How to get into law school: GPA, LSAT and a month-by-month timeline
Understand the requirements, compare the LSAT and GRE, and plan your application from junior year to spring deadlines.
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To get into law school in the US, you need a bachelor's degree in any major, an LSAT or GRE score, a personal statement and usually two or three letters of recommendation. Your undergraduate GPA and your test score carry the most weight. Most applications go through LSAC, the organization that runs the LSAT, and open in September for the class starting the following fall. If you start planning in your junior year of college, you'll have time to prepare for the test, retake it if you need to, and apply early in the cycle.
What do you need to apply to law school?
Every ABA-approved law school expects you to have finished a bachelor's degree before you start. There's no required major and no set list of prerequisite courses, so history, engineering, nursing and music graduates all apply.
A typical application includes:
- Your LSAT or GRE score
- Transcripts from every college you attended, sent through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service
- A personal statement of around two pages
- Two or three letters of recommendation, ideally from professors who know your work
- A resume
- Optional essays, such as a diversity statement or "why this school"
- Character and fitness questions and an application fee
Each school sets its own rules, so check the admissions page of every school on your list before you write anything.
Do you need a good GPA to go to law school?
Yes, your GPA matters a lot. Across ABA-approved schools, the average GPA median for the class entering in fall 2025 was 3.65, according to an analysis of ABA data. At the most selective schools, medians run close to 4.0.
Every school publishes its own numbers in a Standard 509 report, found on its "ABA required disclosures" page. These show the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile GPA and LSAT score of the entering class. For example, Emory's 509 report lists a median LSAT of 166 and a median GPA of 3.82, while Seattle University reports a fall 2025 LSAT median of 159.
| Measure | Figure | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Average GPA median, fall 2025 | 3.65 | Where a typical school's middle student sits |
| Highest GPA median, fall 2025 | 4.0 | The ceiling at the most selective schools |
| Highest LSAT median, fall 2025 | 175 | The LSAT ceiling at the most selective schools |
| First-year (1L) enrollment, fall 2025 | 42,817 students | Total seats filled across ABA-approved schools |
| Applicants, 2025-26 cycle | 82,487 | Up 7.9% on the year before, after an 18% jump in 2024-25 |
Source: Spivey Consulting analysis of ABA 509 reports and LSAC September 2026 data update. Last checked: November 13, 2026.
Use these numbers to build a balanced list. If your GPA and LSAT are both above a school's medians, it's a likely admit. If both sit below the 25th percentile, it's a reach.
LSAC recalculates your GPA on one standard scale, using every undergraduate grade from every college you attended, including courses you retook. So a strong upward trend helps, but an early bad semester still counts. If your GPA is lower than you'd like, a high LSAT score can balance it, and a short addendum can explain a hard semester.
Do law schools have entrance exams?
Yes. Almost every applicant takes the LSAT, and many schools now also accept the GRE.
The LSAT is scored from 120 to 180. According to LSAC's format page, it has four multiple-choice sections of 35 minutes each. Three are scored and one is unscored, used to test new questions. The sections are Logical Reasoning, which asks you to analyze arguments, and Reading Comprehension. The old Analytical Reasoning section, known as logic games, was removed in August 2024, so older prep books may be out of date.
There's also LSAT Argumentative Writing, a 50-minute essay you take online up to eight days before your multiple-choice test. It isn't scored, but schools receive it with your application. This format applies through the June 2027 test. From August 2027, LSAC is moving to three longer scored sections (Reading Comprehension at 52 minutes, then two Logical Reasoning sections at 45 minutes each), with the unscored questions mixed in instead of sitting in a separate section. The question types and the 120 to 180 scale stay the same.
The GRE is the general graduate school test. ETS's list of JD programs that accept it includes 128 US law schools, among them Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, NYU and Georgetown.
| LSAT | GRE | |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted by | All ABA-approved law schools | 128 US law schools on the ETS list |
| What it tests | Logical reasoning and reading comprehension | Verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing |
| Score scale | 120 to 180 | 130 to 170 for Verbal and for Quant |
| Writing task | Argumentative Writing, unscored, taken online | Analytical Writing, scored |
| Best for | Applicants focused only on law school | Applicants also considering other graduate programs |
Source: LSAC test format and ETS law school list. Last checked: November 13, 2026.
If law school is your only plan, the LSAT is usually the safer choice, because every school accepts it and admissions offices know how to read it. Whichever test you pick, start with a timed practice test so you know your starting point. LSAC's LawHub has free official LSAT practice tests.
How to get into law school: a month-by-month timeline
Most law schools review applications on a rolling basis. That means they read files and make offers as applications arrive, so applying in the fall gives you more seats and more scholarship money to compete for than applying close to the deadline.
This timeline assumes you're applying in the fall of your senior year to start law school straight after college. If you're applying after a few years of work, the same order applies. Just start a year or so before you want to begin.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Fall of junior year | Protect your GPA and get to know two or three professors well |
| Spring of junior year | Take a timed LSAT or GRE diagnostic and plan your study months |
| Summer before senior year | Study for the test and draft your personal statement |
| August to October | Take the test, register for the Credential Assembly Service and ask your recommenders |
| September | Applications open on LSAC for the following fall |
| October to November | Submit applications early and check any early decision deadlines |
| January 2027 | Last common retake window: register by December 1, 2026; the LSAT runs January 13 to 16, with scores on February 3 |
| February to March | Regular decision deadlines at many schools |
| March to May | Compare offers, negotiate scholarships and pay a seat deposit |
Source: LSAC upcoming LSAT dates. Deadlines vary by school. Last checked: November 13, 2026.
Give your recommenders at least a month, along with your resume and a short note on what you'd like them to mention. A deadline of February 1 or March 1 is the latest a school will accept your file, so aim to be finished well before then.
What is the average age to go into law school?
Most students start law school in their early to mid twenties, but plenty start later. LSAC's latest composition report puts the median age of first-year students at 23 in full-time programs and 28 in part-time programs, with fewer than 3% aged 40 or older. In LSAC's 2024 1L Profile, one in five first-year students started at 27 or older.
There's no age limit. Many applicants work for a year or more first, and admissions offices often value what that experience adds to a personal statement. Part-time programs exist for people who want to keep working while they study.
How Medly AI can help you prepare
A strong GPA is built one class at a time, by understanding the material and practicing until it sticks. Medly AI is an AI study partner that marks your answers and shows you what to change to earn the next mark. If you're still in high school and planning ahead, Medly covers AP and SAT courses, so you can build good study habits well before college.
More than 400,000 students have used Medly. You can read more about the team behind it in our story.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get into law school with a low GPA?
Yes. A high LSAT score can make up for a lower GPA, especially at schools where your score is above their median. A short addendum explaining a difficult semester can also help.
Is the GRE as good as the LSAT for law school?
At schools that accept it, yes. But every ABA-approved school accepts the LSAT, so it gives you more options if law school is your only goal.
What major should I choose for law school?
Any major works. Choose a subject you enjoy and can do well in, because your GPA will matter more than the name of your degree.
How long should I study for the LSAT?
Most people plan for a few months. Take a timed diagnostic test first, then plan around the gap between your score and your target schools' medians.
Can I go to law school in the UK and practice in the US?
In some states, yes. A UK law degree doesn't usually qualify you to take a US bar exam on its own, but states such as New York and California have routes for foreign-educated lawyers, often through a US LLM. Check the rules with the state's board of law examiners before you commit.
Do I need work experience to get into law school?
No. Many students go straight from college, though work experience can strengthen your application and give you more to write about in your personal statement.