Overview

Applicants
3,775
Acceptance Rate
37%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.72
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
235

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
158 - 165

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
March 1

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

Application Fee
$0

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
No

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Deferred Admission
Yes

Other Admission Factors


Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
8:1
Total Faculty
114

71
Female
20.2
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

The Northeastern University School of Law believes in transformation through experience, sending its more than 600 students into the workforce in some capacity as early as their first year. This is thanks to a practical learning education model that features the Cooperative Legal Education Program as its central tenet. The program has ties to 1500 employers across 71 countries. And with students fulfilling three mandatory co-op requirements, they graduate with almost a year of full-time legal work experience, which in turn leads to already-populated résumés when they hit the job market. In classes, students receive written evaluations from both faculty and co-op employers instead of grades. In all, it's a model that students love: “Having the ability to get a year of legal experience before graduation gives you plenty of material for interviews for job prospects and really allows you to figure out what you want to do within the law,” one shares.

There is “a strong emphasis on research and writing,” and all first-year students complete the signature Legal Skills in Social Context course that introduces them to lawyering skills while working together on a social justice project in partnership with community organizations. This “allows for year-long collaborative writing and a large presentation at the end of the year,” which is a task students find “encouraging to see in the legal context.” In fact, there is a heavy focus on public interest that suffuses every class, and students must fulfill a public interest requirement in order to graduate (often through a public interest co-op). The Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration acts as the support center for all such endeavors, and helps connect students with pro bono opportunities across the nation. The school's eight clinics also provide a responsible avenue for students to gain experience while aiding underrepresented individuals in matters such as domestic violence or prisoners' rights. Lastly, a cadre of nationally recognized centers and institutes (such as the Center for Law, Innovation and Creativity and the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy) round out an already full plate of experiential opportunities.

The NUSL model is highly interdisciplinary, and “there are a lot of opportunities to engage with professors beyond the classroom, as many are advisers for affinity groups, participate in networking programs/conferences, and present their latest academic research to the student body.” Teachers here are often “contributing new and innovative ideas in their respective fields of the law,” and “also share NUSL's passion for social justice and innovation, [which] shows in their teaching.” Similarly, the administration “is responsive to student concerns,” and they “efficiently and effectively construct a full three-year experience for two different rotations,” including coursework and the co-op requirements. Overall, NUSL “provides multiple opportunities for networking and job opportunities.” Although it is overwhelmingly known as a public interest school, “as students engage in more ways to help people, private sector work is not the enemy anymore.”

Career overview

Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
86%
Median Starting Salary
$78,000
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
90%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
49%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
50

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
Northeastern University School of Law?s cooperative legal education program does more than prepare you for the job market?the experiences students have on co-op often lead directly to a job offer. The following is a selected list of employers who most frequently hire our graduates: - Massachusetts Court system, including Supreme Judicial Court, Appeals Court, and Trial Courts. - Ropes & Gray - Morgan Lewis - Wilmer Hale - Committee for Public Counsel Services (Public Defender in Massachusetts) - Colorado Public Defenders -Equal Justice Works Fellowships (variety of organizations) -Massachusetts Attorney General's Office -Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Boston -Middlesex County District Attorney's Office, Greater Boston area -Legal Services Offices throughout New England and New York -Health Law Advocates -Goulston & Storrs

Graduates Employed by Area

43%
Private Practice
22%
Public Interes
8%
Business/Industry
7%
Government
7%
Judicial Clerkships
2%
Academic

Graduates Employed by Region

70%
New England
12%
Mid-Atlantic
8%
South
3%
Mountain
3%
Pacific
1%
MidWest
1%
South West

Prominent Alumni

Mary Bonauto
Civil Rights Project Director, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders

Maura Healey
Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Andrew Glincher
Chairman Emeritus, Nixon Peabody LLP Nixon Peabody

William "Mo" Cowan
US Senator (ret.); Devoted Health, Chief Legal and External Affairs Officer

Margaret Hassan
US Senator, State of New Hampshire

Dates

Financial Aid Rating
Feb 15
Application Deadlines
Mar 15

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$64,838

% Students Receiving Some Aid
92%

Expenses per Academic Year

Tuition
$60,408
Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$19,600
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$19,600
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$3,300
Fees
$154

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
603
Parent Institution Enrollement
39,730

Number of Foreign Countries Represented
15
Average Age at Entry
25

% Out-of-State
47%
% International
3%

Demographics

33.70%
% Under-represented Minorities

89% are full time
11% are part time
72% female
28% male

Campus Life

Students Say

NUSL “is an incredibly liberal and community-centered law school” where “students are all kind and progressive.” Here, “diversity and acceptance are stressed,” and “faculty and students alike want to see you succeed and will help support you.” As students “are not ranked against each other, there is a general sense of camaraderie,” and “not having curved grades means that everyone is willing to share what they've learned and help each other through confusing legal problems.” One attendee says, “The students really stick together here.” Another adds, “I've never met more upperclassmen who were willing to grab a coffee or jump on the phone with me to give me really helpful and thoughtful advice.” In sum, the school “has an incredibly diverse mix of personalities and people from [various] backgrounds.”

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Sarah Rethage
Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Enrollment

Address
416 Huntington Avenue
101 Knowles
Boston, MA 02115

Phone
617-373-2395

Email
lawadmissions@northeastern.edu


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