170 LSAT Score: Law Schools Where You Are at Median

A 170 LSAT corresponds to the 96th percentile of test takers. Approximately 4% of all LSAT takers score 170 or above. The raw correct answers required for a 170 vary by administration due to equating but typically run about 86-90 of 100 questions correct across the four scored sections. A 170 is the conventional T14 floor; below 170, T14 admission becomes meaningfully less likely. Above 170, the LSAT is doing strong work in shaping admissions outcomes; the score has moved past most peer applicants.

At 170 LSAT median (50th percentile): Berkeley (170) and Duke (170) admit you in the competitive band. Above 170 at median: Michigan (171), Georgetown (171), Cornell (172), NYU (172), Northwestern (172), Penn (172), Chicago (172), Stanford (173), Columbia (173), Harvard (174), Yale (174). For these schools, a 170 puts you below the median LSAT but above the 25th percentile at most. Combined with a 3.85+ GPA, admission probability at Berkeley and Duke runs 25-40%; at Michigan and Georgetown 15-30%; at higher T14 schools 5-15%.

Depends on the gap between your 170 and your average practice tests. If you scored 170 with practice test averages of 168-170, you are near your demonstrated ceiling and retaking may not move the score meaningfully. If you scored 170 with practice averages of 172-174, you scored under your ability and a retake is likely to push you to 172-174. The cost of retaking: time (typically 4-8 weeks of focused preparation), money ($222 LSAT registration plus prep costs), and the LSAC limit of three administrations per year. The benefit of moving from 170 to 173-175 is substantial: T15-T25 reach becomes T14 target, and scholarship offers improve meaningfully.

Substantial scholarship money at T15 to T50 schools where 170 puts you above the school's median LSAT. Concrete examples: a 170 / 3.7 applicant typically receives full or near-full tuition scholarships at Notre Dame, BU, BC, Emory, Vanderbilt, and similar T15-T25 schools. The same applicant at T14 schools where 170 is at median or below receives modest scholarships ($15K-$25K per year, occasionally higher). The trade-off: T14 at $50K-$60K per year in tuition vs T15-T25 at $0-$15K per year. For most applicants, the financial advantage at T15-T25 outweighs the marginal ranking benefit of T14 unless the career intent is squarely BigLaw or federal clerkship.

A splitter at the 170 LSAT level is an applicant with a 170+ LSAT and a GPA below the school's 25th percentile. The classic 170 / 3.4 splitter profile is admitted at splitter-friendly T14 schools (Georgetown, Michigan, Berkeley, Northwestern) at meaningful rates and at most T15-T25 schools with modest scholarship. A strong applicant at 170 is one with 170 LSAT and GPA at or above the school's median. The strong applicant has substantially broader scholarship outcomes and higher admission rates across the school list. For the 170 LSAT level, the key differentiator is the GPA, which determines whether you read as splitter or as solid candidate at each tier.

A 5-point LSAT improvement from 165 to 170 substantially changes the school list. At 165, the T14 is generally out of reach except as a hard splitter; at 170, the T14 is realistic for several splitter-friendly schools. At 165, T15-T25 schools are reach or target depending on GPA; at 170, they become target-to-below-median where scholarship money is realistic. The 165-to-170 jump is among the most consequential single LSAT improvements in admissions terms because it crosses the T14 floor threshold.

Below the LSAT 25th percentile at both schools. Yale's 25th percentile LSAT is 171; Harvard's is 171. A 170 with a 3.95+ GPA is sometimes admitted at Yale or Harvard but the rate is below 10%. A 170 with a 3.85-3.95 GPA is more typically admitted at the T14 schools where 170 is at or above the 25th percentile. For Yale or Harvard target, retaking to push to 172+ materially improves admission probability. Below 172, the file has to do extraordinary work on every other dimension to be Yale-or-Harvard competitive.

Apply broadly across the T14 splitter-friendly schools (Georgetown, Michigan, Berkeley, Northwestern) plus the T15-T25 schools where you have scholarship leverage (Notre Dame, BU, Vanderbilt, USC, Texas). Skip the elite T14 schools (Yale, Harvard, Stanford) unless your supporting credentials are extraordinary. Use the merit aid offers from T15-T25 schools to negotiate at T14 schools where you receive admits with modest aid; Columbia, NYU, and Michigan are sometimes responsive to competing scholarship offers. The 170 / 3.85+ profile typically produces 4-6 admissions across the targeted schools with meaningful financial choice.