How to Get Into University at Buffalo Law School: LSAT, GPA & Admissions (2026)

The short answer to how to get into University at Buffalo Law School is to reach the medians in the University at Buffalo School of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure: a 157 LSAT and a 3.71 GPA. The middle 50 percent of the entering class scored 155 to 161 on the LSAT and held a 3.51 to 3.88 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 the University at Buffalo School of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report for the fall 2025 entering class, the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, and the University at Buffalo's own published pages.

The single most distinctive fact about the University at Buffalo School of Law is its price, because it is the only public law school on this list. According to the University at Buffalo School of Law 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, resident full-time tuition and fees are $26,430 and nonresident tuition and fees are $32,100, roughly a third to a half of the seventy-thousand-dollar-plus stickers at the New York City private schools. As part of the State University of New York system, University at Buffalo Law competes on base price rather than on deep discounts, which is why only 51% of its students receive grants and the median grant is a modest $7,500. The payoff shows in outcomes: University at Buffalo Law posted a 95.0% employment rate at ten months for the Class of 2024, the strongest overall rate among its New York peers on this list. The honest caveat is retention: University at Buffalo Law reports an 8.0% first-year academic attrition rate, the highest on this list, so finishing the first year in good standing takes real work. The thesis of this page is that the University at Buffalo School of Law is New York's public-value law degree, with a low sticker, strong employment, and a first year you should not underestimate.

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

The University at Buffalo School of Law, the SUNY public law school in Buffalo, posts a 157 LSAT median, a 3.71 GPA median, and a 42.37% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Resident tuition and fees run $26,430 a year. The table below gathers the headline numbers for University at Buffalo Law in one place.

MetricUniversity at Buffalo School of Law (fall 2025 entering class)LSAT (25th / 50th / 75th)155 / 157 / 161GPA (25th / 50th / 75th)3.51 / 3.71 / 3.88Acceptance rate42.37%Applications977Offers of admission414Matriculants163First-year class167Full-time tuition and feesResident $26,430 a year / nonresident $32,100 a yearLiving expenses$24,814Share receiving grants51%Median grant$7,500Conditional scholarshipsNo (awards are not tied to a first-year grade threshold)First-time bar passage85.71% (exam year 2024, largest jurisdiction New York)Employed at ten months95.0% (152 of 160 graduates, Class of 2024)

Source: University at Buffalo School of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report for the fall 2025 entering class, with employment from the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 and bar passage from the University at Buffalo School of Law 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 invented all-in figure.

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

The University at Buffalo School of Law reports an LSAT spread of 155 to 161 and a GPA spread of 3.51 to 3.88 in its 2025 ABA 509. A 157 LSAT and a 3.71 GPA sit at both medians. Below the 155 LSAT or the 3.51 GPA, you need a clear compensating strength on the other number.

The University at Buffalo School of Law reports an LSAT 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of 155, 157, and 161, and a GPA 25th, 50th, and 75th of 3.51, 3.71, and 3.88 for the fall 2025 entering class, according to its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. The median is the fiftieth percentile: half of the enrolled class scored above 157 on the LSAT and above 3.71 in GPA, and half scored below. A 157 and a 3.71 sit at the center of the admitted class, so they make you a competitive applicant at the University at Buffalo School of Law rather than a reach.

The bands at the University at Buffalo School of Law are relatively tight, which makes the target easy to read. The LSAT runs only six points from the 155 bottom quartile to the 161 top quartile, and the GPA runs 0.37 across the same range. A 155, the LSAT bottom quartile, is a real admit range at the University at Buffalo School of Law, but it wants a GPA at or above the 3.71 median to carry the file. A 3.51, the GPA bottom quartile, is likewise inside the class but leans on an LSAT at or above 157. If you sit below both the 155 LSAT and the 3.51 GPA at the same time, University at Buffalo Law becomes a reach unless something outside the numbers is unusually strong.

That shape makes the University at Buffalo School of Law mildly splitter friendly. Lovare's read of the 509 spreads shows a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.20 and an LSAT 25th-to-median spread of two points, so the GPA band is proportionally the more forgiving of the two, though both are narrow. A splitter-friendly school forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high; a reverse-splitter-friendly school forgives a lower LSAT when the GPA is high. The University at Buffalo School of Law leans splitter friendly, so a high LSAT paired with a GPA in the low 3.5s has a path, but because both bands are tight, there is less room to be far off on either number than at a school with wider spreads. If your LSAT is your stronger asset, University at Buffalo Law is a reasonable target.

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

It sits about where its reputation puts it. Among the 56 ABA law schools whose median LSAT is within two points of the University at Buffalo School of Law's 157, that is 155 to 159, University at Buffalo Law ranks 31st most selective of 56 by acceptance rate, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. That is mid-band.

Reputation frames the University at Buffalo School of Law as the flagship public law school of the SUNY system and western New York's main law school, a well-regarded regional degree at a public price. The band data agrees. Lovare built a peer band of the 56 ABA law schools whose median LSAT falls within two points of the University at Buffalo School of Law's 157, a median of 155 to 159, then ranked them by acceptance rate from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. By that ranking, the University at Buffalo School of Law comes in 31st most selective of 56, placing it near the middle of a large band.

According to its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, the University at Buffalo School of Law received 977 applications, made 414 offers, and enrolled 163 matriculants, for a 42.37% acceptance rate. That applicant pool is the smallest on this list, which reflects a regional draw rather than a national one, and admitting about two in five applicants is neither unusually selective nor unusually open. The honest verdict is that the University at Buffalo School of Law is roughly as hard to get into as its reputation implies, so applicants near its medians should treat it as a realistic target.

The consumer-protective fact here is retention, and it deserves plain attention. The University at Buffalo School of Law reports a first-year academic attrition rate of 8.0% in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, the highest among its New York peers on this list. That means roughly one in twelve first-year students left for academic reasons in the reported year. It is not a reason to avoid University at Buffalo Law, especially given the school's low cost and strong employment rate, but it is a clear signal that admission is not the finish line: the first-year curve is demanding, and you should plan to treat 1L as a full-time academic priority from day one at the University at Buffalo School of Law.

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

The University at Buffalo School of Law charges $26,430 a year in resident tuition and fees and $32,100 for nonresidents, per its 2025 ABA 509, plus $24,814 in living expenses. Fifty-one percent of students receive grants, with a median award of $7,500. A nonresident median-grant recipient nets about $24,600 in tuition and fees before living costs.

The cost story at the University at Buffalo School of Law is the reason many applicants choose it. Its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure lists resident full-time tuition and fees at $26,430 a year and nonresident tuition and fees at $32,100, plus $24,814 in living expenses. Those tuition figures are a fraction of the $74,000 to $77,000 stickers at the New York City private schools on this list, which is the defining advantage of a public law degree. The 509 prints tuition and living 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 the University at Buffalo School of Law reports, and this page will not invent one.

Because the base price is already low, the University at Buffalo School of Law does not discount as broadly or as deeply as the private schools, and that is the correct tradeoff to understand rather than a weakness. According to the same 509, 51% of University at Buffalo Law students receive grant aid, with awards at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of $3,500, $7,500, and $11,500, and the school reports no full-tuition awards and none above full tuition. For a nonresident receiving the median grant, a $7,500 award against the $32,100 nonresident sticker nets about $24,600 in tuition and fees before living costs, using figures from the University at Buffalo School of Law 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. For a resident, the $26,430 base is already below that figure before any grant, which is the whole point.

The aid, though modest, is reliable. The University at Buffalo School of Law does not use conditional scholarships, per its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, so an award is not tied to a first-year class-rank or GPA threshold and cannot be cut if your grades slip. Put the pieces together and the value case is straightforward: a resident at the University at Buffalo School of Law can attend for a base tuition of $26,430 that undercuts the post-grant net price at most private peers, without betting on a large discount and without conditional strings. If you qualify for New York residency, University at Buffalo Law is one of the lowest-cost paths to a law degree in the state.

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

The University at Buffalo School of Law does not disclose waitlist offers or admits, and no ABA report does. The honest proxy is implied yield: 163 matriculants against 414 offers is a 39.4% yield in its 2025 ABA 509. That is a relatively high yield, so University at Buffalo Law fills most of its class from first-round offers and the waitlist moves less.

Here is the reasoning in full. The University at Buffalo School of Law enrolled 163 matriculants from 414 offers in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, an implied yield of 39.4%. No ABA disclosure, University at Buffalo Law's included, publishes how many applicants are admitted off the waitlist or how many accept, so implied yield is the honest proxy for waitlist movement. When nearly two in five admitted students enroll, a school fills most of its class from first-round offers and has less need to reach into a waitlist.

A 39.4% yield is high for its band, the highest on this list, which fits a public school where admitted in-state applicants often accept because the price is hard to beat. For a waitlisted applicant to the University at Buffalo School of Law, a high yield is the less encouraging signal: it means the class tends to fill from first-round deposits, so the waitlist may move little in a typical cycle. If you land on the University at Buffalo School of Law waitlist, still send a concise letter of continued interest naming University at Buffalo Law as a top choice and add any new LSAT score or improved grades, but keep a firm acceptance in hand and do not count on the list.

One honest note on the class figures. The University at Buffalo School of Law 2025 ABA 509 disclosure lists 163 matriculants from the applicant pool but a first-year class of 167. 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 39.4% implied yield is computed from the 163 pool matriculants against the 414 offers, which is the correct comparison for reasoning about this cycle's waitlist odds at the University at Buffalo School of Law.

Where do University at Buffalo School of Law graduates actually work?

In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, the University at Buffalo School of Law placed 142 of 160 graduates in New York, an 88.8% top-market share, and 90.0% across its top three markets. Large firms of 101 or more lawyers took 16.2% of the class, and 0.6% won federal clerkships. University at Buffalo Law is a strongly New York school.

Market concentration is the first thing to understand about a University at Buffalo School of Law degree. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, the University at Buffalo School of Law placed 142 graduates in New York and 2 in Virginia, with its top three markets accounting for 90.0% of the class. That 88.8% top-market share is a heavily New York profile, much of it in the western New York region around Buffalo. If your target is New York State practice, that concentration is a strength. If your goal is a distant market, the same concentration is a warning that the University at Buffalo School of Law's network runs regional.

On firm outcomes, the University at Buffalo School of Law is moderate for its band. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 16.2% of University at Buffalo Law graduates taking jobs at large firms of 101 or more lawyers. About one in six graduates entering large-firm practice is a fair result for a regional public school, though it is lower than the strongest private feeders, so if a big-firm career is your primary objective, weigh that share against schools that post higher numbers. For its cost, though, the University at Buffalo School of Law delivers a reasonable large-firm channel.

The overall rate is where the University at Buffalo School of Law shines, and federal clerkships set the boundary. University at Buffalo Law reported 152 of 160 graduates employed at ten months, or 95.0%, in the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, the strongest overall employment rate among its New York peers on this list. Federal clerkships were a small share at 0.6%, reflecting a market-practice orientation rather than a clerkship pipeline. Read the outcomes together and the University at Buffalo School of Law reliably places a very high share of its graduates into New York practice at a public-school price, which is the core of its value.

When are University at Buffalo School of Law's application deadlines?

The sources behind this page do not include the University at Buffalo School of Law's application deadlines or the terms of any Early Decision program, so both should be confirmed directly on the University at Buffalo School of Law's admissions site. What this page can date is the data: the admissions, cost, and outcome figures here were verified in August 2026 against University at Buffalo Law's primary disclosures.

Application cycles reward early, complete files, so even without a published deadline in front of you, the practical advice for the University at Buffalo School of Law is to apply as early in the cycle as your strongest LSAT allows. Law school admissions at schools like the University at Buffalo School of Law are typically rolling, which means seats and the limited grant money are more plentiful earlier and thinner later. Because this page's sources do not specify University at Buffalo Law's exact deadlines or whether it offers a binding Early Decision round, confirm the current dates and any binding terms on the University at Buffalo School of Law's own admissions pages before you build your timeline around them.

Frequently asked questions about getting into University at Buffalo School of Law

Is a 157 LSAT good enough for the University at Buffalo School of Law?

A 157 is exactly the LSAT median at the University at Buffalo School of Law, per its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, where the middle 50 percent scored 155 to 161. A 157 puts you at the fiftieth percentile, competitive rather than a lock. Pair it with a GPA at or above the 3.71 median and you are a strong candidate at the University at Buffalo School of Law.

What GPA do you need for the University at Buffalo School of Law?

The University at Buffalo School of Law reports a GPA median of 3.71, with a 25th to 75th range of 3.51 to 3.88, in its 2025 ABA 509. Aim for 3.71 or higher to sit at the center of the class. Because University at Buffalo Law is mildly splitter friendly, a GPA in the low 3.5s can still work if your LSAT is at or above the 157 median.

What is the University at Buffalo School of Law's acceptance rate?

The University at Buffalo School of Law admitted 42.37% of applicants for the fall 2025 class, extending 414 offers against 977 applications, according to its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Admitting about two in five applicants places the University at Buffalo School of Law in the middle of its LSAT band, so applicants near its medians should treat it as a realistic target school.

How many people apply to the University at Buffalo School of Law each year?

The University at Buffalo School of Law received 977 applications for the fall 2025 entering class, the smallest pool on this list, made 414 offers, and enrolled 163 matriculants toward a first-year class of 167, per its 2025 ABA 509. That regional pool against the offer count is what produces University at Buffalo Law's 42.37% acceptance rate.

How much does the University at Buffalo School of Law cost per year?

The University at Buffalo School of Law lists resident tuition and fees of $26,430 a year and nonresident tuition and fees of $32,100, plus $24,814 in living expenses, in its 2025 ABA 509. As a SUNY public school, University at Buffalo Law costs a fraction of the private New York schools. It does not publish a single cost-of-attendance total, so tuition and living are best read separately.

Does the University at Buffalo School of Law give scholarships?

Yes, but modestly, because its base price is already low. The University at Buffalo School of Law reports that 51% of students receive grant aid, with awards of $3,500, $7,500, and $11,500 at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles and no full-tuition awards, per its 2025 ABA 509. A nonresident median recipient nets about $24,600 in tuition and fees before living costs at University at Buffalo Law.

Are University at Buffalo School of Law scholarships conditional?

No. The University at Buffalo School of Law does not use conditional scholarships, per its 2025 ABA 509, so an award is not tied to a first-year class-rank or GPA threshold and cannot be cut if your grades slip. Whatever grant the University at Buffalo School of Law offers at admission is money you keep through all three years.

What is the University at Buffalo School of Law's bar passage rate?

The University at Buffalo School of Law posted an 85.71% first-time bar passage rate for exam year 2024, with New York as its largest jurisdiction, according to its ABA bar-passage report. Its ultimate pass rate for the 2022 cohort was 86.92%. The close gap between the two rates indicates most University at Buffalo Law graduates pass on the first attempt.

What is the University at Buffalo School of Law's first-year attrition rate?

The University at Buffalo School of Law reports a first-year academic attrition rate of 8.0% in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, the highest on this list, meaning roughly one in twelve first-year students left for academic reasons. That is a clear signal that the first-year curve at the University at Buffalo School of Law is demanding, so plan to treat 1L as a full-time academic priority.

Where do University at Buffalo School of Law graduates work?

Overwhelmingly in New York. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows the University at Buffalo School of Law placed 142 graduates in New York and 2 in Virginia, an 88.8% top-market share and 90.0% across the top three. University at Buffalo Law's network is heavily New York centered, much of it in the western New York region around Buffalo.

Do University at Buffalo School of Law graduates get large-firm jobs?

At a moderate rate. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, 16.2% of University at Buffalo School of Law graduates took jobs at large firms of 101 or more lawyers. About one in six entering large-firm practice is fair for a regional public school, and it is a reasonable big-firm channel relative to University at Buffalo Law's low cost, though lower than the strongest private feeders.

Can a splitter get into the University at Buffalo School of Law?

A splitter has a modest path. Lovare reads the University at Buffalo School of Law as mildly splitter friendly, with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.20 against an LSAT spread of two points in the 2025 ABA 509. University at Buffalo Law forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high, but because both bands are narrow, there is less room to be far off either number than at wider-spread schools.

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

Right in the middle. Among the 56 ABA law schools within two points of the University at Buffalo School of Law's 157 median, that is 155 to 159, University at Buffalo Law ranks 31st most selective of 56 by acceptance rate in Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. So the University at Buffalo School of Law sits mid-band, about as selective as its reputation implies.

Is the University at Buffalo School of Law worth it?

For value, it is one of the strongest cases in New York. The University at Buffalo School of Law pairs a $26,430 resident sticker with a 95.0% employment rate at ten months and an 85.71% first-time bar pass, per its disclosures. The caveat is an 8.0% first-year attrition rate. For a cost-conscious applicant, especially a New York resident, University at Buffalo Law delivers a strong outcome at a public price.

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

Numbers above the medians. Because merit money tracks the strength of your file, an LSAT above the 157 median and a GPA above 3.71, pushing toward the 161 and 3.88 upper quartiles in the University at Buffalo School of Law 2025 ABA 509, position you for the larger awards, near the $11,500 upper-quartile grant. University at Buffalo Law's grants are modest because its base tuition is already low.

Sources

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

University at Buffalo School of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class): https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/AnnualQuestionnaire/GenerateIndividualDisclosure509Report?schoolId=98&year=2025

University at Buffalo School of Law ABA bar-passage report: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/BarPassageOutcomes/GenerateIndividualBarPassageReport?schoolId=98&year=2025

ABA Employment Summary, Class of 2024: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/EmploymentOutcomes/GenerateIndividualEQSummaryReport?schoolId=98&year=2024

Get your free University at Buffalo School of Law admissions profile evaluation