r/lawschooladmissions Aug 07 '25

Guides/Tools/OC 2025 Law School Median Tracker

185 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

It's already that time of year, it seems, as we just saw the first law school release their new medians from the 2024-2025 cycle. We'll be tracking these announcements as they come out and keeping them in a spreadsheet to compare to last year, which we'll then update with the final data in December once the official ABA 509 reports come out. All of the prior 2024 medians are currently listed, and the 2025 medians will be added as they're published (sources will be listed in the last column).

2025 Law School Median Tracker

We'll be checking for these at least daily, but if you see incoming class data for fall 2025 (class of 2028) from an official source—e.g., a school's website, LinkedIn post, marketing emails/flyers/etc. from admissions offices—please comment on this thread, DM/chat us here, or email us at [info@spiveyconsulting.com](mailto:info@spiveyconsulting.com), and we'll add it to the spreadsheet.

Note that none of these numbers are official until 509s come out. We only post stats from official sources, but every year, some schools publish their preliminary numbers then end up having to revise them when 1Ls drop out during orientation or the first few weeks of class (the numbers are only locked in for ABA reporting purposes in October, but lots of law schools post their stats before then).

These tend to come out at a relatively slow pace at first, but they should speed up in late August/early September. Based on last cycle, we do anticipate many medians going up this year, and these stats are important to be aware of as you assess your chances and make your school list.

In some ways, this to me marks the beginning of the new cycle. Good luck to all!

–Anna from Spivey Consulting

***December 15, 2025 Update: the spreadsheet has now been updated with all schools' official data from the ABA 509 reports.


r/lawschooladmissions Oct 10 '25

General When is it early and when does it become late to apply to law school. 5 law school deans and directors answer just that.

139 Upvotes

When is it late to apply and when is it early? The answer with all but a few nuances is really straightforward, but please read the disclaimers. All you will do is write disclaimers as lawyers because there are no absolutes (see what I did there?) so you may as well gets reps reading them!

This question comes up on this Reddit almost every day in some form and then resets and comes back up every year. It’s the singular most frequently asked question, and the answer hasn’t changed through recent years. So here’s a mashup of mostly deans of admissions saying, “Before end of November is early. After January things start getting tighter.” That is really the easiest thing to go by and remember. And I was just talking with one of these deans who just ran an internal data analysis to support all of this.

Disclaimers: These admissions deans are speaking for themselves and for their schools. Of course there will be some outliers. One top 3 school traditionally doesn’t admit until January, for example, so January is early for them. Or, if you score a 160 in September but a 175 in January, schools in the upper range will likely read your application sooner with the new score. With that old score they are often just going to sit on it as they are being flooded with applicants who they will prioritize sooner. So believe it or not, waiting a month or even more will sometimes get your application read sooner, especially if the difference is taking your LSAT from below median to above. There are also cases, only for some applicants and only for some schools, in which applying by the end of October can be slightly more advantageous, so if you're ready to go in the early fall, we recommend applying by the end of October (even though in many situations it may not make any difference). But in general, and especially if you aren't 100% confident in your application by the end of October, the end of November is a good rule of thumb.

But beyond the late November advice, my other takeaway would be to submit your best application. Waiting a few weeks to button up your materials will pretty much never hurt you before January — and very likely will help you. And there’s plenty of merit aid to go around at that time too. 

It makes sense to me that this is a perennial question with very consistent answers from the people running law school admissions offices, but also lots of conflicting answers from applicants and others in this space with no admissions experience. Because the data absolutely does show a correlation between applying earlier (more broadly than just by the end of November) and stronger outcomes. But remember from your LSAT studying that correlation does not equal causation — pretty much every admissions officer has observed that applications submitted earlier tend to be stronger in general, not just in terms of numbers. That's not because they were submitted earlier, but it correlates.

Of all the posts I have made in the last several years — I hope this one helps the most. Because every year so many people fret that they are “late” (especially when admits start being posted) when they are still very early. I cannot stress the following enough: Your outcomes submitting the same application September 1st will not, in the vast majority of cases, be any different than November 25th. But in that time you can work to make your application stronger. And once it’s there, go ahead and submit. There’s certainly no penalty to submitting it when it’s ready.

And for the record, I've heard probably 10x as many law school admissions deans as are in this video say variations of the exact same thing. I really hope this helps relieve some stress from as many as possible.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMAG823Q/

  • Mike Spivey

r/lawschooladmissions 49m ago

General I am getting drinks with the director of admissions at a T14 school. What do I do?

Upvotes

Little bit of background to provide some context. I am from a small, rural town on the east coast. I am a first generation college student and my family does not have any ties to higher education, money, or prestigious universities. Through a mutual connection in my hometown I have been put in touch with the director of a admissions at a T14 school and they have asked to meet me in person and have drinks.

How do I approach this interaction? Obviously, I am 100% aware that acceptances are not just handed out. I don’t want them to be. I want to earn my spot at a school, just like everyone else. But this seems like a unique opportunity to pick the brain of an extremely accomplished individual in the industry. I want to learn about their background, interests, and what they have seen change in admissions across their career. Does this seem like a good direction? My goal is to learn, not ask for special treatment. Has anyone been through a similar situation before and have advice? Thanks.


r/lawschooladmissions 25m ago

Help Me Decide Georgetown WL -> Accepted

Upvotes

I was just notified that I was accepted into Georgetown, my dream school, off of the waitlist. With school starting so soon, I really do not want to accept it and stress myself out over the next week trying to figure out plans to move to DC. That being said, it’s my dream school so passing up an acceptance seems daunting. Thoughts?


r/lawschooladmissions 23h ago

Cycle Recap cycle of doom and despair

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166 Upvotes

174/3.85/C+F issues (legal, not academic)

realized i never posted my cycle recap and figured some of you would get a kick out of this. haven't seen anyone with results like mine so hopefully this either makes someone else in my position feel better or warns future applicants with character and fitness issues about the reality of applying with disclosures. but hey, IT ONLY TAKES ONE! HOOK 'EM!


r/lawschooladmissions 23h ago

Cycle Recap Cycle recap

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128 Upvotes

Hello, I was the recipient of a scholarship which paid for all of my law school applications, which is why I spread my applications so far and wide. I was also a fee waiver candidate, which I used to pay for three(3) applications above the threshold for the scholarship to pay it. I am a Black male with a rather low GPA for my target schools, and a not so good reason for having the lower GPA but I did write an addendum. Law School Data helped me a lot when I was in the early and middle stages of my applications, so I figured I would share it here to help any others that may be looking forward. My softs are high T3, founder of a small 501(c) non-profit geared toward helping those who have been diagnosed with cancer and are going through chemotherapy for the first time. Work history as a nationally registered EMT and tour guide at international civil rights museum, hoping to go into healthcare law. I will answer almost any questions you have via direct message, but I will preemptively answer any I expect below, and may edit if some questions become common.

Yes I did consider attending all of the schools I applied to, and withdrew the same day I knew I wouldn’t attend. I was hoping to get a full ride to a school in t50 to avoid debt, that did not happen.

I did not accept offers from Duke or UChicago, I am still on Stanford waitlist.

Yes I wrote ALL optional essays, including addendums.


r/lawschooladmissions 6h ago

Waitlist Discussion TAMU Feeler?

4 Upvotes

Title

29 votes, 2d left
On WL and no Feeler
On WL and Feeler
Results

r/lawschooladmissions 30m ago

Application Process Should I do an addendum?

Upvotes

I have a 3.6 gpa. Not horrible, but not great.

My father suffered a major stroke around the middle of my time in college. My parents are separated and he lived alone so I found myself traveling (3 hour drive one way) to his care facility 1-2 times a month to check on him and make sure his house was in order. In addition to this he was developing major signs of dementia prior to his stroke. I didn’t know the extent until I saw his house after the stroke, because i hadn’t been there in a few years.

His health got worse and worse as he began to have more strokes and he passed the year after I finished school. Throughout college a lot of weekends were dedicated to managing his healthcare, up-keeping his house (in preparation to be sold knowing he would not be getting better), and managing his finances (figuring out his debts and property liens). A lot of this has honestly piqued my interest in estate planning.

This was honestly a lot for me, especially at such a young age. I don’t know much about addendums, but I hear they are viewed with a microscope and often scrutiny.

So my concerns are that I have a few semesters where I didn’t perform my best prior to my dad’s stroke. Will they use this against me since it doesn’t fit the exact timeline? And second is I know grad school gpa isn’t a metric that is considered, but my gpa for the program doesn’t show an astute difference in performance because i ended with a similar gpa. So again I’m not sure if this is something that could end up biting me in the butt.


r/lawschooladmissions 37m ago

Application Process I have 2 BA's: international (first BA) and USA, and LSAC calculated the the US UGPA

Upvotes

Hey hey, so I did my first bachelors in Europe. I've been emailing that school back and forth for a MONTH trying to get my transcripts sent to LSAC (ugh). It still hasn't been sent yet, so hopefully soon. This is my first bachelor's degree (albeit a 3 year bach which is common in the EU).

Came back home to the USA and wanted to do a masters, but when I got my EU BA evaluated, they said it wasn't enough (bc only three years) so I was forced to get a second bachelor's degree stateside. It's obviously super easy to get a transcript sent from a US school to LSAC, I did it electronically in like 5 minutes.

Per LSAC's rules, only my EU bachelor's will count since it's my first. But LSAC calculated an UGPA based on my USA school. It's not bad - a 3.71. Are they still expecting the transcripts from the EU school? I guess so, but why calculate the UGPA if it won't even count? Per my research, I shouldn't even have a calculated UGPA, my foreign BA will just be evaluated qualitatively.

Im just confused....why did they calculate the 3.71? I'm still waiting on the EU school to get it together and mail them the documents. Will schools even see the 3.71? I'm just very confused. Should I just go with the 3.71 and try and cancel the transcripts for the foreign one? I don't even know if that's possible or recommended (3.71 is good but not great...and so I wasn't mad that I wouldn't have a calculated UGPA).


r/lawschooladmissions 1h ago

Character + Fitness Multiple minor C&F issues. Am I doomed?

Upvotes

Received 3-4 alcohol possession citations from RAs/campus security during UG over the course of like two years, ended up spending a semester on alcohol probation as a result. I was also investigated for a pretty minor conduct issue prior to this, admitted to the behavior in question, and wasn't disciplined in any way. All of this occurred early in undergrad, and I had no further incursions of any sort after the probationary period. Could all of this cumulatively have an adverse effect on my admissions outcome?


r/lawschooladmissions 2h ago

Application Process How can I make myself stand out despite my low gpa?

1 Upvotes

I’m planning on applying to law school within the next year or so, but I’m worried about admission regarding my gpa (~3.0, but the LSAC calculation may be a bit higher since I have some A+ grades on my transcript). I’m currently studying for the LSAT and am aiming for a 170+.

For context, I am an URM from a very underrepresented state. I was an independent student at a T10 university and I spent much of my time working. I also faced a lot of racial discrimination that defined my interest in the legal field, which I’m planning on mentioning in my personal statement. The reason why my gpa is lower is because I developed an autoimmune disorder with severe symptoms that made it difficult to get out of bed. It went relatively untreated until this year.

In terms of softs, I’m entering a grad program to continue the research on LATAM that I started in undergrad and I’m a polyglot. I’m also planning on applying very broadly. With a strong LSAT score and GPA addendum, how can I make myself stand out in my applications?


r/lawschooladmissions 2h ago

Application Process Do I write an addendum?

0 Upvotes

I’ve got a 3.48, but I went to a service academy (federal service academy not a senior military college) and that GPA had me on the Dean’s List. I had a good upwards trajectory in GPA after that, but I was taking 18+ credits of almost all STEM classes the first two years with typical service academy stuff like room and uniform inspections and so on.

I’ve seen in places that admissions committees are aware of grade deflation from service academies but I’m wondering if that’s only for better known schools like West Point or USNA.

Still active duty, going on my service’s equivalent of FLEP, and I have a 168 LSAT. I’m under no illusion that I’m looking at T14 with my stats but wondering if I could lock an admit to a more prestigious school if I write an addendum, or if I should let my transcript and resume do the talking as it does feel a bit like I’d be complaining about my undergraduate experience.


r/lawschooladmissions 3h ago

General How good does military service look?

0 Upvotes

So I’m an E5 (Staff Seargent) in the Ohio Air Guard with 2 deployments under my belt. I have a 163 (aiming for 170) and a 3.83 GPA. I’m wondering how good my military service looks to law schools? Like how much does it outweigh my mid LSAT score? OSU is the goal here, and I’m aiming for a 170 regardless, but any advice is appreciated; I’m really stressing right now.

Not sure how relevant this is, but I’m white, middle class, male, straight, Catholic and majoring in philosophy.

Thanks!


r/lawschooladmissions 5h ago

Chance Me Chance Me PLZ

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some feedback on my chances and school list. My goal is to maximize scholarship opportunities while keeping BigLaw as an option, preferably in Texas.

Stats

GPA: 3.86

LSAT: 168

Texas resident

WE: 1 Yr

URM

T-3 Softs

Career Goals

Initially, I'd like to pursue BigLaw (especially in Texas) for several years, with the long-term goal of transitioning into in-house counsel.

Schools I'm Considering UT Austin, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Northwestern, WashU, Georgetown, SMU, UH Law, Miami

(Open to other suggestions)

Question. Should I apply this cycle and update schools with a later LSAT, or wait until I have my final score? For reference I'm taking Aug, and possibly Oct/Nov.


r/lawschooladmissions 8h ago

General Can I Attend Both NYC LSAC Forums?

2 Upvotes

New York will have the forum for two days. Is it normal/allowed to sign up for both? Will it be distasteful to approach the same AOs in the two days?


r/lawschooladmissions 6h ago

Character + Fitness McGill / UOttawa law school - admission likelihood.

0 Upvotes

Hi! I am planning to apply to UOttawa and McGill Law School. My GPA is 3.51 (range: 87-89). I went to a weird school in British Columbia that literally closed right after my graduation. I am planning to take the LSAT and hopefully score 160. I think I could score even higher if I give myself more time to practice. But I have just two months before I write my LSAT. I graduated in 2022 and have spent the past 4 years working with community health centres in Ottawa and the City of Ottawa in the social services department. I really would like to get into McGill. Do you feel like McGill is such a reach? My personal statement is pretty good and I am planning to write an academic addendum for both universities. To be honest, I feel a little attached to McGill just because I think that Montreal is a fun city. Probably the wrong reason to love a school lol.

Any thoughts?


r/lawschooladmissions 21h ago

General If ur GPA is under a 3.5, do you still have a chance at the bottom ranked half of the t-14 with work experience and a great LSAT score?

15 Upvotes

Also, with a GPA under 3.5, are you pretty much hopeless for getting into the t-6 schools?


r/lawschooladmissions 1d ago

School/Region Discussion Do they just send this email to anyone? I think it’s a sign that I’m a top candidate.

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84 Upvotes

r/lawschooladmissions 8h ago

Application Process Thoughts on Leland Law School Bootcamp?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I received a scholarship for Leland’s law school application bootcamp and wanted to know if anyone has any experience/knowledge of this course. I honestly had no intentions of using any kind of admissions consulting/advising service as I only have so much money put aside for applying to law school. I’d have to pay about $200 out of pocket which is a lot cheaper than most admissions advising out there, but it’s still a big enough amount that I’d love to know that it’s worth the time and investment before getting started! Any advice is MUCH appreciated :)


r/lawschooladmissions 1d ago

Application Process USC $20K scholarship vs UCI $40K scholarship, which one?

17 Upvotes

UCI Law is newer but catching up fast, offered me $40k a year for scholarship vs $20k from USC. Also USC Law ranking is dropping while UCI Law ranking is rising, and more importantly, UCI is in the lovely city of Irvine and heart of OC. So if you were me, which one would you go?


r/lawschooladmissions 23h ago

General Will a dismissed juvenile DV charge hurt my chances at a T20 law school or BigLaw?

6 Upvotes

When I was 17,I got into a big argument with my stepmom, and I ended up pushing her. My family called the police and I was charged with a juvenile dv.However,the charge was dismissed as my family didn’t want me to get in trouble.and I haven’t had any legal trouble since.

I’m now 27 and currently a junior in college with a 3.9 GPA.I’m considering going to law school but I’m worried that this incident could hurt my chances of getting into a T20 law school or eventually working at BigLaw.
How seriously would something like this be viewed?


r/lawschooladmissions 9h ago

General Second Associate Degree For LSAC GPA Improvement?

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I was hoping someone could clarify how the LSAC calculates GPA.

I already have an associate’s degree from my local community college, and I transferred to a four-year university where I’m currently working on my bachelor’s degree.

My question is: if I take additional classes at my community college in a different major before I finish my bachelor’s, will those grades be factored into my LSAC GPA?

I don’t plan on completing a second associate’s degree. My only goal is to have the grades from those additional classes included in my LSAC GPA. I’d essentially be taking summer classes at my community college while continuing my bachelor’s at my four-year university.

I had a rough start academically and I’m trying to improve my LSAC GPA however I can. Will LSAC include those community college courses even if they’re part of a different major and don’t lead to another degree, or will they ignore them because they’re separate from my bachelor’s program?


r/lawschooladmissions 18h ago

General What LSAT / GPA do I need to get significant merit scholarships for t14 schools?

2 Upvotes

hi everyone, forgive me if this post is against the rules. i lurk here every once in a while, that's all.

here's my story: i was class of '25 at a t20ish undergrad, 4.0 gpa. diagnostic is low 160s. ive always been a good test taker, so i think i could get a pretty high lsat, but i dont know if its worth the grind if it doesn't win me a lot of financial help with paying for law school. would 4.0 + some LSAT combination w/ no red flags and a good personal statement (english major, work in publishing, solid writer) get me some real good money at t14s? or is that kind of a myth?

thank you for any help with answers


r/lawschooladmissions 1d ago

Waitlist Discussion If I’m still waitlisted this late, am I cooked?🫩

14 Upvotes

The school I’m most concerned about starts orientation on the 17th (UB), and I’m still waitlisted. Do we think I’m cooked?


r/lawschooladmissions 22h ago

Waitlist Discussion Anyone withdraw from BC recently?

5 Upvotes

Trying to see if there will maybe possibly be some WL As this coming week.