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Law schools evaluate applicants mainly on two numbers, GPA and LSAT, and you can match yourself to schools by comparing your figures to each program's published medians. Schools where you sit at or above both the median GPA and median LSAT are strong targets. Both figures appear in every ABA school's Standard 509 report.
By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Every figure on this page was verified in August 2026 against the sources listed below.
Law schools weigh GPA and LSAT as the two dominant factors, reading them together against each school's published medians rather than as separate cutoffs. Where both of your numbers meet or beat a school's medians, you are a strong candidate; where both fall short, you are a long shot. Every ABA-approved school reports these figures in its Standard 509 report.
Compare your GPA and LSAT to each school's 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, then group schools by how you stack up. The table shows the structure for that comparison.
Law schoolMedian GPAMedian LSATHarvard Law School3.96174Fordham University3.79168Campbell University3.51156
Figures are from the 2025 ABA Standard 509 reports for Harvard, Fordham, and Campbell.
When your GPA and LSAT land on opposite sides of a school's medians, you are a splitter, and schools weigh the pair together rather than rejecting on one number. A high LSAT can lift a lower GPA at many schools, and a high GPA can offset a weaker score at others. Reading both numbers keeps your expectations grounded.
Sort schools into reach, target, and safety tiers using both figures: safeties are where both numbers clear the 75th percentile, targets sit near the medians, and reaches are where a number falls below the median. Keep several schools in each tier. Lovare's free admissions calculator weighs your GPA and LSAT together to estimate odds at each school.
There is no fixed pair of numbers required. Each ABA-approved school publishes 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile GPA and LSAT figures, and your goal is to meet or beat a target school's medians. Because schools read the two together, a strong figure on one can offset a weaker figure on the other rather than acting as a hard cutoff.
Your odds depend mostly on how your GPA and LSAT compare to each school's published medians. Applicants at or above both a school's median GPA and median LSAT are admitted at high rates, while those below both face long odds. Comparing your two numbers to each school's ABA 509 medians gives you a realistic estimate.
Most applicants apply to roughly 6 to 12 law schools, split across reach, target, and safety tiers based on how their GPA and LSAT compare to each school's medians. Grouping schools by both numbers first makes it straightforward to fill each tier and keep at least two genuine safeties on your list.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026