The LSATs Accepted at 200 Law Schools
“There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Apparently, Mark Twain was familiar with law school admissions. Let’s face it: Getting in is often a numbers game.
Sure, applications are down. Despite hiking tuitions, deans are also trimming faculty, class sizes and support services. You can tout intangibles like experience, versatility, stamina, and hunger. Heck, you may even be a legacy. But there are only so many spots. In the end, it is all about one number: Your LSAT score.
When adcoms are reviewing an application, they’re asking one question: Is this person smart enough? In an age of grade inflation, not all undergraduate programs are considered equal. But the LSAT levels the playing field. It enables admissions people to rank candidates. While a compelling story and a strong track record can offset a pedestrian score, your LSAT will ultimately determine where you can go.
So, you have two choices. First, you can live in denial. You can shoot for the moon and get waitlisted. Or, you can identify the schools where you have the best shot at being accepted. Then, you can narrow down your choices based on location, specialties, placement rates, scholarships, support services, and (most important) your gut feeling after a visit. So forget about your sugarplum fantasies of Harvard or Stanford. Ten years after the bar, your employer, clients, and peers won’t remember where you graduated. They’ll only care about your abilities and reputation (and maybe your win-loss record too).
This week, Law School Admissions Counselor shares exactly what test-takers need to score to get into their preferred law schools. It does so using a chart outlining where the bottom 25%, average, and top 75% of students score on the LSAT for particular programs.
For example, let’s say you scored a 163. That would put you among the average scores of students entering Notre Dame, the University of Georgia, and Fordham. However, higher-ranked schools like Georgetown, Northwestern, and Texas also accept scores as low as 163. What’s more, a 163 would make you appealing to schools like Southern Methodist University and the University of California-Hastings, where you might rank among their top students (giving you a better shot at negotiating a favorable tuition package).
In short, you can use this method to research schools, pinpoint fallbacks, and determine if you need to re-take the LSAT. So where do you fit? Check out the chart below:
Group |
School |
Bottom 25% |
Median |
Top 75% |
1 |
Harvard University |
170 |
173 |
175 |
1 |
Yale University |
170 |
173 |
176 |
2 |
Columbia University |
169 |
171 |
173 |
2 |
Stanford University |
169 |
171 |
173 |
3 |
Chicago, University of |
166 |
170 |
172 |
3 |
New York University |
168 |
170 |
172 |
4 |
Duke University |
165 |
169 |
170 |
4 |
Pennsylvania, University of |
165 |
169 |
171 |
4 |
Virginia, University of |
164 |
169 |
170 |
5 |
Georgetown University |
163 |
168 |
169 |
5 |
Michigan, University of |
165 |
168 |
170 |
5 |
Northwestern University |
161 |
168 |
171 |
6 |
California-Berkeley, University of |
163 |
167 |
169 |
6 |
California-Los Angeles, University of |
162 |
167 |
169 |
6 |
Cornell University |
165 |
167 |
167 |
6 |
Vanderbilt University |
163 |
167 |
169 |
7 |
Southern California, University of |
163 |
166 |
167 |
7 |
Texas At Austin, University of |
163 |
166 |
168 |
7 |
Washington University |
160 |
166 |
167 |
8 |
Boston University |
161 |
165 |
166 |
8 |
Emory University |
157 |
165 |
166 |
8 |
George Washington University |
159 |
165 |
167 |
9 |
Alabama, University of |
157 |
164 |
166 |
9 |
Boston College |
160 |
164 |
165 |
9 |
California-Irvine, University of |
162 |
164 |
166 |
9 |
Minnesota, University of |
156 |
164 |
167 |
9 |
Washington And Lee University |
160 |
164 |
165 |
9 |
Washington, University of |
161 |
164 |
165 |
9 |
William And Mary Law School |
161 |
164 |
165 |
10 |
Fordham University |
161 |
163 |
165 |
10 |
Georgia, University of |
158 |
163 |
164 |
10 |
Notre Dame, University of |
160 |
163 |
165 |
Source: Law School Admissions Counselor
To read the complete chart, which include LSATs for over 200 schools ranging from Brigham Young to Texas Southern, click on the source article below.
Source: Law School Admissions Counselor