Why SLS?
Discover the unmatched advantages that distinguish Stanford Law School—and that transform SLS students into exceptional lawyers and leaders.
By many measures, Stanford Law stands out in the American law school landscape. A close-knit, collegial community; a deep commitment to innovation; an unconventional approach to education—immersive, interdisciplinary, and intensive. These are the advantages that define and distinguish SLS. We invite you to consider what counts in your search for a law school and to imagine how Stanford Law’s strengths might shape your future.
At home on the campus of one of the world’s leading research universities, Stanford Law offers unmatched opportunities. Our approach to education is distinctly student-centric, defined by the needs and ambitions of future graduates and customizable to each individual student. Create your own joint degree, invent a new course, explore law’s intersection with the most dynamic disciplines of the day — the possibilities are virtually limitless. And the advantages extend beyond law school, resulting in the practice-ready skills employers demand, better chances at prestigious clerkships, a high bar passage rate and support when you’re ready to launch a career.
Access & Community
We are known for our collegial culture, intimate and egalitarian. In this close-knit community, collaboration and the open exchange of ideas are essential to life and learning. Students, faculty, staff, alumni — all support and inspire each other to explore, excel and contribute to the world through law. Classes are small. Seminars, reading groups and team-driven clinics make for an experience that is intense, supportive and challenging.
565
JD population in 2023
174
Size of first-year class entering in Fall 2023
30
Typical size of a 1L small section course
20%
Classes with 30 students or more (counting first-years)
67%
Classes with 20 students or fewer
Legal Luminaries
Stanford University
Faculty Discussion Seminars
4.3:1
Student/Faculty Ratio
62
Full-time faculty
118
Lecturers, teaching fellows and visiting professors
11
Former U.S. Supreme Court clerks on the resident faculty
10
Professors are members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
18
Members of the American Law Institute
25
Resident faculty members hold doctoral degrees in a variety of related fields, including economics, history, philosophy and psychology.
290
U.S. Supreme Court cases students have worked on since Spring 2004
Learning
Opportunity and impact start with a degree from Stanford Law.
Earned in an atmosphere of excellence and creative collaboration, an SLS JD, joint degree or advanced degree connotes deep experience, leadership abilities, team skills and a commitment to advancing innovative solutions through law.
An intensive program offered in an environment that is collegial and interdisciplinary, on the campus of one of the world’s leading research universities.
Dynamic ProgramA hallmark of Stanford University and a distinct strength of Stanford Law, where students can explore the many ways law intersects with other fields.
Interdisciplinary EducationOne-year master's degree programs and a doctoral degree (JSD) for international graduate students who have earned a law degree outside the United States.
Explore the Six ProgramsInterdisciplinary Living & Learning
Share space with graduate students from across campus in modern Munger Residences, designed to foster community, interaction, and discussion.
Joint Degrees
Virtually Limitless
3 years
25+
Diversity
SLS receives approximately 4,500 applications every year, from all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 50 countries.
SLS alumni are pursuing careers in 79 countries, 50 states and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S Virgin Islands, and the Marshall Islands.
46.54%
Students of color in the Fall 2023 JD population
80%
Students who have been out of college for one or more years before starting SLS
22%
Students who entered in Fall 2023 with an advanced degree
Faculty demographics
Student demographics
Quality of Life
- California Comforts. Ponder your moot court argument on a run in the foothills or a bike trek to the coast—any day of the year.
- SLS is 45 minutes from San Francisco, 30 minutes from the beach, and 3.5 hours from the snow.
- Distance from SLS to Silicon Valley: 0 miles
- Unconventional Community. Expand your horizons as part of the unique start-up culture that thrives in our anything-is-possible Silicon Valley neighborhood.
- Students who are guaranteed housing in their first year: 100%
- Months of the year in which weather makes it difficult to traverse the Stanford campus: 0
Careers
An SLS education is a life-shaping experience. An SLS degree is a career-making advantage.
Stanford Law prepares students to go wherever the law leads, around the globe and into any of the countless fields law influences, from economics to the environment, public policy to public interest. We cultivate in our students a passion for innovation and a belief in law as a tool for positive change, whether you’re serving a Fortune 100 corporation, preserving the rights of children, setting legal precedents in privacy protection, launching a company or shaping the law from the bench. When you’re ready to launch your career, Stanford Law offers services and support that make your degree a true door-opener.
98.9%
2023 graduates placed in jobs within 9 months of graduating or pursuing an advanced degree
96, 95
Am Law 100 law firms employing alumni as attorneys or partners, respectively
$225K
Median private sector salary for an SLS graduate in the class of 2023
51
Number of consecutive years Stanford Law graduates have clerked for justices on the U.S. Supreme Court
Public Service
The Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law runs several programs that provide students pursuing public service with career advising, mentoring, funding, and co-curricular opportunities. Its professional staff of six develop strong relationships with students and continue to advise graduates throughout their careers.
- Levin Center staff oversee a robust pro bono program that partners with nonprofits to provide students with structured pro bono opportunities. About 80% of the class of 2025 joined one of the 21 student-led pro bono projects as first-year law students.
- Stanford provided $995,020 in summer public interest funding grants to 130 students for the Summer of 2022. Funding is guaranteed to every student with financial need (as defined by Federal Work Study eligibility). 1L students receive $7,500 and 2L students receive $8,500.
- Our Loan Repayment Assistance Program was one of the first in the nation and provided over $2.9 million to 164 alumni in 2022. This amounted to an average of $17,899 per alum.
- In addition to advising students seeking postgraduate fellowships from outside funders like the Skadden Fellowship and Equal Justice Works Fellowship, Stanford Law School offers 16 salaried Stanford Law School Fellowships for students pursuing a public service career. These are particularly critical for graduates seeking positions in fields like international human rights, environmental law, and criminal defense since they have limited entry-level options.
Former SLS Fellows on their experience
[The SLS Fellowship] was critical: I always dreamed of being a public defender in San Francisco, and they wouldn’t have hired me without trial experience. I second chaired two life cases as a fellow before managing my own misdemeanor caseload and completing six misdemeanor trials of my own, giving the office a chance to see me in action before hiring me. I love my job and am so grateful to Stanford for launching me.
– Lilah Wolf, JD ’17
The SLS Fellowship helped me build experience in an area of law — the intersection of local government and affirmative litigation — that I might not have been able to explore otherwise. [Working at] the Oakland City Attorney’s Office set me up well for my current role at the Santa Clara County Counsel’s office. I’d love prospective SLS students to know that the SLS Fellowship opens the door to a lot of really great early career opportunities that might be difficult to get otherwise, even with more experience under your belt.
– Nick DeFiesta, JD ’19
Finances
We are committed to making a Stanford Law education accessible to exceptional students, whatever their economic circumstances. Financial assistance — a combination of tuition fellowships, government loans, and private loans — is determined based on demonstrated financial need.
Approximately 75-80 percent of JD students receive some form of financial aid, with the average fellowship portion per student estimated at $25,000 to $28,000 annually. Students who choose public service careers may also be eligible for annual fellowships, funding for summer work and generous loan repayment options.
Effective the 2023-2024 academic year, we will cover all the tuition costs for JD students with family income below 200% of the poverty guideline and whose assets are below $150,000.
Law Library
The Robert Crown Law Library is a complete legal research center with spacious reading rooms (open 24/7 to SLS) and technology-enabled conference rooms; the staff is known for its friendly customer service. SLS is located at the heart of the university and enjoys a state-of-the-art collaborative research environment.
learn more
Staff
Professional Librarians: 16
EdTech Professionals: 2
Library Staff: 8
Collections
Law titles: 297,796
University holdings: ~ 12 million
Space
Library access hours: 24/7
Library seats: 401