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TL;DR

Every ABA-accredited law school requires a bachelor's degree, an LSAT or GRE score, LSAC-verified transcripts, a personal statement, and letters of recommendation. There is no required major. Most schools primarily accept the LSAT, though a growing number also accept the GRE under ABA Standard 503. Requirements beyond these core five vary by school.

What are the requirements to get into law school?

To apply to law school you need a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, an LSAT or GRE score, transcripts submitted through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS), a personal statement, two or three letters of recommendation, and a resume. Individual schools may add supplemental essays, an interview, or a diversity statement.

The American Bar Association (ABA) sets the accreditation standards that govern what member schools may require, but each school decides its own application checklist within those standards. That is why one school's application is six components and another's is nine. Below is the full set of pieces you should expect to assemble, in the order most applicants complete them.

• Requirement: Bachelor's degree | What it is: A four-year degree from an accredited college or university, in any major | Notes: Must be completed (or in progress, with proof of expected completion) before enrollment
• Requirement: LSAT or GRE score | What it is: A standardized test score reported through LSAC | Notes: Most schools still require or prefer the LSAT; see below
• Requirement: LSAC CAS report | What it is: Consolidated transcripts, GPA calculation, and (if applicable) test scores | Notes: Required by nearly all ABA-accredited schools; you register and pay for this separately from any single school's application
• Requirement: Personal statement | What it is: A 2–4 page essay on why you're pursuing law and what you'll bring to the program | Notes: Page limits vary by school — always follow the specific school's instructions, not a generic template
• Requirement: Letters of recommendation | What it is: Typically two or three, from professors or supervisors who can speak to your analytical and writing ability | Notes: Academic letters are generally preferred over purely professional ones, especially for recent graduates
• Requirement: Resume | What it is: A one- to two-page summary of education, work, and activities | Notes: Should emphasize responsibility, writing, and analytical work over volunteer hours alone
• Requirement: Application fee | What it is: A per-school fee, separate from the LSAC CAS fee | Notes: Many schools offer fee waivers for demonstrated financial need
• Requirement: Optional addenda | What it is: Short explanations for a GPA dip, a gap in education, or a low LSAT/GRE score | Notes: Only include one if something in your file genuinely needs context

International applicants and applicants whose undergraduate instruction was not in English typically face one additional requirement: proof of English proficiency, usually the TOEFL or IELTS, submitted alongside the CAS report.

A note on character and fitness: the formal Character and Fitness review that can affect your ability to be admitted to the bar happens later, during bar application, not law school admission. Some law school applications still ask disclosure questions about academic discipline or criminal history at the application stage, and you should answer them honestly and completely, since inconsistencies discovered later can cause far more damage than the underlying incident itself.

Do you need a specific major?

No law school requires a specific undergraduate major. Admissions committees accept applicants from every field, from political science to engineering to nursing. What matters more is your GPA, your ability to read dense text critically, and the quality of your writing. Political science, English, history, and philosophy are common majors among applicants, but they confer no admissions advantage over any other field.

What law schools are actually screening for through your undergraduate record is evidence that you can handle a heavy reading load, construct an argument, and write clearly under deadline pressure. A biology major with strong grades in writing-intensive electives and a STEM curriculum that demonstrates analytical rigor is just as competitive as a philosophy major — arguably more distinctive, since admissions committees see fewer STEM-heavy files.

A few practical points on the academic side of your file:

• GPA is calculated by LSAC, not by you. The CAS recalculates your cumulative GPA using its own standardized method, which counts every grade from every attempt at a course — including repeats — rather than letting a later, higher grade replace an earlier one the way some undergraduate transcripts do.
• Course difficulty is considered but not quantified. Admissions readers will notice if your transcript is padded with low-rigor electives, even though there's no formula that penalizes this.
• Double majors and minors don't move the needle on their own. They're only relevant if they show something specific — sustained interest, unusual rigor, or a skill (like a foreign language or statistics) directly useful in your intended practice area.
• A “pre-law” track is not required and, at most undergraduate institutions, doesn't formally exist. Pre-law advising offices help with logistics and letters, but there is no accredited pre-law major that law schools expect or reward.

LSAT vs GRE — which do schools accept?

Most ABA-accredited law schools accept the LSAT, and a growing number also accept the GRE under ABA Standard 503, which allows a school to use an alternative admissions test if it has validated that test as a reliable predictor of first-year law school performance. The LSAT remains the more universally accepted test and is still required outright by schools that have not adopted the GRE option.

The two tests are structurally different, and the difference matters for how you prepare, not just where you can apply.

• Format: Scored sections | Fully digital: Two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one Reading Comprehension section (Logic Games/Analytical Reasoning was removed as of August 2024) | Digital or at-home: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Analytical Writing
• Format: Score scale | Fully digital: 120–180 | Digital or at-home: 130–170 per section (Verbal and Quant)
• Format: Content focus | Fully digital: Reading comprehension, argument analysis, formal and informal logic | Digital or at-home: Vocabulary, algebra/geometry, data interpretation, general reasoning
• Format: Accepted by | Fully digital: Nearly all ABA-accredited schools | Digital or at-home: A growing subset of ABA-accredited schools, under Standard 503
• Format: Best for | Fully digital: Applicants applying only to law school, or to schools that don't accept the GRE | Digital or at-home: Applicants who already have a strong GRE score for another graduate program, or a documented reason the LSAT's format doesn't suit them

A handful of well-known law schools — including some in the T14 — have publicly stated they accept the GRE in place of the LSAT. That list changes from cycle to cycle, so confirm current policy directly on each school's admissions page before you register for either test; do not rely on a policy you read somewhere last year.

Even where the GRE is accepted, there's a practical reason most applicants still take the LSAT: scholarship and admissions committees have decades of LSAT data to calibrate against, and far less GRE data in a law-school context. If you're aiming for merit scholarships as well as admission, an LSAT score gives the committee a more familiar number to compare you against — and gives you [[VERIFY: score-to-scholarship benchmark data]] a clearer read on where you stand relative to a school's published median. If you're weighing which test to prioritize as part of your overall application strategy, it's worth reviewing the complete law school admissions requirements checklist before you commit to a test-prep timeline.

How Lovare approaches law school admissions requirements: Lovare treats the LSAT/GRE decision, the personal statement, and letters of recommendation as one connected file, not three separate projects, because that's how admissions committees actually read them. If you want a second opinion on your specific mix of GPA, test score, and file strength, Lovare's advisors work from a dataset of thousands of past applicant outcomes rather than a single reader's gut instinct — [[VERIFY: dataset size for public citation]].

FAQ

Do all law schools require the LSAT?

No. Most ABA-accredited law schools require or strongly prefer the LSAT, but a growing number accept the GRE instead under ABA Standard 503. A small number of programs, mostly non-JD or hybrid programs, may waive the testing requirement entirely. Always confirm the specific policy on each school's own admissions page.

Can I get into law school with a low GPA?

Yes, a lower GPA does not automatically disqualify you. Admissions committees weigh your GPA against your LSAT or GRE score, your trajectory (improving grades over time matters), and any addendum explaining specific circumstances. A strong test score and a well-explained addendum can meaningfully offset a weaker undergraduate GPA.

What GPA do I need for law school?

There is no single GPA requirement across law schools. Each school publishes a median GPA for its incoming class, and applicants are evaluated relative to that specific school's median rather than a universal cutoff. Check the current published median on the school's own admissions page or through the ABA's required disclosures.

How many letters of recommendation do I need?

Most law schools require two, and some accept or require three. Academic letters, from professors who taught you directly, are generally preferred over professional letters, especially if you are applying within a few years of graduation. If you've been out of school for several years, a strong professional letter combined with one academic letter is usually acceptable.

Is a certain undergraduate major better for law school?

No. Law schools do not favor any specific undergraduate major, and there is no accredited “pre-law” major requirement. What matters is your GPA, the rigor of your coursework, and demonstrated reading and writing ability, regardless of whether your degree is in philosophy, biology, or business.

Can I apply to law school with the GRE instead of the LSAT?

At some schools, yes. Under ABA Standard 503, a school may accept the GRE if it has validated the test as a reliable predictor of first-year performance. Not every ABA-accredited school has adopted this option, so you must confirm the specific test policy on each school you're applying to before registering.

Do international applicants have additional requirements?

International applicants and anyone whose undergraduate instruction was not conducted in English typically must submit an English proficiency score, usually the TOEFL or IELTS, in addition to the standard requirements. International transcripts are also evaluated through LSAC's foreign credential evaluation process as part of the CAS report.

Do I need to take the LSAT or GRE more than once?

Not necessarily. Many applicants take the test once and apply with that score. Retaking is common when your score is meaningfully below a target school's published median or below your own practice-test average, since most schools consider your highest score, but you should check each school's specific policy on multiple attempts before deciding to retake.