Admission results vary widely across U.S. law schools, driven by applicant volume, test participation, and shifting demographics. In the 2023-2024 cycle, total applicants fell to 60,128 and applications dropped to 498,945, while women accounted for 52.3% of applicants. The page also highlights racial/ethnic trends and explains how acceptance rates and LSAT performance connect to real outcomes like employment, Big Law placement, and compensation.
Key Takeaways
- Overall acceptance rate for 2023-2024 cycle: 39.2%, up from 36.8% prior year
- Yale Law acceptance rate 2023: 5.6%
- Harvard Law acceptance rate: 7.2% for 2023 class
- In the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, total law school applicants numbered 60,128, a 10.5% decrease from 67,202 in 2022-2023
- For the 2022-2023 cycle, 74,188 individuals submitted at least one law school application, down 7.4% from the prior year
- Applications to law schools reached 498,945 in 2023-2024, reflecting a 13.4% decline from 576,022 in 2022-2023
- Women applicants: 52.3% of total in 2023-2024
- Racial/ethnic minorities comprised 42% of applicants in 2023, up from 38% in 2020
- Black/African American applicants: 11.2% in 2023-2024 cycle
- 93.4% of 2022 law grads employed 10 months post-graduation
- Big Law placement: 52% of T14 grads in 2022, avg salary $215,000
- Median private sector salary all schools 2022: $80,000
- For Yale Law School 2023, median LSAT was 175
- Harvard Law 2023 entering class median LSAT: 174
- Stanford Law 2023 median LSAT: 173, with 25th percentile 170
In 2023-2024, law school acceptance rose to 39.2% despite fewer applicants and a lower overall LSAT pool.
Related reading
01 · Category
Acceptance And Yield Rates24 stats
01
Overall acceptance rate for 2023-2024 cycle: 39.2%, up from 36.8% prior year
02
Yale Law acceptance rate 2023: 5.6%
03
Harvard Law acceptance rate: 7.2% for 2023 class
04
Stanford acceptance rate: 6.9% in 2023
05
T14 average acceptance rate: 11.8% for 2023 cycle
06
National average acceptance rate all ABA schools: 45% in 2023
07
Chicago Law acceptance rate: 12.5% for 2023
08
NYU acceptance rate dropped to 15.6% in 2023
09
Yield rate Yale: 82% for accepted students in 2023
10
Harvard yield: 78% in 2023
11
Median yield T14: 65% in 2023 cycle
12
Bottom 50 schools acceptance rate: 60%+ in 2023
13
Waitlist movement: 10% of class from waitlists nationally 2023
14
Early decision yield boost: 90% at participating schools 2023
15
Acceptance rate for URMs higher by 15% avg in 2023
16
Columbia yield: 70% in 2023
17
Berkeley acceptance: 13.2% for 2023 class
18
Overall matriculants: 36,500 in 2023-2024, down 2%
19
T1 schools yield avg: 55%, T4: 40% in 2023
20
Acceptance rate post-LSAT pause: up 5% nationally 2023
21
Michigan Law acceptance: 14.8% in 2023
22
Duke acceptance rate: 10.5% for 2023
23
Virginia yield: 68% in 2023 admits
24
Penn acceptance: 11.1% in 2023 cycle
Interpretation
Acceptance And Yield Rates Interpretation
Across the Acceptance And Yield Rates lens, the overall law school acceptance rate rose to 39.2% for the 2023 to 2024 cycle from 36.8% the prior year, while top schools remain far more selective with T14 averaging just 11.8% and institutions like Yale at 5.6%, Harvard at 7.2%, and Stanford at 6.9% in 2023.
02 · Category
Application Trends23 stats
01
In the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, total law school applicants numbered 60,128, a 10.5% decrease from 67,202 in 2022-2023
02
For the 2022-2023 cycle, 74,188 individuals submitted at least one law school application, down 7.4% from the prior year
03
Applications to law schools reached 498,945 in 2023-2024, reflecting a 13.4% decline from 576,022 in 2022-2023
04
The number of LSAT takers in 2023 was 129,907, a 12.2% drop from 147,900 in 2022
05
GRE takers for law school purposes increased by 5.1% to 12,500 in 2023
06
First-time LSAT takers numbered 88,454 in the 2023-2024 testing year, down 14.3%
07
Total law school applications per applicant averaged 8.3 in 2023-2024, down from 8.6
08
Applicants to top-14 law schools increased by 2.1% in 2023 despite overall decline
09
From 2020-2021 to 2023-2024, total applicants fell 28% from 83,000+
10
Median number of applications per applicant was 7 for T14 schools in 2023
11
Law school application volume to ABA-accredited schools dropped 11% in 2023-2024
12
Repeat applicants surged 18% in 2023-2024 cycle
13
International applicants to US law schools rose 4.2% to 2,100 in 2023
14
Applicants aged 22-25 comprised 52% of total in 2023-2024
15
Non-traditional applicants (over 30) increased to 15% of pool in 2023
16
Cycle 2024 saw 15% fewer applicants than peak 2021 levels
17
Applications to lower-ranked schools (100+) fell 20% in 2023-2024
18
Early decision applications up 8% for top schools in 2023
19
Total GRE scores sent to law schools: 45,000 in 2023, up 6%
20
LSAT fee waivers granted to 12,000 applicants in 2023
21
Application deadlines extended by 10% of schools in 2024 cycle due to low volume
22
Projected 2024-2025 applicants: 55,000, down another 8%
23
T1 schools saw 5% applicant increase while T4 dropped 25% in 2023
Interpretation
Application Trends Interpretation
For the application trends lens, the 2023 to 2024 cycle saw sharp cooling in demand as total law school applicants fell to 60,128, a 10.5% drop from 67,202 the year before, alongside a larger 13.4% decline in total applications to 498,945.
03 · Category
Demographic Statistics22 stats
01
Women applicants: 52.3% of total in 2023-2024
02
Racial/ethnic minorities comprised 42% of applicants in 2023, up from 38% in 2020
03
Black/African American applicants: 11.2% in 2023-2024 cycle
04
Hispanic/Latino applicants: 14.5% of total applicants in 2023
05
Asian American applicants: 12.8% in 2023-2024
06
White applicants: 48% of pool in 2023, down from 55% in 2018
07
First-generation college applicants: 22% in 2023 cycle
08
LGBTQ+ self-identified applicants: 8.5% in 2023 LSAC survey
09
Veterans/military applicants: 3.2% of total in 2023
10
Applicants with disabilities: 4.1% disclosed in 2023-2024
11
Socioeconomic low-income applicants (fee-waiver eligible): 28% in 2023
12
Women of color applicants: 18.7% in 2023 cycle
13
URMs (underrepresented minorities) acceptance gap closed to 5% post-2023
14
International student applicants: 3.5% of total, highest from Canada (1.2%)
15
Applicants from STEM undergrad majors: 25% in 2023, up 10% since 2018
16
Gap year takers: 65% of applicants in 2023 had 1+ years post-undergrad
17
Public vs private undergrad: 55% public school applicants in 2023
18
Top 20 undergrad schools supply 15% of T14 law applicants
19
Rural origin applicants: 12% in 2023 LSAC data
20
Median age of applicants: 24.8 years in 2023-2024
21
Married applicants: 7.2% in 2023 cycle
22
Parent applicants: 4.5% with children in 2023
Interpretation
Demographic Statistics Interpretation
In the demographic snapshot of law school admissions, the applicant pool looks both more diverse and slightly shifting, with women at 52.3% in 2023 to 2024 and racial and ethnic minorities rising to 42% in 2023 from 38% in 2020 while the share of White applicants fell to 48% in 2023 from 55% in 2018.
More related reading
04 · Category
Employment And Salary Outcomes21 stats
01
93.4% of 2022 law grads employed 10 months post-graduation
02
Big Law placement: 52% of T14 grads in 2022, avg salary $215,000
03
Median private sector salary all schools 2022: $80,000
04
Federal clerkships: 12% of T14 grads in 2022
05
Bar passage rate avg: 79% first-time in 2023
06
Yale median salary 2022: $225,000, 95% Big Law/federal govt
07
Harvard 2022: 75% Big Law, median $215k
08
Unemployed seeking job: 3.2% at 10 months for 2022 grads
09
Public interest jobs: 15% of grads nationally 2022
10
T14 full-time long-term jobs: 98% employment rate 2022
11
Median salary bottom 50 schools: $60,000 in 2022
12
Loan repayment assistance: 70% of schools offer LRAP, avg forgiveness $40k/yr
13
Stanford 2022 employment: 97%, median $220k
14
Judicial clerkships T20: 20% placement 2022
15
Debt at graduation avg: $130,000 for 2022 class
16
Big Law for T50 grads: 25% in 2022
17
Bar passage URM gap: narrowed to 8% in 2023
18
Chicago Law 2022: 92% employed, $205k median
19
Public sector salary median: $65,000 nationally 2022
20
10-month employment rate: 89% for all NALP schools 2022
21
Firm size: 72% in firms 101+ attorneys for Big Law hires 2022
Interpretation
Employment And Salary Outcomes Interpretation
Employment and salary outcomes look especially strong in 2022 because 93.4% of graduates were employed 10 months after graduation and 52% of T14 students landed Big Law with an average salary of $215,000, while the median private sector pay across all schools was $80,000.
05 · Category
Lsat/gpa Averages28 stats
01
For Yale Law School 2023, median LSAT was 175
02
Harvard Law 2023 entering class median LSAT: 174
03
Stanford Law 2023 median LSAT: 173, with 25th percentile 170
04
Overall median LSAT for all law schools 2023: 155
05
T14 schools average median LSAT: 171 in 2023 cycle
06
Bottom quartile LSAT for top 20 schools: 165 in 2023
07
GRE to LSAT conversion: 320 GRE equiv to 169 LSAT for 2023 admits
08
Median LSAT for Black applicants accepted: 152 in 2023
09
75th percentile LSAT at NYU Law 2023: 172
10
Average LSAT for 1L class at UC Berkeley 2023: 170
11
Median GPA Yale Law 2023: 3.96
12
Harvard median UGPA 2023: 3.93
13
Stanford median GPA 2023: 3.92
14
National median GPA for 2023 admits: 3.59
15
T14 average median GPA: 3.88 in 2023
16
25th percentile GPA top 20 schools: 3.70 in 2023
17
Median LSAT for URMs at T1 schools: 162 in 2023
18
Columbia Law median LSAT 2023: 173, GPA 3.90
19
Median GRE Verbal for law admits 2023: 163
20
Median GRE Quant for law: 160 in 2023 admits
21
LSAT score distribution: 12% scored 170+ in 2023
22
Average GPA for waitlisted applicants: 3.45 nationally 2023
23
Median LSAT Chicago Law 2023: 172
24
Median GPA Michigan Law 2023: 3.85
25
For ABA schools, 25th LSAT percentile avg: 152 in 2023
26
Duke Law median LSAT 2023: 170, GPA 3.87
27
Virginia Law median LSAT: 171, GPA 3.91 in 2023
28
Penn Law median LSAT 2023: 171
Interpretation
Lsat/gpa Averages Interpretation
Across the Lsat/gpa averages, the 2023 data show a steep ladder in median LSAT, with elite schools clustered at the top such as Yale at 175, Harvard at 174, and Stanford at 173, while the overall median for all law schools is just 155.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Law School Admissions Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/law-school-admissions-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Law School Admissions Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/law-school-admissions-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Law School Admissions Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/law-school-admissions-statistics.
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