GPA Requirements for Law School 2026: Benchmarks by Tier
Law school admissions weights GPA at roughly 40 percent of the academic index, with LSAT carrying the remaining 60 percent. This page covers what counts in the GPA, how LSAC calculates it, and where 39 ABA-accredited schools set their 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile thresholds.
3.67
All-ABA median admitted GPA (196 schools)
3.94
T14 median admitted GPA
3.83
T26 to T50 median admitted GPA
3.13
Regional 25th percentile GPA
How LSAC calculates your GPA
When you register for the Credential Assembly Service, LSAC pulls every undergraduate transcript you have ever attended and recalculates a single GPA using its own conversion methodology. This CAS GPA is the only GPA your law schools see. It almost always differs from your registrar's official GPA.
The most common surprises: LSAC counts all attempts at repeated courses (most universities count only the higher attempt), pluses and minuses convert to specific decimals (a B-minus is 2.67, not 2.7), pass and credit grades are excluded entirely from GPA calculation but show as transcript credits, withdrawals before deadline do not count, and study abroad grades count only when issued by an accredited US institution.
Pull your unofficial CAS GPA preview within LSAC the day your transcripts arrive. If it differs by more than 0.10 from your campus GPA, give yourself 1 to 2 weeks to recalibrate target schools and adjust your application list before LSAT scores are reported.
GPA medians by school tier
All data below is drawn from each school's most recent ABA 509 disclosure, the standardized employment and admissions report ABA-accredited schools must publish each fall. We use the 2025 to 2026 figures (2025 entering first-year class), read straight from the registry rather than retyped. Numbers shift 0.01 to 0.04 points year over year for most schools.
T14: National Reach
| School | 25th %ile GPA | Median GPA | 75th %ile GPA | Median LSAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale | 3.90 | 3.96 | 4.00 | 174 |
| Stanford | 3.87 | 3.96 | 4.00 | 173 |
| Chicago | 3.87 | 3.97 | 4.00 | 174 |
| Harvard | 3.89 | 3.96 | 4.00 | 174 |
| Penn (Carey) | 3.77 | 3.95 | 4.00 | 173 |
| Duke | 3.83 | 3.91 | 3.96 | 171 |
| NYU School of Law | 3.81 | 3.92 | 3.97 | 172 |
| Columbia Law School | 3.85 | 3.92 | 3.98 | 173 |
| Virginia | 3.83 | 3.99 | 4.04 | 173 |
| Northwestern | 3.76 | 3.96 | 4.00 | 173 |
| Berkeley | 3.84 | 3.92 | 3.99 | 170 |
| Michigan | 3.74 | 3.88 | 3.95 | 171 |
| Cornell Law School | 3.75 | 3.92 | 3.97 | 173 |
| Georgetown Law | 3.75 | 3.93 | 3.98 | 171 |
T15 to T25: Strong Regional Plus National Access
| School | 25th %ile GPA | Median GPA | 75th %ile GPA | Median LSAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 3.73 | 3.95 | 4.00 | 171 |
| Texas (Austin) | 3.75 | 3.89 | 3.96 | 172 |
| USC (Gould) | 3.73 | 3.91 | 3.97 | 169 |
| Vanderbilt | 3.77 | 3.91 | 3.97 | 170 |
| WashU | 3.58 | 3.96 | 4.00 | 175 |
| Notre Dame | 3.78 | 3.89 | 3.95 | 170 |
| Boston University School of Law | 3.71 | 3.88 | 3.93 | 170 |
| Boston College Law School | 3.67 | 3.83 | 3.90 | 168 |
| Minnesota | 3.62 | 3.88 | 3.95 | 171 |
| Emory | 3.68 | 3.82 | 3.87 | 166 |
| Iowa | 3.62 | 3.78 | 3.92 | 164 |
T26 to T50: Regional Strength
| School | 25th %ile GPA | Median GPA | 75th %ile GPA | Median LSAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 3.61 | 3.81 | 3.93 | 167 |
| Wake Forest | 3.60 | 3.79 | 3.90 | 166 |
| Arizona State (O'Connor) | 3.58 | 3.91 | 3.98 | 165 |
| Florida (Levin) | 3.70 | 3.91 | 3.97 | 169 |
| George Washington | 3.55 | 3.86 | 3.93 | 168 |
| Colorado | 3.62 | 3.81 | 3.91 | 164 |
| Maryland (Carey) | 3.37 | 3.72 | 3.88 | 164 |
| Indiana (Maurer) | 3.63 | 3.91 | 3.98 | 164 |
Regional ABA-Accredited
| School | 25th %ile GPA | Median GPA | 75th %ile GPA | Median LSAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake | 3.38 | 3.67 | 3.89 | 156 |
| Hofstra | 3.35 | 3.65 | 3.83 | 157 |
| Cleveland State | 3.11 | 3.50 | 3.76 | 155 |
| Mississippi College | 3.03 | 3.37 | 3.73 | 152 |
| Capital | 3.07 | 3.44 | 3.66 | 151 |
| Detroit Mercy | 3.16 | 3.52 | 3.73 | 156 |
How GPA and LSAT work together
Most ABA schools use an academic index that weights LSAT around 60 percent and GPA around 40 percent. A score above both medians signals strong admissibility. A score above one and at the 25th percentile of the other makes you a splitter; the file moves to a closer holistic read.
Splitter outcomes by tier:
- High LSAT, low GPA (reverse splitter): generally treated more favorably than the inverse. A 3.5 GPA with a 173 LSAT remains viable at most T14 schools because LSAT is the harder-to-fake credential.
- High GPA, low LSAT (splitter): tougher path to T14 because the LSAT median anchors the school's reported numbers more rigidly. A 3.95 GPA with a 165 LSAT does well at T15 to T30 but rarely cracks T14.
- Both at 25th percentile: waitlist territory at most schools without a strong soft factor narrative.
If your GPA is below target
Five honest options
- Lift the LSAT. Every additional LSAT point compounds. Moving from 162 to 168 changes which schools see your file as competitive far more than incremental GPA work.
- Write a GPA addendum. Half a page maximum. State the cause, state what changed, do not make excuses. Common valid reasons: documented illness, family caregiving, working 30+ hours weekly, first-year adjustment difficulties.
- Apply where your numbers fit. A 3.3 GPA with a 165 LSAT is a strong applicant at T26 to T40 schools and an automatic scholarship candidate at T50 to T75. Apply where you are above median, not where you are at the 25th percentile.
- Post-baccalaureate coursework. 8 to 12 credits at a 4-year institution earning A grades demonstrates current capability. Useful when freshman GPA dragged you below 3.0 and the rest of your record is unbalanced.
- Take a gap year. One year of consequential professional work shifts the application narrative away from undergraduate GPA and toward demonstrated capability. This is most effective for applicants with 3.0 to 3.4 GPAs targeting T15 to T50.
GPA by undergraduate major
LSAC publishes annual data on LSAT performance by undergraduate major. GPA averages by major are noisier (departments grade differently), but two patterns appear consistently:
- STEM majors (engineering, mathematics, physics, computer science) post lower undergraduate GPA averages than humanities majors at most institutions, often by 0.15 to 0.30 points. Admissions readers know this but do not adjust the number on file.
- The most common pre-law majors (political science, history, English) cluster near the institutional GPA average. Choose based on interest and maximum likely GPA, not perceived rigor.
See our full breakdown of best pre-law majors with LSAT performance data, acceptance rates, and skills mapping.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA do I need for T14 law schools in 2026?
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T14 schools report median admitted GPAs between 3.88 (Michigan) and 3.99 (Virginia) across the cohort, on a median of 3.94. Practically, a 3.94 or better keeps you competitive at every T14, the 3.83 to 3.94 band puts you at the 25th percentile margin where LSAT must be at or above the school's median, and below that you become a reverse splitter requiring an LSAT at or above the school's own median to remain viable.
Why is my LSAC CAS GPA different from my campus GPA?
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LSAC recalculates undergraduate grades using its own conversion table. They include all repeated courses (your campus may exclude the original), count plus and minus grades to two decimal places, convert pass-fail to neutral non-counted credits, and treat grades from study abroad differently. The CAS GPA is the number every law school sees, not your transcript GPA. Most applicants see a 0.05 to 0.20 point difference in either direction.
Can you get into law school with a 3.0 GPA?
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Yes, with the right LSAT and strategy. A 3.0 GPA combined with a 165+ LSAT puts you in range for T26 to T50 schools. A 3.0 with a 170+ LSAT (a reverse splitter profile) reaches T15 to T25. Below a 3.0 GPA, you target the 22 ABA schools whose own 25th percentile GPA sits at or below 3.05, which run down to 2.67, and consider a GPA addendum or post-baccalaureate coursework.
Can you get into law school with a 2.5 GPA?
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Possible at regional ABA-accredited schools, but expect a narrow path. With a 2.5 to 2.7 GPA, you need a 160+ LSAT, a strong upward trend after first or second year, a thoughtful GPA addendum explaining the underperformance, and applications focused on the 22 schools whose 25th percentile GPA is 3.05 or below. The lowest 25th percentile any ABA school reports this cycle is 2.67. Many applicants in this band do better after 1 to 2 years of post-baccalaureate or graduate coursework.
Does undergraduate major affect the GPA law schools care about?
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Schools see your major listed alongside your CAS GPA, but they do not adjust your GPA upward for difficult majors. Engineering and STEM majors with 3.5 GPAs do not get treated as 3.7 humanities GPAs. The exception: schools occasionally note in admissions decisions that a 3.6 in physics from a top STEM program reads differently than a 3.6 in a less rigorous track. Plan for the GPA to stand on its own number.
How much does an upward grade trend help a low GPA?
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A clear, sustained upward trend can reframe a low overall GPA. If your transcripts show a 2.7 freshman year that climbs to 3.7 senior year, your application narrative pivots: the 3.2 cumulative is real, but the 3.7 senior-year average shows what you do now. Address it directly in a one-paragraph addendum. Schools do not weight the trend formally, but admissions readers see it and account for it.
Should I submit a GPA addendum if my GPA is below the school's 25th percentile?
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Yes, when there is a real explanation. Family illness, a documented medical issue, working 30+ hours per week, or a single-semester underperformance with a clear cause all warrant an addendum. Do not write an addendum that essentially says 'I did not study enough freshman year.' Addenda that lack a real explanation hurt more than they help. Length: half a page maximum.
Continue
GPA is one half of the equation
The other half is the LSAT, which carries more weight than GPA at most schools. Read our LSAT score guide for percentiles by tier, prep resource comparisons, and retake strategy.