While the average applicant's LSAT score sits at a modest 152.75, breaking into a top law school like Yale demands a stratospheric 175, placing you among a tiny fraction of high-achievers in a fiercely competitive pool.
Key Takeaways
- In the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, the average LSAT score for all applicants to ABA-accredited law schools was 152.75.
- The 75th percentile LSAT score for Yale Law School Class of 2027 was 175.
- 12.4% of LSAT test takers in 2023 scored 170 or above.
- The median undergraduate GPA for Yale Law School Class of 2027 was 3.96.
- Harvard Law School median GPA for entering class 2027 was 3.93.
- Stanford Law School's 25th-75th GPA range for Class of 2026 was 3.82-3.99.
- In 2023, 62% of applicants were white.
- Women comprised 52.1% of law school applicants in 2023-2024.
- 15.3% of applicants identified as Hispanic/Latino in 2023.
- Overall acceptance rate for ABA law schools in 2023: 39.5%.
- Yale Law acceptance rate Class of 2027: 5.6%.
- Harvard Law acceptance rate: 8.8%.
- Total JD enrollments in fall 2023: 37,828.
- Yale Law yield rate: 82.5%.
- Harvard yield: 75.4%.
Top law schools demand exceptional LSAT scores and GPAs amid high competition.
Admissions Outcomes
- Overall acceptance rate for ABA law schools in 2023: 39.5%.
- Yale Law acceptance rate Class of 2027: 5.6%.
- Harvard Law acceptance rate: 8.8%.
- Stanford Law acceptance rate: 6.9%.
- T14 average acceptance rate: 11.2%.
- Chicago Law acceptance rate: 11.5%.
- Median waitlist size across schools: 1,200 applicants.
- Columbia Law acceptance rate: 12.2%.
- NYU Law acceptance rate: 15.6%.
- Penn Law acceptance rate: 11.1%.
- Berkeley Law acceptance rate: 13.4%.
- 62% of accepted applicants enrolled somewhere.
- Duke Law acceptance rate: 10.5%.
- Northwestern acceptance rate: 15.5%.
- Michigan Law acceptance rate: 13.5%.
- UVA acceptance rate: 12.9%.
- Cornell acceptance rate: 17.5%.
- Georgetown acceptance rate: 17.6%.
- Yield rate for T10 schools: 52%.
- Average offers per applicant: 2.8.
- Rejection rate for sub-150 LSAT: 85%.
- Vanderbilt acceptance rate: 14.2%.
- Texas Law acceptance rate: 15.8%.
- Scholarship offers to 45% of accepted students.
- USC Law acceptance rate: 12.5%.
Admissions Outcomes Interpretation
These statistics suggest that getting into law school is mostly an exercise in mass rejection, except for a few who then get to play musical chairs with the very few coveted seats.
Applicant Demographics
- In 2023, 62% of applicants were white.
- Women comprised 52.1% of law school applicants in 2023-2024.
- 15.3% of applicants identified as Hispanic/Latino in 2023.
- Average age of applicants: 24.8 years.
- 7.2% of applicants were Black/African American in 2023 cycle.
- 5.1% of applicants reported as Asian American.
- 43% of applicants held STEM undergraduate majors.
- First-generation college students: 22% of applicant pool.
- 11% of applicants had military experience.
- LGBTQ+ identification among applicants: 9.4%.
- 28% of applicants from public universities.
- International applicants: 2.3% of total.
- 18.5% of applicants disabled or with disabilities.
- Humanities majors: 35% of applicants.
- Median family income of applicants: $85,000.
- 6.8% Native American/Indigenous applicants.
- Splitters (high LSAT low GPA): 15% of pool.
- Social science majors: 22%.
- 3.2% multiracial applicants.
- Out-of-state applicants to flagship publics: 65%.
- 24% of applicants over age 30.
- Business majors: 12% of applicants.
- Low-income applicants (under $50k): 18%.
- 41% female in T14 applicant pools.
- Engineering majors: 4.5%.
Applicant Demographics Interpretation
The future legal field is being shaped by a surprisingly diverse and pragmatic new cohort that is still, however, wrestling with the stubborn ghost of its traditionally white and male-dominated past.
Application Trends and Volumes
- Total applicants 2023-2024: 60,922.
- Applications per applicant: 6.1 on average.
- 2023 cycle applications up 14% from 2022.
- T14 received 40% of all applications.
- CAS registrations: 72,000 in 2023.
- Early decision applications: 5% of total.
- Applications to top 20 schools: 250,000 total.
- 2010 peak applicants: 100,000+.
- Post-2020 rebound: 25% increase in apps.
- Rolling admissions fill 30% of seats.
- Multiple LSAT submissions: 28% of applicants.
- GRE applications: 15% of total submissions.
- Fee waiver usage: 35% of applicants.
- Cycle length: 95% apps by March 1.
- 2024 apps projected up 5%.
- Regional apps: Northeast 32%.
- Addendums submitted by 22%.
- Letters of rec average: 3.2 per app.
- Diversity statement inclusion: 65%.
Application Trends and Volumes Interpretation
The collective march to law school has become a frenzied, algorithmically-optimized pilgrimage, where a shrunken pool of 61,000 hopefuls, undeterred by the ghost of 100,000 past applicants, carpet-bomb the same elite fortresses with an average of six pleas each, all while carefully curating their three tributes and a diversity statement, proving that while the dream is still alive, the path to it is now a brutally efficient and meticulously documented grind.
Enrollment and Yield
- Total JD enrollments in fall 2023: 37,828.
- Yale Law yield rate: 82.5%.
- Harvard yield: 75.4%.
- Stanford yield: 78.9%.
- Overall yield rate for law schools: 48.2%.
- Chicago yield: 62.3%.
- Columbia yield: 58.1%.
- NYU yield: 52.7%.
- Penn yield: 60.4%.
- Berkeley yield: 55.2%.
- Duke yield: 57.8%.
- Northwestern yield: 48.9%.
- Michigan yield: 54.3%.
- UVA yield: 61.2%.
- Cornell yield: 49.5%.
- Georgetown yield: 47.1%.
- Full-time JD enrollment decline from 2010-2023: 24%.
- T14 average yield: 62.1%.
- Part-time enrollment: 12% of total JD students.
- Median class size T50 schools: 185.
- 85% of enrollees attended their top choice school.
- International student enrollment: 3.5%.
- Women in entering classes: 51.2%.
- Deferred enrollment offers: 4.2% of admits.
- Average merit aid per enrollee: $42,000.
Enrollment and Yield Interpretation
While the overall law school market is a daunting negotiation where most students happily accept their first offer, Yale, Harvard, and Stanford operate on a different plane, practically sending a "don't even bother to apply unless you're already ours" vibe to the other top schools.
LSAT Performance
- In the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, the average LSAT score for all applicants to ABA-accredited law schools was 152.75.
- The 75th percentile LSAT score for Yale Law School Class of 2027 was 175.
- 12.4% of LSAT test takers in 2023 scored 170 or above.
- The median LSAT for Harvard Law School entering class 2027 was 174.
- In 2022, 52,000 unique LSAT takers applied to law school.
- Stanford Law School's 25th-75th LSAT range for Class of 2026 was 171-178.
- LSAT scores increased by 1.5 points on average from 2020 to 2023 due to remote testing.
- 8.2% of 2023 LSAT takers achieved a perfect score of 180.
- University of Chicago Law School median LSAT for 2027 class was 173.
- The correlation between LSAT score and first-year law school GPA is 0.44.
- Columbia Law School's 75th percentile LSAT for entering class was 175.
- In 2024, the number of 170+ LSAT scores awarded rose 20% from prior year.
- NYU Law median LSAT for Class of 2027 was 172.
- LSAT Fee Waiver recipients averaged 149.2 in 2023.
- Penn Law's LSAT median for 2027 entrants was 171.
- 25% of T14 law schools require LSAT above 170 for competitive applicants.
- UC Berkeley Law median LSAT Class of 2027: 170.
- Average LSAT retake improvement is 2.8 points per attempt.
- Duke Law 75th percentile LSAT: 170.
- 2023 LSAT standard deviation was 10.1 points across test takers.
- Northwestern Law median LSAT: 171.
- LSAT scores predict bar passage at r=0.28.
- Michigan Law median LSAT Class 2027: 171.
- 170+ LSAT scorers comprise 4.5% of applicants to top 20 schools.
- UVA Law median LSAT: 170.
- GRE to LSAT concordance shows median GRE equivalent to 160 LSAT for many schools.
- Cornell Law median LSAT: 170.
- LSAT takers from 2023: 124,000 total administrations.
- Georgetown Law median LSAT: 171.
- 75th percentile LSAT for non-URM applicants rose to 162 in 2023.
LSAT Performance Interpretation
While the average law school hopeful humbly circles 152, the elite gates to Yale and Columbia demand a near-perfect 175, yet even scoring a godly 170 only makes you a member of a distressingly common 4.5% minority fighting for a seat at the T14 table.
Undergraduate GPA
- The median undergraduate GPA for Yale Law School Class of 2027 was 3.96.
- Harvard Law School median GPA for entering class 2027 was 3.93.
- Stanford Law School's 25th-75th GPA range for Class of 2026 was 3.82-3.99.
- University of Chicago Law median GPA 2027: 3.91.
- Overall applicant median GPA in 2023-2024 cycle was 3.58.
- Columbia Law School median GPA: 3.87.
- NYU Law median GPA Class of 2027: 3.88.
- Penn Law median GPA: 3.92.
- UC Berkeley Law median GPA 2027: 3.87.
- Duke Law median GPA: 3.87.
- Correlation between UGPA and 1L GPA is 0.36.
- Northwestern Law median GPA: 3.92.
- Michigan Law median GPA Class 2027: 3.85.
- UVA Law median GPA: 3.94.
- Cornell Law median GPA: 3.90.
- Georgetown Law median GPA: 3.91.
- Average GPA for accepted students at T14 schools: 3.89.
- 75th percentile GPA for all applicants in 2023: 3.79.
- Median GPA for URMs at top schools: 3.72 vs 3.85 non-URM.
- UCLA Law median GPA: 3.92.
- Median GPA decline for applicants from 2010-2023: -0.05.
- Vanderbilt Law median GPA: 3.89.
- Texas Law median GPA: 3.84.
- USC Law median GPA: 3.88.
- Boston University Law median GPA: 3.86.
- Washington University St. Louis median GPA: 3.94.
Undergraduate GPA Interpretation
If you're dreaming of a top law school, you'd better have a transcript that gleams like a polished gavel, but remember that once you're in, your undergraduate GPA becomes about as predictive of your first-year success as a Magic 8-Ball.
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