Law Schools in Nebraska + LSAT Prep (2026 Guide)

There are two law schools in Nebraska accredited by the ABA: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Creighton University. Their median LSATs span 153 to 160, according to each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. A score in the high 150s is competitive at either Nebraska school, and the low 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska?

Nebraska is home to two ABA accredited law schools: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the state's flagship public school in the capital city, and Creighton University, a private school in Omaha. Two schools makes Nebraska a small state for legal education, and the two options split neatly along a public and private line, so applicants who want to study in Nebraska are weighing one of each. The table below sets both Nebraska schools side by side on the numbers applicants compare first.

SchoolMedian LSATAcceptance rateFull-time tuitionUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln16040.2%$17,646Creighton University15364.5%$48,346

Each figure in this table, the median LSAT, the acceptance rate, and the full-time tuition, comes from that Nebraska school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class. The two Nebraska schools contrast in almost every dimension. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln posts the higher median LSAT at 160, the lower acceptance rate at 40.2%, and by far the lower tuition at $17,646, the combination you expect from a selective public flagship. Creighton University posts a 153 median, a much higher 64.5% acceptance rate, and a $48,346 tuition, the profile of a more accessible private school. For a Nebraska applicant, this means the higher-scoring, more selective school is also the cheaper one, which is an unusual and favorable alignment.

Because Nebraska 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 gap between the two Nebraska schools is genuinely wide: seven LSAT points at the median and more than $30,000 a year in tuition. For an applicant who can clear the University of Nebraska-Lincoln bar, the flagship offers both the stronger admissions profile and the far lower price. For an applicant whose numbers point to Creighton University, the appeal is a more accessible admissions door and a private-school setting in Omaha, the state's largest city, and scholarship offers can narrow the tuition gap, so the sticker price is only the starting point.

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

In Nebraska, median LSATs run from 153 to 160 across the two ABA law schools, according to their 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln holds the state's top median at 160, while Creighton University sits at 153, the most accessible entry point in Nebraska. A score in the high 150s clears the Creighton median comfortably and moves you toward the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska-Lincoln, a 160 puts you at the center of the class, and any score from 160 up strengthens your file and your scholarship case at the state's lower-cost flagship. At Creighton University, a 153 sits at the middle of the class, so a score in the low-to-mid 150s is already inside the range Nebraska's more accessible school admits from every year.

The seven-point spread between the two Nebraska medians gives applicants a clear ladder. A score in the low 150s makes Creighton University a realistic target, especially given its 64.5% acceptance rate, which is one of the more welcoming admissions rates you will find. A score of 156 or 157 sits well above the Creighton median and within striking distance of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A 160 or higher makes you competitive at the top of the state at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where it also strengthens the case for scholarship on top of the already low tuition. A score below the Creighton median does not close Nebraska off, because at nearly two-thirds acceptance Creighton University admits a large share of applicants, so an applicant in the high 140s to low 150s still has a genuine path in Nebraska.

On GPA, this Nebraska 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 Nebraska school and confirm the exact GPA range in that school's 509 before you rely on it. As a general rule across Nebraska, 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 Nebraska applicant. Moving from the low 150s into the high 150s can shift you from the middle of the Creighton University class toward the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and at the flagship that same movement is what turns the state's lowest tuition into a scholarship-backed bargain. Because Nebraska schools report the high score for applicants who test more than once, a well-prepared retake generally helps rather than hurts, so a focused second attempt is usually worthwhile if your timeline allows. A structured study plan, timed sections, and careful review of missed logical reasoning and reading questions are the ordinary path to those gains.

Which Nebraska law schools are splitter friendly?

Both Nebraska law schools read as splitter friendly, based on their 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, but to very different degrees. Creighton University shows a wide GPA spread of 0.37 from the 25th percentile up to the median, while the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows a narrower 0.21 spread. A splitter is an applicant with a high LSAT and a lower GPA, and Creighton University is clearly the more forgiving of the two on GPA.

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 Nebraska, Creighton University's 0.37 GPA spread is notably wide, meaning it reaches well down on GPA for applicants whose test scores carry the file. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, at a 0.21 spread, is splitter friendly but tighter, so its admitted class clusters more closely on GPA and a soft transcript there needs an especially strong LSAT to offset.

The practical takeaway for Nebraska is that a splitter should look hard at Creighton University. An applicant with, for example, a 156 LSAT and a below-median GPA has a real case at Creighton University, where the wide 0.37 spread shows the school routinely admits students whose transcripts sit below its middle. That same applicant can still target the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, but the narrower spread there means the LSAT has to do more of the work. Confirm each Nebraska 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 Nebraska.

What is the legal job market like in Nebraska?

Nebraska's legal market centers on two cities: Omaha, the state's largest city and business hub, and Lincoln, the capital and the seat of state government. Both Nebraska schools keep a majority of their graduates in the state. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln keeps 63% of its class in Nebraska, and Creighton University keeps 52%, according to the ABA Class of 2024 employment data behind this guide.

Those retention figures show two schools that both feed the Nebraska bar while leaning toward their home cities. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, based in the capital, keeps 63% of its graduates in Nebraska, a strong majority, reflecting its position near state government, the courts, and Lincoln's legal employers, along with its flagship pull across the state. Creighton University, in Omaha, keeps 52% in Nebraska, a slimmer majority, which fits a private school in the state's largest business market: Omaha's corporate and firm employers hire Creighton graduates, and the school's location a short distance from the Iowa line means some graduates practice across the river or move to other markets, so a little under half of the class builds a career outside Nebraska.

For an applicant deciding between the two Nebraska schools, the retention numbers are a planning tool rather than a verdict. If your goal is government work, the courts, or a Lincoln-based practice, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's 63% in-state retention shows a class rooted in Nebraska. If you are drawn to Omaha's business and firm market or want a private-school network, Creighton University's 52% still keeps most of its class in Nebraska while sending a meaningful share elsewhere. This Nebraska 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 Nebraska school publishes, which breaks down where its most recent class actually landed.

Does Nebraska use the NextGen bar exam?

Nebraska currently administers the Uniform Bar Examination and has adopted the NextGen bar exam, with its first NextGen administration scheduled for July 2027, 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, and Nebraska's move to NextGen comes ahead of that national sunset.

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. Nebraska is a current Uniform Bar Examination jurisdiction, which means a score earned on the Nebraska 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, Nebraska will give its first NextGen exam in July 2027, so candidates who sit for the Nebraska bar before that date will take the UBE and those at or after the July 2027 administration will take NextGen.

For planning purposes, the timeline matters because Nebraska is an early adopter. A current Nebraska law student who expects to sit for the bar before July 2027 should prepare for the Uniform Bar Examination that Nebraska administers now. A student whose bar timeline falls at or after the July 2027 administration should prepare for NextGen in Nebraska, a date that arrives sooner than the national February 2028 legacy sunset. Because the changeover is close, confirm which exam applies to your intended sitting with the Nebraska bar authorities, who set the admission rules, character-and-fitness process, and application deadlines, well before your exam date.

Where can you take the LSAT in Nebraska?

LSAT test centers are available in Nebraska's major metropolitan areas, principally Omaha, the state's largest city, and Lincoln, the capital and home of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 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 Nebraska test-takers use from home, which removes the geography problem for candidates with a quiet space and a stable internet connection. Nebraska is a large state by land area with much of its population concentrated in the Omaha and Lincoln corridor, so residents outside those metros often find the remote option the most practical way to test. Applicants who prefer the structure of an in-person test will generally find a center within reach of Omaha or Lincoln, 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 Nebraska, register early. Seats at any given center are limited, and the most convenient Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska universities feed law school?

Nebraska's flagship public university is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which also houses one of the state's two law schools, and it is a leading pre-law feeder within the state. The University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Creighton University in Omaha 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 Nebraska.

Pre-law is a path rather than a single major, so a Nebraska student aiming for law school does not need a specific undergraduate degree. Students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska Omaha, and Creighton 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, agriculture, the sciences, and engineering. What matters most for a Nebraska 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 Nebraska undergraduate is in no way limited to a Nebraska law school, and graduates of Nebraska colleges regularly enroll at law schools across the country. This page names the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Creighton 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 Nebraska guide.

Frequently asked questions about law school in Nebraska

How many law schools are in Nebraska?

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

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

Creighton University is the more accessible law school in Nebraska by both measures: it reports a 64.5% acceptance rate against the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's 40.2%, and a 153 median LSAT against Nebraska's 160, according to each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. An applicant with a low-to-mid 150s score will generally find Creighton University the easier of the two Nebraska schools to enter.

What is the best law school in Nebraska?

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln holds the higher median LSAT in Nebraska, 160 in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, keeps the larger share of its class in state, and charges the far lower tuition at $17,646. Best still depends on your goals and on the Omaha network Creighton University offers, so weigh cost, location, and each school's ABA Employment Summary before ranking the two Nebraska schools.

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

Median LSATs in Nebraska run 153 to 160, according to the two schools' 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. A score in the high 150s clears the Creighton University median of 153 and approaches the University of Nebraska-Lincoln median of 160. A score in the low 150s still has a real path in Nebraska, since Creighton University admits 64.5% of applicants, so the state stays reachable.

How much does law school cost in Nebraska?

Full-time tuition in Nebraska is $17,646 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and $48,346 at Creighton University, according to each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. That is a wide gap of more than $30,000 a year, reflecting the public flagship versus private school split. These figures are tuition only, so budget separately for living costs in Nebraska, and note that scholarship offers can narrow the difference.

Does Nebraska use the NextGen bar exam?

Nebraska currently administers the Uniform Bar Examination and has adopted the NextGen bar exam, with its first NextGen administration set for July 2027, according to the NCBE. That makes Nebraska an early adopter, ahead of the national February 2028 legacy sunset. A Nebraska candidate near July 2027 should confirm which exam applies to their sitting with the state bar authorities.

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

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

Which Nebraska law school has the best bar passage?

This Nebraska guide does not reproduce school-level bar passage rates, because those figures were not part of the underlying data set here. Each Nebraska school publishes its first-time bar passage rate in its ABA disclosures, so compare the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Creighton University directly in those reports. Nebraska itself moves from the Uniform Bar Examination to the NextGen bar exam in July 2027, per the NCBE.

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

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

Where can you take the LSAT in Nebraska?

LSAT test centers operate in Nebraska's major metros, principally Omaha and Lincoln, and the exam is also offered in a remotely proctored online format that works well for residents outside those cities. Because open centers and seats change every cycle, check LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org when you register, and book your Nebraska test date early since convenient dates fill first.

Which Nebraska law schools are splitter friendly?

Both Nebraska law schools read as splitter friendly, but Creighton University is clearly more so, with a wide GPA spread of 0.37 from the 25th percentile to the median against the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's 0.21, according to their 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. That means a strong LSAT can carry a lower GPA at either Nebraska school, with Creighton University the more forgiving of the two.

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

No. You do not have to attend a Nebraska law school to practice in Nebraska. A graduate of any ABA accredited law school can qualify to sit for the Nebraska bar and practice in the state, subject to the Nebraska bar authorities' rules. Attending a Nebraska school can help you build local connections in Omaha or Lincoln, but it is not a requirement for practicing law in Nebraska.

Which Nebraska law school keeps the most graduates in state?

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln keeps the larger share of its class in Nebraska, 63% against Creighton University's 52%, according to the ABA Class of 2024 employment data behind this guide. Both keep a majority in state, but the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's edge fits its role as the public flagship in the capital, while Creighton University sends a slightly larger share of its Omaha-based class beyond Nebraska.

Is the University of Nebraska-Lincoln cheaper than Creighton?

Yes, substantially. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln lists full-time tuition of $17,646 against Creighton University's $48,346 in their 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, a difference of more than $30,000 per year. In Nebraska, the more selective, higher-median flagship is also the far cheaper option, so an applicant who can gain admission to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln faces a favorable cost picture.

Sources

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

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

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

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