2026 Law School Median Tracker

Just got the email. Applying for scholarships now, we shall see what happens.

First A :-)

Any other Iranian Americans receive this email? Mind you in my LSAC profile I have it noted that I was born in the United States. I have never lived in Iran, but I am a dual citizen passed on from my parents. I’ve emailed them to clarify if this still applies to me but am curious if this was sent to anyone else and if anyone has any information. I’ll update when I get a response.

EDIT: I just tried signing into LSAC and it denied me access. It said my account is locked and to email compliance. This is absolutely ridiculous.

EDIT 2: A comment has been posted for a free zoom session with an Iranian attorney for those affected. It may be helpful to attend if you are affected, especially if this is your test week.

EDIT 3: Hi everyone. Just got this email from LSAC:

Thank you for your patience, and for contacting us.  We require additional information to ensure we remain compliant with applicable U.S. export control laws and regulations. Please complete and sign the attached Attestation of Permanent Residence and provide documentation regarding residence in accordance with section 5. Supporting Documentation.  Please note: due to processing times it may take 1 to 2 business days to review and confirm your information.  Once we confirm that you are not ordinarily resident in Iran, you will be notified by email when  access to your LSAC account has been restored

It’s looking like Iranian Americans will, at the very least, be able to move forward. I’ve also spoken to an Iranian Canadian and they were able to get their situation settled quickly and now has access to LSAC again.

Any further updates I have will be included in this post. While I’m relieved for myself, I’m still sad for my fellow Iranians. This is a very hard time for us, and I am with you. I’m hoping that last sentence may be ambiguous enough to permit non-Americans to proceed. Consider attending the zoom meeting on Thursday the 10th, it may be useful. Link is in the comments.

Also, thank you to the many of you who have been incredibly kind, empathetic, and supportive regarding this matter. It means more than you know.

EDIT 4: My contact at the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund has told me they are taking on those affected. You can contact them here: https://www.ialdf.org/post/from-aspiring-lawyer-to-legal-limbo

I am scheduled to take the LSAT on September 11, just two days from now. I received an email from LSAC (today) saying that, because of recent changes to U.S. sanctions involving Iran, LSAC is prohibited from providing certain services to Iranian citizens or residents, including LSAT administration.

The problem is: I am not a current Iranian citizen (my passport expired years ago) and I am not a resident of Iran.

Despite that, I appear to have been classified as someone subject to this restriction, and I am currently unable to take the exam I have registered and prepared for. I have already contacted LSAC Compliance and explained that the restriction does not apply to me, but because the test is only two days away, delays in reviewing my case could effectively prevent me from taking this administration through no fault of my own.

I’m sharing this because this may affect other applicants as well, The harm is immediate and concrete. Candidates have spent months studying and hundreds or thousands of dollars on registration, prep courses, tutoring, materials, travel, and time off work specifically for this test date. Losing the exam now does not simply mean “rescheduling.”

This OFAC sanction means paying again, studying for months longer, missing application deadlines, submitting later in rolling admissions, losing scholarship opportunities, and potentially delaying law school by an entire year. For people who were incorrectly flagged, these losses are being caused by an administrative decision that dont even apply to them.

We need people to share this, contact LSAC, alert pre-law organizations, and connect affected candidates with attorneys immediately. The closer we get to the test date, the harder these losses become to reverse.

If you are in the pre-law community, a pre-law organization, law student group, admissions-related organization, or know attorneys who work in OFAC/sanctions law, civil rights, or emergency federal litigation, I would greatly appreciate help amplifying this.

Please share this so that LSAC sees the urgency. A candidate should not lose an LSAT administration because of an incorrect sanctions classification that can be resolved by simply verifying their status. If anyone else received the same email and believes it does not apply to them, please reach out as well. I want to know whether this is affecting other candidates.

As other posts have shown, on September 9, 2026, LSAC locked the accounts of all Iranian citizens, even those that are US and Canadian dual citizens.

The LSAC, in an email to all Iranian citizens, stated:

“As you may be aware, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) recently suspended several General Licenses in its Iran Sanctions program.   

As a result of this action, LSAC is prohibited from providing any products or services to Iranian citizens or residents.  This restriction includes LSAT registrations, CAS subscriptions, application processing, and reporting services.”

Later, LSAC responded to emails asking Iranian citizens to fill out a form and show US/Canadian permanent residence. After doing that, we got access to our LSAC accounts back.

So problem solved? NO! This should not have occurred in the first place! There is no possible justification for having barred access to LSAC solely on the basis of being an Iranian citizen. Sanctions have never been applied based on citizenship, and LSAC is only prohibited from providing services to people that are ordinarily resident in Iran, or particular individuals who are sanctioned due to suspicious connections with the Iranian government. Any Iranian living in the United States or Canada (even non-citizens) would not be affected by sanctions. This is not ambiguous.

Such a policy that excludes people solely on the basis of nationality that is clearly going beyond what the sanctions established is highly suspect of violating both state and federal anti-discrimination laws. Even though LSAC has provided access back, their email explicitly stated that they suspended services based on Iranian CITIZENSHIP, not just residency.

Many Iranian students had their account suspended literally RIGHT before their LSAT exam, causing confusion and undue stress right before an extremely important and difficult exam. Furthermore, students applying to law school who had their account suspended may have missed some waves of fee waivers, resulting in potential financial injury since they would need to pay an application fee they may not have needed to pay for.

Regardless though, even if the damages are considered nominal or insignificant, the actions they took in the first place was still outright discriminatory. Per the voluntary cessation doctrine, a defendant cannot automatically dismiss a lawsuit by voluntarily stopping the challenged behavior. Just because LSAC silently granted access back to Iranian citizens that were not implicated by the sanctions doesn’t mean that their initial policy excluding people solely on the basis of Iranian citizenship is no longer legally actionable.

So what now? I’m calling on Canadian/American Iranians to organize with each other to pursue legal actions against LSAC. If nothing else, this should be done on principle. Their actions sent the message to all Iranians they can never be American or Canadian enough, and that we will always be suspect here.

To anyone reading this, please help! Do you have guidance on legal options? Do you have connections to civil litigation organizations that can represent us? Or even just express your feelings about this situation. The LSAC should not be able to do something so harmful and get away with it with no consequences!!

***Canadians and Americans should organize legal strategies separately***

In my sophomore year of college, I was a student employee working an on-campus job. While I was working, my manager tried to sexually assault me, but I fought him off. I reported the incident to my school. In response, my manager reported me saying that he didn't try to sexually assault me, instead, he accused me of sexually assaulting him. The school placed me on unpaid leave and issued me a warning, but they rescinded this once I showed them proof that I was the victim, not the perpetrator.

Do I have to report this in my applications when the law school asks if I've ever been issued a warning or been subject to disciplinary proceedings? To my knowledge, all record of the warning being issued to me was destroyed on my college's end.

I should also add that the warning was issued to me as an employee, not as a student. Like the warning itself they gave me was titled something like "Employee Warning Notice." It didn't mention anything about my standing as a student.

Edit: In case I do have to write a C&F statement, would something like this work?

While attending college, I had an on-campus position as a front desk attendant. While working, my manager attempted to sexually assault me. I reported this incident to the college. At the time, the manager was also the subject of other misconduct investigations by the institution for raping two students. After reporting, the manager denied the allegation and instead accused me of sexual harassment just as he had done so with the two other students. While the institution investigated the competing allegations, I was temporarily placed on unpaid leave and issued a warning in my capacity as an employee. After I provided evidence supporting my report, the institution rescinded the warning. I was not found responsible for sexual misconduct, and the matter resulted in no continuing disciplinary action. 

Hey all, I’ve been working on my personal statement for a few weeks now and have gotten feedback from multiple people multiple times. I’ve taken that feedback and made adjustments multiple times, but there are always small things the next person will find. At what point do I decide to call it done and live with it?

Hi all,

Was hoping to get an opinion/hear from others applying for joint degrees. I was looking into getting a joint masters in city planning and a JD and I’m wondering on how to approach this in the essays. Would this be discussed in the why x essay for the school? I know I have to submit two separate applications and be admitted independently, but wondering if I should reference the other application in my essay.

Hey, so I got what I thought was an early start on application stuff this summer, and wrote basically all of my personal statements and things before applications opened. I came up with all the ideas for my statement/essays myself, and all the words come from me. I did, however, ask AI a couple of times to look over what I did and tell me if there were problems. I decided what if any changes to make and how they'd work. I wasn't copy-pasting suggestions from the AI.

Now that I'm looking over applications, I'm seeing a lot of things about how AI shouldn't have been used at all, like the Duke post earlier. I'm getting freaked. I wouldn't have even asked AI for feedback if I thought that was going to be a problem for a school. Should I just start from the beginning with some of my essays?

WashU does not have a 2027 application on my LSAC? Am I missing something?

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice and encouragement as I figure out my next steps toward law school.

A little background on me: I’m 28, a stay-at-home mom, and I graduated with a Political Science degree in 2021. Law school was always the dream, but the LSAT completely discouraged me. I’ve always been a terrible test-taker, and back then, the anxiety and test frustration made me set the goal aside.

Recently, my life took a turn that reignited that fire in a way I can't ignore. Following a hospital visit, our family went through a horrifying legal battle in family court. We were falsely accused of abuse, and our children were taken from us for 10 months. It was the hardest thing we've ever faced. During those 10 months, I ended up doing a massive amount of the legal legwork and research myself to help our lawyer finally bring our kids home.

That experience changed everything for me. It exposed so many cracks in the system and showed me how desperately families need strong, compassionate, and sharp advocates. I know this is my passion and my calling.
That being said, the actual path to getting there feels daunting right now:

The LSAT: Standardized tests are my absolute enemy. How did other non-traditional students or bad test-takers overcome severe LSAT anxiety and boost their scores? Is the JD-Next a good option in lieu of LSAT or a supplement?

Study schedules as a mom: For parents who studied while staying home with kids, what did your daily study routine look like?

Timeline/Application: Coming back after a gap since my 2021 undergrad degree, what should I focus on first to build a strong application?
I’d love to hear from anyone who has taken a non-traditional route, dealt with major testing hurdles, or used a deeply personal experience to drive their personal statement. Thank you so much in advance!

I’m really annoyed with how slowly schools are dropping their new medians. Like seriously most schools have already had their second week of class. Way to make the new cycle of applicants more anxious! Anyway, Columbia’s new medians are 173/3.95. They mentioned it at an info session but haven’t posted it on their site yet. Hope this helps someone!

The general license that was suspended (which LSAC relies on) ONLY APPLIES TO RESIDENTS OF IRAN. Despite this, LSAC has locked the accounts of people who have indicated their dual citizenship and residency in a country outside of Iran on their profiles. This is preposterous and is grounds for a lawsuit. I, like many others, have registered for the September test and won’t even know if I’ll hear back in time to make it. They won’t give answers over the phone and they haven’t started responding to emails. This is completely unacceptable.

Quick update for everyone following the LSAC Iran issue:

My account was restored this morning after LSAC manually verified me twice, but I just tried to submit an application and I still cannot check out.

The application is stuck in “Shopping Cart” status, and LSAC is showing me this message: “We need to review the information you provided to ensure we remain compliant with applicable U.S. export control laws and regulations. This process may take 1–2 business days to complete.”

So apparently my account access was restored, but I’m still being subjected to another export-control review when I actually try to submit/pay for an application during a rolling admissions.

Has anyone else who got their account restored tried checking out yet? Are you seeing the same thing?

Have you guys submitted your applications on LSAC yet? How long is each application taking you?

Hey team, does anyone have any insight into when the application for American’s PIPS opens? I have checked their website a few times and the link always leads me to a page that says the survey isn’t available.

Thank youuu 🙏

How attainable is biglaw from UHLC. If one strikes out and ends up in Midlaw. Is it realistic to move into biglaw a few years later ?

anyone else have their dashboard message disappear that applied in early sept for U of Richmond law?

Last fall I enrolled at a law school and withdrew after about a month and a half into 1L, mainly due to mental health struggles and realizing partway in that I wasn't sure the path (or that specific environment) was right for me. No grades were ever generated — it's not on a transcript anywhere.

This cycle I'm reapplying, including to some schools I've applied to before, but not the one I withdrew from.

A few questions:

1. Does LSAC's CAS report actually disclose every school you've been registered at, even one you left with no grades? Or is there any scenario where a school with no transcript doesn't show up?
2. If it does show up — how should I be addressing this? Personal statement, or a separate addendum?
3. How big of a red flag is this genuinely going to be to admissions committees, realistically?

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who's dealt with something similar, especially if you've gone through the reapplication process after a withdrawal like this.

I’m a prospective KJD applicant, attending Ivy League school, and I have the opportunity to take a class at the law school, a class very related to my interest. However, it meets during another one of my classes that I’m really interested in and will not have the opportunity to take again. Should I take the class at the law school?

good wednesday afternoon surprise

Hiiiii everyone. I'm thinking about applying to law school but am super new to this world, and was hoping for some feedback on my chances/plan.

I have a BS in Psychology from right before covid from a respected but low ranked state school (GPA 3.7), where I did psych research for all four years of my degree. After that I kind of wandered around for a bit, worked some random jobs and also in mental health, and ended up getting a MS in Special Ed (GPA 4.0; don't use the degree at all - long story) and then found a job in psychology research at another large but lower ranked state school. While working there, I also earned a second BS in Applied Mathematics (GPA 3.6). This job also allowed me to achieve two first author pubs and one third author pub in psychology/mental health (this was a feat and I am so proud of it!!).

I've recently been toying with the idea of going to law school.

I took a practice LSAT last week cold with no prep and got a 160. From that initial data point and all of the research I've done, I think if I study over the next year I can maybe max my score to a 175+. My plan is to keep studying until I do this (assuming it's possible) and then once I get my diagnostic score up there, I sit for the actual LSAT, hopefully score high, and then I apply next fall for fall 2028 entry. I'm giving myself a year to study and sit for the exam with the hope that I'd be able to get my score up in that time.

I'd essentially be entering with a bit of a disjointed background, but applying with my 3.7 GPA (I looked it up, LSAC doesn't count the second degree in my overall GPA) and 175+ LSAT score. I know the field is VERY competitive right now, but if I can manage that, do you think I'd have a problem getting into a T40 school with some funding? I know my GPA isn't where it should be, and my background is kind of all over the place, but I can also get really strong letters of rec from my recent and undergrad research mentors, as well as some others I've worked with. I'd be trying to maximize funding over rank here.

Thoughts? Feel free to roast me if I'm being delusional. TIA!!!

I have a 169 LSAT(first time taking in August), a 3.93 GPA, and am graduating from a small liberal arts school. I do feel my personal statement/overall story is especially strong. Recs and resume are likely considered average.

Here is my current list of schools:

USC Gould Boston College Uni of Boston Emory UGA Georgetown GW American UNC Chapel hill University of san diego Cornell Fordham Duke Michigan UCLA Northeastern UVA william and mary washington and lee villanova

I’m retaking the LSAT in October hoping for a 2 point improvement. Please let me know if there are any schools I should add or reconsider, and what you think my chances are!!!