СUNY Law School
CUNY law school has both good and not so good rap, but it is one of the most popular law schools. And, for a good reason. CUNY law school is known for two important things:
- CUNY school of law is among the most affordable law schools in the country.
- It has a low acceptance bar. Meaning, it is one of the easiest law schools to get into.
This post is not advertising for CUNY – I reviewing school because of its popularity.
CUNY School of Law Tuition
With its annual in-state tuition of around $14,000, CUNY is not a bad deal for those who want to become lawyers but cannot make it into top law schools and do not want to rack up huge student debt. This in-state tuition definitely can make life easier for graduates because of lower student debt.
The best thing, CUNY law school offers a part-time program for only about $10,000 per year. (http://cuny-queens.lawschoolnumbers.com/). You need to multiply that by four (4) years because the part-time program takes longer. Still, that comes up almost to as much as a full-time program, if not a little cheaper – about $40,000 for the whole program.
Plus, if students work and attend a part-time program, they can save on living expenses and come out with relatively low student debt, compared to many other law schools, even in the third and fourth tier. And low student debts is a very important factor for a young attorney or any other graduate, for that matter.
I am not advertising this school, by the way. I just look at it from the perspective of an applicant who desperately wants to go to law school no matter what. CUNY school of law offers some interesting options.
In fact. This is one of the reasons I specifically write about this school. This low tuition allows its graduates to enter the public interest field. Although not lucrative, at least it is a job option. And low student debt leaves more choices for a young attorney.
CUNY School of Law Admissions
It is also one of the easier law schools to get into. Its overall average acceptance GPA of 3.32, and LSAT at about 152, are among the lowest in the country. CUNY’s acceptance rate is 45% (http://cuny-queens.lawschoolnumbers.com/). Therefore, the CUNY law school offers an easier option for more students to become lawyers. If that is what they want to be.
For a list of easiest law schools to get into check my separate blog post. (https://milern.com/easiest-law-schools-to-get-into/)
CUNY School of Law is one of the most diverse schools, if not the most diverse. Lots of minorities go there, representing diverse ethnic make-up of New York City. (https://law.lclark.edu/live/files/27977-law-school-diversity-storypdf).
CUNY law school was created in the 1980s with a focus on public interest and minorities. Hence, 50% of law students at CUNY are now minorities.
CUNY school of law had less stringent admission requirements in the past. But it led to low bar passage rates, and the school gradually raised its admissions bar.
Now the bar passage rate improved. Still, people with a low undergrad GPA may get into CUNY law school if they have decent LSAT. Not even spectacular – just good enough.
By the way, never expect your scholarship to last forever, if you get one. Often people lose their scholarships in law schools. Do not rely on that.
CUNY School of Law Ranking
CUNY law school boasts itself as a No. 1 public interest law school in the country. In my opinion, it is partially a marketing method, but it works. You must also look at overall rankings.
CUNY school of law ranks No. 107 by US News. (https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/cuny-03106). This makes CUNY a solid third-tier law school. Well, you should have guessed it yourself – affordable, flexible, easier to get into – that is what it is. But it is also No. 27 in part-time law. Good.
The bar passage rate for first-timers is 86% and this is not bad at all. The CUNY school of law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), and its graduates can sit for the bar exam in any of the 50 US states. (https://www.law.cuny.edu/about/)
Employment Statistics
At the same time, graduates are by no means limited to public interest jobs – they can go ahead and become regular attorneys because practically all ABA-accredited law schools have the same first-year curriculum.
The CUNY law school’s prime location in Queens, New York also makes it very accessible. It is rare to find an affordable law school located in the major legal market city, especially, the largest one like New York. Living expenses are high though. But there is an option to commute daily from cheaper locations.
About employment statistics – I will not even go there, because absolutely all schools provide not exactly correct information by playing with definitions. So, that is out of the picture. But CUNY law school graduates do find jobs, although many of them get non-attorney positions in different areas and walks of life.
I imagine that law firms and other employers in New York know CUNY law school by its name. But I would imagine that competition in NY among law school graduates is as stiff as anywhere else, and CUNY grads experience problems finding jobs on par with many other third-tier law school graduates.
Still, being in a large market may allow obtaining internships and clerkships while still in law school. And that is a big deal, in my opinion.
However, graduates from NUY or even Cardozo most likely are ahead when it comes to competing for jobs because of their respective law school’s brand names.
I must note that you should not expect any law school outside of the top 50 to help you land a job. The only post-graduate job placement assistance you will receive is probably internal law school job postings board, accessible only to current law students and for alumni.
Nowadays in any industry, you are on your own when it comes to job search. Colleges do not help anymore.
Is CUNY Law School Good?
Is CUNY law school good at all or not? Do not expect to get hired by a big law firm out of CUNY school of law – hardly possible. But many smaller law firms and law offices may some graduates. I suggest getting good grades and obtaining most out of internships and clerkships.
Most importantly – prepare for a bar exam early – that is task No. 1. Unless you are in the top 15%-20%, law school grades at third-tier law school do not matter as much. Passing the bar exam on the first try is the goal. Focus on that.
In terms of salary for CUNY school of law grads, we can see that it holds place No. 30 (https://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/median/1/asc/LawSchool). It has more to do with the fact that it is New York city than anything to do with CUNY itself. I mean, $54,000-$67,000 median salary is kind of broke man’s salary in New York. Am I right? But you can learn the skill, branch off, get your clients and maybe eventually make some money working 50% less time.
So, CUNY law school is an option. It has its benefits. The CUNY school of the law tried to improve since 2011 and achieved some success. The time will show if they can achieve even better-ranking sand better statistics. It is not only up to CUNY but also due to the state of the legal job market – not good. Competitive.
Several of CUNY grads went on to become New York state senators and state assemblymen. 7 or 8 in total.
But, if you want to become a lawyer and work in the public interest field, CUNY is one that school that has a reputation among employers. Not necessarily as an attorney – you may be able to get into other positions. Because the price sticker for CUNY is hard to beat by most other third-tier law schools. At least, you save on money.
Conclusion
I would try to go for a part-time program and work full time to reduce student debt by reducing borrowing for living expenses. Even for a lower wage, it will add up significantly over four years. If you could get a job for $2000 per month, over four years you are saving about $72,000 in debt.
That is a big deal – lowering your debt. Because debt is one thing that limits options and hunts borrower for a very long time. But, if you have a place to stay and live – go for a full-time program, immerse yourself, obtain an internship, get ready for the bar exam and pass it with flying colors. That’s the main goal.
Will CUNY law school make you rich? Most likely not, unless you go into politics, and eventually become a lobbyist or something. Or unless you open your own law office and eventually start building clientele. Not rich, but successful financially.
That is good enough of a goal. Become a specialist in some legal area, and go for it. Or, switch career and do something else – many lawyers do that two mid-career – they switch to other careers and leave law for good.
That is why I am telling you to avoid incurring student debt as much as you can. This will be less of a burden shall you decide to switch careers later.
By the way, do not rely on student loan forgiveness for public interest too much. People rarely obtain it and there are many other implications involved, including tax implications.
Choose a career that you want and where you can excel and money will follow.
CUNY has a child care center, by the way. The first among law schools.