The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University

Law School Admissions

Application

Director of admissions David Martinidez
Application deadline April 15
Full-time program application fee N/A
Part-time program application fee N/A
Besides the fall semester, can enter in winter/spring, summer

The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University

Admissions & Enrollment (Overall)

Acceptance rate 32.7% – Medium
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.60
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 162

Admissions & Enrollment (Full-time)

Acceptance rate 31.0%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 160-166
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.41-3.73
Median undergraduate GPA for full-time program entrants 3.60
Median LSAT score for full-time program entrants 164

Admissions & Enrollment (Part-time)

Acceptance rate 27.3%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 157-161
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.38-3.72
Median undergraduate GPA for part-time program entrants 3.59
Median LSAT score for part-time program entrants 159

Law School Academics

Academic Program Details

Academic calendar Semester
Joint degrees offered
J.D./M.S.W.
J.D./M.S.B.
Special programs offered to J.D. students (as provided by the school)
Cardozo is known for intellectual property and dispute resolution programs, and for the Innocence Project, founded by Prof. Barry Scheck. All Cardozo clinics are client-based. Other programs range from human rights studies to constitutional democracy and corporate governance. New short-term international seminars are in countries around the globe. See: http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/info.aspx?cid=266
Programs/courses offered in
appellate advocacy intellectual property law
clinical training international law
dispute resolution tax law
environmental law trial advocacy
health care law

Curricular Offerings (Overall)

Classroom course titles, beyond the first-year curriculum, offered last year 159
Seminars 78
Positions available in seminars 1,515
Positions available in simulation courses 722
Positions available in faculty-supervised clinical courses 171
Student activities (as provided by the school)
Approximately half of Cardozo’s second and third-year students participate on one of six student journals, which organize some of the law school’s most significant and exciting symposia, or on Moot Court. More than 45 student groups represent the ethnic, cultural, and political diversity of the Cardozo student body. Please see: http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/Directory.aspx?category=Publications

Curricular Offerings (Full-time)

Typical first-year full-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 50
Is there typically a full-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? No
Typical size of first-year “small section” 0
Positions filled in full-time program seminars 1,042
Positions filled in full-time program simulation courses 558
Positions filled in faculty-supervised full-time program clinical courses 166
Full-time students involved in field placements 267
Full-time students involved in law journals 352
Full-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 63
Full-time students enrolled in independent study 44

Curricular Offerings (Part-time)

Typical first-year part-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 50
Is there typically a part-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? No
Positions filled in part-time program seminars 0
Positions filled in part-time program simulation courses 0
Positions filled in faculty-supervised part-time program clinical courses 0
Part-time students involved in field placements 0
Part-time students involved in law journals 0
Part-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 0
Part-time students enrolled in independent study 0

Faculty Profile (Fall 2011)

Student-faculty ratio 15.2:1 – Medium
Full- and part-time faculty 165
Full-time and part-time faculty distribution
Full-time minority faculty 10.3%
Part-time minority faculty 13.1%
Total faculty 170
Total faculty (men) 61.2%
Total faculty (women) 38.8%
Total faculty (minorities) 12.4%

Class Size

Law School Ranking

#56 Best Law Schools

(4) Ranking by Specialties

#7 in Dispute Resolution
#11 in Intellectual Property Law
#67 in Law Firms Rank Schools
#4 in Part-time Law

Law Ranking Scores

Score 54
Peer assessment score (out of 5) 2.9
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (out of 5) 3.2
GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.4-3.73
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.60
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 158-165
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 162
Acceptance rate 32.7% – Medium
Student-faculty ratio 15.2:1 – Medium
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 63.4% – Medium
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 84.6% – Medium
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 85.1% – Medium
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar NY
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 76.4%

Law School Student Body

Student Body (Overall)

Total Enrolled 1140

Student Body (Full-time)

Enrollment (full-time) 1,038

Student Body (Part-time)

Enrollment (part-time) 102

Attrition Rates for Full- and Part-time Students (2010-2011)

First-year students discontinuing law school 8.3%
Second-year students discontinuing law school 1.5%
Third-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Fourth-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Male students discontinuing law school 3.8%
Female students discontinuing law school 2.4%

Law School Cost

Financial Aid Contact Information

Financial aid director Jon Goldberg
Financial aid phone (212) 790-0392
Financial aid application deadline January 4

Expenses

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $48,370 per year
Part-time: $48,370 per year
Room and board $18,650
Books $1,250
Miscellaneous expenses $4,668
Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? Yes
Does the university offer housing restricted to law students? Yes
Does the university offer graduate student housing for which law students are eligible? Yes
Does the university offer a public-interest scholarship program to current J.D. students? Yes

Grants (Full-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 24.5%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 19.6%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 12.8%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 2.0%
Median grant amount $25,000
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $16,000–$39,209
Full-time students receiving grants 58.9%

Grants (Part-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 9.8%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 2.9%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 0.0%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 0.0%
Median grant amount $10,000
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $7,500–$15,000
Part-time students receiving grants 12.7%

Indebtedness

Average indebtedness of 2011 graduates who incurred law school debt $123,857
Proportion who borrowed 73.9%
Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2011 J.D. graduates? Yes

Law School Library

Library Information Resources

Print titles (excluding nonbook titles) 99,410
Microform titles 14,457
Electronic titles 31,097
Other non-book titles 821
Total titles 145,785
Volumes (excluding microforms) 275,647
Volume equivalent microforms 303,642
Total volumes and volume equivalents 579,289
Number of volumes in the collection that are stored off site and are systematically retrievable 0
Library’s online catalog or website includes links to electronic titles or databases made available by another campus library or consortia Yes

Library Schedule of Operation

Number of hours per week library is open on a regular schedule 88
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty on a regular schedule 61
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on a regular schedule 16
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on a regular schedule 10
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on a regular schedule 54
Number of weeks per year library operates on an abbreviated schedule 15
Number of hours per week library is open on an abbreviated schedule 78
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty are on an abbreviated schedule 54
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 28
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 0
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on an abbreviated schedule 49
Number of weeks per year library operates on expanded schedule 0

Information Technology

Department(s) responsible for the law school information technology operations law school library, university information technology department
Approximate number of full-time-equivalent information technology staff (excluding hourly students and other temporary staff) 2
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in the law library (excluding computer labs) 30
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in classrooms 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in computer labs 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students elsewhere in the law school 0
Does the law school have a wireless network? Yes
Wireless network is available in the law library, in classrooms, in administrative/faculty offices and work areas, elsewhere in the law school
Does the school require entering students to own a computer? No

Physical Library Facilities

Net square feet of space assigned for library purposes 40,170
Total seats available for library users 446
Details about the library and other facilities (as provided by the school) Cardozo occupies 11 floors of a building on Fifth Avenue in historic Greenwich Village. A new student lounge and cafe form a lively hub for daily life. Classrooms and the moot court feature the latest multimedia equipment. A four-floor library offers individual and group study spaces. Most legal clinics share workspace on one floor. Furnished apartments for 125 students are just one block away.

Law School Careers

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2010 administrations)

State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar NY
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 85.1% – Medium
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 76.4%

Class of 2010 Graduates

Total graduates 383
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 63.4%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 84.6%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Graduation

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 1.6%
Graduates whose employment status is known 98.4%
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 63.4%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 3.4%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 25.1%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 6.5%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Nine Months

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 3.4%
Graduates whose employment status is known 96.6%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 84.6%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 3.1%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 4.2%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 4.7%

Starting Salaries of Graduates Employed Full-time (Class of 2010)

25th percentile private sector starting salary $58,500
Median private sector starting salary $80,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $160,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 74%
Median public service starting salary $50,000

Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2010)

Percent employed in academia 1.9%
Percent employed in business and industry 18.5%
Percent employed in government 13.9%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 5.6%
Percent employed in law firms 49.1%
Percent employed in public interest 11.1%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.0%

Employment Location (Class of 2010)

Graduates employed in-state 85%
Graduates employed out-of-state 14.2%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 1%
Number of states where graduates are employed 16
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 0.6%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 90.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 0.6%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 0.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 4.4%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 0.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 0.9%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 1.9%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 0.7%
Employment location unknown 0.0%

Career Services

(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)

Career services operations The Office of Career Services advises students on career planning and provides opportunities to meet attorneys and hone job search skills. Recruitment programs attract hundreds of firms, public interest organizations, and government agencies. Funding programs provide resources for students and alumni to pursue public service opportunities. Please see: http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/careerservices

Job Type

Bar admission required/anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 86.3%
Bar admission required/anticipated – percent employed in full-time positions 78.3%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 10.0%
J.D. preferred – percent employed in full-time positions 81.3%
Professional other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse) 1.8%
Professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 50.0%
Non-professional other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path) 1.5%
Non-professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 40.0%