview, the Admissions Office will contact you with additional information.

What did Obama make on the LSAT?

The easiest to predict, by far, is Barack Obama's score, mostly because we have some data. Based on admissions records, we can deduce — somewhat reliably — that Barry-O scored between the 94th and 98th percentile on his LSAT. Using today's grading system, that would place him somewhere around a 170.

What GPA did Elle Woods get?

In the film, Legally Blonde, Woods is a sorority sister living at the Delta Nu House at the fictional California University Los Angeles (CULA) (USC in the novel, UCLA in the musical) where she studies in Fashion Merchandising and maintains a 4.0 GPA.

Do any law schools require 3 letters of recommendation?

Most law programs require two or three reference letters for admission, although they may accept more than just three. While references from faculty members are ideal, law schools may seriously consider nonacademic references as well, especially if applicants have been out of school for several years.

Is 4 letters of rec too much?

In most cases, however, the answer is three letters of recommendation. A few top universities don't require any letter of recommendation. For example, as a matter of policy, the University of California schools neither require nor accept letters of recommendation when applications are submitted.

Is it bad to apply to too many law schools?

Though there is no magic number of how many programs you should apply to, we recommend landing somewhere between 5-15 schools. The range is broad because it will depend on a lot of personal factors like your academic/professional background, test scores/GPA, goals, what you're looking for in a program, timeline, etc.

Is it harder to get into Yale or Harvard law?

1. What Is the Hardest Law School to Get Into? The hardest law school to get into is Yale Law School, with an acceptance rate of 5.5%.

What is the average age to go to Yale Law School?

18% are first-generation college students. 31% are first-generation professionals, meaning that they are the first in their families to attend a graduate or professional school program. 7% are veterans or service members. The average age is 25.

What is the most prestigious law school?

There has been great consistency at the top of the U.S. News rankings since their inception, with Yale Law School consistently ranking first. While Yale, Harvard, and Stanford have historically clustered at the top of the list, Harvard was recently replaced by the University of Chicago in the third place spot.