20 Best Entertainment Law Schools & Sports Law Schools in 2025

Careers in the field of law are diverse. After completing the LSAT and rigorous coursework, there are many directions to choose from. Depending on their interests, some lawyers may choose a specific niche to specialize in that capitalizes on their unique skillset. For example, you might be interested in contract negotiation, intellectual property law, or media law. On the other hand, maybe you’re interested in working with high-profile clients on a larger scale. If this sounds like you, then you might consider entertainment law or sports law. In this article, we will highlight 20 of the best entertainment law schools. This list includes the location of the school, acceptance rate, tuition, and a brief description of the program and its opportunities. But first, let’s discuss the basic components of this practice.

What are Entertainment Law Schools?

The best entertainment law schools prepare graduates to work in and with the media as part of the entertainment industry. Media can include TV, music, film, and publishing, among other specialties. For entertainment lawyers working in film, this can include finalizing and negotiating the talent’s contracts.

Unsurprisingly, most lawyers in this field study intellectual property law. This component details the rights of trademarks and copyrights. Entertainment lawyers need to know the ins and outs of intellectual property law to ensure their clients’ rights are safeguarded.

Furthermore, entertainment lawyers may advise their clients on the matters of talent representation and business management. Because of the overlap, it can be helpful for entertainment lawyers to have the basis of a creative education. In addition, a financial and communications background could also prove beneficial.

What are Sports Law Schools?

At sports law schools, graduates focus more on the sports industry. Sports lawyers deal with all legal matters involving professional athletes, such as Olympians, professional football, basketball, and baseball players.

Given that athletes, owners, and leagues must agree on matters like salaries and endorsements, sports lawyers need to understand contract law, intellectual property law, as well as business law and conflict resolution.

While many of the most well-known sports law schools are located in California, not all of them are based on the West Coast. There are scores of accredited schools elsewhere that can provide an excellent basis upon which to base your entertainment or sports law career.

If studying at entertainment law schools or sports law schools sounds like the right fit for you, check out the list below.

Best Entertainment Law and Sports Law Schools

1) UCLA

• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Acceptance Rate: 16.8%
• Tuition: $56,455 (in-state) / $68,700 (out-of-state)

Students at UCLA can study at the Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology, and Sports Law. First-year students in this program have access to a variety of opportunities to further their knowledge of entertainment and sports law. For example, students can attend talks and alumni events to network and connect with representatives from such high-profile companies as Disney, Netflix, and Lionsgate.

In their second year of law school, students can opt to pursue a specialization in media, entertainment, and sports law at the institute. As part of this specialization, students will take supplementary courses in intellectual property law, business, and labor law, as well as media-specific courses (e.g., motion pictures, art, or television).

2) Harvard University

• Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Acceptance Rate: 9.6%
• Tuition: $75,008

As a top-ranked school with a single-digit acceptance rate, you can’t go wrong with a Harvard Law School (HLS) diploma on your wall. While HLS is best known as a constitutional law powerhouse, it also offers a specialized clinic in sports law. Run by Prof. Peter Carfagna, Harvard’s Sports Law Clinic, places students in a variety of settings, including legal departments of major leagues or sports franchises, as well as with law firms representing individual players, teams, or leagues.

If this weren’t enough, students at HLS can participate in the student-run Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law as well as work on Harvard’s Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law.

3) USC (Gould)

• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Acceptance Rate: 12.5%
• Tuition: $78,046

Given its proximity to the entertainment industry, it’s no surprise that USC’s Gould School of Law offers both clinics and certifications in media, entertainment, and technology (MET) law. In addition to mandatory classes in business law, intellectual property, and taxation, students can take classes in music law, video game law, and AI. What’s more, USC’s Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic offers students the chance to represent “budding filmmakers, artists, game developers, entrepreneurs and nonprofits who are struggling with the challenges presented at the intersection of creative expression, technology, law and policy.”

4) Loyola Marymount 

• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Acceptance Rate: 33.9%
• Tuition: $65,912 (full-time) / $44,106 (part-time)

Maybe you want to advocate for the wrongfully convicted (Loyola’s Project for the Innocent) or maybe you want to hang out with studio heads and directors. Fortunately, you can do both at Loyola. The school’s entertainment and media law concentration offers both transactional and advocacy tracks, and Loyola’s entertainment law fellowship program pairs students with an industry mentor “to ensure each student gains a strong foundation in relevant and innovative areas of the law.”

What’s more, Loyola students can apply for the Entertainment Law Practicum, which supports on-the-job training with such companies as Marvel, Warner Bros, and Lionsgate. At the conclusion of the practicum, students submit a paper detailing their experience. With a host of connected alumni, Loyola is a great option for those looking to make a career in LA.

5) Boston University

• Location: Boston, Massachusetts
• Acceptance Rate: 17.8%
• Tuition: $65,020

Those interested in entertainment and sports law at Boston University will build their career on the basis of contract drafting and intellectual property. From there, BU students can branch out to study the law of art and artifacts, information privacy, or taxation. What’s more, students have the opportunity to take part in a simulation course on the intricacies of music licensing and explore the real-world deployment of transactional intellectual property law. As the home of the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots, Boston offers no shortage of career opportunities for young lawyers.

6) Pepperdine University (Caruso) 

• Location: Malibu, California
• Acceptance Rate: 28.2%
• Tuition: $68,046

Not only is the Caruso School of Law ranked #2 in dispute resolution, but students also have the opportunity to collaborate with Pepperdine’s Institute for Entertainment, Media, and Sports. What’s more, the student-run Sports & Entertainment Law Society (SELS) and the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution put on an EMS Industry Expert Conversations & Speakers Series, as well as conferences, trainings/classes, and externships. With this in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that Pepperdine has hosted the Annual National Entertainment Moot Court Competition for nearly 20 years.

7) Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law

• Location: Villanova, Pennsylvania
• Acceptance Rate: 22.5%
• Tuition: $56,225

Thanks to the Jeffery S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law, Villanova students can choose sports and entertainment law as a focus area of study. Motivated students can also choose to apply for a sports law concentration, a track that gives access to the Moorad Fellowship Program. With opportunities for directed research, experiential learning, and a journal dedicated to sports law, Villanova is an ideal program for budding sports lawyers.

8) Southwestern Law School

• Location: Los Angeles, California
• Acceptance Rate: 49.9%
• Tuition: $58,537

Students interested in entertainment, media, and sports law at Southwestern will spend much of their time at the Beiderman Institute. This institute offers a “rich spectrum of entertainment, sports, and media law courses and experiential learning opportunities under the direction of faculty who have tremendous practical experience in the field.” What’s more, SLS sponsors a prominent speaker’s series and also publishes the Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law. For students looking to take advantage of study abroad opportunities, SLS offers a four-week summer program in entertainment and media law at The University of London.

9) Tulane University School of Law

• Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
• Acceptance Rate: 48%
• Tuition: $67,780

As the first law school in the country to offer a certificate of concentration in sports law, Tulane has a rich tradition of preparing its students for the sports industry. Tulane also offers students the opportunity to produce and edit the Sports Lawyer Journal.  In addition to contract law and intellectual property courses, students can join the Tulane Sports Law Society and compete in moot arbitration competitions.

10) NYU School of Law

• Location: New York, New York
• Acceptance Rate: 16.8%
• Tuition: $80,014

Though perhaps better known for its programs in criminal, international, and tax law, NYU’s location means it’s at the forefront of entertainment and sports law. What’s more, students interested in intellectual property and entertainment law have the opportunity to work with JIPEL, NYU’s journal dedicated to intellectual property and entertainment law. Given NYU’s proximity to a robust entertainment sector — including Broadway, TV, as well as the outsized personalities of New York’s 11 professional sports teams — NYU should definitely be on the radar for aspiring entertainment and sports lawyers.

11) University of California, Berkeley School of Law

• Location: Berkeley, California
• Acceptance Rate: 14.9%
• Tuition: $62,603 (in-state) / $75,031 (out-of-state)

Aspiring entertainment and sports lawyers will feel right at home at UC Berkeley’s Media, Entertainment, and Sports Law Center. Tackling issues like social media censorship, licensing, and streaming content, this center “takes advantage of the unique environment in the San Francisco Bay Area to provide a unique forum…to explore emerging issues.” Students at UC Berkeley can also get involved with the Berkeley Journal of Entertainment & Sports Law, a student-run journal dedicated to innovation in entertainment and sports law.

12) Columbia Law School 

• Location: New York, New York
• Acceptance Rate: 12.2%
• Tuition: $81,292

Columbia Law School boasts the Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts, which aims to “contribute to a broader understanding of the legal aspects of creative works of authorship, including their dissemination and use.” With lectures and clinics on a range of topics — from generative AI to Nazi-looted art — the Kernochan Center is at the heart of intellectual property law in America. Like other schools in New York, Columbia offers a host of opportunities to gain experience in the sports and media landscape.

13) Georgetown Law

• Location: Washington, D.C.
• Acceptance Rate: 19.6%
• Tuition: $75,950

There’s no doubt that Georgetown’s proximity to the Supreme Court — “the place where laws are made” — is a big selling point for potential students. At the same time, Georgetown offers a comprehensive introduction to intellectual property, entertainment, and technology law. Students study the basics — copyright law, patent law, and trademark and unfair competition — and then advance to courses on such diverse topics as video games, customs law, or sports law. What’s more, students at Georgetown can tap into an extensive alumni network through the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA).

14) Stanford Law School

• Location: Stanford, California
• Acceptance Rate: 7.3%
• Tuition: $74,475

As the #1 ranked law school in the nation, there is no shortage of reasons to attend Stanford Law School. Like other law schools in California, Stanford offers easy access to a host of entertainment and sports law opportunities. In addition, Stanford students can join the Stanford Entertainment and Sports Law Association (SESLA), which offers specialized panels, job search support, and other sponsored events.

15) Yeshiva University (Cardozo)

• Location: New York, New York
• Acceptance Rate: 37.6%
• Tuition: $70,646

Students interested in fashion, arts, media, and entertainment law will no doubt find themselves at Yeshiva University’s FAME Center. The FAME Center builds on Cardozo’s core intellectual property curriculum while at the same time sponsoring events with industry leaders on topics including employment law, technology, digital media, finance, tax, licensing, mergers and acquisitions, compliance, and enforcement.

Cardozo’s location means that students have access to clinics and externships with companies like Forbes, BBC, CBS, and the Brooklyn Nets. Students at Cardozo will also benefit from the Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal as well as the Filmmakers Legal Clinic, which provides legal support to filmmakers and video journalists.

16) Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law

• Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Acceptance Rate: 34.2%
• Tuition: $54,635

In addition to offering the standard entertainment and media law curriculum, Drexel offers a unique NCAA compliance and sports law master’s degree. Additionally, students can join Drexel’s Sports and Entertainment Law Society, which aims to expose students to the multifaceted world of entertainment and sports law. Add to this Drexel’s location — home to the 76ers, Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers — and you have a perfect place for budding sports lawyers.

17) University of Miami School of Law

• Location: Miami, Florida
• Acceptance Rate: 32.9%
• Tuition: $63,506

Given its location — home to the Heat, Dolphins, and Panthers, among others — it’s no surprise that the University of Miami should offer entertainment, arts, and sports law as an area of study. At Miami, students can explore everything from trademark and copyright to comparative law (in Florence) and private equity. What’s more, Miami offers a post-graduate LL.M. practicum in entertainment, arts, and sports law.  

18) Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor Law School 

• Location: Phoenix, Arizona
• Acceptance Rate: 21.3%
• Tuition: $28,839 (in-state) / $51,359 (out-of-state)

Home to the Allan “Bud” Selig Sports Law and Business program, ASU offers a world-class JD program as well as a specialized master’s degree in sports law. Additionally, students will benefit from ASU’s Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, which “infuses legal scholarship and practice with new ideas to address today’s most complex sports and entertainment legal challenges.” With 94% of its graduates employed 10 months after graduation, ASU offers a great program with an unbeatable ROI.

19) Thomas Jefferson School of Law

• Location: San Diego, California
• Acceptance Rate: not disclosed
• Tuition: $1,260 per unit

Another California school, the Thomas Jefferson School of Law allows students to focus on IP, sports, and entertainment law through its unique fellowship program. As home to the Padres, UC San Diego, and San Diego State University, Thomas Jefferson School of Law offers a bevy of opportunities to aspiring sports and entertainment lawyers.

20) University of Virginia School of Law

• Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
• Acceptance Rate: 11.5%
• Tuition: $71,200 (in-state) / $74,200 (out-of-state)

Though Virginia is the most populous state in the U.S. without a major sports league franchise, students shouldn’t discount the UVA School of Law. Ranked #4 in the nation, UVA offers a world-class education and easy access to the levers of power in D.C. Additionally, students can contribute to UVA’s Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal as well as join the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Society.

Best Entertainment Law Schools and Sports Law Schools – Additional Resources

We hope you enjoyed our article on the best entertainment law schools and sports law schools in the United States. You may also want to check out other relevant blogs including:

• Best Immigration Law Schools
• T14 Law School Rankings
• Harvard Law School – Acceptance Rate, LSAT Scores
• LSAT Score Percentiles
• Top Law School Rankings Nationwide
• Best Pre-Law Summer Programs
• Top Feeders into Law School
• Top Law Schools in New York
• Top Law School Rankings Nationwide