Compare 46 Law PhD Programs in the US
Grad School Navigator tracks 46 Law PhD programs in the US across 34 universities. Most programs take about 48 months, while published annual tuition ranges from $14,975 to $125,340. Start with the ranked programs below, then use Explorer to compare the details that matter to your shortlist.
Top Programs
Sorted by Grad School Navigator University Rank. Each row also shows QS, Times Higher Education, U.S. News, or Academic Ranking of World Universities positions when available.
- 1
Harvard University
- Grad School Navigator#1University rank
- QS#1Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#6Subject rank
- U.S. News#1University rank
- Application deadline
- Feb 15
- Annual tuition
- $84,400
- Program duration
- 36 months
- 2
Stanford University
- Grad School Navigator#2University rank
- QS#5Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#1Subject rank
- U.S. News#3University rank
- Application deadline
- Apr 1
- Annual tuition
- $77,454
- Program duration
- 72 months
- 3
University of California, Berkeley
- Grad School Navigator#6University rank
- QS#10Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#7Subject rank
- U.S. News#7University rank
- Application deadline
- Mar 1
- Annual tuition
- $32,034
- Program duration
- 36 months
- 4
Yale University
- Grad School Navigator#8University rank
- QS#4Subject rank
- Times Higher Education=9Subject rank
- U.S. News#8University rank
- Application deadline
- Mar 27
- Annual tuition
- $29,946
- Program duration
- 60 months
- 5
University of Pennsylvania
- Grad School Navigator#10University rank
- QS#22Subject rank
- Times Higher Education=36Subject rank
- U.S. News#17University rank
- Application deadline
- Mar 15 +2
- Annual tuition
- $61,608
- Program duration
- 36 months
- 6
University of Chicago
- Grad School Navigator#11University rank
- QS#12Subject rank
- Times Higher Education=9Subject rank
- U.S. News#25University rank
- Application deadline
- Mar 1 +2
- Program duration
- 24 months
- 7
Columbia University
- Grad School Navigator#12University rank
- QS#8Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#4Subject rank
- U.S. News#10University rank
- Application deadline
- Mar 15
- Program duration
- 12 months
- 8
Cornell University
- Grad School Navigator#13University rank
- QS=26Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#45Subject rank
- U.S. News#13University rank
- Application deadline
- May 1
- Annual tuition
- $71,266
- Program duration
- 36 months
- 9
University of Michigan--Ann Arbor
- Grad School Navigator#19University rank
- QS=42Subject rank
- Times Higher Education=24Subject rank
- U.S. News#21University rank
- Application deadline
- Jan 15
- Annual tuition
- $79,108
- Program duration
- 60 months
- 10
Duke University
- Grad School Navigator#22University rank
- QS=44Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#30Subject rank
- U.S. News#30University rank
- Application deadline
- Mar 1
- Annual tuition
- $63,400
- Program duration
- 60 months
Use detailed filters for tuition, deadlines, duration, admission requirements, and rankings in Programs Explorer. Compare programs and create your application shortlist.
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Complete Program List46 programs
The complete list of Law PhD Programs, ranked by their global university rank first.
| Rank | University | Program | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Harvard University | Doctor of Juridical Science | 60 months |
| #1 | Harvard University | Juris Doctorate (J.D.) | 36 months |
| #2 | Stanford University | Doctor of the Science of Law | 72 months |
| #6 | University of California, Berkeley | Doctor of Juridical Science | 36 months |
| #8 | Yale University | Doctor of Philosophy in Law | 36 months |
| #8 | Yale University | Doctor of the Science of Law | 60 months |
| #10 | University of Pennsylvania | Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) program | 36 months |
| #11 | University of Chicago | Doctor of Comparative Law | 24 months |
| #12 | Columbia University | Doctor of the Science of Law | 12 months |
| #13 | Cornell University | Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) | 36 months |
| #19 | University of Michigan--Ann Arbor | Doctor of the Science of Law | 60 months |
| #22 | Duke University | Doctor of Philosophy in International & Comparative Law | 60 months |
| #22 | Duke University | Doctor of Philosophy in Law & Entrepreneurship | |
| #23 | Northwestern University | Doctor of Philosophy in Law | 84 months |
| #24 | New York University | JSD program | 60 months |
| #25 | University of Washington | Doctor of Philosophy in Law | |
| #40 | Pennsylvania State University--University Park | Doctor of Juridical Science | |
| #41 | University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign | Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD) | 36 months |
| #43 | Emory University | Doctor of Juridical Science | |
| #52 | Vanderbilt University | Dual-degree Doctor of Philosophy in law and economics | 72 months |
| #65 | University of California--Irvine | Doctor of Philosophy in Law | |
| #75 | University of Pittsburgh | Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) | 48 months |
| #77 | University of Notre Dame | Jurum Scientiae Doctor in International Human Rights Law | 24 months |
| #91 | Michigan State University | Doctoral program in Criminal Justice | |
| #92 | Georgetown University | Doctor of Juridical Science | 60 months |
| #95 | Ohio State University--Columbus | Medicine Doctor | 48 months |
| #96 | University of Florida | Doctor of Philosophy in Law | |
| #126 | Indiana University--Bloomington | Doctor of Juridical Science | 60 months |
| #126 | Indiana University--Bloomington | Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice | 72 months |
| #126 | Indiana University--Bloomington | Doctor of Philosophy in Law and Democracy | 24 months |
| #191 | University of Connecticut | Doctor of the Science of Law | |
| #201–250 | Case Western Reserve University | Doctor of Juridical Science | 60 months |
| #201–250 | Northeastern University | Doctorate in Law and Policy (Boston) | 72 months |
| #201–250 | Northeastern University | Jurum Doctor (JD) and Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice | |
| #201–250 | Northeastern University | Jurum Doctor (JD) and Master of Science in Criminal Justice | |
| #201–250 | Northeastern University | Jurum Doctor (JD) and Master of Science in Environmental Law | |
| #201–250 | Northeastern University | Jurum Doctor (JD) and Master of Science in Music Industry Leadership | 45 months |
| #201–250 | Northeastern University | Jurum Doctor (JD) and Master of Science in Sustainable International Development | 36 months |
| #201–250 | Northeastern University | Jurum Doctor (JD) and Master of Science in Urban Health | 40 months |
| #301–400 | George Washington University | Doctor of Juridical Science | 48 months |
| #301–400 | University of Iowa | Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) | 12 months |
| Fordham University | Doctor of Juridical Science | 36 months | |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Doctor of the Science of Law | 60 months | |
| Southern Methodist University | Doctor of Juridical Science | ||
| Southern Methodist University | Doctor of Philosophy in law | 60 months | |
| Wake Forest University | Scientiae Juridicae Doctor degree |
More Program Intelligence
Programs Explorer brings full program records, comparison tools, and proprietary intelligence into one workspace. Compare these 46 Law PhD programs in the US and build your shortlist with evidence from 900,000+ real application shortlists.
- Full Program RecordsRequirements, deadlines, costs, funding, curriculum, faculty, careers, and official links
- Case IntelligenceDifficulty, outcomes, admitted and rejected profiles, and program statistics
- Decision IntelligenceDecision timing, interviews, waitlists, funding, and community reports
- Shortlist IntelligenceCo-applications, similar programs, and also-considered universities