How to Get Into Washington and Lee Law School: LSAT, GPA & Admissions (2026)

The short answer to how to get into Washington and Lee Law School is to reach the medians in Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure: a 167 LSAT and a 3.75 GPA. The middle 50 percent scored 161 to 168 on the LSAT and 3.51 to 3.85 in 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. Admissions figures on this page come from Washington and Lee University School of Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report for the fall 2025 entering class, employment figures from the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, and bar passage and program details from Washington and Lee Law's own published pages.

Here is what makes Washington and Lee Law School distinctive. It is a small, national-reaching school whose graduates scatter more widely than almost any regional peer. According to the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, just 24.8 percent of Washington and Lee Law graduates landed in the school's top market, an unusually low concentration for a school its size, and 38.3 percent entered large firms of 101 or more lawyers, a high share for its tier. That reach is funded generously: in Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, 97 percent of students receive grant aid with a median award of $33,500. The thesis of this page is that Washington and Lee Law School is a small private school that trades geographic concentration for a national large-firm footprint and near-universal scholarship money, which makes it a strong fit for a student who does not want to be tied to one regional market.

Washington and Lee Law School at a glance: LSAT, GPA, acceptance rate and cost

Washington and Lee Law School posts a 167 LSAT median, a 3.75 GPA median, and a 22.73 percent acceptance rate in Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. Full-time tuition and fees are $59,940. The table below collects the headline admissions, cost, and outcome numbers for Washington and Lee Law.

MetricWashington and Lee Law School (fall 2025 entering class)LSAT (25th / 50th / 75th)161 / 167 / 168GPA (25th / 50th / 75th)3.51 / 3.75 / 3.85Acceptance rate22.73%Applications2,341Offers of admission532Matriculants from the applicant pool128First-year class131Full-time tuition and fees$59,940Living expenses$21,890Share receiving grants97%Median grant$33,500Conditional scholarshipsNoFirst-time bar passage89.36%Employed at ten months95.7% (135 of 141)

Source: Washington and Lee University School of Law's 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 Washington and Lee 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.

What LSAT and GPA do you really need to get into Washington and Lee Law School?

Washington and Lee Law School reports an LSAT spread of 161 to 168 and a GPA spread of 3.51 to 3.85 in Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509. A 167 and a 3.75 sit at both medians. Below the 161 LSAT or the 3.51 GPA, you need a clear compensating strength on the other number.

Washington and Lee Law School reports an LSAT 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of 161, 167, and 168, and a GPA 25th, 50th, and 75th of 3.51, 3.75, and 3.85 for the fall 2025 entering class, per Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. The median is the fiftieth percentile: half of enrolled students scored above 167 on the LSAT and above 3.75 in GPA, and half below. A median is a target rather than a cutoff, but at Washington and Lee Law School both medians set the center of the class.

The LSAT band at Washington and Lee Law School is wide on the low side. From the 25th percentile of 161 to the median of 167 is a six-point drop, while from the median to the 75th of 168 is a single point, according to Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509. That asymmetry means Washington and Lee Law admits a meaningful number of students below its median but very few above it. A 161, the 25th percentile, is a genuine admit range at Washington and Lee Law School when the rest of the file is strong.

The GPA band runs from 3.51 at the 25th to 3.85 at the 75th in Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509, a comparatively forgiving range for a school with a 167 LSAT median. A 3.51, the bottom quartile, is a real admit range at Washington and Lee Law School, and the median of 3.75 is more forgiving than the medians at several schools that share its 167 LSAT. Read the two bands together and they describe a class where a strong record on one axis can offset a softer number on the other, which points directly to how Washington and Lee Law treats an imbalanced application.

That shape makes Washington and Lee Law School reverse-splitter friendly. Lovare's read of the 509 spreads shows a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.24 and an LSAT 25th-to-median spread of six points. A reverse-splitter-friendly school forgives a lower LSAT when the GPA is high; a splitter-friendly school forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high. Washington and Lee Law leans reverse-splitter: a high GPA paired with an LSAT in the low 160s has a genuine path, while a high LSAT with a sub-3.51 GPA is a tougher sell. If your transcript is strong and your LSAT lags, Washington and Lee Law School is a school worth targeting.

Is Washington and Lee Law School harder to get into than its reputation?

Washington and Lee Law School sits about where its reputation implies. Its 22.73 percent acceptance rate and 167 LSAT median rank it 16th most selective of the 26 schools in its LSAT band, per Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509, which places Washington and Lee Law squarely in the middle of its peer group.

Reputation places Washington and Lee Law School among the well-regarded small private law schools, and its 167 LSAT median in Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509 fits that picture. Its selectivity matches. Lovare built a peer band of the 26 ABA law schools whose median LSAT falls within two points of Washington and Lee Law's 167, that is a median of 165 to 169, then ranked them by acceptance rate from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. By that ranking, Washington and Lee Law School is 16th most selective of the 26, in the middle of the band.

What that means in practice is that Washington and Lee Law School is neither a hidden reach nor an easy admit relative to its peers. A 22.73 percent acceptance rate, from Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509, is roughly one admit in four to five, in line with schools that post its 167 median. Washington and Lee Law draws a large applicant pool of 2,341 for a small class, which keeps its rate in the low twenties even though its class is one of the smallest in its band at 131 first-year students.

The honest verdict is that Washington and Lee Law School is about as selective as its reputation suggests, no more and no less. If you have a 167 LSAT and a 3.75 GPA you clear both medians and are a competitive applicant, but the small class size means Washington and Lee Law can afford to be choosy even at a middle-of-band acceptance rate.

How much does Washington and Lee Law School cost, and how much scholarship money will you get?

Washington and Lee Law School charges $59,940 in full-time tuition and fees, per Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509, plus $21,890 in living expenses. Ninety-seven percent of students receive grants, with a median award of $33,500. A median-grant recipient nets about $26,440 in tuition and fees before living costs.

Washington and Lee Law School is a private school with a single tuition figure. Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure lists full-time tuition and fees of $59,940, plus $21,890 in living expenses. 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, not a figure Washington and Lee Law School reports, and this page will not invent one.

Aid reaches almost the entire class, and it is generous. According to the same 509, 97 percent of Washington and Lee Law School students receive grant aid, with awards at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of $19,000, $33,500, and $41,500. Washington and Lee Law reports 3 full-tuition awards and 1 award above full tuition. The near-universal reach and the high median award of $33,500 mean the sticker overstates what most students actually pay at Washington and Lee Law School.

For a typical recipient, the math is favorable. Against the $59,940 sticker, a student receiving Washington and Lee Law School's median grant of $33,500 nets about $26,440 in tuition and fees before living costs, using figures from Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509. With 97 percent of the class on grants, that discounted net price is closer to the norm than the exception at Washington and Lee Law School.

The aid is stable. Washington and Lee Law School does not use conditional scholarships, per Washington and Lee Law's 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. The grant Washington and Lee Law School quotes at admission is the grant you keep across all three years, which removes a common risk that trips up first-year students at schools that renew awards only above a set class rank.

What are your real chances off the Washington and Lee Law School waitlist?

Washington and Lee Law School does not disclose waitlist admits, and no ABA report does. The honest proxy is implied yield: 128 matriculants against 532 offers is a 24.1 percent yield, per Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509. That is a low yield, so Washington and Lee Law relies on its waitlist more than most schools do.

Here is the reasoning in full. Washington and Lee Law School enrolled 128 matriculants from 532 offers in Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, an implied yield of 24.1 percent. No ABA disclosure, Washington and Lee 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 quarter of admitted students enroll, a school extends many more offers than it has seats and often turns to its waitlist to finish the class.

A 24.1 percent yield is low, which is genuinely good news for a waitlisted applicant to Washington and Lee Law School. It means Washington and Lee Law competes for cross-admits with higher-ranked schools and loses a large share of its admits to them, so the waitlist tends to move more than at a school that yields closer to half. Being a clear, ready yes is the single thing most within your control here.

If you land on the Washington and Lee Law School waitlist, the play is straightforward: send a concise letter of continued interest naming Washington and Lee Law as a top choice, add any new score or grades, and make clear you would enroll if admitted. Because the yield is low and the class is small at 131 students, a single round of summer melt can open real movement, so a Washington and Lee Law waitlist spot is worth taking seriously.

One honest note on the class figures. Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509 lists 128 matriculants from the applicant pool but a first-year class of 131. 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 24.1 percent implied yield is computed from the 128 pool matriculants against the 532 offers, which is the correct comparison for reasoning about waitlist odds at Washington and Lee Law School.

Where do Washington and Lee Law School graduates actually work?

In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, Washington and Lee Law School placed just 24.8 percent of graduates in its top market of Virginia and 48.2 percent across its top three markets. Large firms of 101 or more lawyers took 38.3 percent, and 5.0 percent won federal clerkships. Washington and Lee Law is unusually national for its size.

Washington and Lee Law School spreads its graduates more widely than almost any peer, and the employment data shows it. In the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, Washington and Lee Law placed 35 of its graduates in Virginia, 18 in the District of Columbia, and 15 in New York. That is a 24.8 percent top-market share and a 48.2 percent top-three share: fewer than one in four graduates stays in the top market, and barely half land in the top three. For a small school, that is an unusually national footprint, and it means Washington and Lee Law School does not lock you into a single regional market.

Why lead with concentration rather than the raw employment rate? Because the rate barely separates peer schools. Washington and Lee Law School reported 135 of 141 graduates employed at ten months, or 95.7 percent, in the same ABA Employment Summary, which is excellent but similar across the top of its band. Concentration is what predicts fit, and Washington and Lee Law's low concentration is itself the selling point: graduates disperse across Virginia, Washington, New York, and beyond rather than clustering in a single city.

On firm outcomes, Washington and Lee Law School is a genuine standout for its tier. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 38.3 percent of Washington and Lee Law graduates taking jobs at large firms of 101 or more lawyers. Nearly two in five graduates enter large-firm practice, a high share for a small school and the single strongest outcome number on this page. If large-firm practice is your goal, Washington and Lee Law School delivers it at a rate that rivals more famous schools.

Federal clerkships round out the picture. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 5.0 percent of Washington and Lee Law School graduates entering federal clerkships, a solid share for a school of its size. Between a 38.3 percent large-firm rate and a 5.0 percent clerkship rate, Washington and Lee Law School routes a large portion of each class into elite private practice and the federal courts, which is what an applicant aiming at a national career wants to see.

When are Washington and Lee Law School's application deadlines?

Washington and Lee Law School's specific application deadlines and any Early Decision terms are not confirmed here for the current cycle. Rather than quote a date that may have shifted, confirm the current deadlines and any ED option directly on Washington and Lee Law's admissions site. The guidance here is dated: verified August 2026.

This page does not state a specific application deadline or Early Decision term for Washington and Lee Law School, because those dates were not among the primary figures pulled for this profile. Rather than risk quoting a stale date, the honest move is to point you to Washington and Lee Law's own admissions page for the current cycle's deadlines and to confirm whether Washington and Lee Law School offers an Early Decision or priority round and on what terms.

As a planning matter, most ABA law schools open applications in the early fall and read files on a rolling basis into the spring, so applying earlier in the cycle generally helps at a rolling-admission school. That is a general pattern rather than a Washington and Lee Law School figure, so treat it as context and verify the specifics. Everything else on this page is dated to August 2026 and drawn from Washington and Lee Law's primary disclosures, but for deadlines, confirm the current dates on Washington and Lee Law School's site before you rely on them.

Frequently asked questions about getting into Washington and Lee Law School

Is a 167 LSAT good enough for Washington and Lee Law?

A 167 is exactly the LSAT median at Washington and Lee Law School, according to Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, where the middle 50 percent scored 161 to 168. A 167 puts you at the fiftieth percentile, competitive but not a lock. Pair it with a GPA at or near the 3.75 median and you are a strong candidate at Washington and Lee Law School.

What GPA do you need for Washington and Lee Law?

Washington and Lee Law School reports a GPA median of 3.75, with a 25th to 75th range of 3.51 to 3.85, in Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509. Aim for 3.75 or higher, though the band runs down to 3.51. Because Washington and Lee Law is reverse-splitter friendly, a strong GPA can offset an LSAT in the low 160s at Washington and Lee Law School.

What is Washington and Lee Law's acceptance rate?

Washington and Lee Law School admitted 22.73 percent of applicants for the fall 2025 class, extending 532 offers against 2,341 applications, according to Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. That is roughly one admit in four to five and ranks Washington and Lee Law School 16th most selective of the 26 schools in its LSAT band, right in the middle of its peer group.

How many people apply to Washington and Lee Law?

Washington and Lee Law School received 2,341 applications for the fall 2025 entering class, made 532 offers, and enrolled 128 matriculants from the pool for a first-year class of 131, per Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509. That large pool for a very small class is what keeps Washington and Lee Law School's acceptance rate in the low twenties.

How much does Washington and Lee Law cost?

Washington and Lee Law School lists full-time tuition and fees of $59,940, plus $21,890 in living expenses, in Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509. The 509 does not publish a single cost-of-attendance total, so tuition and living are best read separately rather than summed into an invented all-in figure for Washington and Lee Law School.

Does Washington and Lee Law give scholarships?

Yes, and to nearly everyone. Washington and Lee Law School reports that 97 percent of students receive grant aid, with awards of $19,000, $33,500, and $41,500 at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, plus 3 full-tuition awards and 1 above full tuition, according to Washington and Lee Law's 2025 ABA 509. The awards are not conditional, so Washington and Lee Law School cannot cut them for grades.

What is Washington and Lee Law's bar passage rate?

Washington and Lee Law School posted an 89.36 percent first-time bar passage rate for exam year 2024, with Virginia as the largest jurisdiction, according to Washington and Lee Law's ABA bar-passage report. Its ultimate pass rate, measured two years out for the 2022 cohort, was 95.76 percent. Both figures are strong and place Washington and Lee Law School above the national average.

Where do Washington and Lee Law graduates work?

They spread out. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows Washington and Lee Law School placed 35 graduates in Virginia, 18 in the District of Columbia, and 15 in New York, a 24.8 percent top-market share and 48.2 percent across the top three. That low concentration makes Washington and Lee Law School one of the more national small schools in its band.

Can a splitter get into Washington and Lee Law?

A reverse-splitter has a real path. Lovare reads Washington and Lee Law School as reverse-splitter friendly, with a wide LSAT 25th-to-median spread of six points but a narrower GPA spread of 0.24 in the 2025 ABA 509. That means Washington and Lee 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 Washington and Lee Law School.

How selective is Washington and Lee Law compared with schools at the same LSAT?

Right in the middle. Lovare's analysis of the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures places Washington and Lee Law School 16th most selective of the 26 schools whose median LSAT is within two points of its 167. In other words, Washington and Lee Law is about as hard to get into as the typical school that posts a comparable LSAT median, neither a hidden reach nor a safety.

Is Washington and Lee Law worth it?

For a national large-firm career, the case is strong. Washington and Lee Law School pairs a $59,940 sticker with 97 percent grant reach, and in the ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024, 38.3 percent of graduates entered large firms and 5.0 percent won federal clerkships. Add an 89.36 percent first-time bar rate, and Washington and Lee Law School's outcomes justify its cost for the right applicant.

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

Scores above the medians. Washington and Lee Law School reports grant awards reaching $41,500 at the 75th percentile in its 2025 ABA 509, and those go to the strongest files. An LSAT above the 167 median and a GPA above 3.75, toward the 168 and 3.85 upper quartiles, position you best for Washington and Lee Law School's largest awards, and near-universal aid means even mid-band files usually see something.

Does the Washington and Lee Law waitlist move?

More than most. Washington and Lee Law School enrolled 128 students from 532 offers in its 2025 ABA 509, a low implied yield of 24.1 percent. A low yield means Washington and Lee Law loses many admits to higher-ranked cross-admits and often turns to its waitlist, so a Washington and Lee Law School waitlist spot carries more genuine hope than at a high-yield school.

What share of Washington and Lee Law grads go to large firms?

Nearly two in five. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows 38.3 percent of Washington and Lee Law School graduates took jobs at large firms of 101 or more lawyers. That is a high large-firm share for a small school and the strongest single outcome figure at Washington and Lee Law School, rivaling the large-firm rates of more famous programs.

Is Washington and Lee Law a national or regional law school?

More national than most of its size. The ABA Employment Summary for the Class of 2024 shows only 24.8 percent of Washington and Lee Law School graduates stayed in the top market and 48.2 percent in the top three, meaning half the class dispersed beyond Virginia, Washington, and New York. That breadth makes Washington and Lee Law School a good fit for an applicant open to relocating.

Sources

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

Washington and Lee University School of Law 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report (fall 2025 entering class): https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/AnnualQuestionnaire/GenerateIndividualDisclosure509Report?schoolId=155&year=2025

Washington and Lee University School of Law ABA bar-passage report: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/BarPassageOutcomes/GenerateIndividualBarPassageReport?schoolId=155&year=2025

ABA Employment Summary, Class of 2024: https://backend.abarequireddisclosures.org/api/EmploymentOutcomes/GenerateIndividualEQSummaryReport?schoolId=155&year=2024

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