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

The short answer to how to get into University of Richmond Law School is to clear its medians from Richmond Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure: a 164 LSAT and a 3.81 GPA. The middle 50 percent scored 159 to 167 on the LSAT and 3.66 to 3.92 in GPA. Hit both numbers and you are a competitive applicant.

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

University of Richmond Law School is one of the better scholarship values in its tier, and that is the fact to lead with. According to Richmond Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, 81 percent of students receive grant aid, the median grant is $40,000, and the school reports 101 full-tuition awards plus 7 awards above full tuition. Against full-time tuition and fees of $57,700, a student holding the median grant nets about $17,700 in tuition and fees before living costs, per Lovare's read of the 509, a genuinely low net for a private law school. Two more facts sharpen the picture. Richmond Law is less selective than its reputation implies: among the 36 ABA law schools whose median LSAT sits within two points of its 164, ranked by acceptance rate, Richmond Law is 35th most selective of 36, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. And its graduates land where the school is strongest, with 60.3 percent working in Virginia and 72.8 percent across the top three markets in the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024. The thesis of this page is that University of Richmond Law School is an accessible, high-value regional school with a strong Virginia and Washington pull, not the reach school its name can suggest.

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

University of Richmond Law School posts a 164 LSAT median, a 3.81 GPA median, and a 39.64 percent acceptance rate in Richmond Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Full-time tuition and fees run $57,700, with living expenses of $26,510 listed separately. The table below collects the headline admissions, cost, and outcome numbers for the school.

MetricUniversity of Richmond Law School (fall 2025 entering class)LSAT (25th / 50th / 75th)159 / 164 / 167GPA (25th / 50th / 75th)3.66 / 3.81 / 3.92Acceptance rate39.64%Applications1,738Offers of admission689Matriculants from the applicant pool146First-year class146Full-time tuition and fees$57,700Living expenses$26,510Share receiving grants81%Median grant$40,000Conditional scholarshipsNoFirst-time bar passage80.13%Employed at ten months96.0% (145 of 151)

Source: University of Richmond Law School'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 Richmond 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 reports the components rather than inventing an all-in figure for Richmond Law.

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

University of Richmond Law School reports an LSAT spread of 159 to 167 and a GPA spread of 3.66 to 3.92 in its 2025 ABA 509. A 164 and a 3.81 sit at both medians. Below the 159 LSAT or the 3.66 GPA, you need a clear compensating strength on the other number to stay competitive.

University of Richmond Law School reports an LSAT 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of 159, 164, and 167, and a GPA 25th, 50th, and 75th of 3.66, 3.81, and 3.92 for the fall 2025 entering class, per Richmond Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. The median is the fiftieth percentile: half of enrolled students scored above 164 on the LSAT and above 3.81 in GPA, and half below. A median is a target and not a hard cutoff, but at Richmond Law both medians mark the center of the class and are the numbers to aim for.

Read the realistic range this way. A 164 LSAT paired with a 3.81 GPA puts an applicant squarely at both medians of University of Richmond Law School, which is a genuinely strong position rather than a coin flip. The 25th percentiles, a 159 LSAT and a 3.66 GPA, are real admit territory at Richmond Law, but a file sitting at or below one of those quartiles wants the other number at or above the median to carry it. Below the 159 LSAT or the 3.66 GPA, an applicant needs a clear compensating strength, whether that is the other index, a strong upward grade trend, or meaningful work experience.

The shape of the two bands makes University of Richmond Law School reverse-splitter friendly. Lovare's read of the 509 spreads shows a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.15 and an LSAT 25th-to-median spread of five points, so the LSAT band runs much wider on the low side than the GPA band. A reverse-splitter-friendly school forgives a lower LSAT when the GPA is high, while a splitter-friendly school forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high. Richmond Law leans reverse-splitter: if your transcript is strong and your LSAT trails, an LSAT in the low 160s or even high 150s paired with a GPA near the 3.92 upper quartile has a real path at University of Richmond Law School, more so than a high LSAT sitting on a sub-3.66 GPA.

One reassuring number sits underneath all of this. University of Richmond Law School reports first-year academic attrition of 0.0 percent in its 2025 ABA 509, which means essentially no members of a recent first-year class left for academic reasons. For an applicant weighing whether a school pushes people out after admitting them, Richmond Law's 0.0 percent academic attrition is a signal that the class it admits is the class it keeps.

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

No, and that is useful to know. By raw acceptance rate, University of Richmond Law School is near the bottom of its LSAT band in selectivity, ranking 35th most selective of 36 schools within two points of its 164 median, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509. Richmond Law is more attainable than its name implies.

Reputation places University of Richmond Law School among the respected regional private schools with a long Virginia pedigree, and its 164 LSAT median fits a competitive tier. Its acceptance rate, though, tells a more open story than that reputation might lead you to expect. Lovare built a peer band of the 36 ABA law schools whose median LSAT falls within two points of Richmond Law's 164, that is, a median of 162 to 166, then ranked them by acceptance rate from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. By that ranking, University of Richmond Law School comes in 35th most selective of the 36, near the very bottom of the band.

What that means in plain terms is that Richmond Law admits a larger share of its applicants than almost every school posting a similar LSAT median. According to Richmond Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, University of Richmond Law School received 1,738 applications, made 689 offers, and enrolled 146 first-year students, for a 39.64 percent acceptance rate. A school can pair a high LSAT median with a high acceptance rate when its applicant pool is strong and self-selected but not enormous, which is exactly the pattern Richmond Law shows.

The honest verdict is constructive rather than deflating. University of Richmond Law School is genuinely selective in absolute terms, admitting well under half of its applicants, but it is not the reach school its 164 median might suggest. For an applicant at or near the medians, Richmond Law is a realistic target rather than a long shot, and that gap between reputation and admit rate is one of the clearest reasons to put University of Richmond Law School on a balanced application list.

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

University of Richmond Law School charges $57,700 in full-time tuition and fees, per Richmond Law's 2025 ABA 509, plus $26,510 in living expenses. Eighty-one percent of students receive grants, the median award is $40,000, and a median-grant recipient nets about $17,700 in tuition and fees before living costs, a strong value.

Start with the sticker. University of Richmond Law School's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure lists full-time tuition and fees at $57,700, plus $26,510 in living expenses. The 509 prints tuition and living costs 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 Richmond Law reports, and this page will not invent one.

Now the aid, which is where University of Richmond Law School stands out. According to the same 509, 81 percent of Richmond Law students receive grant aid, with awards at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of $20,000, $40,000, and $55,550. Richmond Law also reports 101 full-tuition awards and 7 awards above full tuition, an unusually deep pool of top scholarships for a school of its size. Those grants blend merit and need-based aid, so not every dollar is a merit discount, but the combination of a $40,000 median and more than one hundred full-tuition awards marks University of Richmond Law School as a genuinely generous school.

The math for a typical recipient is favorable. Against the $57,700 sticker, a student receiving University of Richmond Law School's median grant of $40,000 nets about $17,700 in tuition and fees before living costs, per Lovare's read of Richmond Law's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. That is a low net for a private law degree. The aid is also stable: Richmond Law reports that its scholarships are not conditional, so an award is not tied to a first-year class-rank or GPA threshold and cannot be cut if your grades slip. The grant University of Richmond Law School quotes at admission is the grant you keep for all three years, which removes a risk that trips up students at schools with conditional awards.

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

University of Richmond Law School does not disclose waitlist offers or admits, and no ABA report does. The honest proxy is implied yield: 146 matriculants against 689 offers is a 21.2 percent yield, per Lovare's read of Richmond Law's 2025 ABA 509. That relatively low yield suggests the waitlist can move in some cycles.

Here is the reasoning in full. University of Richmond Law School enrolled 146 first-year students from 689 offers in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, an implied yield of 21.2 percent. No ABA disclosure, Richmond 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 only about a fifth of admitted students enroll, a school extends offers well beyond the seats it needs and often returns to its waitlist to finish the class.

A 21.2 percent yield is on the lower side, which for a waitlisted applicant to University of Richmond Law School is cautiously encouraging. A low yield means the school leans on a larger admitted pool and, in cycles where deposits fall short, on its waitlist to fill seats. That is different from a school yielding close to half its offers, which barely moves its list. Richmond Law's number puts the door genuinely ajar rather than nailed shut.

If you land on the University of Richmond Law School waitlist, the play is straightforward: send a concise letter of continued interest naming Richmond Law as a top choice, add any new LSAT score or grades, and keep another acceptance in hand as your floor. Do not treat a University of Richmond Law School waitlist spot as a plan, but the relatively low yield means it is a real possibility worth working rather than writing off.

Where do University of Richmond Law School graduates actually work?

In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, University of Richmond Law School placed 60.3 percent of graduates in Virginia and 72.8 percent across its top three markets. Large firms of 101 or more lawyers took 20.5 percent, and 4.0 percent won federal clerkships. Richmond Law is a concentrated Virginia and Washington school.

Start with concentration, because it is what predicts fit. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, University of Richmond Law School placed 91 of its graduates in Virginia, 14 in the District of Columbia, and 5 in Florida. That is a 60.3 percent top-market share and a 72.8 percent top-three share, which describes a school whose network runs deep in Virginia and the Washington corridor. If you want to practice in Richmond, Northern Virginia, or Washington, University of Richmond Law School is aimed squarely at your market. If your target is New York, California, or the South outside Florida, Richmond Law's concentration is a signal that its alumni pull is regional rather than national.

Why lead with geography rather than the raw employment rate? Because the rate barely separates peer schools. University of Richmond Law School reported 145 of 151 graduates employed at ten months, or 96.0 percent, in the same ABA Employment Summary, which is strong but similar across the tier. Concentration is the number that tells you where a Richmond Law degree actually travels.

On firm outcomes, University of Richmond Law School is a solid regional performer rather than a BigLaw feeder. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 20.5 percent of Richmond Law graduates taking jobs at large firms of 101 or more lawyers, a respectable share for a regional private school but well below the rates at the national large-firm feeders. Federal clerkships add to the picture: the same summary shows 4.0 percent of University of Richmond Law School graduates entering federal clerkships, a healthy clerkship share that reflects the school's Virginia and Washington court access. Taken together, the outcomes describe a school that places most of its class into Virginia-area practice, with a meaningful minority reaching large firms and the federal bench.

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

University of Richmond Law School's specific application deadlines and any Early Decision terms are not confirmed here for the current cycle, so confirm them directly on Richmond Law's admissions site. The sources here, the 2025 ABA 509 and the ABA employment and bar reports, do not publish cycle dates. This guidance is dated August 2026.

To be transparent about what this page can and cannot verify: the primary disclosures behind University of Richmond Law School's numbers, namely the 2025 ABA Standard 509 report and the ABA employment and bar-passage reports, do not include application deadlines or the terms of any binding Early Decision program. Rather than state a date this page cannot source, the honest step is to send you to Richmond Law's own admissions page for the current cycle's deadlines and any Early Decision option, verified as of August 2026.

As a general matter in law school admissions, applying earlier in a cycle tends to help, because offers and scholarship funds deplete as a class fills. That general dynamic is consistent with University of Richmond Law School's 21.2 percent implied yield from its 2025 ABA 509, which shows a school that extends many offers to build its class. If a large scholarship is your goal at Richmond Law, submitting a complete application early, well before any posted final deadline you confirm on the school's site, is the lower-risk approach.

Frequently asked questions about getting into University of Richmond Law School

Is a 164 LSAT good enough for Richmond Law?

A 164 is exactly the LSAT median at University of Richmond Law School, per Richmond Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, where the middle 50 percent scored 159 to 167. A 164 puts you at the fiftieth percentile, competitive rather than a lock. Pair it with a GPA at or above the 3.81 median and you are a strong candidate at Richmond Law.

What GPA do you need to get into Richmond Law?

University of Richmond Law School reports a GPA median of 3.81, with a 25th to 75th range of 3.66 to 3.92, in its 2025 ABA 509. Aim for 3.81 or higher. Because Richmond Law is reverse-splitter friendly, a strong GPA can help carry an LSAT in the low 160s, so a high transcript is especially valuable at University of Richmond Law School.

What is Richmond Law's acceptance rate?

University of Richmond Law School admitted 39.64 percent of applicants for the fall 2025 class, extending 689 offers against 1,738 applications, according to Richmond Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. That rate ranks 35th most selective of the 36 schools in its LSAT band, so University of Richmond Law School is more attainable than its reputation suggests.

How many people apply to Richmond Law each year?

University of Richmond Law School received 1,738 applications for the fall 2025 entering class, made 689 offers, and enrolled 146 first-year students, per Richmond Law's 2025 ABA 509. That is a modest pool against a fairly generous number of offers, which is what produces University of Richmond Law School's 39.64 percent acceptance rate.

How much does Richmond Law cost per year?

University of Richmond Law School lists full-time tuition and fees of $57,700, plus $26,510 in living expenses, in its 2025 ABA 509. Richmond 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 Richmond Law School.

Does Richmond Law give scholarships?

Yes, generously. University of Richmond Law School reports that 81 percent of students receive grant aid, with awards of $20,000, $40,000, and $55,550 at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, plus 101 full-tuition awards and 7 above full tuition, per Richmond Law's 2025 ABA 509. The awards are not conditional, so a Richmond Law grant cannot be cut for grades.

What is Richmond Law's bar passage rate?

University of Richmond Law School posted an 80.13 percent first-time bar passage rate for exam year 2024, with Virginia as its largest jurisdiction, according to Richmond Law's ABA bar-passage report. Its ultimate pass rate for the 2022 cohort was 93.55 percent. So while the first-time rate is moderate, the large majority of University of Richmond Law School graduates ultimately pass.

Where do most Richmond Law graduates work?

Most stay in Virginia. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows University of Richmond Law School placed 91 graduates in Virginia, 14 in the District of Columbia, and 5 in Florida, a 60.3 percent top-market share and 72.8 percent across the top three. Richmond Law has a strongly Virginia and Washington placement profile.

Do Richmond Law graduates get large-firm jobs?

Some do. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, University of Richmond Law School sent 20.5 percent of graduates to large firms of 101 or more lawyers, a respectable share for a regional private school but below the national large-firm feeders. Richmond Law also placed 4.0 percent of its class into federal clerkships in the same summary.

Can a splitter get into Richmond Law?

A reverse-splitter has a real path. Lovare reads University of Richmond Law School as reverse-splitter friendly, with a wide LSAT 25th-to-median spread of five points but a narrow GPA spread of 0.15 in the 2025 ABA 509. That means Richmond Law forgives a lower LSAT when the GPA is high, so a strong-GPA applicant with an LSAT in the low 160s is viable at University of Richmond Law School.

How selective is Richmond Law compared with schools at the same LSAT?

Less selective than most of them. Among the 36 schools whose median LSAT is within two points of University of Richmond Law School's 164, ranked by acceptance rate, Richmond Law is 35th most selective of 36, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509. So University of Richmond Law School admits a larger share of applicants than nearly every school at its LSAT level.

Is Richmond Law worth it?

For a Virginia or Washington career, the value case is strong. University of Richmond Law School pairs a $57,700 sticker with 81 percent grant reach and a $40,000 median award that nets about $17,700 before living costs, per Richmond Law's 2025 ABA 509. Add 96.0 percent employment at ten months from the Class of 2024 summary, and the numbers favor University of Richmond Law School for regional applicants.

Does Richmond Law push out first-year students?

No. University of Richmond Law School reports first-year academic attrition of 0.0 percent in its 2025 ABA 509, meaning essentially no first-year students left for academic reasons. Combined with scholarships that are not conditional, that tells an applicant the class Richmond Law admits is the class it keeps, without a hidden first-year washout risk at University of Richmond Law School.

What LSAT and GPA give the best shot at a Richmond Law scholarship?

Scores above the medians. Because University of Richmond Law School reports 101 full-tuition awards and a $55,550 upper-quartile grant in its 2025 ABA 509, an LSAT above 164 and a GPA above 3.81, pushing toward the 167 and 3.92 upper quartiles, position you for Richmond Law's largest awards. Strong numbers are the surest route to top scholarship money at University of Richmond Law School.

Sources

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

University of Richmond Law School 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class): https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/AnnualQuestionnaire/GenerateIndividualDisclosure509Report?schoolId=156&year=2025

University of Richmond Law School ABA bar-passage report: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/BarPassageOutcomes/GenerateIndividualBarPassageReport?schoolId=156&year=2025

ABA Employment Summary, Class of 2024: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/EmploymentOutcomes/GenerateIndividualEQSummaryReport?schoolId=156&year=2024

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