Law Schools in Kansas + LSAT Prep (2026 Guide)

There are two law schools in Kansas accredited by the ABA: the University of Kansas and Washburn University. Their median LSATs span 155 to 162, according to each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. A score in the high 150s is competitive at either Kansas school, and the mid-150s reach the more accessible option.

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 school-level figure in this Kansas guide comes from that school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class, and every bar-exam detail comes from the NCBE.

What law schools are in Kansas?

Kansas is home to two ABA accredited law schools: the University of Kansas, the state's flagship public school in Lawrence, and Washburn University in Topeka, the state capital. Two schools makes Kansas a small state for legal education, so applicants who want to study in Kansas are choosing between these two public programs rather than a long list. The table below sets both Kansas schools side by side on the numbers applicants compare first.

SchoolMedian LSATAcceptance rateFull-time tuitionUniversity of Kansas16239.1%$26,865Washburn University15546.5%$28,980

Each figure in this table, the median LSAT, the acceptance rate, and the full-time tuition, comes from that Kansas school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class. The University of Kansas holds the higher median LSAT at 162 and the lower acceptance rate at 39.1%, marking it as the more selective of the two Kansas schools. Washburn University reports a 155 median and a 46.5% acceptance rate, so it admits a somewhat larger share of applicants. On tuition the two Kansas schools are close, $26,865 at the University of Kansas and $28,980 at Washburn University, both of them public and both well below the sticker prices common at private law schools, which is one of the genuine advantages of studying law in Kansas.

Because Kansas offers only two ABA accredited law schools, the in-state decision is a direct comparison rather than a long shortlist, which lets you study both programs in real depth. The two Kansas schools sit seven LSAT points apart at the median and only about $2,000 apart on tuition, so for many applicants the deciding factors will be selectivity, location within Kansas, the specific practice areas each school emphasizes, and where each school's graduates actually build their careers. An applicant who is open to leaving the state will find additional options across the border in Missouri, where the Kansas City metropolitan area straddles the state line, but for a student committed to Kansas the choice is essentially the University of Kansas versus Washburn University.

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

In Kansas, median LSATs run from 155 to 162 across the two ABA law schools, according to their 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. The University of Kansas holds the state's top median at 162, while Washburn University sits at 155, the most accessible entry point in Kansas. A score in the high 150s clears the Washburn median and moves you toward the University of Kansas.

Start with the anchor number. A median LSAT is the score at the exact middle of a school's entering class, so half of the students admitted to that Kansas school scored above it and half scored below. When your score sits at or above a school's median, you are competitive there on the test, which is the most heavily weighted number in law school admissions. At the University of Kansas, a 162 puts you at the center of the class, and any score from 162 up strengthens your file and your scholarship case. At Washburn University, a 155 sits at the middle of the class, so a score in the mid-150s is already inside the range Kansas's more accessible school admits from every year.

The seven-point spread between the two Kansas medians gives applicants a clear ladder. A score in the mid-150s makes Washburn University a realistic target and keeps the University of Kansas within reach if the rest of your file is strong. A score of 158 or 159 sits comfortably above the Washburn median and just below the University of Kansas median, which is often the sweet spot for a scholarship at Washburn and a competitive application at Kansas. A 162 or higher makes you competitive at the top of the state at the University of Kansas. Crucially, a score below the Washburn median does not close Kansas off, because at a 46.5% acceptance rate Washburn University admits a large share of applicants, so an applicant in the low 150s still has a genuine path in Kansas.

On GPA, this Kansas guide reports the LSAT medians each school publishes; the matching GPA bands are printed in those same 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, and this page does not reproduce the school-level GPA medians because they were not part of the underlying data set here. Treat the LSAT median as the anchor number for each Kansas school and confirm the exact GPA range in that school's 509 before you rely on it. As a general rule across Kansas, a strong application pairs an LSAT at or above the school's median with a GPA inside that school's published middle band, and a softer number on one measure asks the other to compensate.

If your score is not yet where you want it, the LSAT is the most improvable number in your file, which makes disciplined LSAT prep the highest-leverage step for a Kansas applicant. Moving from the mid-150s into the high 150s can shift you from the middle of the Washburn University class to the doorstep of the University of Kansas, and that same movement is what turns a modest scholarship into a larger one in Kansas. Because Kansas schools report the high score for applicants who test more than once, a well-prepared retake generally helps rather than hurts, so there is little downside to a focused second attempt if your timeline allows it. A structured study plan, timed sections, and careful review of missed logical reasoning and reading questions are the ordinary path to those gains.

Which Kansas law schools are splitter friendly?

Both Kansas law schools read as splitter friendly, based on their 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. The University of Kansas shows a GPA spread of 0.27 from the 25th percentile up to the median, and Washburn University shows a wider 0.31 spread. A splitter is an applicant with a high LSAT and a lower GPA, and both Kansas schools show the kind of GPA range that rewards a strong test score.

Here is what splitter friendly means in practice. A splitter carries a strong LSAT and a below-median GPA, while a reverse splitter carries the opposite, a strong GPA with a below-median LSAT. A splitter-friendly school is one whose numbers show it will accept a softer GPA when the LSAT is strong, which appears as a wide gap between the 25th percentile GPA and the median GPA. In Kansas, Washburn University's 0.31 GPA spread is the wider of the two, meaning it reaches furthest down on GPA for applicants whose test scores carry the file, and the University of Kansas is not far behind at 0.27. For a Kansas applicant whose GPA is the weaker half of the profile, both schools are realistic if the LSAT is strong, and the strategic move is to push the test score as high as possible.

The practical takeaway for Kansas is encouraging for splitters. Unlike some states where only one school forgives a soft transcript, both of the Kansas options show splitter-friendly spreads, so an applicant with, say, a 160 LSAT and a below-median GPA has a real case at the University of Kansas and an even stronger one at Washburn University. Confirm each Kansas school's current GPA band directly in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure before deciding where your profile fits best, and remember that a strong LSAT is the lever that makes the splitter strategy work in Kansas.

What is the legal job market like in Kansas?

Kansas anchors its legal market in three centers: the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Kansas and Missouri state line, Wichita, the state's largest city, and Topeka, the capital and the seat of state government. Retention differs sharply between the two Kansas schools. The University of Kansas keeps 42% of its class in Kansas, while Washburn University keeps 71%, according to the ABA Class of 2024 employment data behind this guide.

That retention gap tells a real story about the two Kansas schools. Washburn University, in the capital city of Topeka, keeps roughly seven in ten of its graduates in Kansas, a strong signal that it functions as a regional school feeding the state's courts, government offices, and local firms. The University of Kansas keeps a smaller 42% in the state, which reflects its position near the Kansas City metropolitan area: because that market spans the state line, a meaningful share of University of Kansas graduates practice on the Missouri side or move to larger markets elsewhere, so the number leaving Kansas is not a sign of weak outcomes but of a graduate base with broader geographic reach.

For an applicant deciding between the two Kansas schools, the retention figures are a planning tool. If your goal is to practice in Topeka, in state government, or in Kansas's smaller communities, Washburn University's 71% in-state retention shows a class deeply rooted in Kansas. If you are aiming for the Kansas City metropolitan market or want the option to cross into Missouri or move regionally, the University of Kansas class distributes more widely. This Kansas guide does not invent salary figures for either school, and for the exact placement counts by employer type and geography, an applicant should read the ABA Employment Summary that each Kansas school publishes, which breaks down where its most recent class actually landed.

Does Kansas use the NextGen bar exam?

Kansas currently administers the Uniform Bar Examination and has adopted the NextGen bar exam, with its first NextGen administration scheduled for July 2028, according to the NCBE. Nationally, the legacy exam era, including the current Multistate Bar Examination and the existing Uniform Bar Examination format, ends after the February 2028 administration, so Kansas's UBE scores remain the standard until its NextGen transition.

The NextGen bar exam is the National Conference of Bar Examiners' redesigned licensing test, built to assess legal skills and doctrine in a more integrated way than the older format. Kansas is a current Uniform Bar Examination jurisdiction, which means a score earned on the Kansas bar today can support admission in other UBE states under their transfer rules, a portability feature that has long been one of the UBE's advantages. Per the NCBE, Kansas will give its first NextGen exam in July 2028, so candidates who sit for the Kansas bar before that date will take the UBE and those at or after the July 2028 administration will take NextGen.

For planning purposes, the timeline is straightforward. A current Kansas law student who expects to graduate and sit for the bar before July 2028 should prepare for the Uniform Bar Examination that Kansas administers now. A student whose bar timeline falls at or after the July 2028 administration should prepare for NextGen in Kansas. Because the changeover sits close to several graduation dates, confirm which exam applies to your intended sitting with the Kansas bar authorities, who set the admission rules, character-and-fitness process, and application deadlines for the state, well before your exam date.

Where can you take the LSAT in Kansas?

LSAT test centers are available in Kansas's major metropolitan areas, including Wichita, the state's largest city, the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side, Topeka, the capital, and the Lawrence area near the University of Kansas. Because the specific list of open centers and available seats changes with each testing cycle, the reliable move is to check LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org when you register rather than to rely on a fixed address.

The modern LSAT is also offered in a remotely proctored, online format that many Kansas test-takers use from home, which removes the geography problem for candidates with a quiet space and a stable internet connection. Kansas is a large state by land area, so for residents outside the main metros the remote option can save a long drive to a physical center. Applicants who prefer the structure of an in-person test will generally find a center within reach of Wichita, the Kansas City metropolitan area, Topeka, or Lawrence, and when you register through LSAC you will see the in-person centers and the remote option side by side, along with the dates still open in the current cycle.

Whichever format you choose in Kansas, register early. Seats at any given center are limited, and the most convenient Kansas locations and dates fill first, so an applicant who waits until the last week before a deadline may find the nearest open center farther away than expected. Booking your Kansas test date as soon as the registration window opens gives you the widest choice of location and the best chance of testing on the date that fits your study plan and your target application cycle.

Which Kansas universities feed law school?

Kansas's flagship public university is the University of Kansas in Lawrence, which also houses one of the state's two law schools, and it is a leading pre-law feeder within the state. Kansas State University in Manhattan, Wichita State University in Wichita, and Washburn University in Topeka are the state's other major universities, and each sends graduates into law school. Together these institutions form the core of the pre-law pipeline in Kansas.

Pre-law is a path rather than a single major, so a Kansas student aiming for law school does not need a specific undergraduate degree. Students from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, and Washburn University commonly major in political science, history, economics, English, and criminal justice, disciplines that build the reading, reasoning, and writing skills the LSAT rewards, but strong law applicants also come out of business, the sciences, agriculture, and engineering. What matters most for a Kansas undergraduate is a high GPA in a demanding course load, meaningful involvement in activities that show judgment and commitment, and a deliberate LSAT preparation plan begun well before the application year.

It is worth stating plainly that a Kansas undergraduate is in no way limited to a Kansas law school, and graduates of Kansas colleges regularly enroll at law schools across the country. This page names the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, and Washburn University as common in-state pre-law starting points based on their role as the state's major universities, and it does not attribute any specific law school placement statistic to them, because no such figure was part of the data behind this Kansas guide.

Frequently asked questions about law school in Kansas

How many law schools are in Kansas?

Kansas has two ABA accredited law schools: the University of Kansas in Lawrence and Washburn University in Topeka. That makes Kansas a small state for legal education, and both are public schools. Each appears with its median LSAT, acceptance rate, and full-time tuition in the table above, every figure drawn from that Kansas school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class.

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

By both measures, Washburn University is the more accessible law school in Kansas: it reports a 46.5% acceptance rate against the University of Kansas's 39.1%, and a 155 median LSAT against Kansas's 162, according to each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. So an applicant with a mid-150s score will generally find Washburn University the easier of the two Kansas schools to enter.

What is the best law school in Kansas?

The University of Kansas holds the higher median LSAT in Kansas, 162 in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, and is the state's flagship law school. Best still depends on your goals, since Washburn University keeps far more of its class in Kansas. Weigh each school's cost, location, and the employment outcomes you can verify in its ABA Employment Summary before ranking the two Kansas schools.

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

Median LSATs in Kansas run 155 to 162, according to the two schools' 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. A score in the high 150s clears the Washburn University median of 155 and approaches the University of Kansas median of 162. A score in the low 150s still has a real path in Kansas, since Washburn University admits 46.5% of applicants, so the state stays reachable.

How much does law school cost in Kansas?

Full-time tuition in Kansas is $26,865 at the University of Kansas and $28,980 at Washburn University, according to each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Both are public schools with tuition well below typical private law school rates, and the two Kansas figures sit only about $2,000 apart. These figures are tuition only, so budget separately for living costs in Kansas and weigh any scholarship offer.

Does Kansas use the NextGen bar exam?

Kansas currently administers the Uniform Bar Examination and has adopted the NextGen bar exam, with its first NextGen administration set for July 2028, according to the NCBE. Nationally the legacy exam era ends after the February 2028 administration, so a Kansas candidate should confirm which exam applies to their sitting, since the changeover falls close to several graduation dates.

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

Yes. Kansas admits bar candidates who earned their J.D. at any ABA accredited law school, not only the two schools located in Kansas, so an out-of-state graduate can sit for the Kansas bar. Because Kansas is currently a Uniform Bar Examination jurisdiction, a qualifying UBE score may also transfer under its rules. Confirm the current eligibility requirements with the Kansas bar authorities before you apply.

Which Kansas law school has the best bar passage?

This Kansas guide does not reproduce school-level bar passage rates, because those figures were not part of the underlying data set here. Each Kansas school publishes its first-time bar passage rate in its ABA disclosures, so compare the University of Kansas and Washburn University directly in those reports. Kansas itself moves from the Uniform Bar Examination to the NextGen bar exam in July 2028, per the NCBE.

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

Program format by school, including any part-time or evening division, was not part of the data behind this Kansas guide, so this page does not confirm which Kansas schools offer those tracks. An applicant who needs a part-time or evening schedule should check the admissions pages of the University of Kansas and Washburn University directly to confirm the current Kansas options before applying.

Where can you take the LSAT in Kansas?

LSAT test centers operate in Kansas's major metros, including Wichita, the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side, Topeka, and the Lawrence area, and the exam is also offered in a remotely proctored online format. Because open centers and seats change every cycle, check LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org when you register, and book your Kansas test date early since convenient dates fill first.

Which Kansas law schools are splitter friendly?

Both Kansas law schools read as splitter friendly. The University of Kansas shows a GPA spread of 0.27 from the 25th percentile to the median, and Washburn University shows a wider 0.31 spread, according to their 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. That means a strong LSAT can carry a lower GPA at either Kansas school, with Washburn University reaching a little further down on GPA.

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

No. You do not have to attend a Kansas law school to practice in Kansas. A graduate of any ABA accredited law school can qualify to sit for the Kansas bar and practice in the state, subject to the Kansas bar authorities' rules. Attending a Kansas school can help you build local connections, especially given Washburn University's strong in-state retention, but it is not a requirement.

Which Kansas law school keeps the most graduates in state?

Washburn University keeps the larger share of its class in Kansas, 71% against the University of Kansas's 42%, according to the ABA Class of 2024 employment data behind this guide. Washburn University's high retention reflects its role as a regional school in the capital city of Topeka, while the University of Kansas class distributes more widely, partly toward the Kansas City metropolitan market.

Is Kansas an affordable state for law school?

Relatively, yes. Both Kansas law schools are public, with full-time tuition of $26,865 at the University of Kansas and $28,980 at Washburn University in their 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, well below the sticker prices common at private schools. Living costs in Kansas are generally moderate, but budget for them separately, and weigh scholarship offers, since aid can lower the effective price at either Kansas school.

Sources

Every figure in this Kansas guide is drawn from primary disclosures, listed here so readers can verify each one directly.

ABA Standard 509 disclosures for each Kansas law school, fall 2025 entering class, via the ABA Required Disclosures portal: https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

NextGen bar exam status and administration dates for Kansas, National Conference of Bar Examiners: https://www.ncbex.org

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