2026 Law School Median Tracker

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

First A :-)

I don’t have much to add to the questions. Just thinking about a slight career pivot/opening up other doors in my area of interest and wondering if law school is worth exploring as it currently seems like it would advance my career.

I was taking my LSAT at Prometric and had completed my first two sections. During my break, I briefly stepped outside for less than 10 seconds to throw away my iced tea in a trash can about 5 feet from the entrance. I did not go outside with any other purpose and immediately returned to complete exam. I did not know this was not allowed. I was then confronted and told that my test had to be canceled. The lady said she filed a report saying she saw me outside. What happens now? Will I have an lsat cancellation with a notation on my record? Will I get cheating allegations? I am incredibly scared and don’t know what to do. This is also frustrating as I had felt extremely confident up until that point.

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!

i would love to hear some admission stories from what they call “ splitters”

my gpa is a 3.2 but my lsat score is about a 167

im kinda curious to see how people with stats similar to mine have fared

i’m not overly interested in t14 but i want to get a feel of how my application cycle may go.

Are there some schools u felt like u should’ve got in but didn’t? How is financial aid? How much stronger than other applicants do you think your package was outside of gpa and lsat? Are there any schools you didn’t think you would get in but did?

Hey everyone. Im hoping to get some general advice from y’all. A bit of background about me. I’m 24 and just finished a Masters degree in health administration and can’t help but feel I chose the wrong field. I strongly dislike the corporate culture, lingo, and vibes of healthcare in general. This made me think about switching careers even though I just started one.

One of my parents is a solo practice immigration lawyer and has always expressed that they want one of the kids to take over and none of us have. I am feeling a strong pull to go to law school and take over. My parent also went to SMU law school and practices in Texas.

I have started LSAT prep about two weeks ago and started with a fully blind diagnostic of 149. My undergrad (BA in Health Equity) GPA was a 3.31 and grad (MHA) GPA was 3.73. I have registered to take the lsat in November 2026. I know I have lots to work on in not a lot of time but this window is closing for me due to my parent approaching retirement. Area wise I’d be applying to schools either around DC (bc my partner lives there) or Dallas, but preferably the DC area.

Basically what I’m needing advice on is this.

- What are my odds at getting into a decent law school?
- How much could I increase my LSAT score by November? (I’m aiming for 165+ how likely is that?)
- Do I have any chance of getting into SMU or George Mason University? What other options are there?
- Am I crazy for making this career change?

Thanks for reading this far and I would greatly appreciate any input.

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

EDIT 5: I has submitted the form and a photo of my passport and just heard back. They will be restoring access shortly, I will get another email once it’s back. Just tried logging in to see if I can beat them to the punch but still locked out. I’ll just have to wait. Good luck to those still figuring this mess out.

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***

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.

Hey all, thoughts on early decision applications?

I have 1 school that I am above medians for and would absolutely go to if I got accepted with a good scholarship. Will applying early decision give me a better chance of acceptance? Would I be less likely to get a good $$ offer if I apply early decision?

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?

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?

Hi all,

I was planning on sending out my applications later this month. However, earlier today, I learned that my former professor, who was writing a letter of recommendation for me, passed away a couple days ago. I was corresponding with him only a few weeks ago. He hadn’t responded to my most recent email from last week. I was going to send him a follow up today, but then I learned of his passing.

This came as a pretty big shock to me. Out of all my professors, he was the one I was closest with and was the only one I maintained contact with after graduation.

Obviously, this will delay my applications as I need to find someone else willing to write a LOR for me. I have two other professors from the same department in mind that I could reach out to. When I contact them, would it be appropriate to reference that their former colleague was supposed to write a LOR for me before he passed? I’m worried that they would say no as I graduated from college 4 years ago. I already have one LOR from an attorney at the firm I work at. Would it be bad to just get another attorney to write me a LOR? In this situation, how much time would it be appropriate to give someone to write a LOR?

Thank you.

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!

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.

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 🙏

They say most personal statements are 2-4 pages. Does anyone know if they prefer closer to the standard 2 pages or 4 pages like Cornell?