The Best Colleges for Pre-Law Students
Did you know that pre-law is not considered an actual major by most universities in the United States? Most times, there isn’t even an official pre-law concentration available to students.
So how do you know whether a school is good for pre-law students?
The Different Pre-Law Tracks
Unlike medical schools, law schools do not have course requirements– the only universal admissions requirement is to take the LSAT exam. This leaves the door completely open for students to choose any major. Keep in mind that the LSAT exam focuses on reading comprehension, analytical skills, and logical reasoning— so some majors prepare you for these subjects better than others.
From the American Bar Association:
The ABA does not recommend any undergraduate majors or group of courses to prepare for a legal education…[w]hatever major you select, you are encouraged to pursue an area of study that interests and challenges you, while taking advantage of opportunities to develop your research and writing skills. Taking a broad range of difficult courses from demanding instructors is excellent preparation for legal education.
If you’re taking the traditional route, here are some of the most popular pre-law majors:
- Political Science
- History
- Economics
- Liberal Arts
Where are the best colleges for pre-law?
Because majoring in “pre-law” isn’t an option, we’ve listed out the top 10 best colleges for Political Science, History, Economics, and Liberal Arts— all common majors for those wanting to attend law school.
The Top 10 Colleges for Political Science
| Rank | College Name | Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche* | Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche* | Overall Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank
1
|
College Name
Harvard University
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1480
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
35
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
6%
|
|
Rank
2
|
College Name
Yale University
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1440
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
34
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
7%
|
|
Rank
3
|
College Name
Bowdoin College
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1420
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
15%
|
|
Rank
4
|
College Name
Georgetown University
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1390
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
32
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
17%
|
|
Rank
5
|
College Name
Stanford University
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1420
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
32
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
5%
|
|
Rank
6
|
College Name
Princeton University
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1460
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
7%
|
|
Rank
7
|
College Name
Dartmouth College
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1410
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
32
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
11%
|
|
Rank
8
|
College Name
Columbia University
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1420
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
7%
|
|
Rank
9
|
College Name
University of Pennsylvania
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1440
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
32
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
10%
|
|
Rank
10
|
College Name
Vanderbilt University
|
Avg. Political Science Student SAT Score on Niche*
1440
|
Avg. Political Science Student ACT Score on Niche*
34
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
12%
|
See the full ranking
The Top 10 Colleges for History
| Rank | College Name | Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche* | Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche* | Overall Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank
1
|
College Name
Harvard University
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1420
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
28
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
6%
|
|
Rank
2
|
College Name
Yale University
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1490
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
7%
|
|
Rank
3
|
College Name
Stanford University
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1520
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
32
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
5%
|
|
Rank
4
|
College Name
University of Chicago
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1470
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
8%
|
|
Rank
5
|
College Name
Princeton University
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1510
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
34
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
7%
|
|
Rank
6
|
College Name
Columbia University
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1420
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
32
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
7%
|
|
Rank
7
|
College Name
University of Pennsylvania
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1430
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
34
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
10%
|
|
Rank
8
|
College Name
Brown University
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1430
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
9%
|
|
Rank
9
|
College Name
Bowdoin College
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1340
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
15%
|
|
Rank
10
|
College Name
Vanderbilt University
|
Avg. History Student SAT Score on Niche*
1490
|
Avg. History Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
12%
|
See the full ranking
The Top 10 Colleges for Economics
| Rank | College Name | Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche* | Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche* | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank
1
|
College Name
Harvard University
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1490
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Acceptance Rate
6
|
|
Rank
2
|
College Name
Yale University
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1500
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
34
|
Acceptance Rate
7%
|
|
Rank
3
|
College Name
Stanford University
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1490
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
32
|
Acceptance Rate
5%
|
|
Rank
4
|
College Name
University of Chicago
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1520
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Acceptance Rate
8%
|
|
Rank
5
|
College Name
Vanderbilt University
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1470
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Acceptance Rate
12%
|
|
Rank
6
|
College Name
Duke University
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1480
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
34
|
Acceptance Rate
11%
|
|
Rank
7
|
College Name
Georgetown University
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1460
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Acceptance Rate
17%
|
|
Rank
8
|
College Name
Dartmouth College
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1490
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
34
|
Acceptance Rate
11%
|
|
Rank
9
|
College Name
Northwestern University
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1460
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Acceptance Rate
13%
|
|
Rank
10
|
College Name
Columbia University
|
Avg. Economics Student SAT Score on Niche*
1470
|
Avg. Economics Student ACT Score on Niche*
33
|
Acceptance Rate
7%
|
See the full ranking
The Top 10 Colleges for Liberal Arts
| Rank | College Name | Average SAT score on Niche | Average ACT score on Niche | Overall Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank
1
|
College Name
Bowdoin College
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1400
|
Average ACT score on Niche
32
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
15%
|
|
Rank
2
|
College Name
Pomona College
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1430
|
Average ACT score on Niche
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
10%
|
|
Rank
3
|
College Name
Carleton College
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1420
|
Average ACT score on Niche
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
21%
|
|
Rank
4
|
College Name
Harvey Mudd College
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1460
|
Average ACT score on Niche
32
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
13%
|
|
Rank
5
|
College Name
Middlebury College
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1390
|
Average ACT score on Niche
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
17%
|
|
Rank
6
|
College Name
Washington & Lee University
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1380
|
Average ACT score on Niche
32
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
24%
|
|
Rank
7
|
College Name
Swarthmore College
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1420
|
Average ACT score on Niche
33
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
12%
|
|
Rank
8
|
College Name
Barnard College
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1350
|
Average ACT score on Niche
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
15%
|
|
Rank
9
|
College Name
Claremont McKenna College
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1410
|
Average ACT score on Niche
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
11%
|
|
Rank
10
|
College Name
Haverford College
|
Average SAT score on Niche
1380
|
Average ACT score on Niche
31
|
Overall Acceptance Rate
25%
|
See the full ranking
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