How to Get Into American Law School: LSAT, GPA & Admissions (2026)

The honest answer to how to get into American Law School, formally American University Washington College of Law, is two numbers. According to the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, the fall 2025 class posted a 162 LSAT median, ranging 157 to 163, and a 3.63 GPA median, ranging 3.32 to 3.75. Clear both to compete.

By Ali Unar, Georgetown Law, Founder of Lovare Institut. Ali Unar is a Georgetown Law student and the founder of Lovare Institut, an admissions and LSAT-prep practice built on primary-source law school data. Verified August 2026. Every figure on this page comes from American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report for the fall 2025 entering class, the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, and the Washington College of Law's own admissions pages.

The most distinctive fact about American University Washington College of Law is its reach. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, the District of Columbia took 38.2% of the Washington College of Law's graduates and the top three markets took 58.6%, the least geographically concentrated result in this set of profiles. Where the regional schools in this set send roughly six in ten graduates into a single state, American University Washington College of Law spreads its class across the District, Maryland, New York, and beyond, and it sends the highest share to large firms of any school here, 17.5% to firms of 101 or more lawyers. The honest counterweight, developed below, is that the Washington College of Law's overall ten-month employment rate of 85.3% trails the regional schools in this set, so an American University Washington College of Law degree buys national and large-firm reach rather than the near-certain local placement those schools offer.

American University Washington College of Law at a glance: LSAT, GPA, acceptance rate and cost

American University Washington College of Law is a national-reach private school in Washington, D.C. According to the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, the fall 2025 class had a 162 LSAT median, a 3.63 GPA median, and a 33.28% acceptance rate. Full-time tuition and fees run $69,172. The table below collects the core American University Washington College of Law figures for quick reference.

MetricAmerican University Washington College of Law (fall 2025 entering class)LSAT (25th / 50th / 75th)157 / 162 / 163GPA (25th / 50th / 75th)3.32 / 3.63 / 3.75Acceptance rate33.28%Applications5,952Offers of admission1,981Matriculants from the pool400First-year class405 (354 full-time + 51 part-time)Full-time tuition and fees$69,172Living expenses$33,832Share receiving grants59%Median grant$40,000Conditional scholarshipsNoFirst-time bar passage81.28%Employed at ten months85.3% (326 of 382)

Source: American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report for the fall 2025 entering class, the Washington College of Law's ABA bar-passage report, and the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024. Tuition and living expenses are printed separately in the 509, which does not publish a single combined cost-of-attendance total, so this page does not report one.

What LSAT and GPA do you really need to get into American University Washington College of Law?

You really need a 162 LSAT and a 3.63 GPA to sit at the center of American University Washington College of Law's class. The Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure puts the LSAT middle at 157 to 163 and the GPA middle at 3.32 to 3.75. Below either 25th percentile, the other number has to compensate clearly.

American University Washington College of Law reports an LSAT 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of 157, 162, and 163, and a GPA spread of 3.32, 3.63, and 3.75, in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. A 162 LSAT and a 3.63 GPA place an applicant exactly at both of the Washington College of Law's medians, which is the center of the admitted class. At a 33.28% acceptance rate, sitting at both medians makes an applicant genuinely competitive at American University Washington College of Law, and because roughly one in three applicants receives an offer, clearing the medians is a realistic goal rather than a reach.

The LSAT band has a low floor and a high, tight top. The Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure puts the 25th percentile LSAT at 157, the median at 162, and the 75th at 163, so the top half of the class clusters tightly between 162 and 163 while the bottom quarter reaches down to 157. A 157 is inside American University Washington College of Law's reported range and not disqualifying, particularly if the GPA is at or above the median, though it sits at the bottom quarter of the class. The narrow gap between the median and the 75th percentile means that once an applicant clears 162, additional LSAT points beyond 163 mostly help with scholarship rather than admission at American University Washington College of Law.

The GPA band is wide and reaches low. The Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure puts the 25th percentile GPA at 3.32 and the median at 3.63, a 0.31 spread, so a transcript in the low-to-mid 3.3s is inside American University Washington College of Law's reported range. A number below 3.32 starts to need an LSAT at or above the 163 upper quartile to offset it, because at that point the application falls under the bottom quarter of the class on GPA. The relatively low GPA floor is part of why American University Washington College of Law draws such a large applicant pool.

On the splitter question, American University Washington College of Law is splitter friendly. In its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, the GPA spread from the 25th percentile to the median is 0.31 and the LSAT spread is five points, so the numbers reward a strong LSAT that offsets a softer transcript. Splitter friendly means American University Washington College of Law will accept a lower GPA when the LSAT is strong; a reverse-splitter-friendly school does the opposite. The practical read is that an applicant with a 163 LSAT and a GPA in the low 3.3s has a real path at American University Washington College of Law, since the strong test score carries the softer GPA.

Is American University Washington College of Law harder to get into than its reputation?

No. American University Washington College of Law is more accessible than its national brand suggests. Among the 43 ABA law schools whose median LSAT is within two points of the Washington College of Law's 162, that is, a median of 160 to 164, ranked by acceptance rate, American University Washington College of Law is the 26th most selective, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures.

To size up American University Washington College of Law's selectivity fairly, the comparison has to hold the academic profile roughly constant, which is what the band-peer read does. Being 26th of 43 places American University Washington College of Law in the more accessible half of the group of schools that admit students at a similar LSAT level, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. In plain terms, most schools at the Washington College of Law's academic level admit a smaller share of applicants. The 33.28% acceptance rate that American University Washington College of Law reports in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure is consistent with that more-accessible position.

The applicant behavior confirms it. American University Washington College of Law drew the largest applicant pool in this set, 5,952 applications, and extended 1,981 offers per its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, a large number of offers that reflects a school competing hard for cross-admitted students in the Washington market. So the honest read is that American University Washington College of Law is not harder to get into than its reputation: its well-known national brand outpaces its admissions selectivity, which makes it a realistic target for applicants with numbers at or near its medians. The tradeoff that balances this accessibility shows up on the outcomes side, covered below.

How much does American University Washington College of Law cost, and how much scholarship money will you get?

American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure lists full-time tuition and fees at $69,172 and living expenses at $33,832, with no single cost-of-attendance total printed. The Washington College of Law awards grants to 59% of students, the narrowest reach in this set, but funds a large number of full-tuition awards.

Start with the sticker. American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure lists full-time tuition and fees at $69,172 and separately lists living expenses at $33,832, reflecting the cost of living in Washington, D.C. That 509 does not print a single combined cost-of-attendance total, so any all-in annual figure quoted elsewhere is someone's arithmetic rather than a number the Washington College of Law reports, and this page will not invent one.

The aid picture at American University Washington College of Law has an unusual, barbell shape that every applicant should understand. According to the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, 59% of students receive grant aid, the lowest participation rate in this set, which means roughly four in ten American University Washington College of Law students receive no grant at all and pay the full sticker. Among those who do receive aid, the grant amounts at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles are each reported at $40,000, an unusually flat distribution, and American University Washington College of Law separately reports 68 full-tuition awards and 10 awards above full tuition. So the money concentrates at two poles: a large group of top applicants attend on a full ride or a $40,000 award, while a substantial minority pay in full.

Here is the math for a typical recipient. Against the $69,172 sticker for tuition and fees, a student receiving American University Washington College of Law's median grant of $40,000 nets about $29,172 in tuition and fees before living costs, using figures from the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. A student who lands one of the 68 full-tuition awards pays nothing toward tuition, while a student who receives no grant pays the full $69,172. American University Washington College of Law reports that its scholarships are not conditional, per the same disclosure, so a first-year award cannot be cut for grades, and the grant a Washington College of Law student is quoted at admission holds for all three years. The strategic lesson is that at American University Washington College of Law, strong numbers matter twice, once for admission and again to land on the funded side of the barbell.

What are your real chances off the American University Washington College of Law waitlist?

Better than at most schools in this set, because the yield is low. American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure shows 1,981 offers and 400 matriculants from the pool, an implied yield of 20.2%. No ABA disclosure publishes waitlist admits, so implied yield is the honest proxy, and a yield near a fifth means the Washington College of Law sends many offers and enrolls a smaller share of them.

Here is the reasoning in full. American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure reports 1,981 offers of admission and 400 matriculants drawn from that applicant pool, which is an implied yield of 20.2%. No ABA disclosure, the Washington College of Law's included, publishes how many applicants are admitted off the waitlist or how many accept, so implied yield is the honest proxy for waitlist movement. When a school converts only about 20 of every 100 offers into enrollments, as American University Washington College of Law does, it is extending far more offers than it has seats and losing many admitted students to cross-admit competition, which tends to leave the waitlist more active than at a high-yield school.

Put in context, American University Washington College of Law's 20.2% yield is the lowest in this set of profiles, well below the roughly one-third yields of the regional schools here and far below the 70-percent-plus yields of the national elites. For a waitlisted applicant, that lower yield is modestly good news, because a school that loses a large share of its admits is more likely to reach into its waitlist to fill the class. Still, no waitlist is a guarantee, so a waitlisted applicant to American University Washington College of Law should keep other options alive while signaling continued interest. One honest note on the class figures: the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure lists 400 matriculants from the pool against a first-year class of 405, which includes 354 full-time and 51 part-time students, and the 20.2% implied yield is computed from the 400 pool matriculants against the 1,981 offers.

Where do American University Washington College of Law graduates actually work?

Across the Washington region and the country. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, the District of Columbia took 38.2% of American University Washington College of Law graduates and the top three markets took 58.6%, the broadest distribution in this set. Large firms of 101 or more lawyers hired 17.5%, the highest large-firm share here, while 85.3% of the class was employed at ten months, the lowest employment rate in this set.

Start with geography, where American University Washington College of Law differs sharply from the regional schools in this set. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, the Washington College of Law placed 146 graduates in the District of Columbia, 51 in Maryland, and 27 in New York, its three largest markets. The District took 38.2% of the class and the top three markets took 58.6%, per the same summary. That is the least concentrated result among the schools profiled here: American University Washington College of Law graduates fan out across the District, the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, New York, and other markets rather than piling into one state. For an applicant who wants optionality across markets, that national reach is a real feature of an American University Washington College of Law degree.

The employer mix leans toward large firms and government. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 17.5% of American University Washington College of Law graduates at large firms of 101 or more lawyers, the highest large-firm share in this set, alongside heavy hiring by federal government agencies, which cluster in the Washington market the Washington College of Law serves. Federal clerkships are a smaller channel: the same summary reports 1.8% of the American University Washington College of Law class taking federal clerkships.

Now the honest tradeoff. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 326 of 382 American University Washington College of Law graduates employed at the ten-month mark, an 85.3% employment rate that is the lowest in this set of profiles. That figure is the counterweight to the school's national reach and large-firm share: American University Washington College of Law offers wider market options and strong large-firm access, but its overall placement rate trails the regional schools here, which convert their single-market concentration into near-certain local jobs. The Washington College of Law's ABA bar-passage report shows a first-time pass rate of 81.28% for the 2024 exam year, with the District of Columbia as the largest jurisdiction, and an ultimate pass rate of 85.67% for the 2022 cohort. American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure reports first-year academic attrition of 0.0%, meaning essentially no one washes out academically in the first year. A prospective student should weigh American University Washington College of Law with both its reach and its 85.3% placement rate in view.

When are American University Washington College of Law's application deadlines?

American University Washington College of Law runs a rolling admissions cycle that opens in the fall and reads files as they arrive. The school's specific Early Decision terms are not confirmed here for the current cycle, so an applicant weighing an early or binding option should confirm the current deadlines and Early Decision rules directly on the Washington College of Law's admissions site. The structure described below reflects the general cycle as verified in August 2026.

Because American University Washington College of Law reads on a rolling basis, the practical advice is to apply early in the cycle rather than to target a single hard deadline. In a rolling pool, admission offers and scholarship dollars are more plentiful early and shrink as the class fills, and given the barbell shape of aid at the Washington College of Law, applying early is especially important for landing on the funded side. A complete American University Washington College of Law application submitted in the fall generally competes for a larger share of both admission and aid than the same file submitted in the spring. An applicant who wants the best odds at American University Washington College of Law should have the LSAT score, transcripts, letters, and personal statement ready to submit as soon as the cycle opens. This page is a planning aid rather than the registrar of record, so confirm the current Washington College of Law deadlines and any Early Decision terms on the school's own admissions pages before relying on them, since cycle dates shift from year to year.

Frequently asked questions about getting into American University Washington College of Law

Is a 162 LSAT good enough for American University Washington College of Law?

Yes. A 162 is exactly American University Washington College of Law's LSAT median, per the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, which puts the middle range at 157 to 163. At a 33.28% acceptance rate, a median LSAT paired with a GPA at or above the 3.32 floor makes an applicant genuinely competitive at American University Washington College of Law. A 162 sits at the center of the admitted class.

What GPA do you need to get into American University Washington College of Law?

American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure reports a GPA median of 3.63, with a 25th percentile of 3.32 and a 75th percentile of 3.75. The middle half of the Washington College of Law's class sits between 3.32 and 3.75. Realistically you want a GPA of at least 3.32, and anything below it needs an LSAT near the 163 upper quartile to offset at American University Washington College of Law.

What is American University Washington College of Law's acceptance rate?

American University Washington College of Law's acceptance rate is 33.28%, computed as 1,981 offers against 5,952 applications in the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. That is moderately selective, and relative to schools at the same LSAT level American University Washington College of Law is on the more accessible side. About one in three applicants receives an offer from the Washington College of Law.

How many people apply to American University Washington College of Law each year?

American University Washington College of Law received 5,952 applications for its fall 2025 entering class, the largest pool in this set, according to the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. From that pool, American University Washington College of Law extended 1,981 offers and enrolled 400 matriculants, building a first-year class of 405 that includes a part-time division of 51 students alongside 354 full-time students.

How much does American University Washington College of Law cost per year?

American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure lists full-time tuition and fees at $69,172 and living expenses at $33,832 for the year, the latter reflecting Washington, D.C. costs. The Washington College of Law does not publish a single combined cost-of-attendance total, so this page will not quote one. A student receiving the median grant of $40,000 nets about $29,172 in tuition and fees before living costs.

Does American University Washington College of Law give scholarships?

Yes, but not to everyone. American University Washington College of Law awards grants to 59% of students, the narrowest reach in this set, per the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, with amounts at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles each reported at $40,000. Roughly four in ten American University Washington College of Law students receive no grant and pay the full sticker.

Does American University Washington College of Law give full-tuition scholarships?

Yes, to a sizable group. American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure reports 68 full-tuition awards and 10 awards above full tuition, so 78 students hold awards at or above the full tuition line. The aid at the Washington College of Law concentrates at the top, so strong numbers are the way to reach a full-tuition award at American University Washington College of Law.

Are American University Washington College of Law scholarships conditional on grades?

No. American University Washington College of Law reports that its scholarships are not conditional, per the Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, meaning a first-year award cannot be cut or revoked for missing a class-rank or GPA threshold. The grant an American University Washington College of Law student is quoted at admission is the grant they keep across all three years, with no first-year performance trap.

What is American University Washington College of Law's bar passage rate?

American University Washington College of Law's ABA bar-passage report shows a first-time pass rate of 81.28% for the 2024 exam year, with the District of Columbia as the largest jurisdiction. The ultimate pass rate, measured two years out for the 2022 cohort, is 85.67%, per the same report. A Washington College of Law student should plan for serious bar preparation to clear the exam on the first attempt.

Where do most American University Washington College of Law graduates work?

Most American University Washington College of Law graduates work in the Washington region, but the class spreads widely. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows the District of Columbia taking 146 graduates, or 38.2%, Maryland taking 51, and New York taking 27, so the top three markets account for 58.6% of the class, the broadest distribution in this set. The Washington College of Law offers real cross-market reach.

What share of American University Washington College of Law graduates are employed at ten months?

American University Washington College of Law reports 326 of 382 graduates employed at ten months, an 85.3% rate, in the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024. That is the lowest employment rate in this set of profiles, the honest counterweight to the Washington College of Law's national reach and large-firm share. An applicant should weigh American University Washington College of Law with that placement figure clearly in view.

Do American University Washington College of Law graduates get large-firm jobs?

Yes, at the highest rate in this set. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, 17.5% of American University Washington College of Law graduates took jobs at large firms of 101 or more lawyers, the top large-firm share among the schools profiled here. That sits alongside heavy hiring by federal government agencies in the Washington market. Large-firm work is a genuine outcome at the Washington College of Law.

Can a splitter get into American University Washington College of Law?

Yes. American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure shows a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.31 and an LSAT spread of five points, which makes the Washington College of Law splitter friendly: it forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high. The ideal American University Washington College of Law splitter pairs a 163 LSAT at the top quartile with a GPA in the low 3.3s.

How selective is American University Washington College of Law compared with schools at the same LSAT?

American University Washington College of Law is on the more accessible side of its band. Among the 43 ABA law schools with a median LSAT within two points of the Washington College of Law's 162, ranked by acceptance rate, its 33.28% ranks 26th most selective, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. Most schools at American University Washington College of Law's academic level admit a smaller share of applicants.

Is American University Washington College of Law worth the cost?

It depends on the aid and the goal. Against the $69,172 sticker in American University Washington College of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, a full-tuition award changes the math entirely, while the 41% paying full price face a harder case given the 85.3% ten-month employment rate in the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024. For a funded applicant targeting Washington-region or large-firm work, American University Washington College of Law can be worth it.

Sources

Every figure on this page is drawn from primary disclosures, listed here so readers can verify each one directly.

American University Washington College of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report for the fall 2025 entering class: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/AnnualQuestionnaire/GenerateIndividualDisclosure509Report?schoolId=27&year=2025

American University Washington College of Law ABA bar-passage report: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/BarPassageOutcomes/GenerateIndividualBarPassageReport?schoolId=27&year=2025

ABA Employment Summary, Class of 2024: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/EmploymentOutcomes/GenerateIndividualEQSummaryReport?schoolId=27&year=2024

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