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Your LSAT and GPA together shape your law school options more than any other factors, so the practical move is to map your two numbers against each school's published percentile medians. Schools where both of your numbers meet or beat the medians are realistic targets. A free admissions calculator turns those medians into an odds estimate for your file.
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.
Your LSAT and GPA shape your law school options more than any other factors because schools compare both numbers to their published medians when deciding whom to admit. The two figures set your baseline at every ABA-approved school, and softer materials mostly adjust borderline files. Mapping your numbers first is the fastest way to find realistic schools.
Map your LSAT and GPA against each school's 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile medians, then keep schools where both numbers meet or beat the medians as your core targets. The table shows the structure to run that comparison.
Law schoolMedian LSATMedian GPA25th to 75th GPAHarvard Law School1743.963.89 to 4.0Fordham University1683.793.6 to 3.88Campbell University1563.513.21 to 3.77
Figures are from the 2025 ABA Standard 509 reports for Harvard, Fordham, and Campbell.
One strong number can partly offset a weaker one, since schools read LSAT and GPA together rather than as strict minimums. A high LSAT often carries more weight because it is standardized across applicants, though a high GPA still helps. Applicants with a wide gap between the two, called splitters, see results that vary by school.
Turn your two numbers into a plan by sorting schools into reach, target, and safety tiers and keeping several in each. Confirm at least two safeties where both numbers clear the 75th percentile. Lovare's free admissions calculator converts each school's medians into an odds estimate for your LSAT and GPA.
No single LSAT and GPA are required, since each ABA-approved school sets its own medians and publishes 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile figures. Your goal is to meet or beat a target school's medians. Because schools read the two numbers together, strength on one can partly offset a weaker figure on the other.
Your chances depend mostly on how your LSAT and GPA compare to each school's published medians. Applicants at or above both a school's median LSAT and median GPA are admitted at high rates, while those below both face long odds. Mapping your two numbers against each school's ABA 509 medians gives you a realistic read.
Most applicants apply to roughly 6 to 12 law schools, spread across reach, target, and safety tiers based on how their LSAT and GPA compare to each school's medians. Mapping your two numbers first makes it easy to fill each tier and to keep at least two genuine safeties without overloading your list.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026