You probably landed here because you want to earn admission into an excellent law school. You have a good undergraduate GPA, strong recommendation letters, and internship experience galore. You know that good LSAT scores are an integral part of the law school application. But have you seen recent stats on the scores for the top 100 law schools in the U.S.? Do you know the average LSAT score and LSAT score percentiles for your target schools?
If not, then you came to the right place. I looked at the LSAT scores, average undergraduate GPAs, and admissions rates of the top 100 law schools in the United States to help you determine how your LSAT score stacks up against the competition. In this post, I will answer the questions:
- How important are LSAT scores in law school admissions?
- How does LSAT scoring work?
- What is a good LSAT score?
- What do 150, 160 & 170 LSAT scores really mean for you?
- What LSAT scores do you need for the top 100 law schools?*
- What are your chances of getting in?*
- How do LSAT scores impact starting salaries?*
*Note: These sections include responsive data visualization. All the charts, tables, and graphs in this post are mobile responsive, but they are clearer (and more fun to use!) in the desktop version of the post.
But before we get to the good stuff (get ready for all the charts and infographics you can handle), we should all get on the same page.
LSAT Scores: What You Need to Know in 2020
The traditional LSAT test has approximately 94-106 questions, with each correct answer counting for one point of your raw score. From your raw scores, the LSAT is graded on a scale from 120-180. The average LSAT score is about 150. To get into a top 14 law school, you need to score above 162, and to get into a top 50 law school, you need 154 or above. Starting August 2020, you will need to complete the LSAT Writing Section (administered separately from the rest of the exam) before you can see your multiple-choice scores.
The LSAT-Flex is a shortened version of the LSAT exam that you take at home. Not sure what that entails? Check out our LSAT-Flex 101 video!
Starting with the August 2020 LSAT-Flex, LSAC also introduced the Score Preview program, which allows first-time test takers to pay ($45 before test day and $75 for a limited time afterwards) to see their score before canceling. While you won’t get your score any earlier than other test-takers, you will have 6 calendar days to cancel your score after receiving it. If you’re not using Score Preview and want to cancel your LSAT-Flex score, you must call or email LSAC directly within 6 calendar days of the test. There will not be a way to cancel through your account.
How important are LSAT scores?
Your LSAT score is the most important piece of your law school application.
Let’s discuss.
The two most important pieces of your law school application are your undergrad GPA and LSAT score. There is some debate as to which of these two factors is more important. This debate is based on differences in law school admissions departments. Each department will naturally place a different emphasis on the various law school application requirements (undergraduate GPA, “soft factors,” and LSAT scores), prioritizing them based on their own formula.
However.
If you look at the most up-to-date law school rankings, you’ll notice that a program’s rank tends to correlate more with admitted students’ LSAT scores than with their undergraduate GPAs. The top programs require a top LSAT score. And an excellent score can help compensate for a less-than-stellar GPA.
Some law school admissions departments openly claim that LSAT scores make up 70% of a student’s admissions chances, with the other 30% attributed to GPA. You read that right—the morning that you spent taking the LSAT might be more important than the four years you spent studying in college.
So, I feel pretty confident when I say—your LSAT score is the most important piece of your law school application.
Why are LSAT scores so important?
The logic is fairly straightforward. The LSAT was designed to determine how likely you are to succeed in law school. LSAT scores provide the best apples to apples measure of how law school applicants stack up against one another. While levels of grade inflation and academic rigor vary from one undergraduate university to another, the LSAT was built to be a consistent measure of ability for all test takers. Good scores are important because the LSAT provides law schools with the best means of measuring how prospective students stack up.
The takeaway here is twofold. First and foremost, studying for the LSAT is worth a significant investment of time and effort. Increasing your score will drastically improve your admissions chances. Second, be sure to research the law schools you plan to apply to. Some programs actually publish the calculation that they use to determine whether or not they will advance a candidate. Knowing this information will help you figure out the likelihood that you’ll be accepted, given the strength of your undergrad GPA and LSAT scores.
So now you’re convinced that LSAT scores are really important. Time for a crash-course on how LSAT scoring work.
LSAT Score Range & Average LSAT Score
The LSAT score range is from 120 to 180 points. That’s a pretty narrow score range, but it reflects a wide diversity of abilities. The mean LSAT score is approximately 150, but you’re going to have to do well above average to get into a top law school.
LSAT Score Range: 120-180
Lowest Possible LSAT Score:
-
- 120
Perfect LSAT Score:
-
- 180
Average LSAT Score:
- Approximately 150
Your raw LSAT score is based on the number of questions that you get right. All LSAT questions are weighted equally, and you don’t lose points if you answer a question incorrectly. Your raw score is then scaled through a procedure known as “equating,” which adjusts for minor variations in difficulty from one LSAT exam to another.
Each possible scaled LSAT score corresponds with a percentile rank that shows the percentage of test-takers who scored lower than that score. When you receive your LSAT Score Report, you will see two numbers: your scaled LSAT score (120–180) and your LSAT percentile. Your percentile will tell you how you performed compared to other LSAT takers. So, if you scored in the 75th percentile, you scored as well or better than 75% of people who took that test.
Scaled scores and percentile ranks change from one test to another, but you can always refer to historical data for reference. This is especially useful when you are taking LSAT practice tests every weekend leading up to your exam.
Good LSAT Scores: What’s a good LSAT score?
You can score between 120 and 180, but a good LSAT score very much depends on your goals, the programs you are applying to, and the other aspects of your application. You should aim for the 50th to 75th percentile for your “dream” law program.
Do you not have a “dream law school”? That’s okay. This isn’t college admissions, and many law school applicants don’t have their hearts set on one specific program. If your “dream school” is the highest-ranked law program you can get into, then preparing for a great score should be your number one priority.
Is your LSAT score good enough?
Since you’re reading this post, I’m going to guess that you fall into one of two categories.
- 1) You’ve already taken the LSAT and are now trying to determine which law schools you can get into with your score. You would consider retaking the LSAT if your score isn’t good enough for the caliber of law school that you’re hoping to attend.
- 2) You haven’t taken the LSAT yet and are trying to figure out what score you need to get into a top program. You’ve probably taken a practice test and are doing your research to set a score goal.
In either case, the first step in figuring out whether or not your LSAT score is good enough is to research the scores and score percentiles of each law school’s newly admitted class. If you have a score from a practice test, you can then convert it to an LSAT percentile.
(When we discussed LSAT score percentiles earlier in this post, I was speaking in the context of LSAT Score Reports. The LSAT score percentile that you’ll see on your score report tells you how your score compares to that of other students who took that test. This is slightly different.)
150 LSAT…160 LSAT…170 LSAT: What LSAT score do you really need?
Now let’s break it down a little more, and talk about some specific scores:
When is a 150 “good”?
According to StartClass.com, there are over 50 law schools in the United States with LSAT scores of 150 or lower within their median range (though, I’ll warn you that you’ll find very few of them in the table of Top 100 Law Schools, below). In other words, a score of 150 on the LSAT is good enough to get into law school, despite what anyone says to the contrary…just not a top law school. (And that’s okay!)
So does that mean 150 is a good LSAT score? It does if your only goal is to get into any law school, and for many people, that’s exactly their goal. In this sense, you can think of a 150 as a good score for the passionate applicant. These are people who feel driven to practice law because they understand the job, love what it entails, and are prepared to work hard regardless of compensation or recognition. If that describes you, and if you’re struggling to score above a 150, relax a little. You might not be accepted at your first choice institution, but if you do your research, round out your application, and apply to schools within reach, you should receive some good news.
When is a 150 not “good”?
If you’re applying to law school primarily because you are searching for financial and professional stability, a 150 is probably not a promising score. A score of 150 most likely means that you’ll be attending a lower tier school, and thus will have more limited access to lucrative positions at big firms.
I hate to be this blunt, but the reality is that the legal job market is highly competitive and law school is very expensive. When you read about law students graduating and making $160,000 their first year out, that is referring to a small portion of the population, concentrated heavily within the top 10 or 20 law schools in the nation. Salaries fall precipitously for those who are not working for big firms (see our comparison of LSAT scores and starting salaries, below, to see what I mean), and many law school graduates find themselves making $50,000 or less after school. If you’re not passionate about being a lawyer, you can make that kind of money in almost any industry. You just need a few years of experience, which isn’t so bad compared to three years of law school and $150,000 in student loans.
With this is mind, having an LSAT score in the 150s might mean you should consider retaking the LSAT.
When is a 160 “good”?
Most people consider anything above a 160 to be a good LSAT score on your LSAT test date. In this context, “good” really only means a score that sounds respectable and that most law schools will look upon favorably. Compare this to scoring above 1800 on the SAT (or above 1200, depending on when you took the SAT) or above 25 on the ACT.
Of the 205 ABA-approved law schools in the United States, only about 40 of them have median LSAT scores above 160. That means that a score of 160 would put you above the median at 80% of the law schools in the country.
Is a 160 high enough to get you admitted to Harvard Law School? Certainly not on its own. But will a 160 prevent you from being admitted to Harvard? Quite likely, but not necessarily. An outstanding GPA, impressive work experience, exceptional letters of recommendation, a personal statement that explains why your scores don’t accurately reflect your ability, and any kind of achievement that makes you stand out from the crowd may be enough to overcome the score deficit, although you’d be one of a very few to do so.
In short, to the vast majority of test-takers and law schools in the US, a 160 is without a doubt a good LSAT score. But…
When is a 160 not “good”?
…to those of you who are aiming for top 20 schools, you’ll need to set your sights a bit higher than 160. As you can see from the tables below, basically all of the top 20 law schools in the US have median LSAT score ranges of 162 or higher. As a reminder, that’s just the median score range, so your chances aren’t ruined if you don’t hit that mark. However, you’ll have a competitive edge if you can get your score up above the school’s median.
Furthermore, a 160 might not be desirable for students seeking scholarships. Generally, scholarships are going to be offered to the most competitive candidates who meet all the qualifications. That means the money typically goes to applicants who exceed the school’s median and mean statistics. Therefore, even if you’re applying to a school where a 160 is a competitive score, it might not be enough to win you a lucrative scholarship package.
For something like that, you’ll need to set your sights on the big prize:
When is a 170 “good”?
Pretty much always. A 170 or higher means you’re scoring in the top 2-3% of test-takers, and almost no one is going to complain about that. Admissions officers certainly won’t. There are only 5 law schools in the US (Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, Columbia) that currently claim to have median range LSAT scores above 170, and the last one on that list is only at 171. In other words, nearly half of the students at the very best legal institutions in the country are still scoring at or below 170.
So will a 170 guarantee you a spot at Yale? Nope. Will a 175? Probably not. Will a 180? Unlikely. LSAT scores are an important part of your application (arguably the most important part), but they are still only one part. A weak GPA, lack of work experience, or unimpressive letters of recommendation can derail any application, even if it’s accompanied by a perfect score.
Think of it this way: over 100,000 people take the LSAT each year. The top 2-3% equals about 3,000 students. The top 10 law schools, collectively, have fewer than 3,000 seats available. Therefore, there isn’t even space for all the people who score above 170 to attend a top ten school.
Now to be fair, if you score a 170 or higher, you’re probably going to be accepted to a great school regardless of the rest of your application. The politics of law school rankings aside, this is because a score like that is evidence of your potential to excel. By achieving such a score, you have demonstrated that you are able to read and reason at an exceptionally high level, and that will appeal to many schools that are willing to overlook other weaknesses in the hopes that they are finding a diamond in the rough.
So when is a 170 not “good”?
If you’ve ever visited an online law school forum, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that some people are not impressed with a 170. Granted, law school forum users tend to be an exceptionally intense subset of an already selective group of the population (people taking the LSAT), but they do have some valid reasons for fretting over the difference between a 170 and a 175.
Remember, there aren’t enough seats in the top 10 law schools for all the folks who score over a 170. If you’re one of those people, you want to do everything in your power to make sure you’re not one of the applicants who gets bumped. So, you try to edge out the competition with an extra point of two.
By the time you’re studying for the LSAT, chances are it’s too late to change your GPA or get a new job that meaningfully boosts your resume. However, it’s reasonable to try and improve your LSAT score, no matter how high it is. So, someone who starts out at 170, spends 6 months studying, and ends up at 171 may not feel the sense of satisfaction felt by someone who climbs from a 163 to a 170.
LSAT Scores For The Top 100 Law Schools
Alright, that’s enough background on the workings of LSAT scores. Time to get technical and figure out what score you’ll need depending on your law school aspirations. Let’s start at the top.
So, you want to go to a top 10 school. What LSAT score do you need to get in?
Do you envision yourself graduating from an ultra-prestigious law school like Yale, Harvard (What, like it’s hard?), or Stanford? It’s a beautiful dream, and one that you shouldn’t discount. If your undergrad GPA is 3.8 or above, and the soft factors of your application are strong, then a great score could put you in contention.
And by a great LSAT score, I mean near-perfect.
The 75th percentile LSAT score for a top 10 school ranges from 170 (University of California – Berkeley) to 175 (Harvard). The 25th percentile LSAT score ranges from 163 to 170. These are the top-ranked schools for a reason—they are tough to get into. Only 6.9% of applicants earn the right to join Yale Law School each year. So, congratulations to Yalies Hillary and Bill Clinton, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Gerald Ford…you really raised the bar for prospective students!
The table below shows 2020’s ten highest-ranked law schools according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Schools report.
LSAT Scores for the Top 10 Law Schools
| Law School Rank | Law School Name | LSAT Score 25th-75th Percentile Range | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale University | 170-176 | 6.9% |
| 2 | Stanford University | 169-174 | 8.7% |
| 3 | Harvard University | 170-175 | 12.9% |
| 4 | University of Chicago | 167-173 | 17.5% |
| 5 | Columbia University | 170-174 | 16.8% |
| 6 | New York University | 167-172 | 23.6% |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania | 164-171 | 14.6% |
| 8 | University of Virginia | 163-171 | 15.3% |
| 9 | University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor | 165-171 | 19.6% |
| 10 (tie) | Duke University | 167-170 | 20.2% |
| 10 (tie) | Northwestern University (Pritzker) | 164-170 | 19.3% |
| 10 (tie) | University of California - Berkeley | 165-170 | 20.2% |
Ok, maybe not top 10. What LSAT score do you need for a top 50 law school?
Did you look at that chart of reach schools above and think to yourself, “on second thought, a top 50 law school would be a great fit for me”? Well, that’s understandable. Even if you’re aiming for a top ten school, it doesn’t hurt to apply to some target and safety schools, as well.
Here is where the LSAT score ranges become really diverse. Say you really want to go to fourteenth-best law school, the Georgetown University. With about a 21% acceptance rate, this is an incredibly competitive school. The 75th percentile LSAT score is a mighty 168, which is on par with top ten school University of California – Berkeley. On the other hand, a 161 would put you in the 75th percentile at 49th-ranked University of Maryland (Carey).
Go ahead and filter the table below by your score. A 160+ LSAT score will provide you with quite a few options. You can also search by law school to see stats on your top prospects.
LSAT Scores for Law Schools Ranked 11-50
| Law School Rank | Law School Name | LSAT Score 25th-75th Percentile Range | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Cornell University | 164-168 | 21.1% |
| 14 | Georgetown University | 163-168 | 21.2% |
| 15 | University of California - Los Angeles | 165-169 | 22.5% |
| 16 | University of Texas - Austin | 160-168 | 20.9% |
| 17 | University of Southern California (Gould) | 163-167 | 19.2% |
| 18 (tie) | Vanderbilt University | 161-168 | 23.7% |
| 18 (tie) | Washington University in St. Louis | 160-170 | 30% |
| 20 | University of Minnesota | 161-166 | 34.9% |
| 21 | University of Notre Dame | 159-166 | 25.1% |
| 22 | George Washington University | 160-166 | 34.2% |
| 23 (tie) | Boston University | 160-167 | 25.9% |
| 23 (tie) | University of California -Irvine | 161-165 | 24.8% |
| 25 | University of Alabama | 157-165 | 31.1% |
| 26 | Emory University | 158-166 | 29.6% |
| 27 (tie) | Arizona State University (O'Connor) | 158-164 | 34.2% |
| 27 (tie) | Boston College | 160-167 | 25.9% |
| 27 (tie) | University of Georgia | 159-164 | 26.8% |
| 27 (tie) | University of Iowa | 157-163 | 46% |
| 31 (tie) | University of California -- Davis | 157-165 | 34.6% |
| 31 (tie) | University of Florida (Levin) | 155-164 | 27.9% |
| 31 (tie) | Wake Forest University | 162-163 | 33.9% |
| 34 (tie) | Indiana University -- Bloomington (Maurer) | 157-163 | 39.1% |
| 34 (tie) | Ohio State University (Moritz) | 157-163 | 36.1% |
| 34 (tie) | University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill | 158-163 | 46.9% |
| 34 (tie) | University of Wisconsin -- Madison | 158-164 | 45.6% |
| 34 (tie) | Washington and Lee University | 158-164 | 28.7% |
| 39 (tie) | Brigham Young University (Clark) | 160-166 | 38.1% |
| 39 (tie) | Fordham University | 161-166 | 25.9% |
| 39 (tie) | University of Arizona (Rogers) | 155-162 | 25.5% |
| 39 (tie) | University of Illinois -- Urbana-Champaign | 157-164 | 33% |
| 39 (tie) | William and Mary Law School | 156-164 | 36.1% |
| 44 | University of Washington | 158-165 | 26.4% |
| 45 (tie) | George Mason University | 157-164 | 25.9% |
| 45 (tie) | University of Colorado -- Boulder | 156-164 | 33.8% |
| 47 | University of Utah (Quinney) | 157-161 | 47.5% |
| 48 (tie) | Baylor University | 157-161 | 39% |
| 48 (tie) | Florida State University | 157-161 | 35.9% |
| 48 (tie) | Temple University (Beasley) | 157-163 | 35.9% |
Just to be safe, let’s say you want to go to a top 100 law school. What LSAT score will you need?
If you’re scoring in the 155 range on the LSAT, or you are looking for a local safety school to apply to, then take a look at the U.S. law schools that are ranked 51–100. There are a lot of great, and often overlooked, options on this list.
LSAT Scores for Law Schools Ranked 51-100
| Law School Rank | Law School Name | LSAT Score 25th-75th Percentile Range | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Pepperdine University | 155-161 | 36.3% |
| 52 (tie) | Southern Methodist University | 155-163 | 47.2% |
| 52 (tie) | Tulane University | 156-161 | 53.4% |
| 52 (tie) | University of Connecticut | 155-161 | 39% |
| 52 (tie) | University of Maryland (Carey) | 154-161 | 47.7% |
| 52 (tie) | University of Richmond | 156-162 | 31.9% |
| 52 (tie) | Yeshiva University (Cardozo) | 157-162 | 40.3% |
| 58 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | 153-160 | 30.8% |
| 59 (tie) | Seton Hall University | 152-158 | 48.6% |
| 59 (tie) | University of Houston | 156-161 | 33.1% |
| 59 (tie) | University of Tennessee - Knoxville | 154-160 | 37.3% |
| 62 (tie) | Loyola Marymount University | 154-160 | 37.3% |
| 62 (tie) | University of California (Hastings) | 156-161 | 44.9% |
| 64 (tie) | Northeastern University | 156-163 | 41.5% |
| 64 (tie) | Pennsylvania State University - University Park | 155-160 | 35.1% |
| 64 (tie) | University of Missouri | 155-160 | 48.2% |
| 67 (tie) | Georgia State University | 155-160 | 30% |
| 67 (tie) | University of Denver (Sturm) | 154-160 | 47.8% |
| 67 (tie) | University of Kansas | 153-160 | 51.9% |
| 67 (tie) | University of Miami | 155-161 | 55.9% |
| 71 (tie) | Brooklyn Law School | 155-159 | 47.2% |
| 71 (tie) | Case Western Reserve University | 155-161 | 50.3% |
| 71 (tie) | University of Kentucky | 152-157 | 48% |
| 71 (tie) | University of Oklahoma | 154-159 | 38.9% |
| 71 (tie) | Villanova University | 154-160 | 29.5% |
| 77 (tie) | American University (Washington) | 155-160 | 48.6% |
| 77 (tie) | Loyola University Chicago | 154-160 | 45.8% |
| 77 (tie) | Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey | 153-158 | 48.8% |
| 77 (tie) | St. John's University | 153-160 | 41.9% |
| 77 (tie) | University of Nebraska -- Lincoln | 153-160 | 64.9% |
| 77 (tie) | University of Pittsburgh | 154-159 | 29.3% |
| 83 (tie) | Texas A&M University | 155-158 | 30.2% |
| 83 (tie) | University of Cincinnati | 154-160 | 47.9% |
| 83 (tie) | University of Oregon | 154-159 | 50.4% |
| 86 | University of San Diego | 156-161 | 35.4% |
| 87 (tie) | Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago-Kent) | 151-160 | 49.3% |
| 87 (tie) | University of New Hampshire School of Law | 153-159 | 61.2% |
| 87 (tie) | University of Tulsa | 150-157 | 41.7% |
| 90 | Saint Louis University | 152-159 | 64.3% |
| 91 (tie) | Florida State University | 157-161 | 35.9% |
| 91 (tie) | Marquette University | 150-156 | 48.1% |
| 91 (tie) | Michigan State University | 152-157 | 59.4% |
| 91 (tie) | Syracuse University | 152-156 | 52.1% |
| 91 (tie) | University of Arkansas - Fayetteville | 151-157 | 55.8% |
| 91 (tie) | University of Hawaii -- Mano (Richardson) | 152-157 | 49.7% |
| 91 (tie) | University of New Mexico | 151-156 | 48% |
| 91 (tie) | University of South Carolina | 153-157 | 49.8% |
| 91 (tie) | Wayne State University | 155-161 | 48.1% |
| 100 (tie) | Drexel University (Kline) | 153-158 | 48.6% |
| 100 (tie) | Hofstra University (Deane) | 148-155 | 48.1% |
| 100 (tie) | Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge | 150-157 | 61.5% |
| 100 (tie) | West Virginia University | 151-155 | 61.5% |
What are your chances of getting in?
Ready for a little data visualization? Each responsive dot in the chart below represents one of the top 100 law schools in the United States. Hover over a dot to learn more about that program’s application requirements.
LSAT Scores and Future Salary
Now that you know how challenging it is to go to a top ten or top fifty law school, you’re probably wondering how your LSAT score (and the law school it enables you to attend) will affect your future career. Does a JD from a prestigious law school guarantee you better job prospects and a higher salary?
Let’s put it this way: if you needed even more of a reason to believe that your LSAT score is a valuable indicator of future success, then I think we found it.
To answer this question using real-world numbers, I pulled average LSAT score data and salary data from U.S. News & World Report. What I found shows that the correlation between a high LSAT score and high starting salary is impressive, especially if you’re looking at the highest ranking law schools.
According to the data in the table below, graduating from a top ten law school will basically guarantee you a job within ten months of graduation, and a starting salary of $160,000 per year, if you work in the private sector. Aside from some outliers, a higher LSAT score and a top-ranked school corresponds with a higher salary upon graduation.
(Hint: If your score is 161 or above, you might consider applying to 39th-ranked Fordham University. For some reason, their average starting salaries for private sector practice are staggeringly high—to the tune of $180,000 per year.)
LSAT Scores vs. Starting Salaries
| Rank | Law School Name | LSAT Score 25th-75th Percentile Range | Graduates Employed in Long-Term, Full-Time Legal Jobs | Median Starting Salary (private sector & public sector) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale University | 170-176 | 74.1% | Private: $180,000 Public: $62,591 |
| 2 | Stanford University | 169-174 | 82.7% | Private: $180,000 Public: $65,228 |
| 3 | Harvard University | 170-175 | 86.2% | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 4 | University of Chicago | 167-173 | 92.1% | Private: $180,000 Public: $63,000 |
| 5 | Columbia University | 170-174 | 91.9% | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 6 | New York University | 167-172 | 86.6% | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania | 164-171 | 89.1% | Private: $180,000 Public: $61,218 |
| 8 | University of Virginia | 163-171 | 90.9% | Private: $180,000 Public: $62,000 |
| 9 | University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor | 163-171 | 90.9% | Private: $180,000 Public: $62,000 |
| 10 (tie) | Duke University | 167-170 | 90.7% | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 10 (tie) | Northwestern University (Pritzker) | 164-170 | 78.2% | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,518 |
| 10 (tie) | University of California -- Berkeley | 165-170 | 83.3% | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 13 | Cornell University | 164-168 | 90.1% | Private: $180,000 Public: $64,228 |
| 14 | Georgetown University | 163-168 | 73% | Private: $180,000 Public: $55,000 |
| 15 | University of California -- Los Angeles | 165-169 | 68.2% | Private: $180,000 Public: $55,053 |
| 16 | University of Texas -- Austin | 160-168 | 63.9% | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 17 | University of Southern California (Gould) | 163-167 | 70.3% | Private: $180,000 Public: $58,000 |
| 18 (tie) | Vanderbilt University | 161-168 | 78.7% | Private: $180,000 Public: $65,287 |
| 18 (tie) | Washington University in St. Louis | 160-170 | 69.3% | Private: $162,500 Public: $57,000 |
| 20 | University of Minnesota | 161-166 | 73.7% | Private: $112,111 Public: $52,000 |
| 21 | University of Notre Dame | 160-166 | 60.8% | Private: $130,000 Public: $56,275 |
| 22 | George Washington University | 158-166 | 67.2% | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 23 (tie) | Boston University | 160-167 | 62.7 | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 23 (tie) | University of California -- Irvine | 161-165 | 60.4% | Private: $170,000 Public: $56,000 |
| 25 | University of Alabama | 157-165 | 59.5% | Private: $70,000 Public: $50,000 |
| 26 | Emory University | 158-166 | 70.1% | Private: $115,000 Public: $57,000 |
| 27 (tie) | Arizona State University (O'Connor) | 158-164 | 67.7% | Private: $82,000 Public: $58,500 |
| 27 (tie) | Boston College | 160-167 | 62.7% | Private: $180,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 27 (tie) | University of Georgia | 159-164 | 66.9% | Private: $90,000 Public: $50,000 |
| 27 (tie) | University of Iowa | 157-163 | 54.7% | Private: $98,038 Public: $55,141 |
| 31 (tie) | University of California -Davis | 157-165 | 55.1% | Private: $100,000 Public: $48,000 |
| 31 (tie) | University of Florida (Levin) | 155-164 | 55.2% | Private: $75,000 Public: $45,000 |
| 31 (tie) | Wake Forest University | 162-163 | 56.5% | Private: $75,000 Public: $48,561 |
| 34 (tie) | Indiana University -- Bloomington | 157-163 | 51.4% | Private: $100,00 Public: $47,018 |
| 34 (tie) | Ohio State University (Moritz) | 157-163 | 61.2% | Private: $78,000 Public: $55,000 |
| 34 (tie) | University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill | 158-163 | 57.4% | Private: $130,000 Public: $51,500 |
| 34 (tie) | University of Wisconsin - Madison | 158-164 | 47.2% | Private: $71,000 Public: $49,254 |
| 34 (tie) | Washington and Lee - University | 158-164 | 58.6% | Private: $85,000 Public: $51,450 |
| 39 (tie) | Brigham Young University (Clark) | 160-166 | 39.2% | Private: $104,000 Public: $40,000 |
| 39 (tie) | Fordham University | 161-166 | 57% | Private: $180,000 Public: $61,250 |
| 39 (tie) | University of Arizona (Rogers) | 155-162 | 41.4% | Private: (not available) Public: (not available) |
| 39 (tie) | University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign | 157-164 | 54.9% | Private: $80,000 Public: $65,000 |
| 39 (tie) | William and Mary Law School | 156-164 | 58.2% | Private: $105,000 Public: $56,748 |
| 44 | University of Washington | 158-165 | 47.5% | Private: $100,00 Public: $59,000 |
| 45 (tie) | George Mason University | 157-164 | 40.8% | Private: $106,000 Public: $60,000 |
| 45 (tie) | University of Colorado - Boulder | 156-164 | 51.2% | Private: $90,000 Public: $55,000 |
| 47 | University of Utah (Quinney) | 157-161 | 51.3% | Private: $84,000 Public: $51,815 |
| 48 (tie) | Baylor University | 157-161 | 50.8% | Private: $85,000 Public: $61,105 |
| 48 (tie) | Florida State University | 157-161 | 37.1% | Private: $67,500 Public: $46,000 |
| 48 (tie) | Temple University (Beasley) | 157-163 | 55.8% | Private: $80,000 Public: $52,000 |
| 51 | Pepperdine | 155-161 | 27.8% | Private: $75,000 Public: $64,500 |
Takeaway
LSAT scores are incredibly important to your law school career. On the whole, a strong LSAT score will help you get into a top-ranked program, which in turn will help you graduate law school with a job and an impressive salary. So, set aside some time, invest in Magoosh LSAT, and other LSAT books and resources, and start prepping. You won’t regret it.
Please let us know if you have any questions, additions, or suggestions by leaving a comment on this post. We’d be thrilled to start a conversation with you. And before you go, here’s some suggested follow-up reading for you:
- Best LSAT Advice from Lawyers
- Free LSAT Practice Tests (with bonus video explanations)
- What are the LSAT Score Percentiles?
- How Long Should You Study for the LSAT?
- Best LSAT Test Dates: 2016, 2017, 2018
- How to Study for the LSAT
- Free LSAT Prep Checklist
Thank you to Magoosh LSAT Bloggers Travis, Randall and Carey for contributing content and expertise to this guide!
Thanks I found your article very interesting. This information will help my son decide on which schools are appropriate for him to apply to once he receives his LSAT score. Personally I am a little dismayed that four years of hard work weighs less than one test score. All the information in your article is eye opening. Thanks so much for laying it all out in a straight forward manner.
Hi Jeff,
I’m glad that you found the article helpful! It is quite frustrating that a few hours of exam time outweighs 4 years of academics. I hope that the logic and analysis skills that your son learned in college will give him a leg up when he takes the LSAT, and give him the skills he needs to thrive in law school. Best of luck to him!
Just wanted to say this article was very helpful. Thank you so much. You did a great job !
Just wanted to send appreciation and positive vibes
Well researched article.I wish my daughter Manasi Hands reads it.
You claim that “If your LSAT score is 157 or above, you might consider applying to 48th-ranked University of Florida or University of Maryland. For some reason, their average starting salaries are staggeringly high—to the tune of $158,000 per year”, but research on Law school transparency says otherwise. University of Maryland’s private sector median salary is $85,762 (public: $52,365) and University of Florida’s private sector median salary is $79,311 (public: $46,154). Not trying to be mean, I just wanted to know why there is such a discrepancy between the sources?
Sources:
https://www.lstreports.com/schools/florida/sals/
https://www.lstreports.com/schools/maryland/sals/
That’s a very good question, especially because Law School Transparency is a generally reliable resource.. I’ll check with our editors and see where our data comes from.
Hi SMS,
Just letting you know that we’ve fully updated the post, checking our data against Law School Transparency and a number of other websites.
This was amazing, would you by any chance write an article on the application process from the point view of a science major. Thanks
Hi Tavaziva, thanks for reaching out! I’ve let our team know you’re interested in this, but we will have to see if we find an appropriate person to write. I hope we can find one soon! 🙂
My lsat 2018 percentile is 45.83 which colleges cam i get
Hi Priyanshi,
Our expertise is test prep, not admissions advice, so I’m afraid that we can’t provide much more information that what we already wrote in this blog post! A 45th percentile LSAT score is around a 150, correct? There are plenty of schools that have this score within their median range, but you likely will not gain admittance to a top law school with this score. You’ll have to do some research on your own to find your target schools. This website can help you to search for schools that might be within this score range: https://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/1/asc/LSATLow/. Good luck!
Hi
Has the method of scoring LSAT’s changed since the 70’s? I seem to recall scoring something like 500-600. In 1971 male applicants got into U. Maine Law with scores of 300-400, while I , a woman, was rejected for my “low scores” (according to the dean during my interview). I later learned that I was rejected because I was a woman. None of the 6 or so male lawyers/alumni of U.Maine Law that I knew had scores anywhere near mine. They explained to me, laughing, “Oh that’s just Dean Godfrey. He hates women. Doesn’t want them in his law school.” How many other women did he do that to? When did it stop. Were women later accepted but given a hard time? Sexually harrassed? We do live in a patriarchal culture still. But, I have learned that it is DEFINITELY not worth fighting to get into it. It must be allowed to die by lack of attention. Women have much, much more to contribute than we yet realize. We will create a new world order along with our brothers who value The Feminine in themselves and in others.
So it was not, back then, just about scores, but about your gender.
Hi Brenda,
Yes, the LSAT score was previously on a scale of 200-800, and I believe that they ended that scoring system in the late 80’s or early 90’s. Thank you for sharing your experience, and I’m sorry to hear about the negative ways that sexism influenced your law school admissions experience. I hope that this has/continues to change for the better…I read that in 2016 and 2017, women outnumbered men in law school. It seems like we are moving in a promising direction, but it’s also important to remember the trails that were blazed by women before us!
Do you think its to soon for me to start studying for the LSAT I’m only a sophomore in high school
Hi Jenna!
This is a tough one to answer. It really depends! You’re absolutely welcome to start preparing early, but there’s a few things that you’ll want to keep in mind. 🙂
1) You still need to focus on getting into college, so other exams like the SAT or ACT might have more priority.
2) You’ll also need to focus on your GPA. 😀
3) Be weary of burning out or losing steam on your LSAT studying! It’s quite possible that starting early might negatively impact you later.
While it’s certainly not “too soon” for you to start studying, those are definitely some things you should think about. 🙂 If you’d really like to start preparing, I’d recommend slowly building a foundation that will help you do well on the LSAT (and in school too!) as opposed to jumping into very specialized LSAT prep. For example, it’s never too early to read things that will develop your reading comprehension (New York Times, Economist, etc.)!
Do you have these schools and data in a downloadable excel spreadsheet? Seems that a pivot table can be created for an easy way to evaluate the schools.
Hi Asha,
I don’t think that we have this resource in a downloadable file at this time, but I will send a note to our blog writers to see if they have anything they can share 🙂
Thank you Rita, for a very interesting article. As others have said, it was well-researched and written I have some questions/comments:
1.) I am someone who falls into the second category of reads – people who have done a mock LSAT, but not the real one. As such, I am wondering, by how much is it reasonable to expect to improve my score with practice?
2.) The difference between median salaries for private and public sectors is surprisingly large. As such, the proportion of graduates who enter public versus private sector jobs will have a large impact on the overall average salary for graduates. What would convince people to enter the public sector when salaries are so much higher for the private sector? Do people only accept public sector jobs if they can’t find a job in the private sector?
Thanks again for your article.
Hi Dominic,
This blog post can help you get a sense of how much you can reasonably expect to improve with practice: https://magoosh.com/lsat/2016/how-much-can-i-improve-my-lsat-score/
I’ll also add that the predictive ability of any practice test depends on how authentic you make the testing experience. It’s important to mimic the actual conditions of the LSAT as much as possible, and to know yourself as a test-taker. Test anxiety can have a significant impact on your score during the test, and it’s not always possible to recreate those stressful conditions when you’re comfortable at home! Make sure to prepare yourself mentally for the test by creating a stress management plan 🙂
There is a big difference between salaries in private and public firms. I can speak about some of these motivations based on my experience with family and friends. There are many factors that determine what sort of jobs newly-graduated lawyers seek beyond just salary–they take into account their interest, passion, stress levels, skills, loan repayment options etc. While there aren’t enough spots at top law firms for all graduates, not all graduates are seeking these types of positions, which come with significant stress, long work weeks, and demanding environments. It’s also worth noting that a prospective law school student’s desired career path may influence which school they attend–if a lawyer is interested in working in the public sector, they may choose to attend a less expensive state school that will provide them with the education they need without the large price tag. I even have heard of people working for a few years in the private sector to pay down their loans before switching to the public sector to follow their passions, start a family or have more work-life balance. In short–there are a lot of reasons why someone would choose public service; though salary is definitely a part of the calculation, it’s not the only factor 🙂
Hi there. One thing this article didn’t address is how higher scores can impact negotiating for financial aid. I have heard that the difference between a 170 and a 175 can be a substantial chunk of change. So if you’re in the position of having an LSAT score around 170, should you retake with the intent to leverage the better score in negotiations?
Hi Eli, this is an interesting question, and unfortunately we aren’t experts in law school admissions and bargaining. I would encourage you to reach out to current students and admissions counselors to understand how a higher score might impact financial aid negotiations.
I would imagine that Fordham’s staggeringly high 180K private sector salary is due to the fact that everyone who gets biglaw from that school get NYC Biglaw. These firms give out higher salaries even compared to Boston or DC Biglaw.