History 
Located: Boston, Massachusetts
Founded: 1898

Class of 2015 Statistics*
Applications Received: 3,214
Enrolled: 168
Women: 65%
Men: 35%
Students of Color: 32%
Asian, 26%
Black or African-American, 24%
Hispanic or Latino, 31%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2%
Multiracial, 17%
Average Age: 24
Middle 50%
GPA: 3.27 - 3.67 (25th-75th percentiles)
Median GPA: 3.52
Middle 50%
LSAT: 154-163 (25th-75th percentiles)
Median LSAT: 161
Selected List of Frequently Represented Undergraduate Institutions:  
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Bowdoin College
  • Brown University 
  • City University of New York
  • Colby College
  • Colorado College
  • Connecticut College
  • Duke University
  • Emerson College
  • George Washington University
  • Georgetown University
  • Hampshire College
  • Harvard University
  • Haverford College
  • Lewis and Clark College
  • McGill University
  • New York University
  • Northeastern University
  • Oberlin College
  • Pepperdine University
  • Reed College
  • Smith College
  • Spelman College
  • Trinity College
  • Tufts University
  • Univeristy of California, San Diego
  • University of Connecticut
  • University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  • University of New Hampshire
  • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • University of Oregon
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Rochester
  • University of Texas, Austin
  • University of Vermont
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Washington
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Wellesley College
  • Wesleyan University

Graduation Requirements and Grading System
Graduation Requirements:
  • Completion of  53 quarter credits and 34 semester credits
  • Completion of four, full-time legal internships (co-ops)
  • Completion of upper-level writing requirement
  • Fulfillment of Public Interest Requirement
Grading System:
Narrative evaluations in each academic course in lieu of alphabetic or numeric grades, with honorifics in the upper-level years.

Graduation and Attrition Rates
Class of 2012:
  • Matriculated: 214
  • Graduation rate: 95.8%*
  • Attrition rate: 4.2%
*including seven students enrolled in dual-degree program, graduating 2013

Annual Fees 
Tuition $42,940 (2012-2013 academic year, first-year students)
Student Activity Fee  $24
Campus Recreation Fee  $92
Medical Insurance  $2,249 
Books & Supplies  $1,500
Living Allowance  $17,100
Loan Origination Fees  $99
Transportation $900
Total: $64,904

Students Receiving Financial Assistance: 93%

Faculty  
Full-time total (including specialists): 44
Women: 52%
Men: 48%
Faculty of Color: 21%  

Educational Opportunities
Clinical Programs
  • Community Business Clinic
  • Civil Rights and Restorative Justice
  • Criminal Advocacy
  • Domestic Violence
  • Poverty Law and Practice
  • Prisoners’ Rights
  • Public Health
Institutes and Special Programs
  • Civil Rights and Restorative Justice
  • Domestic Violence Institute
  • Program on Health Policy and Law
  • Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy
  • Public Health Advocacy Institute
Dual-Degree Programs:
  • Sustainable International Development (MA: Brandeis University)
  • Environmental Law (MELP: Vermont Law School)
  • Public Health (MPH: Tufts University School of Medicine)
  • Business Administration (MBA)
  • Accounting (MS/MBA)
  • Law and Public Policy (MS)
 

Cooperative Legal Education
Northeastern’s unique approach to training lawyers is known as cooperative legal education. Students complete a traditional first year of academic study; for the remaining two years, they alternate between quarters of full-time jobs ("co-ops") in the legal workplace and attending classes. Through their co-op experiences, students acquire an array of legal skills, observe different approaches to the practice of law and determine for themselves which areas of the law most interest them.

Number of participating employers: 900
Number of states/countries/etc. represented: 40 

Career Opportunites
Class of 2011 Major Areas of Legal Practice:
  • Law Firms: 34%
  • Judicial Clerkships: 9.5%
  • Public Interest: 24.5%
  • Government: 10%
  • Business: 13%
  • Academic: 8%
For more information, visit our employment statistics page.

Massachusetts Bar Passage Rate for First-Time Takers:
  • 2011: 93%
  • 2010: 89%
  • 2009: 97% 
  • 2008: 91%
  • 2007: 87%
  • 2006: 89%
  • 2005: 94%
  • 2004: 83%
  • 2003: 88% 

ABA Standard 509: Consumer Information
For a complete report of the School of Law's Consumer Information, we provide a copy of our ABA Standard 509 report (as of October 5, 2012).