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

The short answer to how to get into University of Montana Law School is to clear the medians in University of Montana Blewett School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure: a 156 LSAT and a 3.64 GPA. The middle 50 percent scored 153 to 159 and held a 3.33 to 3.8 GPA. Hit 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 University of Montana Blewett School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class), the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, and the school's own published pages.

University of Montana Blewett School of Law is the only ABA-accredited law school in the state, and its outcomes read like that mandate with one striking exception. According to the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, 76.9% of University of Montana Blewett School of Law graduates went to work in Montana, one of the highest single-market shares among ABA schools, yet the same summary shows 9.0% of graduates winning federal clerkships, an unusually strong clerkship share for a regional school. Add a 97.5% ultimate bar passage rate for the 2022 cohort and grant aid reaching 89% of students, and University of Montana Blewett School of Law looks like a high-outcome in-state value play. The honest counterweight, developed below, is that the school uses conditional scholarships that can be cut for grades, and that it reports very high living expenses of $35,371 in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, so the sticker math deserves a close look.

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

University of Montana Blewett School of Law posts a 156 LSAT median, a 3.64 GPA median, and a 51.41% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. Resident tuition and fees run $27,512 and nonresident $55,084, with living expenses of $35,371. Nearly nine in ten students receive grants. The table below collects Montana Law's headline admissions, cost, and outcome numbers.

MetricUniversity of Montana Blewett School of Law (fall 2025 entering class)LSAT (25th / 50th / 75th)153 / 156 / 159GPA (25th / 50th / 75th)3.33 / 3.64 / 3.8Acceptance rate51.41%Applications568Offers of admission292Matriculants from the applicant pool95First-year class95Full-time tuition and feesResident $27,512 / nonresident $55,084Living expenses$35,371Share receiving grants89%Median grant$10,000 (25th $6,630, 75th $15,585)Conditional scholarshipsYesFirst-time bar passage82.05% (exam year 2024, Montana)Employed at ten months94.9% (74 of 78)

Source: University of Montana Blewett 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 University of Montana Blewett School of 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 invent one.

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

University of Montana Blewett School of Law reports an LSAT spread of 153 to 159 and a GPA spread of 3.33 to 3.8 in its 2025 ABA 509. A 156 and a 3.64 sit at both medians. Below the 153 LSAT or the 3.33 GPA, an applicant needs a clear compensating strength on the other number.

University of Montana Blewett School of Law reports an LSAT 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of 153, 156, and 159, and a GPA 25th, 50th, and 75th of 3.33, 3.64, and 3.8 for the fall 2025 entering class, per its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. The median is the fiftieth percentile: half of enrolled students at University of Montana Blewett School of Law scored above 156 on the LSAT and above 3.64 in GPA, and half below. A median is a target, not a cutoff, and at Montana Law the two medians together mark the center of a competitive file.

Read the bands as ranges. A 156 LSAT lands you right at the University of Montana Blewett School of Law median, a 159 reaches the 75th percentile, and a 153 sits at the 25th, which is still a real admit zone rather than an automatic rejection. The transcript reads the same way: a 3.64 is the median, a 3.8 the 75th, and a 3.33 the 25th. An applicant at or above both medians is competitive on the numbers at University of Montana Blewett School of Law, while an applicant below one median leans on the other to carry the file.

That trade-off has a direction here. Lovare reads University of Montana Blewett School of Law as splitter friendly, with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.31 and an LSAT 25th-to-median spread of three points. 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. Montana Law leans splitter, so a strong LSAT at or above 156 paired with a GPA below 3.33 has a genuine path, while a high GPA with an LSAT under 153 is the tougher of the two imbalanced files. If your LSAT is your strength, University of Montana Blewett School of Law is a school where that strength does real work.

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

University of Montana Blewett School of Law is a little more accessible than its strong outcomes suggest. Lovare's band analysis places Montana Law 43rd most selective of the 57 ABA schools whose median LSAT is within two points of its 156, using acceptance rate from the 2025 ABA 509. Among same-LSAT peers, it admits a larger share than most.

Reputation tends to reward University of Montana Blewett School of Law for its outcomes: a high in-state placement rate, a strong ultimate bar figure, and a notable clerkship share. Those results can make the school sound harder to enter than it is. Lovare built a peer band of the 57 ABA law schools whose median LSAT falls within two points of Montana Law's 156, that is a median of 154 to 158, then ranked them by acceptance rate from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. University of Montana Blewett School of Law comes in 43rd most selective of the 57, which places it in the more accessible portion of a large band.

That ranking is a useful corrective in the applicant's favor. A 51.41% acceptance rate already reads as attainable, and the band comparison confirms that among schools posting the same median LSAT, University of Montana Blewett School of Law admits a larger share of applicants than roughly three quarters of its peers. The mechanism is a modest applicant pool: with 292 offers extended against 568 applications for a small class of 95, Montana Law does not need to admit shallowly to fill its seats. The honest verdict is that University of Montana Blewett School of Law is a realistic target for an applicant at or near its 156 and 3.64 medians, with genuinely strong outcomes waiting on the other side of an admittedly accessible gate.

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

University of Montana Blewett School of Law lists resident tuition and fees of $27,512 and nonresident tuition and fees of $55,084 in its 2025 ABA 509, plus a high $35,371 in living expenses. Grants reach 89% of students, with a median award of $10,000. A nonresident on the median grant nets about $45,084 in tuition and fees before living costs. The awards are conditional, so read the terms closely.

Start with the sticker. University of Montana Blewett School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure lists full-time tuition and fees at $27,512 for residents and $55,084 for nonresidents, plus $35,371 in living expenses. That living figure is unusually high and matters as much as tuition, because the 509 prints tuition and living separately and does not publish a single combined cost-of-attendance total. This page will not sum them into an all-in number University of Montana Blewett School of Law does not report, but a nonresident should note that tuition and living together represent a large annual outlay before aid.

The aid picture is genuinely deep. According to the same 509, 89% of University of Montana Blewett School of Law students receive grant aid, one of the highest reach figures you will find, with awards at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of $6,630, $10,000, and $15,585. Montana Law reports 8 full-tuition awards and 17 awards above full tuition for a class of 95, a strong count of top-tier packages relative to class size. Against the $55,084 nonresident sticker, a student on University of Montana Blewett School of Law's median grant of $10,000 nets about $45,084 in tuition and fees before living costs, using figures from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosure.

Now the warning that every University of Montana Blewett School of Law applicant needs to hear plainly. Montana Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure reports that the school uses conditional scholarships, which means a first-year award can be reduced or cut if your grades fall below the threshold the school sets. A conditional scholarship is not the same as a stable, guaranteed grant. If a large share of the class holds a conditional award and only some can finish above the threshold, a predictable number of students will lose part of their aid after the first year. Before you accept a University of Montana Blewett School of Law offer, ask the admissions office in writing exactly what class rank or GPA you must maintain, how many students held that scholarship last year, and how many kept it. Treat the $45,084 net as the best case and the post-first-year number as the figure to budget around.

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

University of Montana Blewett School of Law does not disclose waitlist offers or admits, and no ABA report does. The honest proxy is implied yield: 95 matriculants against 292 offers is a 32.5% yield in the 2025 ABA 509. That is a modest yield, which means Montana Law fills much of its class from first-round offers while leaving genuine room for waitlist movement.

Here is the reasoning in full. University of Montana Blewett School of Law enrolled 95 matriculants from 292 offers in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, an implied yield of 32.5%. No ABA disclosure, Montana 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 roughly a third of admitted students enroll, a school extends more offers than seats it expects to fill and often turns to a waitlist to finish the class.

A 32.5% yield is on the lower side, which is actually encouraging for a waitlisted applicant to University of Montana Blewett School of Law. It signals that admitted students frequently choose other options, so Montana Law leaves the door genuinely ajar for candidates who stay engaged. If you land on the University of Montana Blewett School of Law waitlist, the play is the standard one: send a concise letter of continued interest naming Montana Law as a top choice, add any new LSAT score or grades, and keep another acceptance in hand as your anchor.

One clean note on the class figures. University of Montana Blewett School of Law's 2025 ABA 509 lists 95 matriculants from the applicant pool and a first-year class of 95, so the two match exactly and there is no gap to explain from deferrals or transfers this cycle. The 32.5% implied yield is computed from those 95 matriculants against the 292 offers, which is the correct comparison for reasoning about this cycle's waitlist odds at University of Montana Blewett School of Law.

Where do University of Montana Blewett School of Law graduates actually work?

University of Montana Blewett School of Law is a concentrated in-state placement school with a standout clerkship record. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, 76.9% of graduates went to work in Montana and 84.6% across the top three markets. Large firms of 101 or more lawyers took 7.7%, and a remarkable 9.0% won federal clerkships. Montana Law is aimed at Montana, but it clerks well.

Lead with the concentration, because it is the defining fact of a University of Montana Blewett School of Law degree. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, Montana Law placed 60 of its graduates in Montana, 4 in Colorado, and 2 in Alaska. That is a 76.9% top-market share and an 84.6% top-three share, one of the most in-state-heavy placement profiles among ABA schools. More than three in four graduates practice in Montana, exactly what you would expect from the state's only law school.

The distinctive number sits on top of that concentration. University of Montana Blewett School of Law placed 9.0% of its Class of 2024 in federal clerkships, per the same ABA Employment Summary, a share that outpaces many higher-ranked schools and signals real strength with federal judges in the region. Pair that with a solid 94.9% overall employment rate, 74 of 78 graduates employed at ten months, and the picture is of a small school that places its graduates efficiently and sends an outsized fraction to the federal bench as clerks. If a clerkship is your goal and you are drawn to the Mountain West, University of Montana Blewett School of Law deserves a close look.

On firm size, University of Montana Blewett School of Law reflects its market. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 7.7% of Montana Law graduates entering large firms of 101 or more lawyers, a modest share consistent with a legal economy built more on small firms, government, and public-interest work than on national BigLaw. An applicant who wants large-firm recruiting should read that 7.7% plainly; an applicant who wants a Montana practice, a clerkship, or public-service work will find University of Montana Blewett School of Law pointed the right way.

When are University of Montana Blewett School of Law's application deadlines?

This page's sources do not specify University of Montana Blewett School of Law's application deadlines or its Early Decision terms. Both should be confirmed directly on Montana Law's admissions page rather than taken from any date this page cannot verify. The guidance here is dated: it reflects what was verifiable in August 2026.

Because the school's Early Decision terms are not confirmed here for the current cycle, University of Montana Blewett School of Law applicants should treat the school's own admissions page as the authority on deadlines, decision rounds, and whether any early or binding option exists. Rather than state a specific date that this page's primary sources do not support, the honest approach is to point you to University of Montana Blewett School of Law directly. As with every deadline, cycle dates shift from year to year, so confirm the current timeline on the school's site before you plan around it.

What the numbers do support is a timing strategy. University of Montana Blewett School of Law extended 292 offers against 568 applications for a small first-year class of 95, per its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. In a small-class cycle like that, seats and conditional scholarship dollars are finite, so an early, complete application is generally the stronger position regardless of the exact deadline. Apply to University of Montana Blewett School of Law when your file is ready and your LSAT is at its best, and verify the current dates on the school's site.

Frequently asked questions about getting into University of Montana Blewett School of Law

Is a 156 LSAT good enough for University of Montana Blewett School of Law?

A 156 is exactly the LSAT median at University of Montana Blewett School of Law, per its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, where the middle 50 percent scored 153 to 159. A 156 puts you at the fiftieth percentile, competitive but not a lock. Pair it with a GPA at or above the 3.64 median and you are a strong candidate at University of Montana Blewett School of Law.

What GPA do you need for University of Montana Blewett School of Law?

University of Montana Blewett School of Law reports a GPA median of 3.64, with a 25th to 75th range of 3.33 to 3.8, in its 2025 ABA 509. Aim for 3.64 or higher. Because Montana Law is splitter friendly, a strong LSAT can help carry a GPA below the 3.33 lower quartile, so applicants with an imbalanced file should lean on their LSAT at University of Montana Blewett School of Law.

What is University of Montana Blewett School of Law's acceptance rate?

University of Montana Blewett School of Law admitted 51.41% of applicants for the fall 2025 class, extending 292 offers against 568 applications, according to its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Among schools at the same 156 median LSAT, University of Montana Blewett School of Law sits on the accessible side of its band, 43rd most selective of 57, so it admits a larger share of applicants than most same-LSAT peers.

How many people apply to University of Montana Blewett School of Law?

University of Montana Blewett School of Law received 568 applications for the fall 2025 entering class, made 292 offers, and enrolled 95 matriculants for a first-year class of 95, per its 2025 ABA 509. That modest pool against a small class is what produces both Montana Law's 51.41% acceptance rate and its relatively accessible standing within its LSAT band.

How much does University of Montana Blewett School of Law cost?

University of Montana Blewett School of Law lists full-time tuition and fees of $27,512 for residents and $55,084 for nonresidents, plus a high $35,371 in living expenses, in its 2025 ABA 509. Montana 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 University of Montana Blewett School of Law.

Does University of Montana Blewett School of Law give scholarships?

Yes, and generously. University of Montana Blewett School of Law reports that 89% of students receive grant aid, with awards of $6,630, $10,000, and $15,585 at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, plus 8 full-tuition awards and 17 above full tuition, per its 2025 ABA 509. Those scholarships are conditional, so a first-year award at University of Montana Blewett School of Law can be cut if your grades fall below the school's threshold.

Are University of Montana Blewett School of Law scholarships conditional?

Yes. University of Montana Blewett School of Law reports in its 2025 ABA 509 that it uses conditional scholarships, so a first-year award can be reduced or cut if your grades fall below a set threshold. Before accepting a Montana Law offer, get the exact retention standard in writing and ask how many students kept the same award last year, because a graded first-year curve guarantees that some at University of Montana Blewett School of Law will not.

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

University of Montana Blewett School of Law posted an 82.05% first-time bar passage rate for exam year 2024, with Montana as the largest jurisdiction, according to its ABA bar-passage report. Its ultimate pass rate for the 2022 cohort was an excellent 97.5%. Both figures show that the large majority of University of Montana Blewett School of Law graduates who sit for a bar exam ultimately pass.

Where do University of Montana Blewett School of Law graduates work?

Most stay in Montana. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows University of Montana Blewett School of Law placed 60 graduates in Montana, 4 in Colorado, and 2 in Alaska, a 76.9% top-market share and 84.6% across the top three. University of Montana Blewett School of Law also sent 9.0% of graduates into federal clerkships, an unusually strong clerkship share for a regional school.

Can a splitter get into University of Montana Blewett School of Law?

A splitter has a real path. Lovare reads University of Montana Blewett School of Law as splitter friendly, with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.31 and an LSAT spread of three points in the 2025 ABA 509. That means Montana Law forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high, so a high-LSAT applicant with a GPA below the 3.33 lower quartile is more viable at University of Montana Blewett School of Law than the reverse.

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

University of Montana Blewett School of Law is 43rd most selective of the 57 ABA schools whose median LSAT is within two points of its 156, ranked by acceptance rate in the 2025 ABA 509, per Lovare's analysis. That standing means Montana Law admits a larger share of applicants than most schools posting the same median LSAT, making it an accessible target for a file near its medians.

Is University of Montana Blewett School of Law worth it?

For a Montana career or a clerkship, the value is strong. University of Montana Blewett School of Law pairs 89% grant reach with a 97.5% ultimate bar rate, 76.9% of graduates working in Montana, and 9.0% winning federal clerkships, per its 2025 ABA 509 and the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024. Weigh the conditional-scholarship terms and high living costs, but for Montana-focused students University of Montana Blewett School of Law is a high-value choice.

What is University of Montana Blewett School of Law's first-year attrition rate?

University of Montana Blewett School of Law reports first-year academic attrition of 0.0% in its 2025 ABA 509, meaning no first-year students were dismissed for academic reasons in the reported year. That is a reassuring figure, though it sits alongside conditional scholarships, so students at University of Montana Blewett School of Law can stay enrolled while still risking a reduced award if their grades fall below the retention threshold.

Does University of Montana Blewett School of Law have Early Decision?

This page's sources do not confirm University of Montana Blewett School of Law's Early Decision terms, so any binding early option should be verified on the school's admissions page rather than assumed. Because the terms are not confirmed here, the honest answer is to check University of Montana Blewett School of Law directly for whether an early or binding round exists and what commitment it carries before you apply.

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

Scores above the medians. Because University of Montana Blewett School of Law reports 8 full-tuition awards and 17 above full tuition in its 2025 ABA 509, an LSAT above the 156 median toward the 159 upper quartile, paired with a GPA above 3.64 toward the 3.8 upper quartile, positions you for the largest awards. Strong numbers are how you move from a partial grant to a full ride at University of Montana Blewett School of Law, though you must then hold the conditional threshold to keep it.

Sources

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

University of Montana Blewett School of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class): https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/AnnualQuestionnaire/GenerateIndividualDisclosure509Report?schoolId=89&year=2025

University of Montana Blewett School of Law ABA bar-passage report: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/BarPassageOutcomes/GenerateIndividualBarPassageReport?schoolId=89&year=2025

ABA Employment Summary, Class of 2024: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/EmploymentOutcomes/GenerateIndividualEQSummaryReport?schoolId=89&year=2024

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