Law school / T14 + splitter matrix

Good GPA for Law School

Updated 15 May 2026

T14 law school median GPAs cluster between 3.86 and 3.94 per ABA 509 disclosures. LSAT typically carries more weight than GPA in admissions decisions, which creates the "splitter" dynamic: high LSAT compensates for moderate GPA, and vice versa. This page reproduces the T14 median table from ABA data and provides a splitter matrix for self-assessment.

T14 median GPAs from ABA 509

The American Bar Association requires every ABA-accredited law school to publish annual disclosures of admissions statistics under the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar's Required Disclosures (509 Reports). Median GPA and median LSAT for the entering class are published each year. The table below reports recent T14 figures:

Law school	Median GPA	Median LSAT	Source
Yale Law School	3.94	175	ABA 509
Stanford Law School	3.93	174	ABA 509
Harvard Law School	3.93	174	ABA 509
University of Chicago	3.91	173	ABA 509
Columbia Law School	3.87	173	ABA 509
NYU School of Law	3.88	172	ABA 509
University of Pennsylvania (Carey)	3.91	172	ABA 509
University of Virginia	3.93	171	ABA 509
University of Michigan	3.86	171	ABA 509
Duke University School of Law	3.86	171	ABA 509
Northwestern (Pritzker)	3.93	172	ABA 509
UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall)	3.87	171	ABA 509
Cornell Law School	3.88	172	ABA 509
Georgetown University Law Center	3.86	171	ABA 509

Medians vary year over year. Verify the current cycle's 509 disclosure directly at the linked ABA portal. T14 here follows the conventional US News ranking convention; the exact T14 composition has shifted modestly over time.

Why LSAT outweighs GPA

Aggregated admissions outcomes data and LSAC research suggest the LSAT carries roughly 60-70% of the admissions weight at ABA-accredited schools, with GPA carrying roughly 25-30% and soft factors (essays, recommendations, work experience, diversity) accounting for the remainder. The published US News ranking methodology also gives LSAT 50% greater weight than UGPA in the schools-quality component, reinforcing the institutional pressure to prioritise LSAT in admissions.

The reason for LSAT dominance is that the LSAT is a standardised measure across all applicants while undergraduate GPA reflects different institutions, majors, grading practices, and grade-inflation rates. A 3.7 from MIT in chemistry signals very differently from a 3.7 from a non-selective school in education, but both report as "3.7" on the application. LSAT removes this variance: a 170 means the same thing regardless of the applicant's undergraduate institution.

The splitter matrix

Because LSAT and GPA are weighted differently and because admissions models allow trade-off between the two, applicants whose LSAT and GPA are mismatched ("splitters") can be admitted to schools where one number alone would not qualify them. The standard splitter has a high LSAT and a moderate GPA; the reverse splitter has a high GPA and a moderate LSAT. The matrix below summarises typical outcomes:

GPA	LSAT 180	LSAT 175	LSAT 170	LSAT 165	LSAT 160
3.90+	Auto-admit	Auto-admit at most	Competitive T14	T20-T30	T50
3.80-3.89	Auto-admit T14	Competitive T14	Lower T14	T20-T30	T50
3.70-3.79	Competitive T14	Lower T14	T15-T30	T30-T50	T75
3.60-3.69	Lower T14 splitter	T20-T30 splitter	T30-T50	T50-T75	T100
3.50-3.59	Splitter to T14	Splitter to T20	T30-T50	T75	T100
3.40-3.49	Reverse splitter pool	T30-T50 stretch	T50-T75	T100	T100-T150
3.20-3.39	Splitter pool	T50 stretch	T75-T100	T100-T150	T150+
3.00-3.19	Reverse splitter pool	T75-T100 stretch	T100-T150	T150+	T150+

Indicative competitive range, not admission guarantee. Soft factors (essays, work experience, diversity, application timing) shift outcomes around the matrix. Yield-protection by individual schools can also affect where a splitter lands.

The LSAC GPA recalculation

LSAC recomputes undergraduate GPA on its own 4.0 scale and applies the LSAC-computed value to admissions, not the transcript value. The recalculation has several important properties. First, LSAC includes all undergraduate coursework attempted, even courses retaken or replaced under undergraduate institution policy. A student whose home institution removed certain old grades from the GPA computation under academic renewal will see those grades back in the LSAC computation.

Second, LSAC uses a uniform conversion table for non-standard grading systems (plus-minus, percentage-based, narrative evaluations). The resulting LSAC GPA can be materially different from the transcript GPA in either direction. Third, LSAC counts repeated courses additively rather than as substitutions, so a student who retook a course and received a higher grade has both attempts in the LSAC GPA.

The practical implication: always assess law school competitiveness based on the LSAC GPA, not the transcript GPA. Calculate the LSAC GPA before applying, either through the LSAC service directly or by using LSAC's published recalculation rules. The LSAC GPA is what shows up in admissions decisions and in ABA 509 statistics.

Strategic implications by GPA range

3.85+ LSAC GPA: Most law schools are accessible with a 170+ LSAT. The strategic question shifts to which T14 or T20 school to target based on geography, post-graduation career goals, and merit-aid offers.

3.6-3.85 LSAC GPA: Competitive with a 175+ LSAT (splitter strategy) for some T14; competitive with a 170+ LSAT for T20-T30. The reverse-splitter case (3.85 GPA with a 165 LSAT) is more difficult than the standard-splitter case because the LSAT compensating effect goes both directions but the LSAT compensates more strongly for low GPA than the GPA compensates for low LSAT.

3.3-3.6 LSAC GPA: Splitter strategy required for T20+ admission. A 175-180 LSAT pulls the application into the splitter pool. Without a top LSAT, the realistic target range is T50-T100.

Below 3.3 LSAC GPA: Significant splitter strategy required. Above-90th-percentile LSAT (170+) needed for any T50 chance. Without a strong LSAT, ABA-accredited admission may require less-selective schools or alternative paths (paralegal experience, additional advanced degrees, work-experience-based applications to part-time programmes).

Educational reference. Not legal or admissions advice. Verify current ABA 509 disclosures and LSAC rules directly.

Common Questions

What GPA do you need for law school?

T14 law school median GPAs run 3.70 to 3.93 per ABA 509 disclosures, with most schools clustered 3.85-3.90. T20-T50 schools have median GPAs of approximately 3.40-3.70. Lower-ranked ABA-accredited schools have median GPAs in the 3.0-3.40 range. Below a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA, ABA-accredited admission becomes difficult without strong compensating signals, primarily a high LSAT score.

Is a 3.7 GPA good for law school?

A 3.7 GPA is at or near the median for lower-T14 schools (Georgetown, Cornell, Northwestern in some cycles) and below the median for top-T14 (Yale, Stanford, Harvard, UVA at ~3.93). Combined with a 170+ LSAT, a 3.7 is competitive across most of the T14. With a sub-170 LSAT, the application would lean toward the lower T14 or upper T20. For T20-T50, a 3.7 is comfortably above most medians.

What is a splitter in law school admissions?

A 'splitter' is an applicant with a notable gap between LSAT and GPA. A 'standard splitter' has a high LSAT and a low GPA (e.g., 175 LSAT, 3.4 GPA). A 'reverse splitter' has a high GPA and a lower LSAT (e.g., 3.9 GPA, 162 LSAT). Splitters are admitted at law schools because admissions models weight both factors and a high score on one dimension can compensate for a lower score on the other within published margins. Yield-protection and median-management considerations affect where splitters land.

Does LSAT matter more than GPA for law school?

Yes, modestly. LSAC research and aggregated admissions outcomes data suggest LSAT carries roughly 60-70% of the admit weight in ABA-accredited admissions decisions, with GPA carrying roughly 25-30%. The exact weight varies by school. The reason for LSAT dominance is that the LSAT is a standardised measure across all applicants while GPAs reflect different undergraduate institutions, majors, and grading practices. A high LSAT signals one consistent thing; a high GPA signals different things from different schools.

Can I get into a T14 with a 3.5 GPA?

Possible with a 175+ LSAT as a splitter. ABA 509 disclosures show T14 schools admit a small percentage of splitters each cycle. The lower the GPA below the T14 median (~3.85), the higher the LSAT must be to compensate. A 3.5 GPA with a 180 LSAT is in the splitter pool for most T14 schools; a 3.5 with a 174 LSAT is more competitive at lower-T14 (Georgetown, Cornell) than at top-T14 (Yale, Stanford, Harvard).

How do law schools recalculate GPA?

LSAC recomputes undergraduate GPA on a 4.0 scale, applying defined adjustments. LSAC includes all undergraduate coursework attempted, even courses retaken or replaced under undergraduate institution policy. This means a student whose institution applied grade replacement or academic renewal will have an LSAC GPA that differs from the transcript GPA. The LSAC GPA is the figure reported to admissions committees and used in ABA 509 statistics. Always check the LSAC GPA calculation, not the transcript GPA, when assessing competitiveness.