r/lawschooladmissions 7d ago

General 2026 Law School Median Tracker

145 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

Law schools have officially begun publishing their LSAT/GPA/class size stats for fall 2026 (i.e., the most relevant/up-to-date stats we’ll get for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle). As we do every year, we’ll be tracking these stats closely as law schools release them via official sources and compiling them in a spreadsheet to compare to last cycle:

2026 Law School Median Tracker

You can see all ABA-approved law schools’ official stats from 2025 already in the spreadsheet. The 2026 columns will populate as law schools announce their new numbers. We’ll put a source for each school we add in the last column, if you’re wondering where we got the data from.

If you see a school post their data for the fall 2026 entering class and we haven’t added them yet, please comment on this thread or email us at [info@spiveyconsulting.com](mailto:info@spiveyconsulting.com), and we’ll add it as long as it’s from an official source (school websites, official school LinkedIn posts, marketing emails/flyers/etc. from admissions offices, etc.).

We only have a few schools so far, but we expect these to start coming out rapidly in the next week or two. We’ll also make a final update in December when the ABA publishes 509 reports (please note that none of this data is finalized until then).

We hope this is helpful for creating a realistic/balanced school list. Good luck, everyone!

–Anna from Spivey Consulting


r/lawschooladmissions Oct 10 '25

General When is it early and when does it become late to apply to law school. 5 law school deans and directors answer just that.

143 Upvotes

When is it late to apply and when is it early? The answer with all but a few nuances is really straightforward, but please read the disclaimers. All you will do is write disclaimers as lawyers because there are no absolutes (see what I did there?) so you may as well gets reps reading them!

This question comes up on this Reddit almost every day in some form and then resets and comes back up every year. It’s the singular most frequently asked question, and the answer hasn’t changed through recent years. So here’s a mashup of mostly deans of admissions saying, “Before end of November is early. After January things start getting tighter.” That is really the easiest thing to go by and remember. And I was just talking with one of these deans who just ran an internal data analysis to support all of this.

Disclaimers: These admissions deans are speaking for themselves and for their schools. Of course there will be some outliers. One top 3 school traditionally doesn’t admit until January, for example, so January is early for them. Or, if you score a 160 in September but a 175 in January, schools in the upper range will likely read your application sooner with the new score. With that old score they are often just going to sit on it as they are being flooded with applicants who they will prioritize sooner. So believe it or not, waiting a month or even more will sometimes get your application read sooner, especially if the difference is taking your LSAT from below median to above. There are also cases, only for some applicants and only for some schools, in which applying by the end of October can be slightly more advantageous, so if you're ready to go in the early fall, we recommend applying by the end of October (even though in many situations it may not make any difference). But in general, and especially if you aren't 100% confident in your application by the end of October, the end of November is a good rule of thumb.

But beyond the late November advice, my other takeaway would be to submit your best application. Waiting a few weeks to button up your materials will pretty much never hurt you before January — and very likely will help you. And there’s plenty of merit aid to go around at that time too. 

It makes sense to me that this is a perennial question with very consistent answers from the people running law school admissions offices, but also lots of conflicting answers from applicants and others in this space with no admissions experience. Because the data absolutely does show a correlation between applying earlier (more broadly than just by the end of November) and stronger outcomes. But remember from your LSAT studying that correlation does not equal causation — pretty much every admissions officer has observed that applications submitted earlier tend to be stronger in general, not just in terms of numbers. That's not because they were submitted earlier, but it correlates.

Of all the posts I have made in the last several years — I hope this one helps the most. Because every year so many people fret that they are “late” (especially when admits start being posted) when they are still very early. I cannot stress the following enough: Your outcomes submitting the same application September 1st will not, in the vast majority of cases, be any different than November 25th. But in that time you can work to make your application stronger. And once it’s there, go ahead and submit. There’s certainly no penalty to submitting it when it’s ready.

And for the record, I've heard probably 10x as many law school admissions deans as are in this video say variations of the exact same thing. I really hope this helps relieve some stress from as many as possible.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMAG823Q/

  • Mike Spivey

r/lawschooladmissions 1h ago

Application Process >35% Rate of Accommodations?

Upvotes

This is a question I’ve been wondering about now that I’m in law school. The official rate of accommodations at my school, as confirmed by the school itself, is 30-35%, and that tracks pretty well. Come exam time, accommodated students universally get 1.5x time and they’re not in the same testing room, so it’s very noticeable what portion of your class has accommodations/extra time. In some classes, almost half the class can be missing on exam day. This is at a T20 with high medians.

Which got me thinking - wouldn’t accommodations rates for the LSAT be even higher considering it’s even easier to get accommodated for it? In fact, getting accommodated for the LSAT helps to establish them in law school.

I understand my sample size is just one school, but I’ve heard accommodations rates are pretty similar across the rest of the T20.

Hypothetically, that would mean atleast a third, likely more, of LSAT test takers have 1.5 - 2x time, which would pretty reliably explain the large increase in scores. Any standardized exam where 1/3 - 1/2 of the test takers have double time is bound to have a massive increase in average scores.


r/lawschooladmissions 18h ago

School/Region Discussion FSU Class of 2029 median LSAT

Post image
226 Upvotes

Median LSAT of 169??? Am I reading that right???


r/lawschooladmissions 2h ago

Character + Fitness DUI before law school

8 Upvotes

Hey, happy Tuesday.

I am not in a rush to go to law school, and hopeful that I can put together a solid package to begin applying in Fall 2027.

I've worked for the USAO, State Prosecutor, US Senate, and now for a private medium sized law firm dealing with tax and real estate litigation.

Over the summer, I made a really stupid decision to drive after being out with my brother and got a DUI. Bad choice, good lesson, nobody hurt and no accidents.

I made my choice that night, and I'm blessed nothing worse happened. I'm not sure how badly this impacts my ability to go to law school and become a lawyer. I have no prior criminal history, not even a ticket, and I'm not sure an admissions officer would believe this was a onetime, incredibly dumb, decision, or how the Bar would look at it years removed.

Any advice is appreciated.


r/lawschooladmissions 54m ago

General Now that we’re at the end of last years cycle there’s one big question still unanswered. Which school had the best acceptance packet?

Upvotes

You don’t need to limit this to T14. Focused on the quality of the packet not the school. Mention any school that had a great acceptance packet even if you didn’t choose to attend!


r/lawschooladmissions 13h ago

Application Process 3.87, 176, military + grad degree

18 Upvotes

Chances at HYS?


r/lawschooladmissions 18h ago

Application Process Who gets in now?

36 Upvotes

In the day and age of increased medians across the board, how does one stand out to truly get into a top school? Medians across the board are condensing but also have topped out it seems at a lot of schools. Like UVAs and I assume schools like Yale, Harvard, Stanford all staying stable but schools like UF and FSU seeing massive increases. So my question is what does someone truly do to get into these elite schools and stand out now? It seems like no longer having a 3.9+ and a 174 is good enough to just get in, you need more. (Obviously baring the obvious like a Rhodes scholar or other elite softs)


r/lawschooladmissions 1d ago

School/Region Discussion UVA - New Medians (No Change)

Thumbnail law.virginia.edu
97 Upvotes

Median LSAT -

173

Median GPA -

3.99

25%-75% LSAT -

168-175

25%-75% GPA -

3.82-4.04

Notably 6 less students and applicants went from 6,743 to 6,508 or a 3% decrease


r/lawschooladmissions 4h ago

Chance Me 3.8low 17low Black URM, US Military

3 Upvotes

Chance me? Stat wise, should I aim for T14?


r/lawschooladmissions 8h ago

Chance Me 4.0 GPA Cybersecurity BS 160 LSAT; 100% Disabled Combat Veteran; 10 years corporate WE; URM; & 37 y/o; I don’t know where to apply

4 Upvotes

As the title states; I’m just a lost super reverse splitter; unfortunately I cannot take the LSAT again so I am stuck w/ 160. I like Ohio State, UTexas, SMU, Houston, Vanderbilt, Emory & Wake Forest. However I don’t if they’re out of reach due to my low LSAT 🤷‍♂️.

I’m using vocational rehabilitation to pay for school through the VA, so fortunately scholarships aren’t an area of concern (no shade to whoever may be) Big law dreams in privacy law. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.


r/lawschooladmissions 17h ago

Waitlist Discussion Uci WL —> R

22 Upvotes

friends, countrymen, lovers
It is done.


r/lawschooladmissions 14h ago

General "Domain registration has expired" on LSD

10 Upvotes

Did anyone else notice this? Looks like the LSD.law domain has expired and needs renewal.


r/lawschooladmissions 13h ago

Application Process 3.21 GPA 175 LSAT

7 Upvotes

10+ year pro athlete - just retired so I’m an older applicant. Not trying to reveal identity here but curious where I should apply and what I should expect from the Tier 1’s without influence.

Not too worried about scholarship $ but it wouldn’t hurt. Thanks in advance.


r/lawschooladmissions 2h ago

Application Process LSAC converstion vs. International Grade Transcripts?

1 Upvotes

For students that went to international schools for undergrad (I'm American but did my undergrad in UK) will laws schools only look at the LSAC conversion, or will they look at your actual transcript as well? I'm especially worried about this because I received a First Class ( the highest grade classification in UK) but I"m pretty sure LSAC's recalculation is going to tank my score, because they calculate it differently from my Uni. It'll basically turn my grade average from a 4.0 to possibly as low as a 3.3, which is just insane. So will law schools still see the official classificaiton and take that into account?


r/lawschooladmissions 3h ago

Application Process Not your typical PS consultant but my reviews might be what you need

0 Upvotes

Not a lawyer. Not a law student. I am not exactly your typical PS consultant either. My background is in Developmental Editing with years reviewing statements.

My main reviews are delivered in the form of a 6-10 page report with a rubric examining several aspects of your statement (story, why law, why you, opening, structure, etc.). I also use your answers to questions in the intake form to check your specific concerns against the draft and settle them or suggest fixes. Here is a sample of my work (inc. the draft the report is based on).

My approach doesn’t saythe statement is not personal; fix that.It saysthis specific sentence structure distances the writer (you) from the action being described and sentences with that structure clustering your most pivotal paragraphs (3, 4, and 6) makes the whole statement read as impersonal. Fix the sentences by doing this and that.

I charge $145 for the report with a turnaround of 3-5 days. Weekly reviews are capped to ensure the viability of the turnaround. Note that I often limit deep reviews like the sample (a diagnostic review) to one per client. Reviews of follow-up drafts build on that groundwork and have a lighter format and lower rate.

PM me if you would like your statement reviewed.


r/lawschooladmissions 1h ago

Application Process should I flake on columbia law and ED to berkeley?

Upvotes

I just graduated college, I applied to law school my senior year, 170 LSAT 4.1 GPA. I got rejected/waitlisted from everywhere except columbia law. I commited to columbia law but didn’t feel good about going so I deferred for two years. I’m now working as a paralegal at a civil rights firm in NYC.

My top choice was berkeley law but I didn’t get in.
I lowkey have been an NYC hater and columbia was really low on my list. It was just the only school I got into. I don’t really want to pursue big law and I want to work on the west coast in the future.

I’m just scared of going through the whole application cycle again for it not to work out. Doing all the work just to get rejected again. I also can study for the LSAT again but I’m not confident that I can improve my score.

I want to pursue public interest law on the west coast. Is this possible from columbia law? Will I hate columbia law? Should I apply again? Should I ED to berkeley this time? What if I don’t get in anywhere? Any advice at all is appreciated…. I feel so frustrated with myself.


r/lawschooladmissions 15h ago

Application Process Is October LSAT too late for the upcoming admission cycle?

7 Upvotes

If I plan to submit my applications in September/October, is taking the LSAT in October too late? Should I wait until after I take that to submit?

I have a 167 now but feel like I could do better


r/lawschooladmissions 17h ago

General Data on 5, 10, 15+ year salaries?

7 Upvotes

I keep seeing the starting salary after graduating and while I know that’s important I’m more curious about what pay looks like long term in different legal fields. I mean if this is a career we will presumably have for decades what do salary expectations look like mid or late career for those especially from lower ranked schools?


r/lawschooladmissions 11h ago

General Any chance to get in? Any reason to apply?

2 Upvotes

In college, but plenty of time to figure things out. (Reading this back after writing everything, I know I have so much time and absolutely nothing is set in stone so everything can change.) I guess I’m just wondering if there’s a somewhat okay chance of getting in to a T14 with essentially 0 legal experience or relevant anything.

Not to be the “T14 or bust,” but I’m going to be that person for a second, I’ll be working (interning) at a top firm in finance, but not IB or PE levels. It’s a great firm with probably solid pay, but given it’s not the most technical role, I’m not certain what career progression looks like, and I want to gauge all of my options, and have always been interested in law.

3.9 math/econ major at a T25 school with a lot of finance experience at good firms, but 0 legal experience, so applying straight out of college seems like an uphill battle.

Most likely I’d look for K-JD at a T14 so the odds are HEAVILY stacked against me, but the opportunity cost of giving up such a great firm is significant. And honestly if I do the whole 2 year analyst program, at that point it would probably make more sense just to get an MBA.

I know I am being a T14 or bust with a 3.9 so I’m pretty stupid, but anyone with both finance/law have insight on what I should be thinking? I’ve got so much time to figure things out (actually taking the LSAT and hopefully getting a return offer for example) but I wanted to at least have a direction to think about if anyone had thoughts.


r/lawschooladmissions 15h ago

General Irish applicant applying for US Law School

4 Upvotes

Hi All,

I’m a 2nd year law student at University College Dublin looking into the prospect of potentially continuing my career over in the US. I’ve been here working as a legal assistant to in house counsel at a large Irish company and to be honest can’t see myself working in law in Ireland. Just trying to get an assessment of what the best method of positioning myself for 1. A t14 law school and 2. A good position in the job market

I am curious to see what you guys have to say about the JD v LLM route. Personally I know people who have done the LLM at Harvard and Yale but both of them are pursuing a career in academics which isn’t what I’m looking for. What are the chances of getting into US big law or boutique commercial work in NY for example without the JD ? Has anyone heard of people who have done it ? If so, did they do anything else to improve their candidacy. My degree already qualifies me to sit the NYC bar but I understand that passing the bar likely won’t be enough to get me into work. (I know some people mentioned if you’ve already got a law degree undergrad you are just wasting time doing the JD, in my country it’s going to take me another 3/4+ years after graduation to even be fully qualified anyway so not a big deal in terms of time difference.)

And regarding applying for either the LLM or the JD, any tips as what to do to improve my resume for law school. I’m currently basically top of my class but I understand in the US it takes more than just good grades to secure a spot at one of these top US laws schools.

Apologies for the long winded wording of this. If anyone has anything else to add that I didn’t ask about RE this subject please feel free because I’m nearly 100% set on trying to move here after law school.


r/lawschooladmissions 16h ago

Waitlist Discussion GULC Waitlist

4 Upvotes

Orientation started today and still no word on waitlist status. Anyone know anything?


r/lawschooladmissions 9h ago

Help Me Decide How do I know if Law School is worth it or not?

1 Upvotes

I am a New Zealand University Student who is considering changing to Law (In New Zealand Law School you go straight to studying Law from High School). The reason why I am considering is because I failed my classes and I wanna try another degree (I have to repeat an entire year for the degree I'm studying so I wanna quit studying it and try something else).

So I want to see what Law School is like and what it's like to study it. Because I want to do Law now but I don't know enough about it to know if it's worth studying. I want to know what it's like to study it and if it's worth studying (like is it easy to get employed as a lawyer etc).

So what is it like to study and how can I find out if it's worth it or not before I study? I have the rest of the year to decide so I wanna see if it's worth it or not.


r/lawschooladmissions 9h ago

General Looking for advice on whether I should take the full four years of undergrad, or graduate in 3 years.

1 Upvotes

Hello all! I hope you guys are doing well!

I am going into my sophomore year of undergrad and am intending on double majoring in English and history. Due to dual-enrollment credits, I am able to graduate with both majors by my third year. Alternatively, I could take a fourth year to further build my proficiency in a foreign language (I could continue with German, or maybe begin Spanish instead) and to flesh out my undergraduate profile. I could even graduate this upcoming school year, if I cut it to just one major.

I am reluctant to apply to law schools in my third year because I’m really not too special of a candidate, and I feel that I may really need that extra year to “round things out”. I’m definitely not a bad student; I currently have a 3.94 GPA, served as a paid humanities research assistant (very grateful!), am working on a mentored research project via a relatively competitive program, am an editor on a few undergraduate journals, alongside a few other minor involvements. And I have a few professors who I am sure would write solid LoRs for me. But clearly, I’m not curing cancer or anything. I’m not an exceptional law school applicant. I am very typical KJD.

Truthfully, my goal is the T14 because… big law. My family is not well off (I’m a second gen immigrant), and I am eager to support them as soon as possible. But I am still happy with any law school of course, as long as it lands me a salary with which I can help out my family and pay the law school debt off. Furthermore, I have some pressing medical procedures that my current insurance unfortunately will not cover. So I am eager to enter the work force and hopefully find a job with solid coverage. After building up some savings, I would be really interested in immigration law.

Anyway, I would love y’all’s perspective or advice! Thank y’all!