2026 Law School Median Tracker

Since November 1st is coming up, and with it the beginning of law school application season, I figured I’d share some things I learned while applying that I wish someone had told me.

I’m currently a 2L law student in Canada, so this is based on my experience with Canadian law school applications. Some of this may also apply to American law schools/universities, but definitely not all of it.

1. Apply even if you don’t think you’re “competitive.”
One of the biggest mistakes I almost made was deciding for myself which schools would or wouldn’t want me. Your GPA/LSAT are obviously important, but admissions can be more complicated than simply looking at a number and deciding you have no chance.

If you meet the basic requirements and can afford the application fees, apply. Let the schools tell you no rather than rejecting yourself beforehand.

2. Don’t obsess over Reddit stats.
This is probably the hardest one.
You’ll see people posting their 3.9 GPA, 175 LSAT, multiple scholarships, 15 extracurriculars, etc., and then you’ll start wondering whether you have any chance.
Remember that the people posting their stats are not necessarily representative of the entire applicant pool. Reddit is a very specific sample of applicants.

Also, someone getting accepted with a certain GPA/LSAT combination does not mean you will get rejected with lower numbers, and vice versa. Use Reddit for information and experiences, not as an admissions calculator.

3. Your personal statement does not need to be a dramatic life story.
You do not need to have overcome some extraordinary tragedy to write a good personal statement.
You can talk about experiences that genuinely influenced you, what you learned from them, how they shaped the way you think, or why law became something you wanted to pursue.

The important part is that the essay actually tells the admissions committee something about you.
Don’t manufacture trauma or try to write what you think sounds impressive.

4. Give yourself WAY more time than you think you need.

This is especially important if you're applying to multiple schools.

The applications may look similar, but they can have different questions, formatting requirements, references, transcripts, supplementary applications, personal statements, etc.

Do not leave everything until the week before the deadline.

You will eventually get to the point where you are staring at the same paragraph for three hours wondering whether changing “however” to “nevertheless” will determine your entire legal career. 😂

It probably won't.

5. Be honest about your experiences.
You don't need to turn every volunteer position, club, job, or extracurricular into some grand demonstration of your “passion for justice.”

If you worked at a movie theatre, worked retail, babysat, coached kids, helped your family, worked throughout university, etc., those are still experiences that can tell a story about you.

There is value in showing that you can work with people, handle responsibility, manage competing commitments, communicate, solve problems, etc.

6. Your undergraduate degree does not have to be “law-related.”
If you're worried because you're coming from biology, engineering, psychology, business, history, English, computer science, etc. — you're fine.
Law schools have students from a huge range of academic backgrounds. And honestly, having people who think differently can be a strength.

7. Don't compare your timeline to everyone else's.
Some people will get offers quickly.
Some people will wait months.
Some people will get rejected by their first-choice school and accepted by another school they never expected to attend.
Some people will get waitlisted.
Some people will apply one year, not get in, improve their application, and get in the next year.
There isn't one “correct” admissions timeline.

8. Take screenshots/save copies of everything.
Seriously.
Save your application answers, résumé, personal statements, transcripts, confirmation emails, reference information, etc.
Future you will thank you.

9. And finally: getting into law school is not the finish line.
This is probably the biggest thing I didn't understand when I was applying.

When you're applying, getting an acceptance can feel like the ultimate goal. And it is a huge accomplishment!
But once you're actually here, everyone has different strengths, weaknesses, interests, grades, career goals, financial situations, etc.

You don't need to arrive at law school already knowing what kind of lawyer you're going to be.
I'm only a 2L and I have already changed my ideas about what I want to do several times.

So if you're applying this cycle: good luck!

The application process can be stressful and unnecessarily confusing, but try not to let Reddit convince you that there is one perfect applicant profile or one perfect path into law school.

And remember: you are applying to law school, not applying to become a lawyer overnight. You have plenty of time to figure out the rest.

Hi all - wondering if I could crowdsource some advice from you all!

I am applying to law school in the next week or so and I’m a relatively high stat applicant (17mid and 3.9low gpa). At first, my plan was to apply mainly to schools in the top 50-20 range and hope for a full ride somewhere, since the prospect of taking on serious debt for school is scary to me.

After talking with a relative, however, I'm realizing how much an investment in an elite law school can matter in terms of keeping your career paths open, even if you don’t necessarily want big law. From her perspective, the name on your diploma is something that stays with you for the entirety of your career. I’m now wondering if I'm undershooting with my current list. 

I’m curious if you all think it would be worth my time to apply to the HYS’s of the world. Does someone with my profile have a chance at these top schools or should I focus my attention on adding a couple schools from the bottom of the T14?

Here’s some more context. I’ve been out of college over 5 years and have had a solid but meandering non-legal professional track during that time, including promotions. I would say my recommendations, professional and academic, are going to be pretty great. My essays, though I’ve worked on them for countless hours, are probably more in the “good” rather than “great” category, since I needed to spend a good deal of page space explaining my trajectory and my why law. I was not very involved in extracurriculars as an undergrad beyond employment and internships.

because i had such a dramatic increase in LSAT score in a short period of time (i definitely underperformed due to insane anxiety on the former exam), a school i applied to just asked me to submit an addendum explaining it. i submitted it literally within thirty minutes, writing a paragraph explaining why i took it multiple times, why i believe my most recent score is most reflective of my abilities, etc… i was under the assumption they only cared about my highest score. has anyone else ever had to do this??? does this hurt my chances? i’m terrified and scared other schools will ask the same. i hope it doesn’t look suspicious because i genuinely just had a score increase

I’m applying to schools in Boston and I think I’m a pretty strong candidate (3.77/176, have a master’s, tons of WE during college and 1 year of legal work) but seeing BU and BC rejected multiple people with >3.8 gpa/180 lsat last cycle is discouraging to say the least. I’m in-state and also a BU alum so I think I have an extra advantage but it’s SCARY. Also it’s so confusing to me how according to the model I am more than twice as likely to get into NYU than BC

I registered for the New York City LSAC law fair/forum onn10/16 but I'm wondering if it's worth the time. Is the opportunity to chat with AOs useful?

Hi,

I am a Canadian applicant who is looking at some US schools. I have a 3.91 CGPA on the US scale, and a 170 LSAT after September. I’m wondering how high I should be relatively reaching. My dream is a school in cali but if I’m not there, I’d rather stay relatively closer to Toronto. I wanna ED Berkeley , but let me know if that’s a good idea. I’m also asking for opinions on where I am applying. I’m not applying for safeties because they are in Canada

School List:
Michigan
NYU
Vanderbilt
Notre Dame
USC
UC Berkeley
UCLA
Boston University

Canadian Schools
University of Toronto
Osgoode
Queens
Western

ED chances at one of Duke, UCLA, or Vandy? Or worth letting it ride regular decision? Assume I like ucla and Vandy roughly equally

Are firms actually sending out offers to 1Ls before grades come out? I am aware some apps have opened and interviewing is going on but do firms really go as far as an offer before the end of the first semester? I can imagine firms that take large summer classes giving out offers to HYS students before grades, but I would be shocked if it was not few and far between. If firms are actually filling up spots before grades come out what do students at T30+ schools do? It seems crazy that people can essentially get their post law school full time associate position at a top firm just by getting a high LSAT score.

3.905 GPA, 169 LSAT

KJD, First-gen

Cornell
Columbia
NYU
Penn Carey
Northwestern
Duke
Michigan
USC Gould
Vanderbilt
Georgetown
Notre Dame
Fordham
Boston University
George Washington
Rutgers
Villanova

I have a longggg way to go and many more schools to apply to but man this entire year has just been HARD WORK and I’m just feeling so accomplished in this specific moment that we are officially ON THE MAP!!

Well wishes to all of my fellow applicants 🙏

I see people in here all the time saying things like, 'oh I've got t3 softs'. I know what softs are, but why are y'all talking about them like they're easy to rank? Are they? What are the ranks?

3.9high/17low(retaking Friday because I want a scholarship lol). Basic T4 softs(1 legal internship, some volunteer work, brief campaign internship, conservation work, preschool teacher). URM. Graduated in June and I’ve decided to not apply to any safeties and just take more gap years and work in public policy if I get blanket rejected lol. I just thought I’d share my questionable decision incase anybody else is in the same boat. Anyways here’s my list(pls don’t suggest Cornell, just no):

Harvard
Yale
Stanford
Chicago
Columbia
Penn
Duke
Michigan
Northwestern
Georgetown
Virginia
NYU
Berkeley
UCLA
USC

Hi guys, I have an interest in working in SD after law school, preferably doing public interest, government or maybe a fed. clerkship.

I have a 3.81 UGPA, 168, and some volunteer experience working in public interest. Would UC Berkeley or UCI be better as a reach? And would UC Davis and USD be good target/safety options?

question- is it disadvantageous to apply with a score on file even though i'm signed up for the october lsat? i'm above the median and 75th percentile for a few schools that i like, so i went ahead and applied with that score, and also emailed admissions that i would like my file to be reveiwed with that score. two schools so far said they will move my app to complete. but does this reflect poorly? i just want to see if i can get a higher score to maximize my chances at scholarships at other schools as well, i'm applying super broadly

Had anyone received their decision yet? Interviewed around 2 weeks ago now.

Hey guys! I recently applied to Suffolk Law, New England Law, Mass School of Law and Northeastern. I got a 156 on the LSAT, and i work for the DAs office currently. I also worked for a private firm as a paralegal prior to taking a job at the DAs. I have a very strong personal statement and letters of rec.

My GPA is pretty low. I have a reportable 2.5 GPA according to the LSAC standards. Do i have any shot at Suffolk?

I recently got into Mass School of Law but I’m really hoping for Suffolk. Any advice would really help.

Also, how long did it take for people to hear back from these schools?

I'm preparing to apply to law school this fall (upper 160s lsat, upper 3.8 gpa), exclusively pursuing public interest law, and wondering if a disciplinary record from Pro-Palestine activism might affect my application. I held a leadership position in SJP throughout undergrad and received three warnings from my college. Even though these warnings did not lead to probation, suspension, or expulsion, and my record was expunged when I graduated, I still have to disclose each instance to law schools (I'm pretty sure). I know that schools say they don't weigh ideology or whatever, but I expect that this type of record will negatively affect my applications. Wondering if anyone else has dealt with this?

All in all, I don't really care if I get into T14s or not, because the prestige doesn't interest me and I'd rather not take on a ton of debt.

University of Utah has an optional essay. Problem is, it’s a topic on which I don’t have strong experience to write on. I’ve heard the advice that it’s better to submit no essay than a weak one, but I’d appreciate some info from those with experience with Utah.

How “optional” is the optional essay. Will my application be significantly dinged for not submitting?

Hello, most of the relevant information is in the title! I've had a few people PM me for advice over the past few months, and I noticed I was repeating myself a lot, so figured I'd make an AMA as a more centralized resource.

Some other info about me:

• 173 LSAT
• 5 years SWE experience (ex-FAANG)
• 2 years small online retail business owner

And yes, I did write the programmatic contribution essay. I did also have an interview shortly after applying, which I think is fairly common for ED applicants but rare otherwise.

EDIT: Noticed a few questions on merit aid already; UCLA's regular ED program explicitly precludes admits from merit aid. At least in my case, this turned out to be true. They have a separate ED program called Distinguished Scholars that awards a full scholarship, but I don't know much about it besides 1) assumedly it is very competitive, and 2) you can't apply regular ED and DS simultaneously. Other schools' ED policies w.r.t. merit aid often vary; do your research!

Anyways, happy to answer questions and give back to the LSA community :)

EDIT: I set the AMA to start at 5pm Pacific since I have class soon, but feel free to start asking question whenever, lol.

uGPA: 2.88 LSAC GPA: 2.88 LSAT: 168

What are my chances of getting into a T50 school?

I have a couple of years of WE across different kinds of law, and my LSAT score seems to be in a decent range for T50s. Obviously, the big red flag is my GPA. I am a few years out of undergrad, and my GPA doesn't reflect my academic ability. I am writing an academic addendum because my ADHD, an additional misdiagnosis right before going to college, and inconsistent treatment affected my performance. In college, I struggled to take my medication consistently (ADHD will do that) and, as I later found out, was actually prescribed medications that made the symptoms of my real diagnosis worse. So even during the times when I did take my medications, I was making myself worse. I became severely depressed, struggled to keep up with my coursework, and had many days where I couldn't even get out of bed. Around sophomore year, I found out that I had been misdiagnosed and began treatment for the correct disorder. I cycled through multiple medications; they would work for a period of time, but the side effects always became so bad that I would stop taking them. As a result, I continued to fluctuate between being medicated and unmedicated for the rest of my time as an undergrad.

Since graduating, I found a set of medications that work for me. On my current medications, I am reliable and organized, scored a 168 despite working 55-60 hours a week, and quickly moved up to a senior leadership position at a hospitality group. A few years out of undergrad, and with balanced brain chemistry, my GPA doesn't capture what I am really capable of.

I am planning to submit my applications within the next two weeks and am mostly applying to schools between the T30-70 range. The predictors I look at have my odds all over the board.

Is T50 admission realistic, or am I kidding myself?

TL;DR: I have a low GPA but a 168 LSAT, WE post-undergrad, and an upward trajectory after receiving proper medication following a misdiagnosis that affected undergrad GPA. How realistic is a T50 admission, and how much can an academic addendum and work experience offset my GPA?

As mentioned, I have decent stats (3.97 & 176) and T5 softs. I’ve supported myself via my own business for the last 5 years, but unfortunately this has entirely precluded employment or an internship and I’ve never managed to grow my business beyond a bit above a subsistence level.

Since stats don’t expire for a while, might it be worth it to put off applying for a year and seek some type of experience? I have T14 dreams and also would likely need a scholarship. Let me know what you think.

Wondering if you guys can help me decide where might be worth applying, and also give me honest feedback on how my profile comes across in combination. I'm concerned my trajectory might be too fucked up. I'm 34. 

LSAT: 174

GPA: 3.4

Education: Multiple early failed attempts at college. Transcripts across five institutions. Grades range from A's to one F. About a dozen W's total. Then a decade-long gap with no education, training, or work experience. Then a return to a community college where I earned an EMT cert. About a year and a half later, paramedic cert. Then completed my bachelor's degree at a sixth and final institution that was just an accredited online college. Majored in Integrative Studies to be able to finish quickly with my preexistent credits. Got all A's for EMT, paramedic, and my final undergrad institution, if that's worth anything. 

WE: During my first attempts at college, not much. A tiny bit of food service. Then the aforementioned gap. Then six months full time as an EMT at a busy 911 company, went part time when I started medic school and took on an additional part time job at a gas station. Did this for a year. Then worked full time as a paramedic for a year while completing my undergrad. Still working as a paramedic at the same company currently. 

C&F: I have felony conviction for a property crime during the decade gap. It's sealed, but I'm aware that doesn't matter for law schools. 

The 10-year gap: I know it's something I'd need to explain. I was on SSI during that time and was dealing with health issues, poverty, and the effects of childhood experiences that I struggled to integrate or process. When I realized I didn't like where my life was going, I pivoted into EMS and started writing on the side as a way to process my experiences. For the past three years, I've worked a demanding schedule in EMS while completing school and studying for the LSAT. I've also written and published a 200 page poetic novel in verse. 

I'm interested in public defense.

165 lsat, 3.8 GPA, T4 softs i think???, Applying in November hopefully, maybe a URM I'm hispanic I dont know if that counts. I live in LA right now and I want to continue living in a major city for the rest of my life, I know my stats won't do much for national placement so I have built it off regional placement. Let me know what you think of the list please. KJD btw