Two numbers sit at the center of how to get into law school, and both are public. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) calls your undergraduate GPA and LSAT score “fundamental for admission decisions.” Under ABA Standard 509, every ABA-approved school publishes the GPA and test-score ranges of the class it enrolled.
The rest of the file still counts. LSAC says law schools “want to recruit people who are qualified for reasons beyond grades and scores,” and each school sets its own rules on tests, letters and deadlines. So the work has two halves: aim your numbers at schools where they fit, then send each one exactly what it asks for.
How to Get Into Law School: The Plan at a Glance
| Step | What it involves | Who sets the rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Undergraduate record | A bachelor's degree, plus grades and courses that schools read closely | ABA Standard 502; LSAC; each school |
| 2. Admission test | The LSAT at most schools; the GRE, JD-Next or no test at some | ABA Standard 503; each school |
| 3. School list | Your GPA and LSAT score against each school's published percentiles | ABA Standard 509 reports |
| 4. CAS and letters | Transcripts and letters sent once to LSAC, then reported to each school | LSAC; each school sets its letter count |
| 5. Applications | Each school's own components and deadline | Each school |
| 6. Waitlist | Timing and instructions | Each school |
Step 1: Build the Undergraduate Record
ABA Standard 502 says an approved school “shall require for admission to its J.D. degree program a bachelor’s degree” from an accredited institution. One of the exceptions covers combined bachelor’s and law degree programs, where a student may start after completing three-fourths of the bachelor’s credits.
No major is required. The ABA’s pre-law page says it “does not recommend any undergraduate majors or group of courses to prepare for a legal education,” and calls a broad range of difficult courses “excellent preparation for legal education.”
Grades carry the weight. LSAC says most law schools “look closely at your college grades and course selection” and view difficult or advanced courses more favorably. Many also read your grade trend: a slow start can be discounted after strong later years, while a strong start and a mediocre finish may be read as a sign of less potential. LSAC tells applicants to comment on any irregular grade trend in their applications.
Every grade feeds that picture: the academic summary in your LSAC report covers all your undergraduate work. If you are still in college, LSAC suggests meeting your prelaw advisor as early as possible, since an advisor can recommend courses that build the skills you will need for law school.
Step 2: Take the LSAT, or Confirm What Each School Accepts
ABA Standard 503 requires an approved school to have each first-year applicant take “a valid and reliable admission test.” For most schools, that test is the LSAT, scored from 120 to 180. LSAC’s steps to apply put it plainly: “Most law schools require the LSAT.”
The GRE
Under Interpretation 503-1, a school that uses another test must demonstrate that the test is valid and reliable. The ABA’s note on every Standard 509 report adds that schools “may choose what admission tests they will consider,” so GRE acceptance is school by school.
Harvard Law School takes the LSAT or the GRE, but it “will not consider a GRE score in the evaluation of your application if you have a valid LSAT score on file.” NYU School of Law also accepts either test. At NYU, LSAC sends all valid LSAT scores whether or not you submit a GRE.
JD-Next and Test-Optional Routes
JD-Next is an online course that ends in a law school admissions assessment. The same ABA note says only schools holding a Standard 503 variance for JD-Next can report its scores. In October 2026, JD-Next’s own site still said: “For the 2025-26 law school admissions cycle, over 60 law schools can accept JD-Next instead of the LSAT.”
Seattle University School of Law is one. It accepts JD-Next scores “in lieu of LSAT or GRE General Test scores,” and its 2025 Standard 509 report lists five first-year students who enrolled with JD-Next scores.
Two more routes skip the LSAT. Interpretation 503-3 lets a school admit up to 10% of an entering class without the LSAT, but only its own undergraduates or dual-degree students who also meet test-score and grade conditions. A variance can go further. ASU Law runs a test-optional pathway for full-time, on-campus applicants under a five-year Standard 503 variance, and up to 20 percent of its class may enroll without a test.
The ABA posts each variance it grants on its variance notices page. A listing shows that a school holds one; the school’s own admissions page tells you what it allows.
Step 3: Build Your School List From 509 Data
ABA Standard 509 requires each approved school to publish its admissions data, and the ABA posts every school’s report on its required disclosures site. The 2025 reports, covering the class that entered in 2025, were the latest posted on October 10, 2026.
| School (2025 report) | GPA 25th / 50th / 75th | LSAT 25th / 50th / 75th | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard Law School | 3.89 / 3.96 / 4.00 | 171 / 174 / 176 | 9.20% |
| NYU School of Law | 3.81 / 3.92 / 3.97 | 169 / 172 / 174 | 13.39% |
| Temple University Beasley School of Law | 3.59 / 3.76 / 3.90 | 162 / 165 / 168 | 24.38% |
| Brooklyn Law School | 3.37 / 3.59 / 3.75 | 158 / 161 / 163 | 44.00% |
| Seattle University School of Law | 3.22 / 3.60 / 3.80 | 155 / 159 / 162 | 38.93% |
| Mitchell Hamline School of Law | 2.96 / 3.29 / 3.60 | 151 / 154 / 158 | 51.40% |
Read each figure as a point in a range. At Brooklyn, a quarter of the entrants who reported a GPA came in at 3.37 or lower. The LSAT columns count only students admitted on the LSAT: Harvard’s 2025 class of 579 included 37 who entered on the GRE.
So what GPA do you need to get into law school? It depends on the school. Across all 196 schools in the ABA’s 2025 reports, median GPAs ran from 3.09 to 4.00. If you are concerned about your numbers, LSAC suggests considering a conditional admission program, though admission to one is “at the sole discretion of the school offering the program.”
LSAC’s advice on choosing schools is a threefold plan: “dream a little, be realistic, and be safe.” The applicant profile grids in its Official Guide show how many applicants in each GPA and LSAT band were admitted in the most recent year. LSAC adds two cautions: schools consider many factors beyond the two numbers, and the grid data come from a previous application year.
Step 4: Set Up CAS and Your Letters of Recommendation
Most ABA-approved schools require LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS). You send transcripts and letters to LSAC once, and LSAC “combines your documents with your LSAT score(s) and forwards a full report to all the schools to which you apply.” As of October 2026, CAS costs $219, plus $45 for each law school report. An LSAC fee waiver covers the subscription and up to six reports.
Leave time for processing. LSAC takes about two weeks to process a transcript after it arrives. It cannot send your report to a school until your required transcripts and letters are in.
Letter rules are set school by school. Harvard requires two letters, accepts up to three, and strongly recommends that at least one come from an academic source. WashU Law says, “We do not require any letters of recommendation to apply to WashU Law,” and recommends two.
On who should write them, LSAC’s letters guidance says the most effective letters come from professors or work supervisors who know you well. It adds that “Letters that compare you to your academic peers are often the most useful.”
Step 5: Apply on Each School's Terms
Every ABA-approved school’s application is available through your CAS account. What each one needs varies: Harvard and NYU both require a resume, an item LSAC’s general list leaves out. Those differences are why law school admissions requirements have to be read school by school.
LSAC lists a personal statement among the items a school must receive before it can decide.
Timing advice differs by school. Harvard’s application for fall 2027 opened on September 15, 2026 and closes on February 5, 2027. Harvard says applications are reviewed “approximately in the order in which they are completed.” UVA Law states that “Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis.”
NYU tells regular applicants something different. If you test by January and meet its February 15 deadline, as its page read in October 2026, you “will be at no competitive disadvantage in the admissions process.” NYU also runs a binding Early Decision option with a November 15 deadline. Let each school’s own wording decide which files you finish first.
Step 6: If You Are Waitlisted
A waitlist is not a final decision, and each school runs its own. UVA Law’s waitlist FAQ says its list “is unranked.” It says that “most, if any, movement from the waitlist occurs in the late spring or early summer,” and that it has made offers “right up to the day of orientation.”
UVA says the number admitted from its waitlist has ranged “from none to more than 20 percent of the entering class.” UVA asks waitlisted applicants to respond to its outreach form, and they may also send a letter of continued interest through its status checker. If UVA offers you a seat, it asks you to decide quickly.
Planning Your Cycle With ExceptionalGrad
By the fall you apply, most of your grades are already on the transcript. What you can still shape is the list and the file: which schools get your numbers, and whether each one receives everything it asks for in time.
ExceptionalGrad’s law school admissions consulting includes Hourly Applicant Advising for applicants planning their application in advance, as the service page puts it. Its Detailed Application Review aims to have “all sections of the JD application including essays, educational history and important experiences” ready 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
Can you get into law school with a 3.0 GPA?
Yes, at some schools, though a 3.0 sits below the 2025 median at all 196 schools in the ABA’s 509 reports. Sixteen of those schools listed a 25th-percentile GPA under 3.00, so at least a quarter of their GPA-reporting entrants came in below it. Check your LSAT score against those schools’ ranges too.
Can you get into law school without the LSAT?
Yes, at some schools, through the GRE, JD-Next or a test-optional pathway, and each comes with conditions. ASU Law’s test-optional applicants cannot add a score later and, once admitted, agree not to take the LSAT or JD-Next. Harvard sets a GRE aside if you have a valid LSAT score on file.
What test do you need to get into law school?
Usually the LSAT, which LSAC says most law schools require. Some schools accept the GRE, and schools with an ABA variance can accept JD-Next. A school’s 509 report shows how often each test was used: NYU’s 2025 report lists 448 entrants admitted on the LSAT and three on the GRE.
How hard is it to get into law school?
It depends on the school you aim for. For 2025 enrollment, LSAC counted 76,480 applicants to ABA-approved law schools and 49,783 admitted applicants. Individual 2025 acceptance rates in the table above run from 9.20% at Harvard to 51.40% at Mitchell Hamline.