Northwestern Law

Law
Canadian universities
Alberta UBC Calgary Dalhousie Manitoba McGill Moncton New Brunswick Ottawa Saskatchewan Toronto Victoria UWO Windsor York
American universities
Chicago Columbia Cornell Duke Georgetown George Washington Harvard NYU Northwestern Notre Dame Stanford
International universities

Contacts

Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Rubloff 160
357 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611-3069

Website: http://www.law.northwestern.edu
Phone: (312) 503-8465
E-mail: admissions@law.northwestern.edu

Admission Requirements

General Notes

• Applicants with at least 2 years of post-college work experience are preferred
• Only full-time day classes offered
• Limit for total J.D. enrollment each year is 240 students
• Incomplete applications will not be reviewed by the Admissions Committee
• Registration with the LSDAS is encouraged in the fall

For more information please visit: https://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/applying/

Criteria

GPA

• GPA distribution in 2007: middle 50% range of 3.4-3.8; median of 3.7

LSAT

• LSAT distribution in 2007: middle 50% range of 167-172; median of 170
• Old LSAT scores are valid for up to 5 years
• Repetition is not advised, unless special circumstances exist
• All scores will be considered by the Admission Committee
• LSAT should be taken no later than December
• February LSAT score is still accepted, except available entering class space may be a limiting factor for offers of admission

For more information please visit: https://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/applying/required/lsat.html

Supporting Documents

• Non-refundable application fee of $80 for J.D. applications
• LSDAS report includes the academic college or university transcript(s) of the applicant and his/her results on the LSAT
• Transcripts: mail to LSDAS as soon as possible
• Personal Statement: suggested topics include personal and professional goals, academic or career history
• Letter of Recommendation: only 1 required, but more may be submitted if desired

For more information please visit: https://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/applying/required/lsdas.html
For more information please visit: https://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/applying/required/perstatm.html

Interview

• Applicants are encouraged, but not required to interview
• Purpose of interview is to assess personal and intellectual potential of applicant
• Focuses of interview include speaking and writing skills, judgment and ambition
• Review of application will not begin until the completion of the interview
• Off-campus and on-campus interviews available
• Interviews all weighted equally, regardless of who conducted the interview
• Interviews are conducted between October 1-March 1 for applicants who have not received an initial decision

For more information please visit: https://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/applying/interview.html

Admission

• Modified rolling admission process
• Review of complete applications by the Admissions Committee begins in late November
• Decision made by Admissions Committee usually 6-8 weeks after application has been completed
• Early decision candidates will be notified of decisions by December 31
• Complete applications received by the regular admission deadline of February 15 are notified of a decision by the end of May
• Incomplete applications or those completed after February 15 may be excluded from consideration; if considered, these applicants may not receive a decision until mid-June
• Deferrals reviewed individually and are granted for special circumstances

For more information please visit: https://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/applying/filper.html

Deadlines

• September 1: online requests for off-campus interviews begins
• October 1: applications for admission begins; on-campus interviews begin
• November 15: deadline for completion of mandatory on-campus interviews for early decision applicants
• December 1: deadline for submission and receipt of early decision applications; deadline for requesting off-campus interviews
• December 15: deadline for completion of early application including interviews (if applicable)
• February 15: deadline for receipt of complete JD application
• February 28: on-campus interview period ends

For more information please visit: https://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/applying/dates.html

Tuition

• Tuition is based on the degree rather than the length of enrollment
• JD and 2-year JD degree program tuition for 2008-2009: $45,062 US
• 2008-2009 estimated cost for first-year JD program: $67,146 US (includes books, hospitalization insurance, personal expenses, room and board, transportation, tuition and computer)
• 2007-2008 estimated cost for 2-year JD students: $62,748 US (includes books, hospitalization insurance, personal expenses, room and board, transportation and tuition)
• Financial aid is available for those in need in the form of grants, firm and outside scholarships, writing competitions and loans
• Office of Financial Aid must receive all application documents by February 15

For more information please visit: http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/tuitionaid/tuition.html

Statistics

• Applicants interviewed in 2006: 3,823
• Enrolled students in 2006: 233
• 123 colleges and universities and 35 states represented in 2006 student body
• 2006 entering students with 1+ years of work experience: 93%
• 2006 entering students with 2+ years of work experience: 75%

For more information please visit: http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/profile/

Other trivia/notes

• Entering class’s median LSAT score is the 6th highest among the nation’s top law schools
• Student body is one of the three most geographically diverse among US law schools
• 6 student-run scholarly legal journals; students are selected based on a writing competition and first year grades
• Joint degree programs offered in association with Northwestern Graduate School, Kellogg School of Management and Medill School of Journalism
• 7 formal study abroad programs available, in addition to International Team Projects
• 2008 edition of US News & World Report’s Best Grad Schools ranked Northwestern Law 12th in the US overall
• Princeton Review 2007 placed Northwestern 1st for “Best Career Prospects”, 8th for “Toughest to Get Into”, 10th for “Best Quality of Life” and “Best Overall Academic Experience”