Boston College Law School is a highly regarded program that combines strong academics with a Jesuit commitment to service and social justice. Located in Newton, just outside Boston, BC Law offers access to one of the country’s best legal markets while maintaining a tight-knit, community-oriented culture that distinguishes it from larger programs in the area. Known for its strength in public interest law, business law, intellectual property, and legal writing, BC Law produces graduates who are well-prepared for BigLaw, government, clerkships, and public interest careers. The class of ~238 students keeps the school intimate and collaborative.
This guide walks you through how to get into BC Law.
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1. BC Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
BC Law Class of 2029:
- LSAT: 75th: 169 | Median: 168 | 25th: 165
- GPA: 75th: 3.91 | Median: 3.85 | 25th: 3.72
BC Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 169 | Median: 168 | 25th: 162
- GPA: 75th: 3.90 | Median: 3.83 | 25th: 3.67
BC Law’s LSAT median and 75th percentile held at 168 and 169, while its 25th percentile rose from 162 to 165. GPA rose across all three percentiles, with the median moving from 3.83 to 3.85. The class grew from 219 to 238 students.
The 165 at the 25th LSAT percentile means applicants in the low-to-mid 160s with strong overall applications can gain admission. BC is somewhat more GPA-flexible than LSAT-flexible at this range.
Aim to be at or above at least one median to be competitive. Above both puts you in a stronger position. Below both medians, this is a prayer, not a reach.
For context on how medians affect your strategy, see How to Build a Smart Law School List.
2. BC Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
The school's instructions: “Personal statement that demonstrates your interest in and capacity for the study of law—up to two pages, double-spaced with a minimum of one-inch margins and 11-point font”
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
Optional Statement (Diversity / Perspective / Experience Statement)
BC’s optional statement is broad: you may address your salient experiences; economic, cultural, or social background; impactful connections to Boston and BC Law; or other factors you wish the committee to consider. Your optional statement should not exceed two pages (double-spaced) with one-inch margins and 11-point font.
For more on how to write a diversity or perspective statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.
For more on making all of these essays work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda (if applicable)
Boston College permits supplemental information explaining academic or test performance and other relevant circumstances. Be judicious about its content and length, and avoid duplicating information already submitted.
Character & Fitness (if applicable)
BC reminds applicants that every U.S. jurisdiction imposes character, fitness, and other bar-admission qualifications. Requirements vary by jurisdiction.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. BC Law Resume Requirements
1-2 pages. Focus on outcomes, service, and leadership. Include professional, academic, and community involvement.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. BC Law Letters of Recommendation
BC requires two letters of recommendation through LSAC. Per BC’s FAQ, you may add a third, and LSAC will process up to three.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. BC Law Interview Process
BC Law does not offer a formal interview program. However, per BC’s FAQ, the faculty admissions committee reserves the right to request an online or in-person interview for Early Decision applicants.
6. BC Law Deadlines and Early Decision
Testing Policy
BC accepts the LSAT or GRE. Per BC’s FAQ, ED applicants may use the GRE if they do not have a valid, existing LSAT score from the past five years. If you’re considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
- Binding Early Decision I Deadline: December 1, 2026
- Binding Early Decision II Deadline: January 15, 2027
- Last Test for ED: Per BC’s FAQ, ED applicants may take the LSAT as late as November 8 or the GRE as late as November 12 (or have an existing valid score). The FAQ gives no year, and the November 2026 LSAT runs November 11 to 14, so confirm the current cutoff with BC.
- Regular Decision Deadline: March 1, 2027
- Application Fee: $85
- Admissions: Rolling. BC advises applicants to submit when their application is the strongest and most authentic representation of their candidacy. That said, submitting earlier in the cycle generally improves scholarship positioning.
BC Law offers a binding Early Decision program with two rounds. ED I applicants must apply by December 1; ED II applicants must apply by January 15. The program is binding: if admitted, you must submit a $1,000 tuition deposit, withdraw all other law school applications, and refrain from submitting additional applications. Applicants not admitted through ED may be forwarded to the regular decision pool, waitlisted, or denied; those forwarded or waitlisted are released from the binding commitment.
ED applicants may select one of three tracks: Dean’s Scholars ($40,000 to $55,000 per year, up to $165,000 total), BC Scholars ($20,000 to $35,000 per year, up to $105,000 total), or Eagle Track (no scholarship). All ED requirements, deadlines, and outcomes are the same across the three options.
You may only apply Early Decision to one institution. If you applied ED I to another school and were rejected or released from your commitment before BC’s ED II deadline, you may apply ED II to BC.
For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
7. BC Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
All admitted applicants except ED Eagle Track applicants are automatically considered. BC offers competitive merit awards.
Public Service Scholarship
BC’s Public Service Scholarship covers full tuition. Applicants must have at least nine months of full-time professional public-service experience before law school. The application requires an additional essay describing why you are applying, examples of leadership and public service experience beyond your resume, career plans, and steps taken to learn about different career paths (two pages max, double-spaced, 11-point font). An additional scholarship-specific recommendation letter is required. Finalists must be available for an interview. Recipients take on a minimum five-year public-service commitment after graduation.
Rappaport Fellows Program
BC Law has historically participated in the Rappaport Fellows Program, which places law students in summer positions with government agencies and public policy organizations in Massachusetts.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. BC Law Dual Degree Programs
BC Law offers dual degree programs with BC graduate schools and external partners:
- JD/MBA with the Carroll School of Management (four years)
- JD/MSW with the School of Social Work (four years)
- JD/MEd or JD/MA in Education with the Lynch School of Education and Human Development (approximately three years)
- JD/MA or JD/PhD in Philosophy (JD/MA in as few as three years; JD/PhD in as few as six years)
- JD/MA in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning with Tufts University (four years)
- JD/MPH with Tufts University School of Medicine
- JD/MALD (Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy) with the Fletcher School at Tufts
- JD/MA in Environmental, Energy, or Food and Agriculture Law with Vermont Law and Graduate School
- JD/LLM with the Sorbonne Law School of Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (full year in Paris)
Students must apply and be admitted to each program separately.
9. BC Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Boston College Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 92.5%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 56.8%
- Federal clerkships: 2.3%
- Public service (including government): 13.1%
BC Law places primarily into the Boston and New York markets, with strong regional BigLaw hiring. The 56.8% BigLaw rate is competitive for a school outside the T14.
10. BC Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Business and Corporate Law: BC Law’s business law curriculum, the Program on Innovation & Entrepreneurship (PIE), and proximity to Boston’s financial district support strong placement into transactional and IP practice, particularly in the Northeast market.
Health Law: BC’s strong health law curriculum and clinical offerings draw on Boston’s concentration of hospitals, biotech companies, and health policy organizations.
Public Interest and Social Justice Law: BC’s Jesuit identity shapes a strong public service culture. The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy and clinical programs support students pursuing government, legal aid, and advocacy careers.
Intellectual Property and Technology Law: BC’s IP curriculum benefits from the school’s proximity to Boston’s biotech and tech corridors. The program covers patent, copyright, trademark, and emerging technology issues.
Criminal Justice and Criminal Law: BC offers clinical work in criminal defense through the Criminal Justice Clinic and related externship placements across Boston.
11. BC Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
BC Law operates a range of clinics through its Legal Services LAB:
- Civil Litigation Clinic: Students handle civil legal matters for low-income clients, including a Pro Se Legal Assistance component for individuals representing themselves in federal court.
- Housing Justice Clinic: Students advise and represent low-income clients in eviction matters in Housing Court.
- Youth & Family Rights Clinic: Students represent children and families in juvenile and family court proceedings.
- Immigration Clinic: Representation of immigrants in the Boston area.
- Innocence Program: Students investigate potential wrongful convictions.
- Community Enterprise Clinic: Transactional work for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits.
- Civil Rights Clinic: Litigation and advocacy on civil rights issues.
- BC Defenders (Criminal Justice Clinic): Students represent clients in criminal cases.
- International Human Rights Clinic: Appellate submissions and legal reports for international and regional courts.
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation Clinic: Legal services for startups and innovators in the Boston ecosystem.
- Compassionate Release and Parole Clinic: Students assess clients’ criminal history, institutional record, and prospects for release.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
BC Law has a strong pro bono tradition. The school’s externship program places students at federal and state courts, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, Boston-area firms, and public interest organizations. The proximity to Boston’s legal market provides rich experiential opportunities.
12. BC Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Kent Greenfield: Professor of Law and Dr. Thomas F. Carney Distinguished Scholar. Corporate law, constitutional law, and the intersection of corporate power and democratic values.
- Mary Sarah Bilder: Founders Professor of Law. Legal history, particularly the founding era and constitutional history.
- Daniel Lyons: Professor of Law. Telecommunications law, internet regulation, and administrative law.
- R. Michael Cassidy: Professor of Law. Criminal law, legal ethics, and prosecutorial accountability.
- Hiba Hafiz: Associate Professor of Law. Antitrust, labor, and the intersection of competition and employment law.
Journals
- Boston College Law Review: Highly regarded general law review, consistently ranked in the top 25. BCLR has consolidated several of BC Law’s former specialty journals (International and Comparative Law Review, Environmental Affairs Law Review, and Journal of Law and Social Justice) and now covers those subject areas within the flagship publication.
- Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest: Concentrating on contract disputes, torts, bankruptcy, and commercial law topics.
13. BC Law Culture and Student Life
BC Law’s Newton campus is suburban and quiet, a contrast to downtown Boston but connected by the T (the Green Line’s D branch, Newton Centre stop). The small class (~238) creates a genuinely collaborative community. BC’s Jesuit identity shapes the culture: there is a real emphasis on service, ethics, and the idea that law is a vocation, not just a career.
Boston is one of the best law school cities in the country, with a deep legal market, walkable neighborhoods, and a density of hospitals, universities, and tech companies.
14. Tips for Your BC Law Application
Engage with the mission. BC’s Jesuit identity is not decorative. If you care about service, social justice, or the ethical dimensions of legal practice, say so, and connect it to specific BC programs or clinical work.
You do not need to be Catholic. BC welcomes students of all backgrounds. But you should be comfortable with a school that takes questions of purpose and ethics seriously.
BC vs. BU. If you are applying to both, think about what differentiates them in your mind. BC’s Jesuit mission and Newton campus create a different experience than BU’s urban campus. Address why BC specifically fits your goals.
Leverage Boston. If you plan to practice in Boston or New England, BC’s alumni network in the region is one of its strongest assets.
Want Help Getting Into BC Law?
BC Law is a school where mission alignment, community orientation, and genuine interest in the school’s specific culture can differentiate you.
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Related Reading
→ How to Build a Smart Law School List
→ Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
→ How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships
→ 6 Proven Steps to Get Off a Law School Waitlist
→ How to Get Into Law School Below Both Medians
→ What Holistic Law School Admissions Really Means
→ Blog Directory
Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the BC Law website before applying.
Think you spotted an outdated requirement or something that doesn’t look right? Email moshe@sharperstatements.com with the school and a link to the current information.