Top 10 Law Universities in the World 2024
Scroll down to see the full list of the best universities in the world for law degrees
A law degree is the first step on a number of career paths – including a career as a barrister, solicitor or judge. Many universities around the world offer law degrees, so it can be difficult to choose the best one for you.
It is important to consider how much help a university can offer to help students find work experience, professional networks and their eventual career path.
Times Higher Education has ranked the top universities for law degrees. Harvard University in the US takes first place, followed by Stanford University. One fifth of the universities in the law ranking are located in the US.
The University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford are the only UK universities in the top 10. There are 53 UK universities in the ranking in total.
The University of Toronto, in joint 21st place, is Canada's highest-ranked university. Sixteen other Canadian universities appear in the ranking.
Times Higher EducationIts subject rankings are based on the same 18 performance indicators used in the overall World University Rankings 2024. However, the methodology is carefully calibrated for each subject, with weightings changing to suit individual fields. The full methodology for the law can be found here.
Scroll down for a comprehensive guide to what you can do with a law degree and the top universities in the field.
What can you do with a law degree?
Top 5 Universities for Law Degrees
=4. New York University
The New York University School of Law was founded in 1835.
Various postgraduate programs are available, as well as dual LLM degrees with other schools, including the National University of Singapore.
The Law School offers the JD for undergraduate students. Double JD degrees are also offered in various fields such as taxation, international law, economics, history, philosophy or politics, and French studies.
=4. Columbia University
Columbia Law School was founded in 1858.
The school offers a range of programs including the JD degree, the LLM program and the JSD program. It also offers double and joint degrees.
Programs at the university cover a number of areas of study, including criminal justice, environment and energy, law and philosophy, and constitutional law, among many others.
3. University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge Law School offers six study options at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Graduate programs include a Bachelor of Criminology, a Bachelor of Forensic Investigation, a Diploma of Legal Studies and a Diploma of International Law.
The Squire Law Library at the University of Cambridge is one of the three largest law collections in the UK, with almost 180,000 volumes. The collection is strongest on UK law, but contains collections for legal systems around the world, including the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. There are also smaller collections related to other countries.
Best Universities for Law Degrees in Australia
Best Universities for Law Degrees in Canada
Best Universities for Law Degrees in UK
Best Universities for Law Degrees in USA
2. Stanford University
Stanford Law School is known for having one of the lowest student-to-staff ratios in the US, at 7.3:1. Students can choose from 280 different courses to specialize in their field of interest.
Stanford law courses begin with a first-year overview covering criminal law, contracts, torts, and legal research and writing.
The Robert Crown Law Library at Stanford has approximately 500,000 books.
Stanford Law students run more than 50 student organizations, including the law and wine society, Stanford Law Students to Prevent Gender-Based Violence, Women in Politics, and the Black Law Students Association. There are also 12 law journals affiliated with the law school.
1. Harvard University
Harvard Law School offers a wide range of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The school has a range of resources and workshops to help students plan their legal careers and experience different aspects of the profession while still studying. These include a focus on judicial jobs, networking opportunities and career advice for both the private and public sectors.
The school also hosts the visiting scholar/visiting researcher program, which hosts a small number of legal scholars and researchers from around the world engaged in major research projects.
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Top Universities for Law Degrees 2024
Click on each institution to view its World University Rankings 2024 profile
Editor's note: As part of ours The statement on Ukraine published on March 2, 2022, Russian universities are less important in our ranking. Russian universities that met the criteria for this ranking are not shown in the table above.
This table was updated in December 2023 to retrospectively include Birkbeck, University of London based on the submission of the data provided. More information on the university's membership can be found here
