Thanks to the pandemic and the introduction of the LSAT-Flex — a shorter law school admissions exam that applicants were able to take from the comfort of their homes — not only was the most recent pool of law school applicants larger, but their test scores were much higher than in years past. But just how high are we talking here?
According to the Short List blog of U.S. News & World Report, the median LSAT score for full-time students entering in fall 2020 was an average of 157 at the 193 law schools that are ranked by the magazine. Thirteen of the schools near the tippy top of the list, however, had an average median LSAT score of 170.
Which schools made the list? Take a look:
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|
SCHOOL (NAME) (STATE) |
MEDIAN LSAT SCORE FOR FULL-TIME STUDENTS ENTERING IN FALL 2020 |
U.S. NEWS LAW SCHOOL RANK |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale University (CT) | 173 | 1 | ||
| Harvard University (MA) | 173 | 3 | ||
| Columbia University (NY) | 172 | 4 (tie) | ||
| Stanford University (CA) | 171 | 2 | ||
| University of Chicago | 171 | 4 (tie) | ||
| New York University | 170 | 6 (tie) | ||
| University of Pennsylvania (Carey) | 170 | 6 (tie) | ||
| University of Virginia | 170 | 8 | ||
| Duke University (NC) | 169 | 10 (tie) | ||
| University of Michigan—Ann Arbor | 169 | 10 (tie) | ||
| Northwestern University (Pritzker) (IL) | 169 | 12 | ||
| University of California—Los Angeles | 169 | 14 | ||
| Washington University in St. Louis | 169 | 16 (tie) |
It’s not exactly shocking that the best law schools in the country have the best LSAT scores, but what is shocking are the law schools whose graduates have the most debt. Stay tuned for our discussion of those doomed to debt later this week.
How did your law school measure up against these schools?
13 Law Schools With the Highest LSAT Scores [Short List / U.S. News]
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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.