Law Schools in Pennsylvania + LSAT Prep (2026 Guide)

Pennsylvania has eight ABA accredited law schools, from the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) at the top to Widener University Commonwealth Law School at the most accessible end, and their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures span median LSAT scores from 150 to 173. That wide range gives Pennsylvania a realistic option at nearly every score level.

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.

What law schools are in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania has eight ABA accredited law schools, anchored by a top national program and rounded out by strong public and private options across the state. The Pennsylvania field runs from a 173 median LSAT at the top to a 150 median at the most accessible end, so the state offers depth from the national tier down to access-focused admissions. The table below lists every ABA law school in Pennsylvania with the median LSAT, acceptance rate, and full-time tuition reported in each school's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure.

SchoolMedian LSATAcceptance rateFull-time tuitionUniversity of Pennsylvania (Carey)1738.1%$78,348Temple University (Beasley)16524.4%$32,588Villanova University16425.9%$59,800University of Pittsburgh16034.9%$39,936Drexel University (Kline)16029.6%$57,000Penn State Dickinson Law15943.0%$60,048Duquesne University (Kline)15743.2%$58,898Widener University Commonwealth Law School15060.4%$56,900

Every median LSAT, acceptance rate, and full-time tuition figure in the table above comes from that school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class. At the top of the Pennsylvania table, the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) posts the state's highest median LSAT at 173 and by far its most selective acceptance rate at 8.1 percent, standing eight points clear of the next school on median, which makes it the distinct leader of the Pennsylvania field. It also carries the state's highest full-time tuition at $78,348, in line with its status as a top private program.

Below the University of Pennsylvania (Carey), the Pennsylvania table settles into a competitive middle. Temple University (Beasley) sits at a 165 median with the lowest full-time tuition in the state at $32,588, a standout public value, and Villanova University follows at 164. The University of Pittsburgh and Drexel University (Kline) both post a 160 median, with the University of Pittsburgh the lower-priced of the pair at $39,936 against Drexel University (Kline)'s $57,000. Penn State Dickinson Law sits at 159, Duquesne University (Kline) at 157, and Widener University Commonwealth Law School at 150, the state's most accessible school by median and by acceptance rate.

Pennsylvania's cost picture is unusually top-heavy on the private side. The two clearest public values are Temple University (Beasley) at $32,588 and the University of Pittsburgh at $39,936, both well below the rest of the field in their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. Penn State Dickinson Law, though part of a public university, reports much higher full-time tuition at $60,048. The private schools cluster near or above that level: Villanova University at $59,800, Duquesne University (Kline) at $58,898, Drexel University (Kline) at $57,000, Widener University Commonwealth Law School at $56,900, and the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) at the top at $78,348. For a cost-conscious Pennsylvania applicant, that pattern makes Temple University (Beasley) and the University of Pittsburgh the natural first look, and both also post competitive median LSATs, at 165 and 160, so the value case does not require giving up on the numbers.

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

Median LSAT scores across Pennsylvania law schools run from 150 to 173, per their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. The University of Pennsylvania (Carey) sits at the top at 173, and Widener University Commonwealth Law School is the most accessible at a 150 median with the state's highest acceptance rate at 60.4 percent. Because Pennsylvania spans more than twenty LSAT points, nearly every score has a realistic home somewhere in the state.

Walk the Pennsylvania ladder and the targets sharpen. A 173 places an applicant at the University of Pennsylvania (Carey)'s median, and there is a large gap before the next school, so the low 170s is the range for the state's national-tier leader. A 165 matches Temple University (Beasley) and a 164 Villanova University, so the mid 160s is the range for the state's next strongest programs. A 160 matches both the University of Pittsburgh and Drexel University (Kline), and a 159 sits at Penn State Dickinson Law's median, according to the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures.

Lower scores keep Pennsylvania open. A 157 matches Duquesne University (Kline), and a 150 sits at Widener University Commonwealth Law School's median. Penn State Dickinson Law, Duquesne University (Kline), and Widener University Commonwealth Law School also post the state's most forgiving acceptance rates, at 43.0, 43.2, and 60.4 percent, so an applicant in the mid 150s or even at 150 has realistic Pennsylvania options. The honest read for Pennsylvania is that a lower LSAT changes which Pennsylvania schools are in reach rather than removing the state from consideration, though the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) at the top is a genuine national reach for almost everyone.

On GPA, this Pennsylvania data set is anchored by each school's LSAT median rather than a published GPA median, so this guide does not quote a GPA median it was not given. What the disclosures do show is how each Pennsylvania school weights GPA against the LSAT, which is the splitter question addressed next. The practical approach for a Pennsylvania applicant is to target the LSAT medians above, then use the splitter reads to judge whether a strong GPA or a strong LSAT is the number more likely to carry a borderline file at a given Pennsylvania school.

Which Pennsylvania law schools are splitter friendly?

Pennsylvania is a notably splitter-friendly state, with several schools that reward a high LSAT and two that reward a high GPA, computed from the 2025 ABA 509 spreads. Splitter friendly, meaning a strong LSAT can offset a below-median GPA, are Temple University (Beasley) with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.17, the University of Pittsburgh at 0.28, Drexel University (Kline) at 0.41, Duquesne University (Kline) at 0.27, and Widener University Commonwealth Law School at 0.38. Reverse-splitter friendly, meaning a strong GPA can offset a below-median LSAT, are the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) with an LSAT 25th-to-median spread of 6 points and Villanova University at 5 points.

The distinction is straightforward. A splitter carries a high LSAT with a lower GPA, and a reverse-splitter carries a high GPA with a lower LSAT. In Pennsylvania, a splitter whose LSAT is the strong number has clear targets, and Drexel University (Kline) stands out with the state's widest GPA spread at 0.41, followed by Widener University Commonwealth Law School at 0.38. Both schools will go well below their GPA medians for an applicant whose LSAT carries the file, per their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures, which makes them the clearest splitter targets in Pennsylvania. The University of Pittsburgh at 0.28 and Duquesne University (Kline) at 0.27 offer similar flexibility.

Reverse-splitters have their Pennsylvania targets at the top of the field. The University of Pennsylvania (Carey), with a 6-point LSAT spread, and Villanova University, with a 5-point spread, both go below their LSAT medians for applicants with strong undergraduate records, according to their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. For a high-GPA applicant whose LSAT falls short of 173 or 164, those two are the Pennsylvania schools most willing to weight the transcript, though the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) remains a national reach regardless. Among the remaining Pennsylvania schools, the 2025 ABA 509 spread for Penn State Dickinson Law is not wide enough to flag it clearly as either splitter or reverse-splitter friendly, so this guide does not label it.

What is the legal job market like in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania's legal market is anchored by Philadelphia, the state's largest city and dominant legal center in the east, with Pittsburgh the major market in the west, and Harrisburg, Allentown, and Erie as regional centers. Pennsylvania law schools show a wide range of in-state retention. According to ABA Class of 2024 employment data, Duquesne University (Kline) keeps 80 percent of its class in Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh keeps 68 percent, Temple University (Beasley) and Drexel University (Kline) each keep 60 percent, Villanova University keeps 52 percent, and Widener University Commonwealth Law School keeps 37 percent.

Those figures track Pennsylvania's east-west geography. Duquesne University (Kline) at 80 percent and the University of Pittsburgh at 68 percent in the ABA Class of 2024 employment data are the two Pittsburgh-based schools, and both feed heavily into the western Pennsylvania market. The Philadelphia-area schools, Temple University (Beasley) and Drexel University (Kline) at 60 percent and Villanova University at 52 percent, keep a majority or near-majority in Pennsylvania while also placing graduates into the nearby New Jersey, New York, and Delaware markets. Widener University Commonwealth Law School at 37 percent is the outlier, sending most of its class out of Pennsylvania, consistent with its central-state location near several borders.

This guide does not quote salary figures for Pennsylvania, because none are in the underlying data. It is also worth marking where the data stops: the ABA Class of 2024 employment figures in this Pennsylvania data set do not include an in-state retention figure for the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) or Penn State Dickinson Law, so this guide does not report one for those two schools. What the available Pennsylvania numbers make clear is that most of the state's law schools feed heavily into the Pennsylvania market, split between Philadelphia in the east and Pittsburgh in the west, so an applicant who wants to practice in Pennsylvania is well served by most of the state's programs.

Does Pennsylvania use the NextGen bar exam?

Yes. According to the NCBE, Pennsylvania currently administers the Uniform Bar Exam and has adopted the NextGen bar exam, with its first NextGen administration scheduled for July 2028. Pennsylvania transitions from the UBE to NextGen in July 2028, and the legacy UBE and the MBE end after the February 2028 administration, per the NCBE, so the old format winds down as the new one arrives.

For anyone timing law school and the bar in Pennsylvania, the sequence is clear. Pennsylvania is a current UBE jurisdiction, so candidates sitting for the Pennsylvania bar before July 2028 take the Uniform Bar Exam in its established form, and a UBE score earned in Pennsylvania has been portable to other UBE jurisdictions under their rules. From the July 2028 administration onward, Pennsylvania moves to the NextGen exam, the NCBE's redesigned national test, which is being phased in across states on a rolling schedule.

The practical guidance for a Pennsylvania applicant starting law school now is to expect the NextGen exam to be the format in place by the time they graduate and sit for the Pennsylvania bar, since the state's adoption is dated to July 2028 and the legacy UBE and MBE end after February 2028. This section reflects NCBE status as of this guide's August 2026 verification, and bar-exam plans should always be confirmed with the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners before a candidate relies on them, because both the exam format and the admission rules can change between now and a given sitting.

Where can you take the LSAT in Pennsylvania?

LSAT test centers are available across Pennsylvania's major metros, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Harrisburg, and Erie. Because the specific list of test centers and the mix of in-person and remotely proctored options change every testing cycle, the reliable move is to check LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org rather than to rely on any fixed address in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's population centers at both ends of the state work in test-takers' favor. With Philadelphia and its suburbs in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, and Allentown, Harrisburg, and Erie in between, most Pennsylvania applicants live within reach of at least one testing option. LSAC administers the LSAT on a set schedule of dates each cycle in both test-center and remote-proctored formats, but the availability of any given Pennsylvania center can shift between administrations, which is why this guide points to LSAC's current list rather than printing an address that may not be offered next cycle.

The practical plan for a Pennsylvania test-taker is to register early through LSAC for the administration that fits their application timeline, confirm the current Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Harrisburg, or Erie options at the time of registration, and choose the format that suits them. Registering early matters in Pennsylvania because popular dates and nearby seats fill, and a late registrant can be pushed to a less convenient date or a remote sitting they did not want. LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org is the authoritative source for what is available in Pennsylvania in any given cycle.

Which Pennsylvania universities feed law school?

Pennsylvania's large public and private universities are common starting points for students headed to law school. Penn State University, the state's public flagship, is a prominent pre-law feeder, along with the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, Villanova University, Drexel University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Lehigh University. These institutions channel undergraduates into law programs in Pennsylvania and nationally, drawing on political science, history, business, and other pre-law-friendly fields.

Several of these universities also house Pennsylvania law schools, so the pipeline is direct in places. The University of Pennsylvania (Carey), Temple University (Beasley), Villanova University, the University of Pittsburgh, Drexel University (Kline), Duquesne University (Kline), and Penn State Dickinson Law are law programs within institutions that also enroll undergraduate populations, which makes it natural for strong undergraduates there to consider staying within the same university for law school. Even so, a large share of any Pennsylvania pre-law class applies nationally, and admission to any Pennsylvania law school still turns on the LSAT and GPA numbers rather than the undergraduate institution's name.

This guide names these Pennsylvania universities as common feeders based on their scale and prominence as general knowledge, and it does not attribute a specific placement statistic to any of them, because no such figure is in the underlying Pennsylvania data set. The useful point for a Pennsylvania pre-law student is that the state's large universities offer the standard pre-law infrastructure, advising, LSAT preparation, and a community of applicants, but that where you land among Pennsylvania's eight law schools is determined by your numbers and your fit with each school's profile.

Frequently asked questions about law school in Pennsylvania

How many law schools are in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania has eight ABA accredited law schools. They range from the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) at a 173 median LSAT to Widener University Commonwealth Law School at a 150 median, according to their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. The group includes a top national program, strong public and private options in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and central-state schools, giving Pennsylvania applicants options across nearly the full score spectrum.

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

By acceptance rate, Widener University Commonwealth Law School is the most accessible in Pennsylvania at 60.4 percent, followed by Duquesne University (Kline) at 43.2 percent and Penn State Dickinson Law at 43.0 percent, according to their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. Widener University Commonwealth Law School also posts the state's lowest median LSAT at 150. So a lower-LSAT applicant will generally find the most realistic Pennsylvania paths at those schools.

What is the best law school in Pennsylvania?

Best depends on your goals, but by the 2025 ABA 509 numbers, the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) posts the state's highest median LSAT at 173 and its most selective acceptance rate at 8.1 percent, standing eight points clear of the next Pennsylvania school on median. That makes the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) the distinct national-tier leader of the Pennsylvania field, with Temple University (Beasley) and Villanova University next.

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

Median LSAT scores in Pennsylvania run from 150 to 173, per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures, so the score you need depends on the school. The low 170s target the University of Pennsylvania (Carey), the mid 160s Temple University (Beasley) and Villanova University, the low 160s the University of Pittsburgh and Drexel University (Kline), and the 150s a range of schools down to Widener University Commonwealth Law School at 150.

How much does law school cost in Pennsylvania?

Full-time tuition in Pennsylvania ranges from $32,588 at Temple University (Beasley) and $39,936 at the University of Pittsburgh to $78,348 at the University of Pennsylvania (Carey), according to the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. The two public options, Temple University (Beasley) and the University of Pittsburgh, sit at the low end of the Pennsylvania range, while private schools such as the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) sit at the high end.

Does Pennsylvania use the NextGen bar exam?

Pennsylvania currently administers the Uniform Bar Exam and has adopted the NextGen bar exam, with a first administration set for July 2028, according to the NCBE. Pennsylvania transitions from the UBE to NextGen in July 2028, and the legacy UBE and MBE end after the February 2028 administration. Students entering a Pennsylvania law school now should plan for the NextGen format by the time they graduate.

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

Generally yes. A degree from any ABA accredited law school, whether in Pennsylvania or another state, ordinarily qualifies a graduate to sit for the Pennsylvania bar, so you do not have to attend a Pennsylvania law school to practice in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania currently administers the Uniform Bar Exam and moves to NextGen in July 2028, per the NCBE. Confirm current requirements with the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners.

Which Pennsylvania law school has the best bar passage?

This Pennsylvania data set does not include school-level bar passage rates for the state's law schools, so this guide does not report one for Pennsylvania. What the data does cover is median LSAT, acceptance rate, full-time tuition, in-state retention, and Pennsylvania's NextGen bar timeline. For current bar passage figures, consult each Pennsylvania school's ABA disclosures directly rather than relying on an estimate.

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

The Pennsylvania figures in this guide cover full-time tuition and median LSAT and do not specify part-time or evening tracks, so this guide does not claim which Pennsylvania schools offer them. Several Pennsylvania programs, including the urban schools in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, are the kind that often run part-time options, but confirm program format directly with the specific Pennsylvania school rather than assuming from the full-time data shown here.

Where can you take the LSAT in Pennsylvania?

LSAT test centers in Pennsylvania are located across the state's major metros, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Harrisburg, and Erie. Because specific centers and remote options change each testing cycle, check LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org for what is available in Pennsylvania when you register. With population centers at both ends of the state, most Pennsylvania applicants can find a reasonably nearby testing option.

Which Pennsylvania law schools are splitter friendly?

In Pennsylvania, Temple University (Beasley), the University of Pittsburgh, Drexel University (Kline), Duquesne University (Kline), and Widener University Commonwealth Law School are splitter friendly, so a strong LSAT can offset a lower GPA, with Drexel University (Kline) the widest at a 0.41 GPA spread. The University of Pennsylvania (Carey) and Villanova University are reverse-splitter friendly, so a strong GPA can offset a lower LSAT. These reads come from the 2025 ABA 509 spreads.

Is law school cheaper at public schools in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, the clearest public values are Temple University (Beasley) at $32,588 and the University of Pittsburgh at $39,936, both well below the state's private options in their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. Penn State Dickinson Law, though part of a public university, reports higher tuition at $60,048. Private schools such as the University of Pennsylvania (Carey) at $78,348 sit at the top, so cost-conscious Pennsylvania applicants often start with Temple University (Beasley) and the University of Pittsburgh.

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

No. You can practice in Pennsylvania with a degree from an ABA accredited law school anywhere, not only from a Pennsylvania school, provided you meet Pennsylvania's bar admission requirements. That said, several Pennsylvania law schools keep a high share of graduates in the state, up to 80 percent at Duquesne University (Kline) in ABA Class of 2024 employment data, so a Pennsylvania degree ties closely to the state's Philadelphia and Pittsburgh markets.

Sources

The median LSAT, acceptance rate, and full-time tuition figures for every law school in Pennsylvania come from each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, published through the ABA disclosure portal at https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/. The NextGen and Uniform Bar Exam status for Pennsylvania comes from the NCBE at ncbex.org. In-state retention figures reflect ABA Class of 2024 employment data. Verified August 2026.

Ready to see where you stand for the law schools in Pennsylvania? Get your free Pennsylvania law school profile evaluation and get a data-backed read on your LSAT target, your splitter profile, and which Pennsylvania schools fit your numbers.