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Reviewed by:
Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University
Reviewed: 3/18/24
If you’re considering going to law school in the Sunshine State, you won’t want to miss this guide!
Beaches, Disney World, and palm trees all come to mind when thinking about Florida. It’s a beautiful state that offers plenty of sunshine and opportunity! In fact, it has the fourth-largest economy and is one of the fastest-growing legal markets in the country.
Before joining Florida’s growing legal field, you must attend an excellent law school that can prepare you for a future of success! Read on to learn more about the top law schools in Florida and their LSAT scores, average GPAs, and rankings!
There are technically 13 law schools in the state of Florida, but one of them, the Florida Coastal School of Law, is not accepting any new students. Of these 12 active schools, here are the best law schools.
Now, let’s look at this comprehensive list of law schools in the state of Florida.
The University of Florida tops the list of the best law schools in Florida. It ranks 22nd in the nation and offers a renowned tax law program. Since its opening in 1853, this school has been dedicated to improving the world by nurturing excellence and breadth across all its programs.
To get into this esteemed school, students should aim for a GPA of 3.9 and an LSAT score of 169. As a moderately competitive school, the University of Florida typically only accepts 17% of its applicants.
However, these successful students are provided with extensive preparation for the legal field! So much so that their bar passage rate is 82.7%.
Florida State University (FSU) is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Tallahassee, the state's capital. In such proximity to the Florida Supreme Court, students have unique opportunities to gain invaluable legal experience at FSU.
With a 19.6% acceptance rate, FSU aims to admit only the brightest students into its prestigious programs. Successful applicants typically have LSAT scores of 160 and GPAs of 3.83. This school ranks 53rd in the nation and has an average bar passage rate of over 83.4%!
Florida International University promises its students a contemporary, high-quality education that will prepare them for the rapidly evolving legal world. While this school is located in Miami's vibrant, big city, it still offers students a personalized educational experience to give them the best of both worlds!
Florida International has an acceptance rate of 52.3%, a median LSAT score of 156, and a median GPA of 4. It ranks as the 60th best law school in the country but is known to prepare its students well for their careers, which its 87% bar passage rate can attest to!
Coming in fourth on this list, and 67th overall is the University of Miami. This school has a promising acceptance rate of just over 33.4% and moderate admission requirements, with a median LSAT score of 162 and a median GPA of 3.72.
Around 69.8% of its students pass the bar exam on their first try due to its robust legal program offering unrivaled opportunities to become future leaders! It offers 18 areas of study, 18 clinics and practicums, and over 25 study-abroad options to its students. Not to mention, it also has one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation!
Just look at those palm trees!
Stetson University ranks 84th in the nation but fifth in Florida. Students hoping to enter this school will need GPAs around 3.59 and LSAT scores around 158 to be considered competitive. Around 30.9% of applicants meet these expectations and have access to some of the top trial advocacy and legal writing programs.
Stetson was also Florida’s first-ever law school, meaning it has a long history of producing leaders in the field! Along the way, this school has expanded its network and now offers its law students over 300 clinical opportunities annually, so they can begin building their resumes as early as their 1L year!
With a proven track record of success, it is no surprise that over 76.2% of Stetson Law graduates pass the bar exam on their first try.
Nova Southeastern boasts of its robust legal curriculums that equip students with the skills needed for professional success today, tomorrow, and for decades.
As one of the leading law schools offered online, students can receive their Juris Doctorate from the comfort of their own homes.
To access these programs, you’ll need an LSAT score of 153 and a GPA of 3.43. Nova Southeastern accepts over a third of its applicants. This university has an average first-time bar exam passage rate of 62.2%.
Ave Maria School of Law, founded in 1999 and accredited by the American Bar Association, integrates Catholic intellectual traditions into its legal education. It focuses on moral truths and human dignity.
The curriculum is designed to prepare students for legal careers anywhere, supported by a strong career placement record. With 270 students and 1200 alumni, the school offers summer and fall start programs.
It's a direct approach to law education with a unique moral perspective. The school reports a bar passage rate of 67.21%, indicating the effectiveness of its approach.
Barry University formed its college on the premise that it would open the door to make students pursue their profession. Barry holds to its promises with its challenging but supportive environment, extensive dynamic, practical experiences, and state-of-the-art legal facilities!
If you’re interested in joining Barry, you should set your target LSAT score as 149 and target GPA as 3.24. Fortunately, over half of all Barry applicants can meet these standards and join this established law school.
This school, and the remaining schools on this list, rank as the nation's 180th to 196th best schools. Barry has a bar exam passage rate of about 62.4%.
Florida A&M has a median LSAT score of 150 and a median GPA of 3.42. Around 35.4% of applicants are accepted to this school each year, of which around 56.3% pass the bar exam on their first try.
Despite being a lower-ranking school, Florida A&M has an unwavering commitment to social justice that it instills in all its students—many of whom make great contributions to the legal system!
As the final school on the list of the best law schools in Florida, St. Thomas University trains lawyers using contemporary and innovative approaches that enable them to apply legal principles to address and solve problems as they arise in our increasingly complex society.
This training ensures around 50% of all St. Thomas alumni pass the bar exam on their first try and can begin impacting the legal field as soon as possible! With an acceptance rate of 50.2%, St. Thomas is considered relatively easy to get into.
Previous successful candidates had a median LSAT score of 152 and GPAs around 3.2-3.3.
To aid in creating your law school list, we’ve included the top-ranking law schools in this state, along with all the admission details you need to submit stellar applications to each.
For any remaining questions, read on to find your answers.
There are 11 ABA-accredited law schools in Florida.
There is a drastic range in the median LSAT scores of the listed Florida law schools. For instance, while Florida A&M University has an average LSAT score of 149, the University of Florida has an average score of 167!
These numbers represent both ends of the range you can expect to set your target score within to get into a law school in Florida. Make sure you study for the LSAT so that you do well!
The University of Florida ranks as the best law school in the state.
Barry University is the easiest law school to enter, with the lowest LSAT medians, 149. Considering the LSAT is one of the hardest parts of the law school application, these below-average scores make these schools the easiest to get into. For reference, the average LSAT of all test-takers is around 151-152.
Generally, the lower your school's ranking, the lower your GPA will need to be. That said, your GPA should fall between 3.15 and 3.86.
Yes, Florida does have good law schools. Some of its top-ranking law schools are the University of Florida and Florida State University, with rankings of 22 and 56, respectively.
There are two law schools in Orlando, the Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law and the Florida A&M University College of Law.
The best law schools in Miami are the University of Miami School of Law and St. Thomas University School of Law.
Florida can offer you an ideal environment to learn and practice law. You can de-stress at their well-known beaches and gain direct access to Florida’s top law firms and organizations!
Consider adding any of the nine law schools mentioned in this guide to your list of contenders to add some sunshine to your legal journey!
For additional help with your application, expert guidance can assist you in crafting a strong and competitive submission.
