Is Northwestern good for BigLaw?

Asked by: Lourdes Leuschke  |  Last update: January 7, 2026
Score: 4.9/5 (16 votes)

The report ranks the 50 law schools that sent the highest percentage of 2023 JDs into associate jobs at the nation's largest 100 law firms. Northwestern jumped from a number three ranking in 2023 to the top spot in 2024, with 182 of its graduates, or 65.2%, now working in Big Law.

Is Northwestern good for big law?

Northwestern is in the Top 5 for big law placement across multiple rankings, whereas UCLA is in the Top 15-20 range. UCLA may be a better choice if you are certain that you want to write the CA bar, but you should consider that it may be more difficult than the NY bar to pass.

Is Northwestern a good school for law?

Employment. Northwestern Pritzker Law was ranked No. 1 in Law.com's 2024 Go-To Law Schools: Big Law. We have been ranked in the top 5 for 13 of the 17 years of this ranking.

What is the bar passage rate for Northwestern Law?

2023 first-time bar passage rate: 91.6%

Data ranges from 7.7 to 100.

Is Northwestern law good for public interest?

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is a leader in preparing students for public interest careers and pro bono work that promotes advancement of social justice.

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN A BIG LAW FIRM | Do I want to be a lawyer after this? Pt 1 ☕️📝👩🏽‍💻💼

38 related questions found

Which law school is best for public interest?

In this newsletter, we will be exploring schools known for their strong public interest programs and impressive placement rates in government agencies and nonprofits.
  • Yale: 19.72% ...
  • University of Cincinnati: 17.69% ...
  • NYU: 16.28% ...
  • New Mexico: 15.38% ...
  • 8 Northern Illinois: 15.38% ...
  • Kentucky: 15.12% ...
  • Buffalo: 15.04%

What is Northwestern Law famous for?

Northwestern Pritzker Law leads in interdisciplinary and social justice research and teaching: Most interdisciplinary research faculty in the nation (over 50% with PhDs) who produce impactful scholarship.

Is Northwestern Law hard to get into?

Getting into Northwestern Law School is difficult; less than 2 out of every 10 applicants are granted admission. As a T14 law school, Northwestern is considered one of the hardest law schools to get into!

How much do Northwestern law graduates make?

Northwestern Law is tied for #1 in terms of the median starting salary among graduates working in private practice as law firm associates ($180,000). Northwestern Law is tied for #2 in terms of lowest student to faculty ratio (3.6:1).

What law school has the lowest bar pass rate?

Law Schools with the Lowest Bar-Exam Pass Rate
  • Thomas Jefferson School of Law: 25 percent.
  • University of San Francisco: 33 percent.
  • University of La Verne: 34 percent.
  • Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law: 39 percent.
  • Inter-American: 43 percent.
  • Appalachian School of Law: 44 percent.

What LSAT score do I need for Northwestern?

228 out of 967 applicants who were offered admission accepted, meaning that 23.58% of the people who were offered admission ended up attending the school. The 1L class at Northwestern University has a median LSAT of 172. The 25th percentile LSAT is 166 and the 75th percentile LSAT is 174. The median GPA is 3.92.

What is special about Northwestern?

Northwestern is a leading research university that is home to more than 90 school-based centers and 35 University research centers. With an interdisciplinary culture, our research spans a spectrum of areas including neuroscience, nanotechnology, biotechnology and drug discovery.

How prestigious is Northwestern?

Northwestern University is ranked #6 out of 436 National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

Is Northwestern good for law?

Northwestern University (Pritzker) 2024 Law & Specialties Rankings. Northwestern University (Pritzker) is ranked No. 9 (tie) out of 196 in Best Law Schools. Schools were assessed on their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

What major is Northwestern good for?

The most popular majors at Northwestern College include: Business Administration and Management, General; Elementary Education and Teaching; Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse; Social Work; Accounting; Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Exercise Science and Kinesiology; Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied ...

What is the average salary for a Northwestern graduate?

The average salary overall was $67,312. Salary data is influenced by the industry a student selects. This report represents data from 1651 (80%) members of the Class of 2021.

Does everyone get a Northwestern Law interview?

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law has the longest standing admissions interviewing program of any law school in the country. Interviews are optional and provide the Admissions Committee with additional information about the applicant's interpersonal and communication skills, maturity, and motivation.

What GPA do you need for Northwestern Law?

Northwestern Law applicants are required to submit a standardized test score. This can either be your Law School Admission Test (LSAT), Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or both. The school's 2023 class has among the highest average LSAT (168) scores and undergraduate GPAs (3.77) among all law school applicants.

What law school is the hardest?

The 12 Hardest Law Schools to Get Into
  1. Yale University. With an acceptance rate of just 6.9%, it's no wonder that Yale is the hardest law school to get into. ...
  2. Stanford University. ...
  3. Harvard University. ...
  4. University of Pennsylvania. ...
  5. University of Virginia. ...
  6. Columbia University. ...
  7. University of Chicago. ...
  8. University of Southern California.

What program is Northwestern known for?

The school is particularly well-known for its programs in communication and journalism, engineering and technology, business and economics, life sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences.

Is Northwestern Law a T14?

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law takes the No. 10 spot in the T14. Northwestern Law is well-known for its interdisciplinary and social justice research and teaching.