Columbia University

Columbia Law School is one of the most selective J.D. programs in the nation. It also consistently has the highest tuition rate. It was $60,274 for the 2014-2015 school year.

All of that money translates into the second-lowest student-to-faculty ratio in the region, with 7.28-to-1, and the 23rd-best library in the U.S. — as ranked by The National Jurist. Most importantly, it typically has one of the best employment rates in the nation. In 2014, 95.7 percent were employed. It also places more students at the nation's largest law firms than any other school.

As for facilities, Columbia boasts some of the most sophisticated technologies of any law school in the nation. The law school’s main building has undergone significant expansion and improvements, including library renovations in 2010 and the creation of a student commons that includes a student lounge and café.

The Columbia student body has a very international composition, with 10 percent of its J.D. class coming from outside the U.S. Many LL.M. candidates from abroad are also studying at the law school, and it has the second-highest minority population in New York City.

“The entire environment is an international one,” said Curtis Milhaupt, professor and vice dean of international programs.