Why a ranking alone is the wrong tool
A ranking blends many factors into one number using a formula you don't control and that may not weight what matters to you — geography, cost, a specific practice area's strength, or part-time and evening options. Two schools with similar rankings can have very different bar passage rates, employment outcomes, or scholarship generosity for a candidate with your specific numbers.
Use rankings as one input for general reputation, but decide using the standardized data every ABA-accredited school is required to publish.
The factors worth comparing directly
Compare each target school's ultimate bar passage rate (not only first-time pass rate), its employment outcomes broken out by full-time, long-term, JD-required positions, its total cost of attendance after any scholarship offer, and where its LSAT and GPA 25th/75th percentile range places your own numbers.
A scholarship offer conditioned on maintaining a GPA above the school's median is a real risk to price in, not a pure discount — ask directly what percentage of scholarship holders actually retain their scholarship through graduation.
- Ultimate bar passage rate, by jurisdiction
- Employment outcomes by category and geography
- Full cost of attendance after scholarship
- Your LSAT/GPA position within the school's published range
- Scholarship retention conditions and historical retention rate
The factors LSAC tells applicants to weigh
LSAC says the choice of the right law school is subjective. It lists what to examine. That covers curriculum, overall size, average class size, student body demographics, and library and facilities. It also covers part-time or evening programs, joint-degree and LLM programs, and clinical programs. The rest are moot court, student law journals, academic support, student organizations, career services and employment outcomes, and honor societies such as Order of the Coif. It notes that the first-year curriculum is similar but not identical across schools. A school's website is the way to check whether it has a program suited to your interests.
LSAC's own planning tools start with free Law School Forums, which bring representatives from more than 100 law schools together. LawHub offers a free personalized school report that ranks schools by your priorities. A UGPA and LSAT Score Credential Search helps you assess your chances at participating ABA-approved law schools. LSAC also points to the applicant profile grids in its Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools as a second way to assess your chances. Price the offer, not the sticker.
Cost, and the three-part list LSAC recommends
LSAC says the single best source of information about financing a legal education is the financial aid office of an LSAC-member law school. Its page describes tuition ranging from a few thousand dollars to more than $50,000 a year. It says the total degree cost could exceed $150,000 once housing and other expenses are added. Treat that as LSAC's general statement and use each school's own cost of attendance for a real comparison.
For the application list itself, LSAC recommends a threefold plan of dream schools, realistic schools and safe schools, and calls failure to evaluate your chances realistically a common strategic error. ABA Standard 509 requires a school to disclose conditional scholarship data to applicants at the time a conditional scholarship offer is extended, so ask for it before you compare offers. Plan the list in three tiers.
Where ABA-approved schools sit on LSAT and GPA, from the 2025 disclosure reports
The ABA's 2025 Standard 509 reports cover 196 law schools. Each reports the LSAT and undergraduate GPA of its entering class at the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles. Taking each school's 50th-percentile LSAT, the middle school sits at 159, the lowest school at 139 and the highest at 175.
22 schools have a median LSAT of 170 or higher, 48 have 165 or higher and 91 have 160 or higher. At the other end, 49 schools are below 155 and 8 are below 150. Median GPA runs from 3.09 to 4.00, with the middle school at 3.67.
A school's own 25th-to-75th LSAT range is narrow. For the middle school it is 155 to 161.5, about six points wide, so the middle half of a typical entering class spans about six points. Use each target school's own report for its numbers, and treat these national figures as context only.
| Measure | Lowest | 10th percentile school | 25th | Median school | 75th | 90th | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median LSAT | 139 | 152 | 154.75 | 159 | 164 | 170 | 175 |
| Median GPA | 3.09 | 3.36 | 3.50 | 3.67 | 3.81 | 3.92 | 4.00 |
The ten highest and five lowest median LSATs the schools reported
These lists come straight from the same reports and are not a ranking of quality. They show the range an applicant's score is being compared against.
- Washington University (St. Louis): median LSAT 175
- University of Chicago: median LSAT 174
- Harvard University: median LSAT 174
- Yale University: median LSAT 174
- Columbia University: median LSAT 173
- Cornell University: median LSAT 173
- Northwestern University: median LSAT 173
- University of Pennsylvania: median LSAT 173
- Stanford University: median LSAT 173
- University of Virginia: median LSAT 173
- Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico: median LSAT 139 (lowest five)
- Inter American University of Puerto Rico: median LSAT 144 (lowest five)
- Appalachian School of Law: median LSAT 146 (lowest five)
- Cooley Law School: median LSAT 147 (lowest five)
- Southern University: median LSAT 147 (lowest five)
Common questions
What does LSAC say to consider when choosing a law school?+
Curriculum, school size, class size, student body, facilities, part-time options, joint degrees, clinics, moot court, journals, academic support, career services and cost, among other factors it lists.
Is there a single right law school for me?+
LSAC says the choice of the right law school is subjective, so examine your own needs and find schools that match them instead of relying on prestige alone.
How many types of schools should my list include?+
Three. LSAC recommends a threefold plan of dream schools, realistic schools and safe schools, and warns that failing to evaluate your chances realistically is a common strategic error.
Where can I check my chances at ABA-approved schools?+
LSAC offers a UGPA and LSAT Score Credential Search, and applicant profile grids in its Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools are a second tool for assessing your chances.
How much does law school cost according to LSAC?+
LSAC says tuition ranges from a few thousand dollars to more than $50,000 a year and the degree could total more than $150,000 with living costs, so compare each school's own figures.
Where do I get the most reliable financing information?+
LSAC says the single best source is the financial aid office or website of a law school, since only the school can state your actual offer and conditions.
Why does a conditional scholarship matter when comparing offers?+
ABA Standard 509 defines it as an award kept only if you maintain a minimum GPA or class standing, and schools must give applicants the retention data when the offer is extended.
Are there free ways to meet law schools before applying?+
Yes. LSAC's Law School Forums bring representatives from more than 100 schools together, in person and virtually, and LawHub offers a free personalized school report.
What to do next
- 1
Pull each target school's ABA Standard 509 report before comparing rankings.
- 2
Ask directly about scholarship retention rates, not just the initial offer.
- 3
Weight bar passage and employment data by the jurisdiction and practice area you actually want.
- 4
Compare net cost after scholarship, not sticker tuition.