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

The short answer to how to get into Northeastern Law School is to reach the medians in Northeastern University School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure: a 164 LSAT and a 3.77 GPA. The middle 50 percent scored 161 to 166 on the LSAT and held a 3.61 to 3.86 GPA. Clear both and you are competitive.

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 Northeastern University School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class), the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, and Northeastern Law's own published pages.

Here is the fact that best defines Northeastern University School of Law for an applicant: it sends a large share of its graduates into big-firm practice. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, 30.4% of Northeastern Law graduates took jobs at large firms of 101 or more lawyers, a high share for its LSAT band. That outcome pairs with genuine selectivity. Among the 23 ABA law schools whose median LSAT sits within two points of Northeastern University School of Law's 164, that is a median of 162 to 166, Northeastern is the 6th most selective by acceptance rate at 24.22%, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. The thesis of this page is that Northeastern Law is a selective, Boston-anchored school that converts a strong entering class into a strong large-firm outcome, and it does so while reporting zero first-year academic attrition.

Northeastern University School of Law at a glance: LSAT, GPA, acceptance rate and cost

Northeastern University School of Law posts a 164 LSAT median, a 3.77 GPA median, and a 24.22% acceptance rate in Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Full-time tuition and fees run $65,652, with living expenses of $22,900 printed separately. The table below gathers the headline admissions, cost, and outcome numbers for Northeastern University School of Law in one place.

MetricNortheastern University School of Law (fall 2025 entering class)LSAT (25th / 50th / 75th)161 / 164 / 166GPA (25th / 50th / 75th)3.61 / 3.77 / 3.86Acceptance rate24.22%Applications5,652Offers of admission1,369Matriculants from the applicant pool280First-year class283 (233 full-time, 50 part-time)Full-time tuition and fees$65,652Living expenses$22,900Share receiving grants95%Median grant$31,000Conditional scholarshipsNoFirst-time bar passage87.39% (exam year 2024, largest jurisdiction Massachusetts)Employed at ten months93.5% (200 of 214)

Source: Northeastern University School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class), with employment from the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 and bar passage from Northeastern Law's ABA bar-passage report. 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 sum them into an all-in figure.

What LSAT and GPA do you really need to get into Northeastern University School of Law?

Northeastern University School of Law reports an LSAT spread of 161 to 166 and a GPA spread of 3.61 to 3.86 in its 2025 ABA 509. A 164 and a 3.77 sit at both medians. Below the 161 LSAT or the 3.61 GPA, an applicant to Northeastern Law needs a clear compensating strength on the other number.

Read the percentiles closely. Northeastern University School of Law reports an LSAT 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of 161, 164, and 166, and a GPA 25th, 50th, and 75th of 3.61, 3.77, and 3.86 for the fall 2025 entering class, per Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. The median is the fiftieth percentile: half of enrolled students scored above 164 on the LSAT and half below, and the same split holds at 3.77 in GPA. Both medians are high, and together they set a demanding center of gravity for the class at Northeastern University School of Law.

The bands are tight, which matters for how you read your own file. From the 25th percentile LSAT of 161 to the median of 164 is a three-point drop, and from the 25th percentile GPA of 3.61 to the median of 3.77 is a 0.16 gap. Both are narrow, so Northeastern University School of Law clusters its class closely around strong numbers. A 161 LSAT is a real admit range at Northeastern Law, and a 3.61 GPA is inside the reported quartile, but neither dips far below the median, which tells you the school does not stretch deep below its bands.

That shape makes Northeastern University School of Law splitter friendly. Lovare's read of the 509 spreads shows a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.16 and an LSAT 25th-to-median spread of three points, so the LSAT band runs a little wider than the very tight GPA band. A splitter-friendly school forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high, and a reverse-splitter-friendly school forgives a lower LSAT when the GPA is high. Northeastern Law leans splitter: an LSAT at or above the 164 median gives the best cover for a GPA that sits at the 3.61 quartile. If your LSAT is your stronger number, Northeastern University School of Law is a school where that profile fits.

Is Northeastern University School of Law harder to get into than its reputation?

It is about as selective as its reputation implies, and that reputation is strong. By raw acceptance rate, Northeastern University School of Law is the 6th most selective of the 23 schools in its LSAT band, per Lovare's 2025 ABA 509 analysis. That top-quarter position at a 24.22% rate confirms Northeastern Law as a genuinely selective school rather than one riding on name alone.

Reputation places Northeastern University School of Law among the well-regarded national law schools, known for a distinctive experiential model, and its 164 LSAT median fits that standing. The selectivity data backs the reputation up. Lovare built a peer band of the 23 ABA law schools whose median LSAT falls within two points of Northeastern Law's 164, that is a median of 162 to 166, then ranked them by acceptance rate from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. Northeastern University School of Law comes out 6th most selective of the 23, the top quarter of its academic band.

A 24.22% acceptance rate is a real filter. Northeastern University School of Law drew 5,652 applications and made 1,369 offers, so roughly three in four applicants were turned away. That is consistent with a school whose median numbers are high and whose applicant pool is large and competitive. The honest verdict is that Northeastern Law is exactly as hard to enter as its reputation suggests, neither a hidden reach nor a school you clear on median numbers without a well-built file.

For a well-matched applicant, that selectivity is a planning cue rather than a deterrent. An applicant who clears the 164 LSAT and 3.77 GPA medians is competing from inside the middle of the Northeastern University School of Law class, while one sitting at the 161 and 3.61 quartiles is competing from the edge and should make the rest of the application carry weight. Treat Northeastern Law as a school that expects strong numbers and rewards a file that clears both medians cleanly.

How much does Northeastern University School of Law cost, and how much scholarship money will you get?

Northeastern University School of Law charges $65,652 in full-time tuition and fees, per Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA 509, plus $22,900 in living expenses. Ninety-five percent of students receive grants, with a median award of $31,000. A median-grant recipient nets about $34,652 in tuition and fees before living costs at Northeastern University School of Law.

Start with the sticker. Northeastern University School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure lists full-time tuition and fees of $65,652 and living expenses of $22,900. The 509 prints those two figures separately and does not publish a single combined cost-of-attendance total, so any all-in annual number quoted elsewhere is someone's arithmetic rather than a figure Northeastern Law reports, and this page will not invent one.

Aid at Northeastern University School of Law is both broad and, at the top, unusually generous. According to the same 509, 95% of students receive grant aid, with awards at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of $14,666, $31,000, and $45,000. Northeastern Law reports 70 full-tuition awards and 9 awards above full tuition for the entering class. Seventy full-tuition awards is a large number for a class this size, so a strong file has a genuine shot at having tuition covered outright at Northeastern University School of Law, not merely discounted.

For a typical recipient the math is direct. Against the $65,652 sticker, a student receiving Northeastern University School of Law's median grant of $31,000 nets about $34,652 in tuition and fees before living costs, using figures from Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. The aid is stable as well: Northeastern University School of Law does not use conditional scholarships, so an award is not tied to a first-year class-rank or GPA threshold and cannot be clawed back if your grades slip. The grant Northeastern Law quotes at admission is the grant you keep for all three years, which removes a common source of second-year sticker shock.

What are your real chances off the Northeastern University School of Law waitlist?

Northeastern University School of Law does not disclose waitlist offers or admits, and no ABA report does. The honest proxy is implied yield: 280 matriculants against 1,369 offers is a 20.5% yield at Northeastern Law. That relatively low yield means Northeastern University School of Law extends many offers to fill its seats and often keeps a waitlist working through the season.

Here is the reasoning in full. Northeastern University School of Law enrolled 280 matriculants from 1,369 offers in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, an implied yield of 20.5%. No ABA disclosure, Northeastern Law's included, publishes how many applicants are admitted off the waitlist or how many of them accept, so implied yield is the honest stand-in for waitlist behavior. When only about one in five admitted students enrolls, a school makes many more offers than it has seats and refills as admits commit elsewhere.

A 20.5% yield is on the lower side, which usually points to a waitlist that sees genuine movement in many cycles at Northeastern University School of Law. Because a large applicant pool and a broad set of offers meet a limited number of seats, the school leans on its offer volume and, when needed, its waitlist. For a waitlisted applicant to Northeastern Law, that is a reason for cautious optimism rather than resignation, though movement still varies year to year.

If you land on the Northeastern University School of Law waitlist, the play is standard. Send a concise letter of continued interest that names Northeastern Law as a top choice, add any new LSAT score or fall grades, and keep another acceptance in hand. One honest footnote on the class numbers: Northeastern University School of Law lists 280 matriculants from the applicant pool but a first-year class of 283, and the small gap reflects students who arrive through paths other than this single cycle's pool, such as admitted students who deferred from a prior year. The 20.5% implied yield is computed from the 280 pool matriculants against the 1,369 offers, which is the correct comparison for reasoning about this cycle's waitlist odds at Northeastern University School of Law.

Where do Northeastern University School of Law graduates actually work?

In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, Northeastern University School of Law placed 48.6% of graduates in Massachusetts and 66.8% across its top three markets. Large firms of 101 or more lawyers took 30.4%, and 1.4% won federal clerkships. Northeastern Law is a Boston-anchored school with a strong large-firm channel.

Lead with concentration, because it predicts fit better than the raw employment rate. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, Northeastern University School of Law placed 104 of its graduates in Massachusetts, 26 in New York, and 13 in the District of Columbia. That is a 48.6% top-market share and a 66.8% top-three share, so nearly half of Northeastern Law graduates start in Massachusetts and two-thirds land in just three markets. If Boston or the Northeast corridor is your target, Northeastern University School of Law points straight at it. If your goal is the West Coast or the South, the concentration is a signal that Northeastern Law's network runs strongest in the Northeast.

The raw employment rate is strong and worth stating. Northeastern University School of Law reported 200 of 214 graduates employed at ten months, or 93.5%, in the same ABA Employment Summary. That is a healthy figure, but like most top-of-market placement rates it barely separates peer schools, which is why the firm-type breakdown carries more decision-useful information for an applicant.

On firm outcomes, Northeastern University School of Law is a standout for its band. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 30.4% of Northeastern Law graduates taking jobs at large firms of 101 or more lawyers, roughly three in ten, a high share at this LSAT level. Federal clerkships are a smaller channel at 1.4%. The combination tells a clear story: Northeastern University School of Law feeds a large minority of its class into big-firm practice, mostly in the Boston market, while a smaller slice enters the federal courts. For an applicant aiming at large-firm work in the Northeast, that large-firm rate is the single strongest reason to choose Northeastern University School of Law. It is worth reading the two firm figures together: a 30.4% large-firm share paired with a low 1.4% clerkship rate says Northeastern University School of Law channels its strongest outcomes into private practice rather than the courts, so an applicant whose goal is a federal clerkship should weigh that smaller channel honestly against the school's large-firm strength.

When are Northeastern University School of Law's application deadlines?

This page did not pull a verified application deadline or Early Decision terms for Northeastern University School of Law, so confirm both directly on Northeastern Law's admissions site before you rely on them. What is verifiable here as of August 2026 is the admissions and outcome data below, all drawn from primary ABA disclosures rather than a cycle calendar.

Law school cycle dates shift from year to year, and Northeastern University School of Law's Early Decision structure, including whether any ED round is binding, was not among the figures verified for this page. Rather than state a date this page cannot stand behind, the honest instruction is to check the current regular-decision deadline and any Early Decision terms on Northeastern Law's own admissions pages. Treat this profile as a data-verified planning aid on scores, cost, and outcomes at Northeastern University School of Law, and treat the school's website as the registrar of record for deadlines.

Frequently asked questions about getting into Northeastern University School of Law

Is a 164 LSAT good enough for Northeastern University School of Law?

A 164 is exactly the LSAT median at Northeastern University School of Law, per Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, where the middle 50 percent scored 161 to 166. A 164 puts you at the fiftieth percentile, competitive but not a lock. Pair it with a GPA at or above the 3.77 median and you are a strong candidate at Northeastern University School of Law.

What GPA do you need for Northeastern University School of Law?

Northeastern University School of Law reports a GPA median of 3.77, with a 25th to 75th range of 3.61 to 3.86, in its 2025 ABA 509. Aim for 3.77 or higher to sit at the center of the class. Because the GPA band is tight at Northeastern Law, a GPA near the 3.61 quartile is workable at Northeastern University School of Law mainly when the LSAT is at or above 164.

What is Northeastern University School of Law's acceptance rate?

Northeastern University School of Law admitted 24.22% of applicants for the fall 2025 class, extending 1,369 offers against 5,652 applications, according to Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Among the 23 schools in its LSAT band, that rate ranks Northeastern University School of Law 6th most selective, the top quarter, so 24.22% reflects a real filter rather than a soft gate.

How many people apply to Northeastern University School of Law?

Northeastern University School of Law received 5,652 applications for the fall 2025 entering class, made 1,369 offers, and enrolled 280 matriculants from the pool for a first-year class of 283, per Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA 509. That large pool against a limited number of seats is what produces the 24.22% acceptance rate and the 20.5% implied yield at Northeastern University School of Law.

How much does Northeastern University School of Law cost?

Northeastern University School of Law lists full-time tuition and fees of $65,652, plus $22,900 in living expenses, in its 2025 ABA 509. Northeastern Law does not publish a single cost-of-attendance total in the 509, so tuition and living are best read separately rather than summed into an invented all-in figure for Northeastern University School of Law.

Does Northeastern University School of Law give scholarships?

Yes, generously. Northeastern University School of Law reports that 95% of students receive grant aid, with awards of $14,666, $31,000, and $45,000 at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, plus 70 full-tuition awards and 9 awards above full tuition, per Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA 509. Because Northeastern University School of Law uses no conditional scholarships, an award cannot be cut for grades.

What is Northeastern University School of Law's bar passage rate?

Northeastern University School of Law posted an 87.39% first-time bar passage rate for exam year 2024, largest jurisdiction Massachusetts, according to Northeastern Law's ABA bar-passage report. Its ultimate pass rate, measured two years out for the 2022 cohort, was 96.74%. The strong ultimate figure means almost every Northeastern University School of Law graduate who keeps sitting for the bar eventually passes.

Where do Northeastern University School of Law graduates work?

Most start in Massachusetts. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows Northeastern University School of Law placed 104 graduates in Massachusetts, 26 in New York, and 13 in the District of Columbia, a 48.6% top-market share and 66.8% across the top three. Northeastern Law is a Boston-anchored school whose network runs strongest through the Northeast.

Can a splitter get into Northeastern University School of Law?

Yes, a splitter has a path. Lovare reads Northeastern University School of Law as splitter friendly, with a very tight GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.16 against a three-point LSAT spread in the 2025 ABA 509. That means Northeastern Law gives the most cover to a high LSAT, so a strong-LSAT applicant with a GPA near the 3.61 quartile is viable at Northeastern University School of Law.

How selective is Northeastern University School of Law compared with schools at the same LSAT?

Among the more selective in its band. Of the 23 ABA law schools whose median LSAT falls within two points of Northeastern Law's 164, Northeastern University School of Law ranks 6th most selective by acceptance rate in the 2025 ABA 509, per Lovare's analysis. That top-quarter finish means Northeastern University School of Law admits a smaller share of a comparable pool than most schools at its academic level.

Is Northeastern University School of Law worth it?

For large-firm work in the Northeast, it makes a strong case. Northeastern University School of Law pairs a $65,652 sticker with 95% grant reach, 70 full-tuition awards, and in the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 a 30.4% large-firm placement rate. Add a 96.74% ultimate bar pass rate for the 2022 cohort, and the outcomes support the cost at Northeastern Law for that career target.

What LSAT and GPA give the best shot at a Northeastern University School of Law scholarship?

Numbers above the medians. Because Northeastern University School of Law reports grant awards reaching $45,000 at the 75th percentile plus 70 full-tuition awards, an LSAT above the 164 median and a GPA above the 3.77 median, moving toward the 166 and 3.86 upper quartiles in Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA 509, position you best for the largest grants at Northeastern University School of Law.

What is the first-year attrition rate at Northeastern University School of Law?

Northeastern University School of Law reports first-year academic attrition of 0.0% in its 2025 ABA 509, meaning no first-year students left for academic reasons. That is an unusually clean figure, and it tells you Northeastern Law admits students it is confident can carry the work, so a student who enrolls at Northeastern University School of Law is very likely to reach the second year in good standing.

Can you get into Northeastern University School of Law with a 161 LSAT?

A 161 is the 25th percentile LSAT at Northeastern University School of Law, per Northeastern Law's 2025 ABA 509, so it is inside the admitted range rather than out of reach. Because the LSAT band is fairly tight, a 161 competes best at Northeastern University School of Law when paired with a GPA at or above the 3.77 median, which keeps the file near the center of the class.

Does Northeastern University School of Law have Early Decision?

This page did not verify Early Decision terms for Northeastern University School of Law, so confirm on Northeastern Law's admissions site whether an Early Decision round exists and whether it is binding. As of August 2026, the verified figures on this page cover scores, cost, aid, bar passage, and employment at Northeastern University School of Law, not the cycle calendar, so treat the school's website as the source for deadlines.

Sources

Every figure on this page is drawn from primary disclosures, listed here so readers can verify each one directly for Northeastern University School of Law.

Northeastern University School of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class): https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/AnnualQuestionnaire/GenerateIndividualDisclosure509Report?schoolId=71&year=2025

Northeastern University School of Law ABA bar-passage report: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/BarPassageOutcomes/GenerateIndividualBarPassageReport?schoolId=71&year=2025

ABA Employment Summary, Class of 2024: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/EmploymentOutcomes/GenerateIndividualEQSummaryReport?schoolId=71&year=2024

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