Law Schools in Illinois + LSAT Prep (2026 Guide)

Illinois has nine ABA-accredited law schools, and their median LSATs span 149 to 174 in the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. That range runs from the University of Chicago at the top to Southern Illinois University Carbondale at the most accessible end, so applicants across a wide band of scores have a realistic path to law school in Illinois.

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. The admissions figures on this page come from each Illinois school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class, the in-state retention figures from the ABA Class of 2024 employment data, and the bar-exam status from the NCBE.

What law schools are in Illinois?

There are nine ABA-accredited law schools in Illinois, more than almost any state outside the coasts. Most sit in or near Chicago, with two public options downstate, so the state offers both national-reach programs and lower-cost regional schools. The table below lists every Illinois law school with its median LSAT, acceptance rate, and full-time tuition, each figure drawn from that school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class.

SchoolMedian LSATAcceptance rateFull-time tuitionUniversity of Chicago1749.7%$83,316Northwestern University (Pritzker)17312.3%$79,772University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign16632.9%$36,500Chicago-Kent College of Law (Illinois Tech)16138.6%$55,910Loyola University Chicago16128.2%$58,670DePaul University15834.8%$55,328University of Illinois Chicago (UIC Law)15352.6%$42,080Northern Illinois University15044.3%$23,667Southern Illinois University Carbondale14956.2%$22,088

Source: every median LSAT, acceptance rate, and full-time tuition figure in this table is taken from that school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report for the fall 2025 entering class, published through the ABA disclosure portal.

Two features of the Illinois list stand out. First, the top of the market is unusually strong: the University of Chicago posts a 174 median LSAT and a 9.7 percent acceptance rate, and Northwestern University (Pritzker) posts a 173 median and a 12.3 percent acceptance rate, both among the most selective in the country per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. Second, the state has genuine range on cost. Southern Illinois University Carbondale lists full-time tuition of $22,088 and Northern Illinois University lists $23,667 in the same 2025 ABA 509 filings, while the University of Chicago sits at $83,316. That is a spread of more than $60,000 a year between the most and least expensive law schools in Illinois.

The middle of the Illinois table is deep. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the flagship public program, reports a 166 median LSAT and a 32.9 percent acceptance rate at $36,500 in tuition, according to its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, which makes it one of the strongest value propositions in the state. Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Tech and Loyola University Chicago both report a 161 median, and DePaul University reports a 158 median, per the 2025 ABA 509 data, giving applicants in the high 150s and low 160s several credible Chicago options.

Geographically, the Illinois list is concentrated in Chicago. The University of Chicago, Northwestern University (Pritzker), Chicago-Kent College of Law, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, and the University of Illinois Chicago all sit in the Chicago metropolitan area, which means most of the state's law schools compete for students and jobs in the same market. The two downstate publics, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, extend legal education beyond the Chicago area at the lowest tuition in the state, according to their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign anchors the central part of the state as the flagship. That mix of six Chicago-area programs, a central-Illinois flagship, and two lower-cost downstate publics is what gives applicants to law school in Illinois an unusually wide set of choices on both selectivity and price.

What LSAT and GPA do you need for law school in Illinois?

Across the state, median LSATs run from 149 to 174 in the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, so there is no single number that defines what you need for law school in Illinois. The honest answer is that the score you need depends on which Illinois schools you are targeting, and almost every score in that band opens a real door somewhere in the state.

At the top, the University of Chicago (174 median) and Northwestern University (Pritzker) (173 median) expect scores in the low 170s to be competitive, per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. A 170 or above puts both of those Illinois programs in play alongside the strongest national schools. In the next tier, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign posts a 166 median, so a score in the mid-160s is competitive at the state flagship. A score in the low 160s lines up with Chicago-Kent College of Law and Loyola University Chicago, each at a 161 median, and a high-150s score matches DePaul University at 158, according to the same 2025 ABA 509 data.

Lower scores are not shut out in Illinois, and that matters. The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC Law) reports a 153 median and a 52.6 percent acceptance rate, Northern Illinois University reports a 150 median and a 44.3 percent acceptance rate, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale reports a 149 median and a 56.2 percent acceptance rate, all in the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. A score in the low 150s or even the high 140s is exactly where these more accessible Illinois schools admit applicants, so an applicant in that range has genuine options and should not conclude that no accredited school in Illinois will take them.

The density of the Chicago cluster gives Illinois applicants a practical advantage: within a narrow score band you often have several schools to target at once. An applicant in the low 160s, for example, can reasonably apply to Chicago-Kent College of Law and Loyola University Chicago at a 161 median and reach for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at 166, while treating DePaul University at 158 as a strong safety, all according to the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. Because those schools sit near each other on selectivity, a score at or above one school's median can also become scholarship leverage at the next school down, so it pays to apply across the band rather than to a single Illinois program.

On GPA, this statewide roll-up reports each Illinois school's median LSAT, acceptance rate, and tuition rather than a single GPA figure, so the precise GPA medians are not stated here and should be confirmed on each school's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. What the data does show is how much room the numbers leave on the transcript side: several Illinois schools admit meaningful shares of applicants whose GPA sits below the class median, which is discussed in the splitter section that follows. As a practical rule for Illinois, treat the LSAT as the lever you can most improve before you apply, and aim to reach or beat the median LSAT of your target school while presenting the strongest GPA your record allows.

Which Illinois law schools are splitter friendly?

A splitter is an applicant with a high LSAT but a lower GPA, and a reverse splitter is the opposite, a strong GPA paired with a lower LSAT. Illinois has schools that lean each way, which means an unbalanced file still has targets in the state. The reads below come from the 25th-to-median spreads in the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures.

Two Illinois programs read as reverse-splitter friendly, meaning they admit applicants whose LSAT sits well below the class median when the GPA is strong. Northwestern University (Pritzker) shows a six-point gap between its 25th percentile LSAT and its median, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shows the same six-point LSAT spread, per the 2025 ABA 509 data. For a high-GPA applicant whose LSAT lags, those two Illinois schools are the ones most likely to forgive the lower score.

On the splitter side, where a strong LSAT can carry a lower GPA, the widest GPA spreads in Illinois belong to Southern Illinois University Carbondale (a 0.45 gap between its 25th percentile GPA and its median) and DePaul University (a 0.44 gap), according to the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. Chicago-Kent College of Law (a 0.27 GPA spread), Northern Illinois University (0.24), and Loyola University Chicago (0.15) also read as splitter friendly in the same data. If your LSAT is your stronger number, these Illinois schools are the ones where that profile plays best. The takeaway for Illinois is that both kinds of splitters have a home in the state, so an unbalanced application is not a dead end here.

What is the legal job market like in Illinois?

The Illinois legal market is dominated by Chicago, one of the largest legal economies in the country, with the state capital in Springfield adding public-sector and government work. The clearest signal in the data is how much of each school's graduating class stays to practice in Illinois, drawn here from the ABA Class of 2024 employment data.

The regional Illinois schools retain the largest shares of their classes. Chicago-Kent College of Law keeps 79 percent of its class in Illinois, DePaul University keeps 74 percent, and Loyola University Chicago and Northern Illinois University each keep 71 percent, according to the ABA Class of 2024 employment data. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign keeps 67 percent in the state, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale keeps 51 percent, per the same ABA Class of 2024 figures. These are Illinois-centered programs whose graduates overwhelmingly build careers in the state, and especially in the Chicago metro.

The two national programs behave differently, as you would expect. The University of Chicago keeps 24 percent of its class in Illinois and Northwestern University (Pritzker) keeps 44 percent, according to the ABA Class of 2024 employment data, because their graduates disperse to major legal markets across the country. That lower in-state share is a feature of a national school, not a weakness. One honest gap: the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC Law) is not reported with an in-state retention figure in this roll-up, so its class-retention share is not stated here and should be checked against its own ABA employment summary. This page does not quote salary figures for the Illinois market, because the packet behind it does not include them.

The practical reading of these numbers is that Chicago is the gravitational center of the Illinois legal market. The regional schools with retention in the 70s, Chicago-Kent College of Law, DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, and Northern Illinois University, are effectively feeders into Chicago-area practice, per the ABA Class of 2024 employment data. If your goal is to practice in Illinois, and specifically in Chicago, those in-state retention shares are a meaningful signal that the school's alumni network and employer relationships are concentrated where you want to be. If your goal is national mobility, the University of Chicago and Northwestern, whose graduates spread across the country, fit that aim better while still placing well within Illinois.

Does Illinois use the NextGen bar exam?

Illinois has adopted the NextGen bar exam, and its first NextGen administration is scheduled for February 2028, according to the NCBE. Until that point, Illinois remains a Uniform Bar Examination jurisdiction, so candidates sitting for the Illinois bar before the transition take the current UBE.

The timing matters for anyone planning a study calendar around law school in Illinois. The NCBE reports that the legacy UBE and its Multistate Bar Examination component end nationally after the February 2028 administration, and Illinois is set to move to NextGen at that same February 2028 sitting. In practical terms, students who graduate and sit for the Illinois bar before February 2028 will take the UBE, while those testing at or after that transition will take the NextGen exam. If your Illinois timeline straddles that date, confirm which format applies to your intended sitting with the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar, since the NCBE sets the national framework but each jurisdiction administers its own transition.

Where can you take the LSAT in Illinois?

LSAT test centers are available in Illinois's major metros, with the heaviest concentration in and around Chicago, the state's largest metropolitan area. Because the specific list of centers and the balance of in-person and remote seats change every testing cycle, the reliable move is to check LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org when you register rather than relying on a fixed address.

Beyond Chicago and its suburbs, applicants across Illinois can generally find testing options serving the state's other population centers, including the Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, and Champaign-Urbana areas, though exact availability shifts by cycle. LSAC also offers a remote-proctored option that lets many Illinois candidates test from home, which is worth weighing against an in-person seat. Whichever you choose, register early: the best dates and locations in Illinois fill first, and a seat near you is easier to secure well ahead of the deadline.

Which Illinois universities feed law school?

Illinois has a deep bench of universities that regularly send graduates into law school. The flagship, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a leading pre-law feeder in the state, and the University of Chicago and Northwestern University send strong cohorts as well. Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, the University of Illinois Chicago, Illinois State University, and Southern Illinois University round out the list of common feeders across Illinois.

These schools are named as typical pre-law pipelines based on their size and prominence in Illinois rather than any specific placement statistic, which this roll-up does not carry. A strong pre-law path in Illinois is less about the name on your undergraduate diploma than about the LSAT score and GPA you assemble, so an applicant from any Illinois university can compete for the schools in the table above by focusing on those two numbers. The state's large public and private universities simply make convenient launch points because of their size and their pre-law advising resources.

Frequently asked questions about law school in Illinois

How many law schools are in Illinois?

Illinois has nine ABA-accredited law schools, according to the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures compiled for this guide. They range from the University of Chicago at a 174 median LSAT down to Southern Illinois University Carbondale at 149, so the state offers both nationally selective programs and accessible regional options. Most are clustered in the Chicago area, with two public schools located downstate in Illinois.

What is the easiest law school to get into in Illinois?

By acceptance rate, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is the most accessible law school in Illinois at 56.2 percent, with a 149 median LSAT, per its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC Law) follows at 52.6 percent and Northern Illinois University at 44.3 percent in the same data. These Illinois schools admit applicants in the low 150s and high 140s, so a modest score still has a home in the state.

What is the best law school in Illinois?

By the 2025 ABA 509 numbers, the University of Chicago is the most selective law school in Illinois, with a 174 median LSAT and a 9.7 percent acceptance rate, followed closely by Northwestern University (Pritzker) at a 173 median and 12.3 percent. Both are national programs. Best is ultimately about fit and cost, and for many Illinois applicants the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at a 166 median offers the strongest value in the state.

What LSAT score do you need for law school in Illinois?

It depends on your target. Median LSATs in Illinois run 149 to 174 in the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures, so a low-170s score is competitive at the University of Chicago and Northwestern, the mid-160s at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the low 150s or high 140s at the most accessible Illinois schools. Aim to reach or beat the median of the specific school you want, and remember that a lower score still opens real options in Illinois.

How much does law school cost in Illinois?

Full-time tuition in Illinois ranges widely, from $22,088 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and $23,667 at Northern Illinois University to $83,316 at the University of Chicago, according to the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. The flagship University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign lists $36,500. That is a spread of more than $60,000 a year, so cost is a major variable when choosing among Illinois law schools, before any scholarship aid.

Does Illinois use the NextGen bar exam?

Yes. Illinois has adopted the NextGen bar exam and is scheduled to give its first NextGen administration in February 2028, according to the NCBE. Until then, Illinois remains a Uniform Bar Examination jurisdiction. The NCBE reports that the legacy UBE and its Multistate Bar Examination component end after the February 2028 administration, so Illinois candidates sitting at or after that date will take NextGen while earlier sittings use the UBE.

Can you take the bar in Illinois with an out-of-state degree?

Yes. A JD from any ABA-accredited law school qualifies you to sit for the Illinois bar, so you do not have to attend one of the nine law schools in Illinois to be admitted to practice there. This is standard practice nationally rather than a figure from the packet. Applicants should confirm the current Illinois admission requirements, including character and fitness, with the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar.

Which Illinois law school has the best bar passage?

This statewide roll-up reports median LSAT, acceptance rate, and tuition for each Illinois school but does not include school-by-school first-time bar-passage rates, so it would be inventing a figure to name a single leader. To compare bar passage across Illinois law schools, consult each school's ABA bar-passage report through the ABA disclosure portal, where the first-time and ultimate pass rates for every Illinois program are published.

Are there part-time or evening law programs in Illinois?

This guide focuses on the 2025 ABA 509 admissions figures for Illinois and does not enumerate which schools run part-time or evening divisions, so it will not attribute specific program formats that were not provided. Several Chicago-area schools have historically offered part-time study, but the reliable step is to confirm the current part-time and evening options directly with each Illinois law school you are considering before you apply.

Where can you take the LSAT in Illinois?

LSAT test centers operate in Illinois's major metros, concentrated in the Chicago area and serving other population centers such as Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, and Champaign-Urbana. Because specific centers change each cycle, check LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org when you register. A remote-proctored option also lets many Illinois candidates test from home, so weigh that against an in-person seat and register early for the best availability in Illinois.

Which Illinois law schools are splitter friendly?

On the splitter side, where a high LSAT offsets a lower GPA, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and DePaul University show the widest GPA spreads in Illinois, followed by Chicago-Kent College of Law, Northern Illinois University, and Loyola University Chicago, per the 2025 ABA 509 data. As reverse splitters, where a strong GPA offsets a lower LSAT, Northwestern University (Pritzker) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign show the widest LSAT spreads in Illinois.

Do you have to go to law school in Illinois to practice there?

No. You can earn a JD from an ABA-accredited school in any state and then sit for the Illinois bar to practice in Illinois, so attending an in-state school is not required. Many practitioners in Illinois studied elsewhere and returned. Confirm current admission rules, including any admission on motion for licensed attorneys, with the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar, since those rules sit outside the 509 data used here.

Is the University of Chicago hard to get into?

Yes. The University of Chicago is the most selective law school in Illinois, reporting a 174 median LSAT and a 9.7 percent acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, which places it among the most competitive programs in the country. A low-170s LSAT and a very strong GPA are the realistic baseline. Applicants who fall short of that bar still have many strong options elsewhere in Illinois, several of them at far lower tuition.

Which Illinois law school is the cheapest?

Southern Illinois University Carbondale reports the lowest full-time tuition among Illinois law schools at $22,088, followed by Northern Illinois University at $23,667, according to their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. The flagship University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the next-lowest major option at $36,500. These figures are sticker tuition before any scholarship aid, so an applicant weighing cost in Illinois should compare net price after grants, not just the published rate.

Can a 150 LSAT get you into law school in Illinois?

Yes. A 150 is right at the median for Northern Illinois University, which posts a 150 median LSAT and a 44.3 percent acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, and it is competitive at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (149 median) and the University of Illinois Chicago (153 median). A 150 score opens real doors in Illinois, particularly at the state's more accessible programs, so it should be treated as a workable starting point rather than a barrier.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from primary disclosures, listed here so readers can verify each one directly for Illinois.

ABA Standard 509 Information Reports (2025), for each Illinois law school's median LSAT, acceptance rate, and full-time tuition, through the ABA disclosure portal: https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

NCBE, for Illinois bar-exam status and the NextGen transition timeline: https://www.ncbex.org/

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