Law school requirements come in three layers. The American Bar Association (ABA) writes the accreditation standards its approved schools follow. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) lists what a school must receive before it can make a decision. Each school then adds rules of its own.
LSAC also says which parts weigh most. Your undergraduate GPA and LSAT score, in its words, “are most predictive for success in law school and are fundamental for admission decisions.” The table shows how the layers combine at two schools.
Law School Requirements at a Glance
| Item | LSAC's general list | Harvard Law (fall 2027) | NYU Law (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admission test | The LSAT, "for most law schools" | LSAT or GRE; a GRE is not considered if a valid LSAT is on file | LSAT or GRE; LSAC sends NYU every valid LSAT score |
| CAS report | Listed | Transcripts sent to LSAC through CAS | CAS registration required |
| Letters of recommendation | Listed; LSAC says school rules vary | Two required, up to three | Two required |
| Personal statement | Listed | Statement of Purpose and Statement of Perspective, one to two pages each | Content and length left to you |
| Resume | Not on the list | Required, one or two pages | Required |
| Application fee | Listed | $90, waived for LSAC fee waiver recipients | $85, waived for LSAC fee waiver recipients |
| Other items | Anything "unique to that particular school" | Optional addenda; character and fitness questions; interviews by invitation | Optional additional information; character and fitness section |
The ABA Layer: A Degree and an Admission Test
Under ABA Standard 502, an approved school admits applicants with “a bachelor’s degree” from an accredited institution. The exceptions are narrow: students in combined bachelor’s and JD programs who have completed three-fourths of the bachelor’s credits, graduates of foreign institutions of equivalent quality, and an “extraordinary case.” The proof comes later: under Standard 502(d), a school must hold your official transcripts by October 15 of your first fall, barring extraordinary circumstances.
Any major will do. The ABA’s pre-law page recommends no major or course group and says students arrive “from almost every academic discipline.”
Standard 503 says a school “shall require each applicant for admission as a first-year J.D. degree student to take a valid and reliable admission test.” For most applicants that means the LSAT: LSAC’s steps to apply say “Most law schools require the LSAT.” The rule leaves three openings:
- Other tests. Under Interpretation 503-1 a school may use a different test once it shows the test is valid and reliable. Harvard Law School takes the GRE but sets it aside when a valid LSAT score is on file; NYU School of Law takes either, and LSAC forwards every valid LSAT score to NYU whether or not you send a GRE.
- Up to 10% without the LSAT. Interpretation 503-3 allows it only for a school’s own undergraduates or dual-degree students who meet test-score and grade or class-rank conditions.
- Variances. The ABA lists variances from Standard 503 on its public notices page. Under one, ASU Law lets full-time applicants on its campus apply without a test, and “up to 20 percent of the class may enroll without a test.”
JD-Next is another test some schools accept, after the LSAT and the GRE. An ABA note printed on schools’ 2025 Standard 509 reports says only schools with a variance allowing JD-Next can report its scores. WashU Law lists the LSAT, GRE and JD-Next as its three accepted tests.
The LSAC Layer: What a School Must Receive
LSAC lists six items a school “must receive” before it can make an admission decision:
- your application
- a CAS Report, or an LSAT Law School Report if the school does not require CAS
- letters of recommendation
- a personal statement
- the application fee
- “any additional requirements unique to that particular school”
LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS) carries most of the file, and LSAC says most ABA-approved law schools require it. You send transcripts and letters once, and LSAC forwards a report with your LSAT scores to each school. NYU’s instructions add that the report also carries your LSAT writing samples.
Letters are on the list; how many is up to each school. LSAC says “School requirements for letters of recommendation will vary.” Harvard and NYU each ask for two, while WashU Law requires none and suggests two.
On who should write them, LSAC names “professors or work supervisors who know you well.” Harvard strongly recommends that at least one letter come from an academic source. Harvard adds that applicants out of school for several years who struggle to find an academic recommender may send letters from employers instead.
LSAC introduces the personal statement this way: law schools “want to recruit people who are qualified for reasons beyond grades and scores.” Format belongs to the school. Harvard requires two statements of one to two pages each, while NYU leaves “the content and length of your statement to your discretion.” Page rules differ from school to school, as our guide to law school personal statement length shows.
The fee is set by each school too. Harvard charges $90 and NYU $85, and both waive it for LSAC fee waiver recipients. WashU charges no application fee at all.
The School Layer: What Each Law School Adds
LSAC’s last item, “any additional requirements unique to that particular school,” covers everything a school asks for beyond the general list. At Harvard and NYU, that includes:
- A resume. LSAC’s list does not mention one, but Harvard and NYU both require it. Harvard asks you to keep it to “one or two pages,” and NYU says “A resume is required to complete your application.” Our law school resume guide covers what goes on the page.
- A perspective essay. Harvard requires a Statement of Perspective alongside its Statement of Purpose. NYU’s optional “Supplying Additional Information” section asks how your background “will enable you to contribute to the NYU Law community.” At the schools our law school diversity statement guide checked, that essay was renamed, folded into the personal statement or made optional.
- Addenda. Harvard allows “a brief addendum” for information beyond the required materials. LSAC asks applicants to “comment on any irregular grade trends in your academic record.”
- Character and fitness. Both schools ask these questions. ABA Standard 504 requires every approved school to print in its application that “there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction.”
- Interviews. Harvard may invite you to interview with a member of its Admissions Committee. NYU “does not use interviews as part of the regular selection process.”
Which Requirements Weigh Most
LSAC names two: undergraduate GPA and the LSAT score. The ABA leaves the weighting to schools. Interpretation 503-2 says Standard 503 “does not prescribe the particular weight that a law school should give to an applicant’s admission test score.”
Standard 501(b) frames admission as a capability test. A school “shall only admit applicants who appear capable of satisfactorily completing its program of legal education and being admitted to the bar.” Experience outside school can count too. LSAC says an applicant who applies several years after college and “has succeeded in a nonacademic environment” may be seen “as more motivated than one who continues their education without a break.”
What schools publish are ranges. Standard 509 requires each approved school to disclose its admissions data, and the report shows percentiles for the class that enrolled. Harvard’s 2025 report puts the 25th percentile at a 3.89 undergraduate GPA across its first-year class, and at an LSAT score of 171 among the 542 entrants admitted on the LSAT. A quarter of each group entered at or below those marks.
Completing Your File This Cycle
Each school’s own rules are why a file can be complete at one school and short at the next. A file built for WashU, with no letters, would be incomplete at Harvard or NYU. The order in which to work through all of this is the subject of our step-by-step plan for getting into law school.
ExceptionalGrad’s law school admissions consulting includes a Detailed Application Review. The service page says it ensures “all sections of the JD application including essays, educational history and important experiences are fully prepared for submission.” Our advisors edit and advise; they never write your essays. If you are applying this cycle, start with a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements to get into law school?
A bachelor’s degree, an admission test at most schools and a complete file. LSAC’s list covers the application, a CAS or LSAT report, letters, a personal statement, the fee and school-specific items. Schools then differ: Harvard and NYU require two letters and a resume, while WashU requires no letters and charges no fee.
Do law schools have prerequisites?
Only the degree. ABA Standard 502 requires a bachelor’s degree, with narrow exceptions, and the ABA recommends no particular major or set of courses. On coursework, LSAC says schools “view difficult or advanced undergraduate courses more favorably,” and the ABA calls a broad range of difficult courses “excellent preparation for legal education.”
Is the LSAT required for law school?
At most schools, yes, though some routes skip it. ABA Standard 503 requires a valid and reliable admission test, and Harvard and NYU accept the GRE. ASU Law’s test-optional pathway runs under a 503 variance; Elon and St. John’s received variances in August 2026, and each school’s own page says what its variance allows.
Do law schools require a resume?
Harvard and NYU do, even though LSAC’s general list leaves it out. Harvard caps it at one or two pages and posts three sample resumes on its application page. NYU will not treat an application as complete without one. WashU lists a résumé among the materials to gather.
What factors do law schools consider?
LSAC calls GPA and LSAT score fundamental; the rest of the file counts too. ABA Interpretation 501-2 lists factors sound admission policies may include: test scores, course of study, GPA, extracurricular activities, work experience, graduate study, skills and obstacles overcome. LSAC adds that schools “want diverse, interesting classes that represent a variety of backgrounds.”