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List of law schools in the United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Law schools in this list are categorized by whether they are currently active or closed; within each section they are listed in alphabetical order by state, then name. All of them grant the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, which is the professional degree in law in the United States. Alaska is currently the only state without a law school.

ABA accredited law schools

Law schools are nationally accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA),[1] and graduates of these schools may generally sit for the bar exam in any state. In 2026, there are 198 ABA accredited law schools. The ABA occasionally revokes accreditation, as was done mostly recently with the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2019.[2]

ABA accredited non-profit schools

More information State (city), School ...
State (city) School Type Founded Accredited Campus
Alabama (Birmingham) Cumberland School of Law,[3] Samford University Private 1847 1949 Urban
Alabama (Montgomery) Thomas Goode Jones School of Law,[4] Faulkner University Private 1928 2006 Urban
Alabama (Tuscaloosa) University of Alabama School of Law[5] Public 1872 1926 Urban (small city)
Arizona (Phoenix) Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law,[6] Arizona State University Public 1964 1969 Urban
Arizona (Tucson) James E. Rogers College of Law,[7] University of Arizona Public 1915 1930 Urban
Arkansas (Fayetteville) University of Arkansas School of Law[8] Public 1924 1926 College town
Arkansas (Little Rock) William H. Bowen School of Law,[9] University of Arkansas at Little Rock Public 1975 1969 Urban
California (San Diego) California Western School of Law[10] Private 1924 1962 Urban
California (Orange) Chapman University School of Law[11] Private 1995 1998 Suburban
California (Los Angeles) Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount University Private 1920 1935 Urban
California (Sacramento) McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific Private 1924 1969 Urban
California (Malibu) Pepperdine University School of Law Private 1971 1972 Suburban
California (Santa Clara) Santa Clara University School of Law Private 1912 1937 Suburban
California (Los Angeles) Southwestern Law School Private 1911 1970 Urban
California (Stanford) Stanford Law School Private 1893 1923 Suburban
California (Berkeley) University of California, Berkeley School of Law Public 1894 1923 Urban
California (Davis) University of California, Davis School of Law (King Hall) Public 1965 1968 Suburban
California (San Francisco) University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Public 1878 1939 Urban
California (San Francisco) Golden Gate University School of Law, Golden Gate University Private 1901 1971 Urban
California (Irvine) University of California, Irvine School of Law Public 2009[12][13] 2011 Suburban
California (Los Angeles) University of California, Los Angeles School of Law Public 1949 1950 Urban
California (San Diego) University of San Diego School of Law Private 1954 1961 Urban
California (San Francisco) University of San Francisco School of Law Private 1912 1935 Urban
California (Los Angeles) Gould School of Law, University of Southern California Private 1896 1924 Urban
Colorado (Boulder) University of Colorado Law School Public 1892 1923 Urban
Colorado (Denver) Sturm College of Law, University of Denver Private 1892 1923 Urban
Connecticut (Hamden) Quinnipiac University School of Law Private 1977[14] 1992 Suburban
Connecticut (Hartford) University of Connecticut School of Law Public 1921 1933 Urban
Connecticut (New Haven) Yale Law School Private 1843 1923 Urban
Delaware (Wilmington) Widener University Delaware Law School[15] Private 1971 1975 Urban
District of Columbia Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America Private 1897 1925 Urban
District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, University of the District of Columbia Public 1972[16] 1991 Urban
District of Columbia George Washington University Law School Private 1865 1923 Urban
District of Columbia Georgetown University Law Center Private 1870 1924 Urban
District of Columbia Howard University School of Law Private 1869 1931 Urban
District of Columbia American University Washington College of Law, American University Private 1896 1940 Urban
Florida (Temple Terrace) Cooley Law School Private 2012 Suburban
Florida (Orlando) Barry University, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law Private 1999 2002 Suburban
Florida (Orlando) Florida A&M University College of Law Public 2000[17] 2004 Urban
Florida (Miami) Florida International University College of Law Public 2000 2004 Urban
Florida (Tallahassee) Florida State University College of Law Public 1966 1968 Urban
Florida (Gainesville) University of Florida Levin College of Law Public 1909 1925 Suburban
Florida (Davie) Shepard Broad College of Law, Nova Southeastern University Private 1974 1975 Suburban
Florida (Miami Gardens) Benjamin L. Crump College of Law, St. Thomas University Private 1984 1988 Urban
Florida (Gulfport) Stetson University College of Law Private 1900 1930 Suburban
Florida (Coral Gables) University of Miami School of Law Private 1926 1941 Suburban
Florida (Naples) Ave Maria School of Law Private 2000 2002 Suburban
Georgia (Atlanta) Atlanta's John Marshall Law School Private 1933 2005 Urban
Georgia (Atlanta) Emory University School of Law Private 1916 1923 Suburban
Georgia (Atlanta) Georgia State University College of Law Public 1982 1984 Urban
Georgia (Athens) University of Georgia School of Law Public 1859 1930 College town
Georgia (Macon) Mercer University School of Law, Mercer University Private 1873 1925 Urban
Hawaii (Honolulu) William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi Public 1968 1974 Urban
Idaho (Moscow), (Boise)[18] University of Idaho College of Law Public 1909 1925 Rural
Illinois (Chicago) Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology Private 1888 1936 Urban
Illinois (Chicago) DePaul University College of Law Private 1897 1925 Urban
Illinois (Champaign) University of Illinois College of Law Public 1897 1923 Urban
Illinois (Chicago) University of Illinois Chicago School of Law Public 1899 1951 Urban
Illinois (Chicago) Loyola University Chicago School of Law Private 1909 1925 Urban
Illinois (DeKalb) Northern Illinois University College of Law Public 1975[19] 1978 College town (suburban)
Illinois (Chicago) Northwestern University School of Law Private 1859 1923 Urban
Illinois (Carbondale) Southern Illinois University School of Law Public 1973 1974 College town
Illinois (Chicago) University of Chicago Law School Private 1902 1923 Urban
Indiana (Bloomington) Maurer School of Law, Indiana University Bloomington Public 1842 1923 Small city
Indiana (Indianapolis) Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Public 1895 1944 Urban
Indiana (Notre Dame) Notre Dame Law School Private 1869 1925 Suburban
Iowa (Des Moines) Drake University Law School Private 1865 1923 Urban
Iowa (Iowa City) University of Iowa College of Law Public 1865 1923 Urban
Kansas (Lawrence) University of Kansas School of Law Public 1893 1923 College town, urban
Kansas (Topeka) Washburn University School of Law Public 1903 1923 Urban
Kentucky (Highland Heights) Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University Public 1893 1954 Suburban
Kentucky (Louisville) Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville Public 1846 1931 Urban
Kentucky (Lexington) University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law Public 1908 1925 Urban
Louisiana (Baton Rouge) Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University Public 1906 1926 Urban
Louisiana (New Orleans) Loyola University New Orleans College of Law Private 1914 1931 Urban
Louisiana (Baton Rouge) Southern University Law Center Public 1946 1953 Urban
Louisiana (New Orleans) Tulane University Law School Private 1847 1925 Urban
Maine (Portland) University of Maine School of Law Public 1961 1962 Urban
Maryland (Baltimore) University of Baltimore School of Law Public 1925 1972 Urban
Maryland (Baltimore) University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law Public 1823 1930 Urban
Massachusetts (Newton) Boston College Law School Private 1929 1932 Suburban
Massachusetts (Boston) Boston University School of Law Private 1872 1925 Urban
Massachusetts (Cambridge) Harvard Law School Private 1817 1923 Urban
Massachusetts (Boston) New England Law Boston Private 1908 1969 Urban
Massachusetts (Boston) Northeastern University School of Law Private 1898[20] 1969 Urban
Massachusetts (Boston) Suffolk University Law School Private 1906 1953 Urban
Massachusetts (Dartmouth) University of Massachusetts School of Law Public 1982[21] 2012 Suburban
Massachusetts (Springfield) Western New England University School of Law Private 1919 1974 Suburban
Michigan (East Lansing) Michigan State University College of Law Public 1891 1941 Suburban
Michigan (Lansing) Cooley Law School[22] Private 1972 1975 Urban
Michigan (Detroit) University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Private 1912 1933 Urban
Michigan (Ann Arbor) University of Michigan Law School Public 1859 1923 Urban
Michigan (Detroit) Wayne State University Law School Public 1927 1937 Urban
Minnesota (Minneapolis) University of Minnesota Law School Public 1888 1923 Urban
Minnesota (Minneapolis) University of St. Thomas School of Law Private 1999[23] 2003 Urban
Minnesota (Saint Paul) Mitchell Hamline School of Law Private 1900[24] 2015[25] Urban
Mississippi (Jackson) Mississippi College School of Law Private 1930 1980 Urban
Mississippi (Oxford) University of Mississippi School of Law Public 1854 1930 Rural (small college town)
Missouri (St. Louis) Saint Louis University School of Law Private 1843[26] 1924 Urban
Missouri (Columbia) University of Missouri School of Law Public 1872 1923 Urban, college town
Missouri (Kansas City) University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law Public 1895 1936 Urban
Missouri (St. Louis) Washington University School of Law Private 1867 1923 Urban
Montana (Missoula) Alexander Blewett III School of Law, University of Montana Public 1911 1923 College town
Nebraska (Omaha) Creighton University School of Law Private 1904 1924 Urban
Nebraska (Lincoln) University of Nebraska College of Law Public 1888 1923 Urban
Nevada (Las Vegas) William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Public 1998 2000 Urban
New Hampshire (Concord) University of New Hampshire School of Law Public 1973 1974 Urban
New Jersey (Camden) Rutgers Law School (Camden campus; formerly Rutgers School of Law–Camden), Rutgers University Public 1926 (merged in 2015) 1950 Urban
New Jersey (Newark) Rutgers Law School (Newark campus; formerly Rutgers School of Law–Newark), Rutgers University Public 1908 (merged in 2015) 1941 Urban
New Jersey (Newark) Seton Hall University School of Law Private 1951 1951 Urban
New Mexico (Albuquerque) University of New Mexico School of Law Public 1947 1948 Urban
New York (Albany) Albany Law School, Union University Private 1851 1930 Urban
New York (New York City) Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University Private 1976 1978 Urban
New York (New York City) Brooklyn Law School Private 1901 1937 Urban
New York (Buffalo) University at Buffalo Law School, SUNY Public 1887 1936 Urban
New York (New York City) Columbia Law School Private 1858 1923 Urban
New York (Ithaca) Cornell Law School Private 1887 1923 Rural (small city)
New York (New York City) City University of New York School of Law Public 1983 1985 Urban
New York (New York City) Fordham University School of Law Private 1905 1936 Urban
New York (Hempstead) Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University Private 1970 1971 Suburban
New York (Central Islip) Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center Private 1980 1983 Suburban
New York (New York City) New York Law School Private 1891 1954 Urban
New York (New York City) New York University School of Law Private 1835 1930 Urban
New York (White Plains) Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University Private 1976 1978 Suburban
New York (New York City) St. John's University School of Law Private 1925 1937 Urban
New York (Syracuse) Syracuse University College of Law Private 1895 1923 Urban
North Carolina (Durham) Duke University School of Law Private 1904 1931 Urban
North Carolina (Greensboro) Elon University School of Law Private 2006 2008 Urban
North Carolina (Durham) North Carolina Central University School of Law Public 1940 1950 Urban
North Carolina (Raleigh) Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, Campbell University Private 1976 1979 Urban
North Carolina (Chapel Hill) University of North Carolina School of Law Public 1845 1923 College town
North Carolina (Winston-Salem) Wake Forest University School of Law Private 1894 1936 Urban
North Dakota (Grand Forks) University of North Dakota School of Law Public 1899 1923 Urban
Ohio (Cleveland) Cleveland State University College of Law Public 1897[27] 1957 Urban
Ohio (Columbus) Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University Public 1891 1923 Urban
Ohio (Cincinnati) University of Cincinnati College of Law Public 1833 1923 Urban
Ohio (Cleveland) Case Western Reserve University School of Law Private 1892 1923 Urban
Ohio (Columbus) Capital University Law School Private 1903 1950 Urban
Ohio (Dayton) University of Dayton School of Law Private 1974 1975 Urban
Ohio (Toledo) University of Toledo College of Law Public 1906 1939 Urban
Ohio (Ada) Claude W. Pettit College of Law, Ohio Northern University Private 1885 1948 Rural
Ohio (Akron) University of Akron School of Law Public 1921 1961 Urban
Oklahoma (Oklahoma City) Oklahoma City University School of Law Private 1907 1960 Urban
Oklahoma (Norman) University of Oklahoma College of Law Public 1909 1923 Suburban
Oklahoma (Tulsa) University of Tulsa College of Law Private 1923 1950 Urban
Oregon (Eugene), (Portland)[28] University of Oregon School of Law Public 1884 1923 Urban
Oregon (Salem) Willamette University College of Law Private 1883 1938 Urban
Oregon (Portland) Lewis & Clark Law School[29] Private 1915 1970 Urban
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) Drexel University School of Law Private 2006 2008 Urban
Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) Duquesne University School of Law Private 1911 1960 Urban
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) Beasley School of Law, Temple University Public 1895 1933 Urban
Pennsylvania (Carlisle) Dickinson School of Law, Penn State University Public 1834 1931 Rural
Pennsylvania (University Park) Penn State Law, Penn State University Public 1834 1931 College town (rural)
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) University of Pennsylvania Law School Private 1850 1923 Urban
Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) University of Pittsburgh School of Law Public 1895 1923 Urban
Pennsylvania (Radnor) Villanova University School of Law Private 1953 1954 Suburban
Pennsylvania (Harrisburg) Widener University Commonwealth Law School[30] Private 1989 1988 Urban
Puerto Rico (San Juan) Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law[31] Private 1961 1969 Urban
Puerto Rico (Ponce) Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law Private 1948 1967 Small city
Puerto Rico (San Juan) University of Puerto Rico School of Law Public 1913 1945 Urban
Rhode Island (Bristol) Roger Williams University School of Law Private 1992 1995 Suburban
South Carolina (Charleston) Charleston School of Law[32] Private 2003 2006 Urban
South Carolina (Columbia) Joseph F. Rice School of Law, University of South Carolina Public 1867 1925 Urban
South Dakota (Vermillion) University of South Dakota School of Law Public 1901 1923 Urban
Tennessee (Nashville) Belmont University College of Law[33] Private 2011 2013 Urban
Tennessee (Memphis) Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, University of Memphis Public 1962 1965 Urban
Tennessee (Knoxville) Duncan School of Law, Lincoln Memorial University Private 2009 2014 Urban
Tennessee (Knoxville) University of Tennessee College of Law Public 1890 1925 Urban
Tennessee (Nashville) Vanderbilt University Law School Private 1874 1925 Urban
Texas (Waco) Baylor Law School, Baylor University Private 1845 1931 Urban (college town)
Texas (Dallas) Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University Private 1911 1927 Urban
Texas (Dallas) University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law[34] Public 2014 2022 Urban
Texas (Houston) Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University Public 1947 1949 Urban
Texas (Houston) University of Houston Law Center Public 1947 1950 Urban
Texas (Houston) South Texas College of Law Houston Private 1923 1959 Urban
Texas (Lubbock) Texas Tech University School of Law Public 1967 1969 Urban
Texas (Austin) University of Texas School of Law Public 1883 1923 Urban
Texas (Fort Worth) Texas A&M University School of Law Public 1992 1994 Urban
Texas (San Antonio) St. Mary's University School of Law Private 1927 1948 Urban
Utah (Provo) J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University Private 1973 1974 Suburban
Utah (Salt Lake City) S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah Public 1913 1927 Urban
Vermont (South Royalton) Vermont Law and Graduate School Private 1972 1975 Rural
Virginia (Grundy) Appalachian School of Law Private 1994 2001 Rural
Virginia (Arlington) Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University Public 1972 1980 Urban/suburban
Virginia (Lynchburg) Liberty University School of Law Private 2004 2006 Suburban
Virginia (Virginia Beach) Regent University School of Law Private 1986 1989 Suburban
Virginia (Lexington) Washington and Lee University School of Law Private 1849 1923 Rural
Virginia (Williamsburg) William & Mary Law School[35] Public 1779 1932 Rural / suburban
Virginia (Richmond) University of Richmond School of Law[36] Private 1870 1928 Urban
Virginia (Charlottesville) University of Virginia School of Law Public 1826 1923 Small city (rural / suburban)
Virginia (Charlottesville) The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School[37] Public 1942[38] 1958 Rural
Washington (Spokane) Gonzaga University School of Law Private 1912 1951 Urban
Washington (Seattle) Seattle University School of Law Private 1972 1994 Urban
Washington (Seattle) University of Washington School of Law Public 1889 1924 Urban
West Virginia (Morgantown) West Virginia University College of Law Public 1878 1923 Urban
Wisconsin (Milwaukee) Marquette University Law School Private 1892 1925 Urban
Wisconsin (Madison) University of Wisconsin Law School Public 1868 1923 Urban
Wyoming (Laramie) University of Wyoming College of Law Public 1920 1923 Small city
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ABA accredited for-profit schools

More information State (city), School ...
State (city) School Founded Accredited
California (Irvine) Western State College of Law at Westcliff University 1966 2005
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State approved law schools

In addition, individual state legislatures or bar examiners, like the State Bar of California, may maintain a separate approval system which is open to non-ABA accredited schools. As of 2026, 21 law schools are approved by the State Bar of California.[39]

Also, the CBE allows registered unaccredited schools to operate and students of those schools are eligible to take the California Bar Examination upon graduation. 9 other law schools, primarily correspondence and online law schools, although not accredited, are registered by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California.[39] This means that the graduates of these law schools can sit for the California Bar Examination and, under varying circumstances, the bar exams in other states.

In California in 2022, 75% of ABA-accredited law school graduates passed the bar, 36% of State Bar of California approved law school graduates and 13% of unaccredited law school graduates.[40]

The other states that have non-ABA accredited law schools are Alabama, Massachusetts, and Tennessee.

More information State, City ...
State City School Type Founded accredited Bar passage rate Campus
Alabama[41] Birmingham Birmingham School of Law[42] For–profit 1915 Yes 12.5% (2023) urban
Alabama Birmingham Miles Law School[43] Non–profit 1974 Yes 7.1% (2019) suburban
California Chico Cal Northern School of Law For–profit 1992 1983 74.4% (2024)[44] small/medium city
California Clovis San Joaquin College of Law Non–profit 1969 Yes 62% (2025) medium city
California Fresno Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy Non–profit[45] 1994 No (registered) 52.9% (2000–2025)[46] correspondence
California Indio California Desert Trial Academy College of Law[47] For–profit 2012 No (registered) small city
California Inglewood, Chatsworth University of West Los Angeles School of Law For–profit[48] 1966 1978 45.3% (2024) suburban
California Los Angeles Abraham Lincoln University School of Law[49] For–profit 1996 No (registered) 8% (2022) online
California Los Angeles Purdue Global Law School, Purdue University Global Public 1998 2020 74.3% (2024)[44] online
California online JFK School of Law, National University Non–profit[50] 1965 Yes 60% (2019–2024)[51] online
California Ontario University of La Verne College of Law Non–profit 1970 2020 61.5% (2025) suburban
California Menlo Park St. Francis School of Law Non–profit 2011 Yes 53.8% (2016–2022) online
California Sacramento Lincoln Law School of Sacramento For–profit 1969 Yes 46% (2025) urban
California Sacramento Northwestern California University School of Law For–profit 1982 2020 50% (2025) online
California San Diego Thomas Jefferson School of Law Non–profit[52] 1969 2020 4% (2023) urban
California San Francisco San Francisco Law School, Alliant International University For–profit 1909 No (unregistered) 7% (2022) urban
California San Jose Lincoln Law School of San Jose Non–profit[53] 1919 1993 53.1% (2019–2024) urban
California Santa Ana Taft Law School at William Howard Taft University For–profit 1984 No (registered) 9% (2023) online
California Santa Ana Trinity Law School, Trinity International University Non–profit 1980 Yes 18% (2023) suburban
California Santa Barbara California School of Law For–profit 2007 No (registered) 81% (2020–2025)[54] distance-learning
California Seaside Monterey College of Law Non–profit 1972 1981 61.2% (2025) small city
California Stockton Laurence Drivon School of Law, Humphreys University Non–profit 1951 Yes 13% (2015) suburban
California Torrance American Institute of Law For–profit 2010 No (registered) correspondence
California Ventura Colleges of Law Non–profit[55] 1969 Yes 47% (2023) suburban
California Ventura, Santa Barbara Southern California Institute of Law For–profit 1986 No (registered) 14.3% (2024) online[56]
Massachusetts Andover Massachusetts School of Law Non–profit 1988 1997 (can also take bar exam in Connecticut) 73% (2024) suburban
Tennessee Nashville Nashville School of Law Non–profit[57] 1911 2001 68.5% (2019) suburban
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Defunct

See List of defunct law schools in the United States for law schools that once operated but have sinced closed.

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