You’re sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Newark. If you look out the window toward One Newark Center, you’ll see a building that looks more like a corporate headquarters than a traditional ivory tower. That’s Seton Hall University School of Law.
Honestly, for a long time, people outside the Tri-State area treated it like a "local" school. Big mistake.
While the T14 schools get all the glossy magazine covers, Seton Hall Law has been busy building a massive empire in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. It’s a scrappy, high-performing powerhouse that basically owns the New Jersey legal market. If you want to work in Big Law in New York or clerk for a judge, this place is often a faster track than schools ranked twenty spots higher.
The Health Law Juggernaut
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Health Law.
For 2026, Seton Hall Law is still sitting pretty in the Top 10 nationally for healthcare law. We’re talking 9th in the nation, according to the latest U.S. News tallies. This isn't just a badge on a website. It’s a lifestyle there. The school houses the Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law, which is essentially the "brain trust" for the industry.
They recently added some heavy hitters to the faculty, too. Dr. Anjali Deshmukh just joined—she’s not just a lawyer; she’s a board-certified pediatrician with a J.D. from Stanford. She’s looking at how AI and gene therapies are going to break (or fix) the legal system. Then there’s Amy Saji, who is launching a Medical-Legal Partnership clinic.
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They don't just read textbooks. They're actually in the room when healthcare policy is being written.
Getting In: The Stats Aren't Everything (But They Matter)
Getting into Seton Hall Law has actually become much harder over the last few years. The acceptance rate is hovering around 34.3%.
If you’re looking at your LSAT score, the median is right around 161. The GPA median is a 3.71.
- 25th Percentile: 158 LSAT / 3.51 GPA
- 75th Percentile: 164 LSAT / 3.86 GPA
But here is the thing: they aren't just looking for robots. Because the school is so focused on "practice-ready" lawyers, they love seeing professional experience. If you’ve worked in a hospital, a tech firm, or even managed a retail store, that narrative carries weight in the admissions office.
The Clerkship Secret
If you want to be a judge one day, or if you just want the prestige of a judicial clerkship, Seton Hall Law is arguably the best ROI in the country.
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The Princeton Review recently ranked them #1 in the nation for getting students into state court clerkships. For the Class of 2024, a staggering 41% of graduates went straight into clerkships. Think about that. Nearly half the class starts their career working directly for a judge.
Why does this matter? Because after a year of clerking, law firms trip over themselves to hire you. About 70% of those clerks transition into private law firms immediately after their term ends. It’s a proven pipeline that many "higher-ranked" schools can't match.
Life in Newark: Not What You Expect
People love to talk trash about Newark. Don't listen to them.
The Law School is located two blocks from Newark Penn Station. You can be in Manhattan in 20 minutes. You can be in Jersey City in 10. The school is right in the "Business and Entertainment" district. You’ve got the Prudential Center nearby (Go Devils!) and the Ironbound district—which has, hands down, the best Portuguese and Spanish food in the Western Hemisphere.
The building itself is a vertical campus. It’s one big tower where you’ll find the Larson Auditorium for big events and smaller, high-tech "war rooms" for the mock trial and moot court teams. Speaking of moot court, they are currently ranked #4 in the country by the University of Houston Blakely Advocacy Institute. These students are sharks in the courtroom.
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Bar Passage and Jobs: The Hard Numbers
Let's get real for a second. Law school is an investment—a big one. Tuition is around $69,660 (give or take a few grand depending on the year and fees). You need to know you’ll pass the bar and get a job.
The Class of 2024 had a total employment rate of 95.2%. That is elite.
More importantly, 91.4% are in "JD Advantage" or "Bar Required" jobs. These aren't people working at Starbucks; these are people practicing law.
And the Bar Exam? In July 2024, the first-time pass rate for the New Jersey bar was 88.3%. That is more than 12% higher than the state average. In New York, it was 88.7%. Basically, if you do the work at Seton Hall, you’re probably going to pass.
The Clinic Experience: The Center for Social Justice
If the big-firm life sounds soul-crushing to you, the Center for Social Justice (CSJ) is the heart of the school.
They have a bunch of different clinics where you actually represent real people. It’s not a simulation.
- Housing Justice: You’re in court preventing evictions.
- Immigrants’ Rights: You’re helping people escape persecution.
- Community Wealth Building: You’re helping Black-owned businesses and cooperatives get off the ground.
Professor Elizabeth Carter just joined to lead the Transactional Community Economic Development clinic. She’s an expert in affordable housing and social entrepreneurship. This is where you learn that the law isn't just a set of rules—it's a tool for people who usually don't have a voice.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Students
- Network Early: Don't wait for the OCS (Office of Career Services) to find you. Seton Hall Law has a massive alumni network in Jersey and NYC. Reach out to them on LinkedIn; they actually respond.
- Target the Health Law Concentration: Even if you aren't sure you want to do health law, taking a few classes in it at Seton Hall is a huge resume booster because of the school's reputation in that niche.
- Visit the Campus: Walk the two blocks from Penn Station. Get a feel for the Ironbound. If you can't handle the "city" vibe of Newark, you won't like it here.
- Prepare for Persuasion: Take the "Persuasion and Advocacy" course as early as possible. It’s a prerequisite for almost all the "cool" clinics and trial workshops.
- Check the Clerkship Deadlines: If you’re a 1L or 2L, start talking to the clerkship advisors now. The Newark and Manhattan courts have very specific, early timelines.