It is not logical to assume that the older the law school, the higher the ranking, but if you look at the actual law school rankings, most of the law schools ranked at the top have a long history.
Only 1 law school wes established before 1800 - the oldest law school William & Mary Law. 17 law schools were established before 1850. The LSAT score of the schools 164 and the acceptance rate is 32.73%, showing that these schools are highly competitive in admission.
More than 123 law schools were founded between 1850 and 1950, 62.44% of all law schools. The number of law schools established after 1950 is 57, which is 28.93%.
As you can see in next chart, the older the law school, the lower the acceptance rate and the higher the LSAT score. However, it appears only in law schools established before 1860 or 1870, and the deviation is very large in law schools established after that.
Therefore, law schools with a long history can generally be seen as having fierce competition, but when targeting law schools established after 1900, there was no significant correlation between the history of the law school and the admission competitiveness.
Law School Statistics by Established Year Range
The following table shows law school statistics by 2024 established year range. You can find the correlation between established year and other indicators for law schools. Follow the link in the range to see which schools are in the established year range.
| Established Year | Number of Law Schools | Average Tuition | Average Acceptance Rate | Average LSAT Score | Financial Aid | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1850 | 17 Law Schools (9 public, 8 private) | $59,346 | 32.73% | 164 | $29,761 | 750 |
| 1850-1900 | 61 Law Schools (30 public, 31 private) | $54,046 | 38.46% | 162 | $25,057 | 780 |
| 1900-1950 | 62 Law Schools (25 public, 37 private) | $49,534 | 47.56% | 156 | $20,562 | 716 |
| 1950-2000 | 45 Law Schools (18 public, 27 private) | $46,916 | 44.94% | 156 | $21,053 | 658 |
| After 2000 | 12 Law Schools (4 public, 8 private) | $46,610 | 39.04% | 156 | $19,257 | 459 |