What is a good LSAT score?

In LSAC's percentile table for the 2023-2026 testing years, 50.43% of scores fall below 154. 11 Here is a quick guide: 160+ opens many solid schools. 165+ is strong and helps with scholarship money. 170+ puts you in range for the very top schools. But "good" depends on your list. A score is good if it is at or above the median at the schools you want.

Is the LSAT or GPA more important for law school?

For most schools, the LSAT matters more. You can raise an LSAT score by studying and retaking the test. Your college GPA is mostly locked in once you graduate. Both count, though. Schools report both medians to the ABA, so they try to protect both numbers.

Can I get into law school with a low GPA?

Yes. A high LSAT score can pull up a low GPA, especially at schools where you beat the LSAT median by several points. It also helps to add a short GPA addendum that explains a bad semester, plus strong work experience and letters. But a low GPA will still close some doors at the very top schools.

What is a splitter in law school admissions?

A splitter has a high LSAT score and a low GPA. A reverse splitter is the opposite: high GPA, low LSAT. Splitters often do best at schools that care most about LSAT medians. Reverse splitters do better at schools that protect GPA. Both types see wide swings in results, so apply to more schools than usual.

Do law schools take your highest LSAT score or the average?

Each law school you apply to receives all of your reportable LSAT scores. 5 LSAC advises law schools that a candidate's average score is the best predictor of ability, but some schools place more weight on the highest score. 5 Each school has its own approach, so ask the schools on your list. A big jump is fine, but a few low tries may get a short addendum question.

How many times can you take the LSAT?

LSAC lets you take the LSAT five times within the current reportable score period, which runs back to July 2021, and seven times over your lifetime. 6 A canceled score still counts toward those limits. 6 On average, people who take the test a second time in the same testing year raise their score 2 to 3 points. 5 Only retake if you have time to study differently than last time.

How many law schools should I apply to?

A common plan is about 8 to 12 schools, spread like this: 2 to 3 safety schools 3 to 5 target schools 2 to 4 reach schools Splitters and people who need big scholarships should apply to more, since results are harder to predict.

What LSAT score do you need for a T14 law school?

At the schools often called the T14, median LSAT scores sit between about 170 and 174. Harvard reported a median LSAT of 174 for its 2025 first-year class. 9 Georgetown reported 171. 4 A score at or above the median gives you a real shot. Below 168, a T14 admit usually needs a very high GPA or standout background.

How much does it cost to apply to law school?

Plan for a few hundred dollars at least: LSAT registration: $253. 7 CAS (Credential Assembly Service): $219. 7 Each CAS report sent to a school: $45. 7 School application fees: Harvard Law School charges $90. 9 Across the 2025 Standard 509 reports of 120 ABA-approved schools, fees run from $0 to $90. Some schools waive their own fee. LSAC offers a fee waiver for candidates who are financially under-resourced, and it covers many of the costs of applying, including the CAS fee and up to six CAS reports. 8

How long does it take to hear back from law schools?

Most answers come 1 to 4 months after your file goes complete. Some schools reply in a couple of weeks. Others hold files until spring. Applying early usually means hearing back sooner, since fewer files are in the pile ahead of you.

What are the chances of getting off a law school waitlist?

It depends on the school and the year. Most waitlist offers come between May and August, after admitted students pick a school. Send a letter of continued interest and keep your other deposit in place until you get a yes.

Does a higher LSAT score get you more scholarship money?

Yes. Scholarship money follows numbers more than anything else. Beating a school's LSAT and GPA medians is the fastest way to get a big award. A few extra LSAT points can be worth tens of thousands of dollars over three years. That is why many people retake before applying.

What is the LSAC index score?

The index is a single number some schools build from your LSAT and GPA. Each school uses its own formula, and it usually weighs the LSAT more. Schools use the index to sort files fast. A high index can get you an early read or an auto-admit at some schools, but essays and softs still decide close cases.

Does your college major matter for law school?

The ABA does not recommend any undergraduate major or group of courses to prepare for law school, and students are admitted from almost every academic discipline. 10 Law schools accept history, science, business, and art majors alike. What matters is your GPA and LSAT. Pick a major you can do well in and that builds reading, writing, and logic skills.

Should I apply Early Decision to law school?

Only if one school is clearly your first choice and you can afford it. Early Decision is usually binding, so you must attend if admitted and you must pull your other applications. It can raise your odds, but you lose the chance to compare scholarship offers. Many students save more money by applying regular decision to several schools.

Law School Admissions Calculator - LSAT, GPA, Waitlist Odds

Introduction

This Law School Admissions Calculator shows your odds of getting into law school. You type in your LSAT score and your CAS GPA. The tool then gives you a predicted accept, waitlist, and reject chance at 121 top law schools.

Each school is sorted into one of four groups: Safety, Target, Reach, or Super-Reach. This helps you build a school list with a good mix of picks.

You can also add details that matter in a real admissions cycle. These include when you send your application, your soft factors tier, early decision, in-state status, veteran status, and years since college. The calculator adjusts your odds for each one.

Want to know how a higher LSAT would change things? Use the Scenario B box to compare two profiles side by side. You will see exactly how many percentage points you gain or lose at every school.

The tool also shows the math step by step, so you can see how each number is figured out. Filter by rank, category, or school name to focus on the schools you care about most.

How to use our Law School Admissions Calculator

Enter your LSAT score, your CAS GPA, and a few facts about your background and timing. The calculator shows your chance of being accepted, waitlisted, or rejected at 121 law schools, plus a step-by-step look at the math.

LSAT Score: Type your score from 120 to 180, or drag the slider. Use your highest official score.

CAS GPA: Enter the GPA from your LSAC report. LSAC's scale runs from 0.00 to 4.33, where an A+ is 4.33.² This may not match your school transcript.

Matriculating Year: Pick the year you plan to start law school. Later years get a small drop for tougher competition.

Show Scenario B columns: Turn this on to compare two profiles side by side in the results table.

Comparison LSAT Score: Enter a second LSAT score, like a retake goal, to see how much your odds change.

Comparison CAS GPA: Enter a second GPA to test how a higher or lower GPA moves your chances.

URM: Check this box if you are an underrepresented minority applicant. It adds a small boost.

International Applicant: Check this if you studied or live outside the United States. It lowers your odds a bit.

Non-Traditional / Career Changer: Check this if you are switching careers or did not apply straight from college.

Military Service / Veteran: Check this if you served in the armed forces. It adds a small boost.

In-State Resident: Check this if you live in the state. It only helps at public law schools.

Character & Fitness Disclosure: Check this if you must report an arrest, academic issue, or other event. It lowers your odds.

Application Sent Date: Pick the day you sent your application. Earlier dates score better.

Application Complete Date: Pick the day your file went complete. This is used if you leave the sent date blank.

Interview Date: Add the date if a school interviewed you. Any interview raises your odds.

Under Review (UR) Date: Add the date your status changed to under review. This adds a small boost.

Application Type: Choose Regular Decision, Early Decision, Priority, or ED converting to RD. Early Decision gives the biggest lift.

Soft Factors Tier: Rate your work, essays, and letters from T1 (exceptional) to T4 (limited).

Years Since Undergrad: Enter how many years since your degree, 0 to 30. More years add a small boost.

Show the worked calculation for: Pick one school to see every step of its math, from median gaps to final odds.

School Name Search: Type part of a school name to find it fast in the results table.

Rank Tier: Limit the table to T14, ranks 1 to 25, 26 to 50, or 51 and up.

Category: Show only Safety, Target, Reach, or Super-Reach schools.

Acceptance % Range: Set a low and high percent to see only schools inside that range.

Calculate and Reset: Click Calculate to update your results, or Reset to start over with the default values.

Law School Admissions: What Really Matters

Two numbers matter most: your LSAT score and your undergraduate GPA are the most predictive of success in law school, and they are fundamental to admission decisions.¹ The LSAT is scored from 120 to 180.¹ The CAS GPA is the GPA that LSAC (Law School Admission Council) figures out from all your undergraduate work.² It can be higher or lower than the GPA on your school transcript, because LSAC uses the grades for every course it can convert to its 4.0 scale, even courses your college leaves out of its own GPA, and it counts every grade for a repeated course that shows on the transcript.²

Medians Are the Key

Every ABA-approved law school must make its admissions data public each year under ABA Standard 509.³ Each school's Standard 509 report lists the 75th, 50th and 25th percentile LSAT and GPA of its first-year class, and the 50th percentile is the median: the middle number of the students who enrolled.⁴ Schools care a lot about these numbers because they affect rankings. So being at or above both medians makes you a strong applicant. Being below both makes it much harder, even if the rest of your file is great.

Safety, Target, and Reach Schools

Safety means a predicted accept chance above 70%. Your numbers are usually well above the school's medians.
Target means a predicted accept chance from 35% to 70%. Your numbers are usually close to the medians, and it could go either way.
Reach means a predicted accept chance from 5% up to 35%. Your numbers are usually below the medians.
Super-Reach means a predicted accept chance below 5%. Getting in would be rare.

A smart application list has a mix of all of these. Apply to at least a few safety schools so you have real choices.

Soft Factors

"Softs" are everything that is not a number: work history, military service, research, leadership, your personal statement, and letters of recommendation. Strong softs can help a borderline file. They rarely fix a big gap in LSAT or GPA, but they do matter at the margins, and they matter more for scholarship money.

Timing Matters a Lot

Most law schools use rolling admissions. That means they read files as they come in and hand out seats as they go. Applying in September or October gives you better odds than applying in February with the same numbers, because more seats are still open. Before a law school can make an admission decision, it must receive your application, your CAS report, your letters of recommendation, your personal statement and the application fee.¹

Other Things That Can Move Your Odds

Early Decision is usually a binding promise to attend. It can boost your chances, but you give up the power to compare scholarship offers.
In-state residency helps at public state schools, which often must take a share of home-state students.
Interviews. Many schools only interview people they are seriously thinking about.
Under Review (UR) status means a real person is reading your file, which is a good sign.
Character and Fitness covers arrests, academic discipline, or other issues you must disclose. Hiding them is worse than reporting them.

The Waitlist

Borderline applicants often land on a waitlist instead of getting a yes or no. Waitlists move over the summer as admitted students choose other schools. A letter of continued interest (LOCI) can help you move up.

Remember: all estimates here are based on published medians and general admissions patterns. They are a planning tool, not a promise. Always check each school's current ABA 509 disclosure before you build your final list.

Law School Admissions Calculator

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