Though the LSAT’s status as the unquestioned gatekeeper of law school admissions isn’t quite what it once was, with schools increasingly embracing alternative pathways and greater flexibility in how they evaluate applicants, the rite of passage for would-be lawyers remains the gold standard for those seeking admission to law school.
Because we must still dedicate time to these test scores, let’s chat about the highest of heights incoming law students have achieved on the LSAT.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the median LSAT score for full-time students entering in fall 2025 was about 160 at the 196 law schools that are ranked by the magazine. Seventeen of the schools near the tippy top of the list, however, had a median LSAT score above 170. Which schools made the list? Take a look.
Managing Partners are Navigating the AI Inflection Point.
New executive research from Ari Kaplan explores how law firm leaders are responding to changing client expectations, evolving economics, talent transformation, and AI governance.
- Washington University in St. Louis: 175
- Harvard: 174
- U. Chicago: 174
- Yale: 174
- Cornell: 173
- UVA: 173
- Columbia: 173
- Stanford: 173
- Northwestern: 173
- Penn: 173
- NYU: 172
- Texas: 172
- Duke: 171
- Michigan: 171
- UCLA: 171
- Minnesota: 171
- Georgetown: 171
It’s not exactly shocking that some of the best law schools in the country boast some of the best LSAT scores. After all, when thousands of aspiring lawyers are competing for a limited number of seats at the nation’s most elite schools, a stellar LSAT score is practically the price of admission.
How did your law school measure up against these schools?
17 Law Schools With the Highest LSAT Scores [U.S. News]
AI Is Reshaping Legal Practice—But Tools Aren’t The Real Differentiator.
Explore the mindset, cultural shifts, and training strategies that define the AI‑savvy lawyer, revealing why human judgment, standardized competence, and integrated learning—not technology alone—will shape the future of the profession.
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of 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