CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW SIGN in the entry hall of the Law School

Mission

CUNY School of Law is the nation’s #1 public interest law school and a singular institution.

Founded in 1983 with the dual mission to recruit and train outstanding public interest lawyers and to diversify the legal profession, it is the only publicly funded law school in New York City.

CUNY Law is built on a tradition of radical lawyering: movements for social change are built with leadership and collaboration from the people and communities who have experienced injustice. Our consistently high rankings in the diversity of our faculty and student body exemplify our mission. Realized through intentional, holistic recruitment and our status as a top clinical education program,  our community is one of activists, organizers, scholars, and advocates.

We stand united in the belief that only when the world can see the full range of human experience reflected and represented in the law will we have justice for everyone.

Accreditation

A member of the Association of American Law Schools, CUNY School of Law is approved by the Board of Regents of New York State to confer the Juris Doctor degree and approved by the Council of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, which means our graduates may sit for the Bar Exam in all 50 states. Basic consumer information about the ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools.

The Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association is located at:

321 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654-7598
(312) 988-6738
Official Website »

CUNY School of Law is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), an institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit institutions of higher education throughout the United States. MSCHE granted the Law School accreditation on October 30, 2025. Its current MSCHE phase is Accredited and its status is Accreditation Granted. The scope listed by MSCHE includes the Doctor’s Degree – Professional Practice at the main campus, 2 Court Square, Long Island City, NY. For the current scope, delivery methods, and Commission actions, see CUNY Law’s Statement of Accreditation Status.