Cornell Law School tied for 13th best law school in the country and ranked No. 1 in the country for “Law Schools With the Most Graduates at Big Law Firms,” according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 rankings, which were published Tuesday.
At No. 13 in overall rankings, Cornell Law tied with the University of California Los Angeles School of Law and the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis. Cornell rose five places since the 2025-2026 rankings.
All of the other Ivy League law schools ranked higher than Cornell Law this year in overall rankings, with Yale Law School at No. 2, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School at No. 4, Harvard Law School at No. 6 and Columbia Law School at No. 9. The other three Ivy League schools, Brown, Dartmouth and Princeton, do not have their own law schools.
Yale Law School, which held the No. 1 spot in the rankings for 36 consecutive years, fell to No. 2 this year — tied with the University of Chicago Law School. Stanford Law School now holds the No. 1 spot.
Cornell’s law school has an acceptance rate of approximately 18% and comprises about 600 students.
Cornell Law accepts students on a rolling basis, and recently admitted a cohort of Cornell undergraduates as part of the 3+3 Accelerated Pathway Scholar Program. The 3+3 program allows juniors from Cornell, Hobart and William Smith Colleges and St. Lawrence University to enter their first year of law school at Cornell Law in lieu of an undergraduate senior year. The fast-tracked program, which comprises about 7% of the Cornell Law Class of 2027, allows students to receive their bachelor’s degree and J.D. in six years.
Behind the Rankings
The overall U.S. News & World Report rankings comprised over 150 schools, and the organization wrote on its methodology page that only schools accredited by the American Bar Association were surveyed.
Approximately 60% of the methodology to determine the U.S. News & World Report rankings for best law schools in the country focuses on employment outcomes, while the remaining percentage looks at “faculty resources, student credentials and professional assessments.” U.S. News & World Report also wrote that “this data-driven approach is supported” by admissions statistics, costs and curriculum alongside the rankings.
U.S. News & World Report urges prospective law students to weigh factors beyond just rank in their application process, such as “personal considerations” and “cost after financial aid,” according to its methodology explanation.
Cornell Law also tied for No. 8 in commercial law, and ranked No. 12 in constitutional law and No. 16 for international law.
James Covit is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a contributor for the News department and can be reached at jc3684@cornell.edu.
