13 Best Law Schools For Criminal Law Study In 2023

The best law schools for criminal law have over the years produced students who have kept society sane.

Without these laws, the state would be in total chaos, and hence it is necessary to have good lawyers that can handle it.

In this article, you will see the best law schools for criminal law, their rankings, LSAT and GPA requirements, and other reasons why you should attend them.

What is criminal law?

Criminal law is a law that deals with any behavior that has been deemed an offense against the state, public, or society.

Some examples are assault, theft, murder, drunk driving, etc. And as a criminal lawyer, you can either stand for or against any of these offenders.

Now that you have seen the definition of criminal law, you can now take a look at the top law schools for criminal law.

What is the best University to study criminal law?

The top universities to study criminal law include:

• New York University.
• University of Virginia.
• Stanford University.
• Georgetown University.
• University of California–Berkeley.
• University of Pennsylvania (Carey)
• Harvard University.
• Columbia University, etc.

Now, you will see why these schools are among the best universities to study law.

1.  New York University law school

This university is located in New York, NY. It currently ranks No. 1 among the best law schools for criminal law. This school requires you to pay an application fee of $85, and its tuition for full-time is $73,414.

As one of the best law schools for criminal law, it makes its first-year students gain practical experience in law programs.

In your second year, you will get to test various legal clinics, and participate in workshops that target your growth in criminal law.

Other law programs offered in this school are business/corporate law, constitutional law, contracts/commercial law, intellectual property law, tax law, etc.

For this school to admit you, you will need an LSAT score in the range of 167–172. And a GPA in the range of 3.61-3.90.

Have you seen the best law schools in New York for international and local students, they have an average bar rate of 89.92%

2. University of California–Berkeley

This school is located in Berkely, CA. It currently ranks No. 9 among the best law schools and No. 2 among the best law schools for criminal law study.

To be admitted into this school, you will need to first apply with a fee of $75. And when admitted, the in-state tuition you will pay is $56,858 while out-of-state is $62,143.

As one of the best law schools for criminal law, it does not use letter grades or GPAs to rank students. This is in a bid to discourage a feeling of failure among them.

The law school focuses on intellectual property law, technology-related law, environmental law, wine law, constitutional law, etc.

In addition, for this school to admit you, you will need a GPA score of 3.70–3.82 and an LSAT score in the range of 166–169.

If you desire a law school that emphasizes on practicals and fun time while learning a hard course like law, then the best law schools in California would be your best bet.

3. Georgetown University

The location of this school is in Washington, DC. It currently ranks No. 3 among the best law schools for criminal law.

To apply to this school, you will need $85, and the school also offers part-time and full-time law programs.

As one of the best law schools for criminal law study, it offers a J.D/Ph.D. in government-related programs. And the program helps examine the effect of various laws on the American government.

If you attend this school, you will get a feel of various clinics that can help you practicalize whatever you learn in your criminal law class.

The other courses offered in this school include constitutional law, contracts/commercial law, environmental law, tax law, etc.

As one of the best law schools, it requires you to have a median GPA of 3.78, and a median LSAT score of 168.

4. Harvard University

This school is located in Cambridge, MA. And it currently ranks No 3 for criminal law. The application fee at this school is $85.

As a first-year student, this school allows you to test your skills by allowing you to help local musicians to understand copyright laws.

For the older students, they allow them to practice in the Harvard law school legal clinic, completing at least 40 hours of pro bono work before graduation.

If you are not a fan of letter grades during scoring, you can apply to this school. And this is because they make use of distinction, honors, pass, and fail to grade students.

The tuition at this school is $68,962. And also, for you to be admitted into this school, you will need an LSAT score of 170 and a GPA score of 3.75.

You can’t attend one of the best Ivy League universities such as Harvard and be unemployed after graduation from law school.

5. Stanford University

This is one of the best law schools for criminal law study, and it is located in Standford, CA. It currently ranks No. 3 among the best law schools for criminal law study.

To be considered for admission into this school, you will need to first apply with $85. And also, the tuition for full-time is $66,396.

Other interesting law courses offered by this school include constitutional law, business/corporate law, criminal law, intellectual property law, etc.

As one of the best law schools for criminal law study, it requires you to have an LSAT score of 171, and a median GPA of 3.75.

6. University of Pennsylvania (Carey)

This law school is located in Philadelphia, PA. It currently ranks No. 3 among the best law schools for criminal law.

To be admitted into this law school, you will need to pay an application fee of $80. And the tuition for full-time is $70,042.

In this school, you can earn an additional degree in three years. Degrees such as M.B.A, in addition to a J.D through Wharton school.

Other law programs offered in this school include business/corporate law, intellectual property law, contracts/commercial law, etc.

As one of the best law schools for criminal law, it requires you to have an LSAT score in the range of 164–171, and a GPA score in the range of 3.49–3.95.

7. University of Virginia

This school is located in Charlottesville, VA. This is one of the best law schools to study criminal law, and it currently ranks No. 7 for it. To apply for this school, you will need $85.

Also, when admitted into this school, you will pay full-time tuition of $66,500 (in-state) and $69,500 (out-of-state).

This school operates on an honor system, and it requires its students to not lie, cheat or steal. As any of such will lead to their expulsion.

In addition, for this school to admit you, you will need an LSAT score of 170 or above, and a GPA score of at least 3.75

8. Columbia University

This school is located in New York, NY. It also currently ranks No. 8 among the best law schools to study criminal law. 

When you apply for this school, you will need an application fee of $85. In addition, the tuition at this school is $76,088.

Other courses offered in this school include constitutional law, contracts/commercial law, environmental law, tax law, etc. 

To be admitted to this school, you will need an LSAT score of 172 or more, and a GPA of 3.7 or above.

9. University of a California — Los Angeles

This is one of the best law schools for criminal law studies, and it is located in Los Angeles, CA. Also, it currently ranks No. 8 for criminal law. 

To apply for this school, you will need an application fee of $75. And also, the tuition for this school is $52,468 (in-state) and $60,739 (out-of-state).

This school is a very young school (about 60 years of age). It also offers courses such as business law, critical race studies, entertainment, media, intellectual property law, etc.

The school also allows students to get clinical experience in actual cases. As one of the best law schools for criminal law studies, it requires you to have an LSAT score of 168 and a GPA score of 3.45.

The best law schools in California have produced students that make the legal world recognize the school for what it is. You can become one of such students.

10. University of Chicago

This school ranks No. 8 among the best law schools for criminal law studies, and it is located in Chicago, Illinois.

The application fee at this school is $90, and its full-time tuition is $72,081. The courses offered in this school include business/corporate law, constitutional law, tax law, etc. 

As one of the best law schools for criminal law studies, it seeks to train students who are well-rounded, critical thinkers, and active doers.

For this school to admit you, you must have an LSAT score in the range of 155-180, and a GPA score in the range of 3.55-4.13.

This school is located in New Haven, CT. Currently, it ranks No. 8 among the best law schools for criminal law study.

66% of students who attended the best law schools in Chicago testify of how its repute helped them become gainfully employed post-graduation.

11. Yale University

Apart from ranking No. 8 for criminal law, this school ranks No. 1 among the best law schools in the state. To apply to this school, you will need $85.

Furthermore, this is an Ivy League school that charges $69,433, and it does not even make use of traditional grades.

If you are willing, you can earn a J.D/M.B.A. in three years, at the same time as you earn your traditional J.D. degree.

For this school to admit you, you will need an LSAT score of 155 and a GPA of 3.32 or above.

12. Ohio State University (Moritz)

This school is located in Columbus, OH, and it currently ranks No. 12 among the best law schools for criminal law study.

For this school, you will need to pay an application fee of $60 and the full-time tuition for in-state students is ($32,685) and for out-of-state students, it is $47,937). 

The programs offered in this school include intellectual property, real estate law, alternative dispute resolution, etc. 

If you would love to practice as you learn, then this school will suit you, as it has more than five legal clinics for its students.

As one of the best law schools for criminal law studies, it requires you to have a median LSAT score of 163, and a median GPA of 3.79 before applying.

13. University of Michigan – – Ann Arbor

This school currently ranks No. 12 among the best law schools for criminal law studies, and it is located in Ann Arbor, MI. 

To apply to this school, you will need $75, and the tuition for full-time is $64,098 (in-state) and $67,098 (out-of-state).

You can start your legal education in the summer to jump right on into this school. This will help you transition early into Michigan law. 

It encourages students to take part in international law as it is one of the best law schools in the state. 

Furthermore, it offers courses like tax law, legal writing, contracts/commercial law, business/corporate law, etc.

This school also requires you to have an LSAT score in the range of 166-172, and a GPA score of 3.61-3.93.

Do law school rankings matter?

Yes, the rankings of law schools matter. If you seek the best law schools for criminal law, then you have to consider their rankings too.

And this is because schools are ranked based on their performance and the impact they have on their students.

Also, students who attend a highly ranked law school will likely get internships, job interviews, and clerkships faster than those who attend low-ranked schools.

Conclusion

And there you have it. You have seen the best law schools for criminal law studies, their GPA and LSAT requirements, and what they have to offer.

And with the increase in the crime rate, it will be good to have more lawyers who can handle such cases. 

Hence, you can share this article with your family and friends who are not sure about which type of law to study.

Frequently asked questions about the best law schools for criminal law studies