Thinking about studying Law at university but feeling curious about which Law schools are the best in Australia?
Of the 20 Law schools around Australia, we’ve rounded up the top 5 Law faculties in Australia so you can see how they rank! Plus, pick and choose from our Master List of University Open Days to explore your options for Law in-person!
Read on below to see who made the list!
#5. Monash University
Image sourced from Monash University
Rankings
Monash University is the 5th best Law Faculty in Australia, according to QS Top Universities Rankings 2022.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 also ranks Monash Law School as 43rd in the world.
About
Monash Law School is situated in Clayton, Victoria and was established in 1963. Monash University also has campuses in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Tuscany, Italy which offer law courses.
Monash Law School offers undergraduate degree and post graduate degrees such as a Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Bachelor of Laws (Honours) double degree, Juris Doctor, Master of Law, Master of Legal Studies and Clinical Legal Education as well as research degrees.
A Bachelor of Laws (Honours) requires you to undertake a research unit and a commercial law unit, as part of the requirements of your degree, while the Bachelor of Laws double degree means you can study Law with another degree, making your degree a total of 5 or 6 years in length.
Monash is also the first Law school to offer guaranteed clinical education for undergraduate and J.D. students, meaning students will represent real clients with real cases and work with professional mentors and networks through their Family Law Assistance Program.
Monash also has a number of law clinics, giving students clinical experience and the opportunity to work with General Community Law, Anti Death Penalty, International Trade Law, Modern Slavery and more.
Are you a student in Victoria? Check out our Guide to Applying to University through VTAC for easy, step-by-step instructions!
Entry Requirements
Pathways into a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) include:
- Based on your ATAR
- Transfer to Monash Law from another university
- Internal course transfer
- New pathways to Monash Law
Discover more about the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at Monash here!
#4. The Australian National University
Image sourced from ANU College of Law
Rankings
The Australian National University has the 4th best Law Faculty in Australia, according to QS Top Universities Rankings 2022.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 also ranks ANU Law School as 23rd in the world.
About
ANU Law School was established in 1960 and is located in Canberra.Â
ANU Law School offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees, including:
- Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
- Juris Doctor
- Graduate Certificate of Law
- Master of Laws (LLM)
- Master of International Law and Diplomacy
- Higher Degree Research (HDR)
ANU is a leader in legal research, with 5 research centres including those that cover international law, public, environmental law and more.
As ANU is in close proximity with the High Court of Australia, Commonwealth courts and federal agencies, students can access many legal practitioners, members of the judiciary and government policymakers.
ANU offers a number of scholarships, including the prestigious Tuckwell Scholarship which is valued at $23,000 per annum.
Entry Requirements
There are four pathways into an undergraduate Law degree at ANU:
- Based on Year 11 marks (for those who sat their HSC in 2020)
- Based on your ATAR or IB
- Transfer from another degree within ANU
- Transfer from another university
You can read more about these pathways into ANU undergraduate Law here.
Curious about studying Law at ANU? Discover more about the degree here!
#3. The University of SydneyÂ
Image sourced from OzTrekk.
Rankings
The University of Sydney is ranked as having the 3rd best Law school in Australia, according to QS Top Universities Rankings 2022.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 also ranks Sydney Law School as 16th in the world.
About
The University of Sydney Law School was established in 1855 and is situated on Eastern Ave in Camperdown, NSW.
Should you apply for a USYD Law degree, there are over $500,000 worth of scholarships available.
Sydney Law degrees include Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM) and specialist masters and postgraduate research degrees.
Sydney Law School has global partnerships with Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, Geneva, Renmin and Tsinghua universities and offers a range of electives and overseas exchange and offshore study options.
They also offer academic support such as study skills resources, Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), a peer mentoring program, Sydney Law School’s Legal Writing Resources, Sydney University Law Society (SULS) Law School Basics workshops and more.
The Sydney Law School has alumni that span from Chief Justices to Prime Ministers and a diverse team of academic staff.
Entry Requirements
There are three entry options into a Sydney LLB:
- Entry via a minimum 99.5 ATAR after completing the HSC.
- Entry via an admission pathway.
- Entry via transfer from another university or by transferring courses at the University of Sydney.
Learn more about what it’s like studying a USYD Law degree here!
#2. The University of New South Wales
Image sourced from Cubic Group.
Rankings
The University of New South Wales has the 2nd best Law school in Australia, according to QS Top Universities Rankings 2022.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 also ranks UNSW Law School as 14th in the world.
About
The UNSW Law School was established in 1971 and is located in Kensington, Sydney.
UNSW Law School offers an undergraduate degree, Juris Doctor, Master of Laws and Practical Legal Training.Â
A Bachelor of Law is studied as part of a double degree at UNSW, meaning you will study Law alongside another non-Law degree such as Arts, Commerce or Science.Â
Currently, the UNSW Law School has 1666 undergraduate students, 667 Juris Doctor students, 292 postgraduate students (including research) and 112 academic staff.
UNSW Law School has partnered with over 80 international law schools, including King’s College London, University of California Hastings College of the Law, University of British Columbia, Tsinghua University and Sciences Po University.Â
Entry Requirements
There are four pathways into an undergraduate UNSW Bachelor of Law for domestic students:
- Selection rank (ATAR + adjustment factors) + Law Admissions Test score (LAT)
- Indigenous Entry into Law Scheme
- UNSW Internal Program Transfer.
- Transfer from another university (requires ATAR in high 90s, sitting the LAT, 1 year of undergraduate course completed, Distinction average).
You can read more about studying undergraduate Law at UNSW.
#1. The University of Melbourne
Image sourced from Melbourne Law School.
Rankings
Ranked as the best university in Australia, the University of Melbourne is also ranked 1st as the best Law school in Australia by QS Top Universities Rankings 2022.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 also ranks Melbourne Law School as number 12 in the world.
Keen to get into a top university to study law? Make sure you’ve set a clear ATAR goal and identified the exact marks you need this year!
About
The Melbourne Law School was established in 1857 and is located on 185 Pelham Street, Carlton, south of University Square, VIC.
The University itself has 8,000 academic and professional staff with 48,000 students and is also part of the Group of Eight universities in Australia.
The Law Faculty’s academic programs include the Melbourne Juris Doctor, Law Masters and Graduate Research Degrees.
Students must complete an undergraduate degree before undertaking a Law degree at The University of Melbourne.
There are more than 90Â academic staff members as part of the faculty with more than 170 visiting lecturers, fellows and visiting scholars from Australia and around the world each year.
The Melbourne Law School has more than 20,000 active alumni in over 90 countries.
The Melbourne Law Library also has one of the best law collections in Australia with a vast collection of legal texts including approximately 180,000 printed volumes and 30,000 volumes in microfiche or microfilm.
Entry Requirements
There are four possible ways of entry into Melbourne Law School which include:
- General Entry: Consideration of academic performance in all previous tertiary studies, Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score and writing sample
- Melbourne Chancellor’s Scholarship Program: ATAR or equivalent of 99.90 or above with an undergraduate degree from the University of Melbourne
- Graduate Degree Package (GDP): ATAR or equivalent of 99.80 or above and you must commence the JD within 18 months of completing your undergraduate degree
- Fee Place Guarantee: ATAR or equivalent of 99.00 or above and at least a 75% Weighted Average Mark in an undergraduate degree from the University of Melbourne.
Curious about the different law specialisations that exist? Check out our article here!