Pre-Law: Best Colleges and What to Major In

There Is No Pre-Law Major

Unlike pre-med (which has specific prerequisite courses), there are no required courses for law school. Law schools accept any major. The admissions process cares about three things in rough order of importance: LSAT score, GPA, and the quality of your personal statement and recommendations.

This means you should major in whatever you will earn the highest grades in while developing strong analytical and writing skills. Political science is the most common pre-law major, but it has no advantage over English, philosophy, history, economics, or even engineering and computer science.

Majors That Prepare You Best

Philosophy — Teaches logical reasoning, argumentation, and close reading. Philosophy majors consistently score among the highest on the LSAT, which is essentially a logic and reading comprehension test.

English — Develops the writing and analytical reading skills that are the daily work of lawyers. Strong writing is the single most important skill in law practice.

Political Science — Provides context for understanding legal systems, government, and policy. The most popular pre-law major, though not necessarily the best preparation.

History — Teaches research, analysis of primary sources, and constructing arguments from evidence. Similar skill development to English with a different content focus.

Economics — Increasingly valuable as law intersects with business, antitrust, intellectual property, and financial regulation. Quantitative skills set you apart.

STEM fields — Engineering, CS, and science majors are increasingly valued in intellectual property law, patent law, and tech regulation. A technical degree combined with a law degree creates a rare and lucrative skill set.

Schools That Feed Into Top Law Schools

Law school admissions are numbers-driven (LSAT plus GPA), so the "feeder school" concept is less important than in, say, investment banking. That said, certain schools send disproportionate numbers to top law programs:

Harvard, Yale, Princeton — Name recognition helps, and the academic rigor prepares students well for law school coursework.

Georgetown — D.C. location and strong government connections. Many students intern at law firms and courts before applying.

University of Michigan, UVA, UC Berkeley — Strong pre-law cultures with high law school placement rates.

Liberal arts colleges (Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore) — Writing-intensive curricula and close faculty relationships produce strong recommendations and personal statements. These schools punch above their weight in law school admissions.

What Actually Matters for Law School

GPA is king (within your school). Law schools calculate your GPA using LSAC's formula, which can differ from your transcript. They care deeply about the number because it affects their rankings. Major in something where you can excel.

LSAT preparation. The LSAT is a learnable test, but it requires significant preparation (typically 3 to 6 months). Your LSAT score has more impact on law school admissions than any other single factor.

Writing skills. Your personal statement, diversity statement, and addenda are your chance to stand out beyond the numbers. Strong writing developed through college coursework makes this process much easier.

Internship and work experience. Law schools value applicants who have worked in legal settings (law firms, courts, legal aid), policy, or any field that demonstrates maturity and commitment. Many successful applicants take one to three years off between college and law school.

The Financial Consideration

Law school costs 150,000 to 250,000 dollars. Combined with undergrad debt, graduates can face 300,000 to 400,000 dollars in total educational debt. Starting salaries at top law firms are high (around 215,000 dollars) but the majority of law graduates do not work at these firms. Median starting salary for all law graduates is around 75,000 dollars.

Choose an affordable undergraduate option. The prestige of your law school matters far more than the prestige of your undergrad for legal career outcomes.

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