Top 10 universities for law degrees 2025
Explore the top 10 universities for law worldwide, ranked using the latest Times Higher Education World Subject Rankings data.
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Insights into the top 10 universities in the world for law 2025
| Law Rank 2025 | Law rank 2024 | University | Country/region |
| 1 | 2 | Stanford University | United States |
| 2 | 1 | Harvard University | United States |
| 3 | =4 | New York University | United States |
| 4 | 3 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 5 | =4 | Columbia University | United States |
| 6 | 6 | University of California, Berkeley | United States |
| 7 | 7 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 8 | 9 | The University of Chicago | United States |
| 9 | 10 | Yale University | United States |
| 10 | 12 | UCL | United Kingdom |
Explore the full table for the best universities for law degrees
A law degree is the first step on a number of career paths – including a career as a solicitor, barrister or judge. Many universities around the world offer law degrees so it can be difficult to choose the best one for you.
Times Higher Education has ranked the top universities for law degrees. Harvard University in the US takes first place, followed by Stanford University. A fifth of the universities in the law ranking are located in the US.
The University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and UCL are the only UK universities in the top 10. There are 55 UK universities in the ranking in total.
The University of Toronto, in 22nd place, is the highest-ranked Canadian university. Eighteen other Canadian universities feature in the ranking.
Times Higher Education’s subject rankings are based on the same 18 performance indicators used in the overall World University Rankings 2025. However, the methodology is carefully recalibrated for each subject, with the weightings changed to suit the individual fields. The full methodology for law can be found here.
Top 10 universities for law degrees
1. 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 specialise in the area that interests them.
Law courses at Stanford begin with an overview in the first year covering criminal law, contracts, tort, and legal research and writing.
The Robert Crown Law Library at Stanford holds about 500,000 books.
Stanford law students run more than 50 campus organisations, including the law and wine society, Stanford Law Students for Gender Violence Prevention, Women in Politics, and the Black Law Students Association. There are also 12 legal journals affiliated with the law school.
2. Harvard University
Harvard Law School offers a wide range of courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
The school has a range of resources and workshops to help students plan their careers in the legal field and experience various aspects of the profession while still studying. These include a spotlight on judicial clerkships, networking opportunities and career advice for both the private and public sector.
The school also hosts a visiting scholar programme, which accommodates a small number of legal researchers from around the world who are engaged in major research projects.
3. New York University
New York University’s School of Law was established in 1835.
There are a number of graduate programmes available, as well as LLM dual degrees with other schools, including the National University of Singapore.
The School of Law offers the JD for undergraduate students. Also offered are dual JD degrees in various fields such as taxation, international law, economics, history, philosophy or politics and French studies.
4. University of Cambridge
The Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge offers six degree options at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Master’s courses include an MPhil in criminology, an MPhil in criminological research, a diploma in legal studies and a diploma in international law.
The Squire Law Library is one of the largest legal collections in the UK, with almost 180,000 volumes. The collection is strongest in British law but also contains material on legal systems across the world, including the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. There are also smaller collections relating to other countries.
5. Columbia University
Columbia University Law School was founded in 1858.
The school offers a range of programmes including the JD degree, the LLM programme and the JSD programme. It also offers dual and joint degrees.
The programmes at the university cover a range of study areas including criminal justice, environment and energy, law and philosophy and constitutional law.
6. University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley Law School is one of 14 schools at the institution.
The school covers a range of study areas including criminal justice, business and start-ups, law and technology, and law and economics.
The university offers a JD, LLM, and doctoral programmes.
7. University of Oxford
The Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford is one of the largest in the UK.
The student-to-staff ratio is approximately 7:1.
There are a number of centres and institutes within the Faculty of Law, such as the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, the Institute of European Comparative Law, the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, the Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre and the Centre for Criminology.
8. The University of Chicago
The University of Chicago Law School opened its doors in 1902, 12 years after the university was founded.
Faculty members at the law school employ the Socratic method of teaching. This means that they do not lecture students but instead engage them in a dialogue, asking them to consider some of the most complex legal and social problems. This method aims to prepare students to think on their feet while under pressure.
9. Yale University
The admissions process for Yale University Law School is one of the most selective in the US, with less than 10 per cent of applicants accepted each year.
The school hosts a number of clinics that allow students to represent clients in real cases. Up to 80 per cent of Yale law students take part in these clinics before they graduate. The clinics cover a wide range of legal areas, and new ones are added all the time.
Alumni of the law school include former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and former US presidents Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford.
10. UCL
The UCL Faculty of Laws was the first law school in England to admit students regardless of their religion, the first to admit women on equal terms with men and the first to award a law degree to a woman.
UCL offers an undergraduate programme in law as well as an LLM programme for postgraduate students. MPhil and PhD degrees are also on offer.
The faculty hosts a number of free public lectures each week on a wide range of legal topics, delivered by academics from universities around the world.
