Law Schools in Oklahoma + LSAT Prep (2026 Guide)

There are three ABA-accredited law schools in Oklahoma: the University of Oklahoma, the University of Tulsa, and Oklahoma City University. Their median LSATs span 151 to 162 across the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, so a competitive Oklahoma applicant generally targets a score in the low-to-mid 150s or higher, depending on the school.

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 admissions figure on this Oklahoma guide comes from each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class, every bar-exam detail from the National Conference of Bar Examiners, and the in-state retention figures from the ABA employment data for the Class of 2024.

What law schools are in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma has three ABA-accredited law schools, and they line up in a fairly compact band rather than the wide spread some larger states show. According to the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, the University of Oklahoma in Norman leads the state with a 162 median LSAT and, notably, the lowest tuition of the three, while Oklahoma City University sits at the accessible end with a 151 median. The University of Tulsa falls in between at a 157 median. What sets Oklahoma apart is that its highest-median school is also its cheapest, because the University of Oklahoma is the public flagship and the other two are private. The table collects the core numbers for every Oklahoma law school.

SchoolMedian LSATAcceptance rateFull-time tuitionUniversity of Oklahoma16233.4%$18,739University of Tulsa15756.6%$30,840Oklahoma City University15151.6%$39,173

Each school's median LSAT, acceptance rate, and full-time tuition in the table above is taken from that school's own 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class. Reading across the rows, the shape of legal education in Oklahoma is clear. The University of Oklahoma, the state flagship's College of Law in Norman, pairs the state's strongest academic profile, a 162 median, with the most selective acceptance rate at 33.4 percent and, at $18,739, the lowest full-time tuition in Oklahoma. The University of Tulsa, a private school, posts a 157 median, the state's highest acceptance rate at 56.6 percent, and $30,840 in full-time tuition. Oklahoma City University, also private and located in the state capital, sits at a 151 median, a 51.6 percent acceptance rate, and the state's highest full-time tuition at $39,173. In short, Oklahoma pairs one public flagship that is both the most selective and the most affordable with two private schools that admit more freely at a higher price.

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

Across Oklahoma the median LSATs run from 151 to 162, per the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, an 11-point band that all three schools share fairly tightly. That means a single strong score can put an Oklahoma applicant in play at all three schools at once, while a lower score still leaves realistic options inside the state.

The University of Oklahoma sets the top of the Oklahoma range at a 162 median in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, so a score at or above 162 makes an applicant competitive at the state flagship in Norman. Because the University of Oklahoma also admits the smallest share of applicants in the state at 33.4 percent, it is the one Oklahoma school where the score genuinely gates admission, and a candidate below the 162 median leans harder on GPA and the rest of the file. The University of Tulsa sits at a 157 median, so a mid-150s score is competitive there, and with the state's highest acceptance rate at 56.6 percent, the University of Tulsa is the most forgiving admit in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City University anchors the accessible end at a 151 median, which means a score around 150 to 152 is squarely inside its admitted range, and at a 51.6 percent acceptance rate Oklahoma City University reads as a realistic target for applicants scoring in the low 150s.

The practical reading for an Oklahoma applicant is encouraging across the board. A score at or above 162 opens all three Oklahoma law schools, including the flagship. A mid-150s score is competitive at the University of Tulsa and Oklahoma City University and keeps the University of Oklahoma in reach as a reach school. A score in the low 150s still lands inside the admitted range at Oklahoma City University, so a lower scorer is not shut out of Oklahoma. On GPA, the 2025 disclosures do not publish a statewide standard, but two of the three Oklahoma schools read the GPA band generously, as the next section explains, so a strong LSAT does real work in an Oklahoma application even when the GPA lags.

The compact 151-to-162 spread also shapes how an Oklahoma applicant should build a target list. Because only 11 points separate the top and bottom medians, a single administration of the LSAT can move a candidate from a one-school range to all three at once, which makes serious LSAT preparation the highest-leverage step for anyone applying in Oklahoma. A score that lands at 157, for instance, sits at the University of Tulsa median and only five points under the University of Oklahoma median, so it functions as a competitive number at one school and a live reach at another in the same cycle. That is a very different planning problem from a state whose schools are spread across twenty points, and it rewards an Oklahoma applicant who treats the flagship as a stretch worth chasing rather than writing it off, since the score gap to close is small.

Which Oklahoma law schools are splitter friendly?

Two of Oklahoma's three law schools show GPA spreads in the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures wide enough to call them splitter friendly, which matters for applicants whose LSAT outruns their GPA. A splitter carries a high LSAT with a lower GPA, and a splitter-friendly school forgives the lower GPA when the LSAT is strong.

The University of Oklahoma is splitter friendly, with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.31 in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. That wide GPA band tells you the flagship in Norman will read a file whose GPA sits well below its median when the LSAT is at or above the school's 162 mark, so a high-LSAT applicant with a middling GPA has a genuine path at the University of Oklahoma. Oklahoma City University is splitter friendly by the same measure, showing a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.31 as well in its 2025 disclosure, so a strong LSAT can offset a lower GPA at Oklahoma City University too. That the two schools land on an identical 0.31 GPA spread is a useful signal: Oklahoma's admissions market, at both the selective and the accessible end, rewards the LSAT relative to the GPA.

The University of Tulsa is the one Oklahoma school the 2025 disclosures do not flag as clearly splitter friendly, which suggests it weighs the LSAT and GPA in closer balance around its 157 median. Taken together, the Oklahoma picture favors the high-LSAT splitter: an applicant with a strong LSAT and a GPA that trails it has splitter targets at both the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University, one public and selective, the other private and more accessible. This guide does not have reverse-splitter reads for Oklahoma in its source data, so it does not claim a high-GPA, low-LSAT applicant an easy path; the clear, documented edge in Oklahoma belongs to the high-LSAT splitter.

What is the legal job market like in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma's legal market centers on two metros, Oklahoma City, the state capital and largest city, and Tulsa to the northeast, which together hold the bulk of the state's law firms, courts, and government legal offices. The in-state retention data in the ABA employment figures for the Class of 2024 shows how much of each school's class stays to work in that market. The University of Oklahoma keeps 58 percent of its graduating class in Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City University also keeps 58 percent of its class in Oklahoma, an identical majority that shows both schools feed the home market first while sending a meaningful share of graduates out of state.

For the University of Tulsa, the in-state retention figure was not part of this data set, so this guide states that absence rather than estimating one; a reader who wants that number should consult the University of Tulsa's ABA employment summary directly. What the available data establishes is that a clear majority of graduates from the two flagship-and-capital schools begin their careers inside Oklahoma, and that the state's legal employment concentrates in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metros. For an applicant, the 58 percent retention at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University is a signal that these degrees are built substantially for the Oklahoma market, with strong local alumni and recruiting ties, while still placing a sizable minority of each class beyond the state line. This page does not quote salary figures for Oklahoma, because none were in the source data, and inventing one would undercut a primary-source guide.

That identical 58 percent figure at two very different schools, one the selective public flagship in Norman and the other a private school in the state capital, is worth pausing on. It suggests that in-state retention in Oklahoma is driven as much by the size and pull of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa markets as by any one school's profile: roughly three in five graduates from each stay to practice in Oklahoma, and about two in five leave. For an applicant whose goal is an Oklahoma career, that retention level is reassuring, because it means the local bar regularly absorbs graduates of both schools and the alumni networks are concentrated where you intend to work. For an applicant aiming outside Oklahoma, the same figure is a caution that these are primarily in-state degrees, and the out-of-state path, while real for a large minority of each class, is the less-traveled one. Either way, choosing between Oklahoma City and Norman, or the Tulsa market, is partly a choice about which local legal community you want to be closest to during school.

Does Oklahoma use the NextGen bar exam?

Not yet, but it is scheduled to. According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, Oklahoma is currently a Uniform Bar Exam jurisdiction and has adopted the NextGen bar exam with a first administration set for July 2027. So a candidate sitting for the Oklahoma bar before that date is taking the existing UBE, while a candidate sitting from July 2027 onward will take the NextGen exam.

That transition date is the single most important scheduling fact for anyone planning the Oklahoma bar. If you expect to graduate and sit in 2025 or 2026, you are preparing for the Uniform Bar Exam that Oklahoma still administers. If your timeline puts your first bar sitting in the summer of 2027 or later, you should build your preparation around the NextGen format from the start. The National Conference of Bar Examiners has confirmed that the legacy Uniform Bar Exam and the Multistate Bar Examination end nationally after the February 2028 administration, so Oklahoma's July 2027 switch lands comfortably ahead of that national cutoff and leaves only a short overlap window. Because bar authorities publish exact sitting dates and any transitional rules each cycle, an Oklahoma candidate should confirm the current schedule with the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners. Bar-exam format is the one area of this Oklahoma guide sourced to the National Conference of Bar Examiners rather than the ABA disclosures.

Where can you take the LSAT in Oklahoma?

LSAT test centers are available in Oklahoma's major metros, chiefly Oklahoma City, the state's largest city, and Tulsa, along with Norman, the university town just south of Oklahoma City that is home to the University of Oklahoma. In addition to any physical test center, the LSAT is offered in a remote-proctored format, so an Oklahoma test taker can often sit the exam from home rather than travel to a center.

The list of open LSAT centers in Oklahoma changes from one administration to the next, so instead of printing addresses that may be out of date by the time you register, this guide points Oklahoma test takers to LSAC's official test-center list, which shows the current in-person and remote options for each sitting. Register early in the cycle, because the most convenient Oklahoma seats, particularly in Oklahoma City and Tulsa during the heavy fall testing months, tend to fill first. Confirming your Oklahoma test date and location on LSAC's official list ahead of the deadline is the most reliable way to lock in the format and location you want.

Which Oklahoma universities feed law school?

Oklahoma's undergraduate feeders into law school are led by the state's two largest public universities, the University of Oklahoma in Norman and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, both of which carry large pre-law populations that naturally flow into the state's law schools. The University of Tulsa, a private university, and the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond add further feeder populations near the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metros. These schools sit close to Oklahoma's legal markets, which makes them convenient pipelines for students who intend to stay in the state for law school and practice.

They are named here as common pre-law feeders based on their size and prominence within Oklahoma higher education, not on any specific placement statistic, because the source data for this guide does not include school-by-school undergraduate-origin counts for Oklahoma law students. What can be said plainly is that an Oklahoma resident has several strong in-state undergraduate paths toward a law degree, with the University of Oklahoma sitting at the center of the pipeline as both a leading feeder and the state's top-ranked law school by median LSAT. An applicant deciding where to complete a pre-law degree in Oklahoma should prioritize grades, LSAT preparation, and a coherent application over any assumption that a particular Oklahoma university confers an admissions edge.

Frequently asked questions about law school in Oklahoma

How many law schools are in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma has three ABA-accredited law schools: the University of Oklahoma in Norman, the University of Tulsa, and Oklahoma City University. Their median LSATs range from 151 to 162 across the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. That compact band means a single strong LSAT can make an applicant competitive at all three Oklahoma schools, while a lower score still leaves realistic options inside the state.

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

By admit rate, the University of Tulsa is the most accessible law school in Oklahoma, admitting 56.6 percent of applicants for fall 2025 per its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. By score, Oklahoma City University has the lowest median LSAT in Oklahoma at 151. Both are realistic Oklahoma targets for an applicant scoring in the low-to-mid 150s, so a lower score does not close off the state.

What is the best law school in Oklahoma?

By the numbers, the University of Oklahoma leads Oklahoma, with the state's highest median LSAT at 162, its most selective acceptance rate at 33.4 percent, and its lowest full-time tuition at $18,739, all per the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Best depends on cost and career goals, but the flagship College of Law in Norman is the strongest and most affordable option in Oklahoma at once.

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

It depends on the Oklahoma school. The 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures put the medians at 151 for Oklahoma City University, 157 for the University of Tulsa, and 162 for the University of Oklahoma. A low-150s score is competitive at Oklahoma City University, a mid-150s score adds the University of Tulsa, and a score at or above 162 is what makes an applicant competitive at the University of Oklahoma flagship.

How much does law school cost in Oklahoma?

Full-time tuition at Oklahoma law schools ranges from $18,739 at the public University of Oklahoma to $30,840 at the University of Tulsa and $39,173 at Oklahoma City University, all per the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures. The flagship in Norman is both the strongest academically and the cheapest in Oklahoma. Living costs and scholarships, which vary by student, are not included in these Oklahoma tuition figures.

Does Oklahoma use the NextGen bar exam?

Not yet. According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, Oklahoma is currently a Uniform Bar Exam state and has adopted the NextGen bar exam with a first administration scheduled for July 2027. Oklahoma candidates sitting before July 2027 take the UBE; those sitting afterward take NextGen. The legacy UBE and Multistate Bar Examination end nationally after the February 2028 administration.

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

As a general rule, a J.D. from any ABA-accredited law school qualifies a graduate to sit for the Oklahoma bar, so you do not have to attend an Oklahoma law school to become an Oklahoma lawyer. Oklahoma sets its own character-and-fitness and admission requirements, so confirm the current rules with the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners before you rely on them. This is general guidance, not a figure from the disclosures.

Which Oklahoma law school has the best bar passage?

School-by-school bar-passage rates for Oklahoma were not part of the source data for this guide, so this page does not rank the three Oklahoma schools on bar passage rather than invent numbers. Each Oklahoma law school publishes its own first-time and ultimate bar-passage rates in its ABA disclosures, so a reader comparing Oklahoma schools on that measure should consult each school's ABA bar-passage report directly.

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

Program-format detail, including whether a given Oklahoma school offers a part-time or evening division, was not included in the source data for this guide, so this page states that absence rather than assert a schedule that might be wrong. An applicant who needs a part-time or evening option in Oklahoma should confirm current program formats directly with the University of Oklahoma, the University of Tulsa, and Oklahoma City University.

Where can you take the LSAT in Oklahoma?

LSAT test centers operate in Oklahoma's largest metros, chiefly Oklahoma City and Tulsa, along with the university town of Norman, and remote-proctored testing is also available to Oklahoma candidates from home. Because the open centers in Oklahoma change each administration, check LSAC's official test-center list for the current options and register early, since convenient Oklahoma seats in Oklahoma City and Tulsa fill quickly during peak testing months.

Which Oklahoma law schools are splitter friendly?

Per the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, both the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University are splitter friendly in Oklahoma, each showing a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.31, which favors a high LSAT paired with a lower GPA. The University of Tulsa is not flagged as clearly splitter friendly, suggesting it weighs the LSAT and GPA in closer balance around its 157 median.

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

No. You do not have to attend an Oklahoma law school to practice law in Oklahoma; a degree from any ABA-accredited law school, followed by passing the Oklahoma bar and meeting the state's admission requirements, lets you practice in Oklahoma. Attending an in-state school such as the University of Oklahoma can help with local connections, but it is not required. Confirm the current rules with the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners.

What is the cheapest law school in Oklahoma?

The University of Oklahoma is the cheapest law school in Oklahoma, with full-time tuition of $18,739 in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, well below the $30,840 at the University of Tulsa and the $39,173 at Oklahoma City University. Because the flagship in Norman is also the state's most selective and highest-median school, it offers the strongest value in Oklahoma for applicants who can hit its 162 median.

Can you get into an Oklahoma law school with a 150 LSAT?

Yes. A 150 sits just below the 151 median at Oklahoma City University, per the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, and with Oklahoma City University admitting 51.6 percent of applicants, a low-150s score keeps an Oklahoma applicant inside a realistic admitted range there. A strong GPA helps, and because Oklahoma City University is splitter friendly, a 150 paired with solid grades is a workable Oklahoma application.

How selective is the University of Oklahoma?

The University of Oklahoma is the most selective law school in Oklahoma, admitting 33.4 percent of applicants for fall 2025 with a 162 median LSAT, per its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. That admit rate is well below the 51.6 percent and 56.6 percent at the two private Oklahoma schools, so the flagship in Norman is the one Oklahoma law school where the LSAT score genuinely gates admission.

Sources

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

American Bar Association required disclosures, the 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Reports for each Oklahoma law school (medians, acceptance rates, and tuition): https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

National Conference of Bar Examiners, NextGen adoption and bar-exam status for Oklahoma: https://www.ncbex.org/

LSAC official LSAT test-center list for Oklahoma administrations: https://www.lsac.org/

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