Where a 3.0 GPA Is in Range
These are the 16 ABA-accredited law schools whose 25th-percentile GPA for the class entering in fall 2025 was 3.00 or lower — the schools where a 3.0 falls inside the admitted range rather than below it.
| School | GPA 25th / median | LSAT 25th / median | Acceptance rate | First-time bar pass | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU Cooley | 2.67 / 3.09 | 145 / 147 | 52.9% | 51.5% | 74.1% |
| Wilmington University | 2.67 / 3.13 | 146 / 149 | 52.0% | — | — |
| Appalachian | 2.72 / 3.20 | 145 / 146 | 60.9% | 63.2% | 77.2% |
| Atlanta's John Marshall | 2.78 / 3.13 | 150 / 152 | 32.7% | 68.4% | 80.2% |
| Vermont | 2.81 / 3.25 | 148 / 152 | 58.5% | 64.9% | 76.5% |
| Western New England | 2.84 / 3.27 | 149 / 153 | 51.9% | 77.2% | 80.8% |
| Southern University Law Center | 2.86 / 3.15 | 145 / 147 | 56.5% | 60.3% | 75.9% |
| Southern Illinois | 2.93 / 3.38 | 146 / 149 | 56.2% | 59.5% | 79.2% |
| Barry | 2.93 / 3.23 | 148 / 150 | 55.9% | 68.6% | 73.5% |
| Widener Delaware | 2.95 / 3.33 | 149 / 152 | 59.7% | 66.3% | 76.6% |
| Mitchell Hamline | 2.96 / 3.29 | 151 / 154 | 51.4% | 71.0% | 81.6% |
| Pontifical Catholic U. of Puerto Rico | 2.97 / 3.33 | 136 / 139 | 61.5% | 54.9% | 52.1% |
| Widener Commonwealth | 2.98 / 3.33 | 147 / 150 | 60.4% | 54.0% | 80.1% |
| UA Little Rock (Bowen) | 2.98 / 3.41 | 150 / 153 | 54.9% | 73.5% | 76.5% |
| Faulkner (Jones) | 2.99 / 3.33 | 148 / 150 | 53.9% | 71.4% | 80.6% |
| Thurgood Marshall (TSU) | 2.99 / 3.33 | 148 / 150 | 33.1% | 72.4% | 81.3% |
Admissions figures are from each school's ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the class entering in fall 2025. Law schools report the GPA calculated by LSAC's Credential Assembly Service, which can differ from the GPA on your transcript. Bar passage is the first-time pass rate from the ABA's 2025 bar passage report against the weighted average of the jurisdictions where graduates sat; Wilmington University has no bar results in that report.
Two things stand out. First, a 3.0 is never above the median: at every one of these schools, half the class had a GPA of at least 3.09. Second, the LSAT medians are modest — 146 to 154 outside Puerto Rico — so at these schools a 3.0 paired with a mid-150s LSAT is a competitive file, not a long shot.
How Fast the Field Opens Up
| Your GPA | Schools where it's at or above the 25th percentile | Schools where it's at or above the median |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0 | 16 | 0 |
| 3.2 | 52 | 5 |
| 3.3 | 70 | 10 |
| 3.4 | 99 | 27 |
| 3.5 | 121 | 50 |
| 3.7 | 173 | 110 |
Each tenth of a point matters at this end of the scale. Moving from a 3.0 to a 3.3 more than quadruples the number of schools where you are inside the admitted range. If you are still in school, your final semesters are worth more than they look.
Find the schools where your 3.0 actually works.
Enter your GPA and LSAT and AdmitBase sorts all 196 ABA schools by where you fall against each one's 2025 admitted class — Safety, Target, Reach or Far Reach. Your top matches show instantly — no account needed.
Check my law school odds →The LSAT Has to Do the Work
Admissions committees read the LSAT and GPA together, and a high LSAT can carry a low GPA — the applicant profile known as a splitter. The schools where that profile has the most room are those whose GPA range reaches low while their LSAT median sits high:
- Lewis & Clark — 25th-percentile GPA 3.24, median LSAT 161, 54.7% of applicants admitted
- Pittsburgh — 25th-percentile GPA 3.26, median LSAT 160, 34.9% of applicants admitted
- Santa Clara — 25th-percentile GPA 3.21, median LSAT 159, 52.6% of applicants admitted
- Seattle University — 25th-percentile GPA 3.22, median LSAT 159, 38.9% of applicants admitted
- Albany — 25th-percentile GPA 3.16, median LSAT 158, 37.5% of applicants admitted
- DePaul — 25th-percentile GPA 3.17, median LSAT 158, 34.8% of applicants admitted
- Syracuse — 25th-percentile GPA 3.18, median LSAT 158, 34.6% of applicants admitted
- Southwestern — 25th-percentile GPA 3.23, median LSAT 157, 36.5% of applicants admitted
- Tulsa — 25th-percentile GPA 3.27, median LSAT 157, 56.6% of applicants admitted
- Mercer University — 25th-percentile GPA 3.30, median LSAT 157, 37.8% of applicants admitted
- UNM — 25th-percentile GPA 3.12, median LSAT 157, 41.4% of applicants admitted
A 3.0 is still below the 25th-percentile GPA at each of these schools, so an admission there rests on an LSAT at or above the median. A 160 is at or above the median LSAT at 112 ABA schools; a 165 at 153. For how committees weigh the mismatch, see the splitter guide and GPA and law school admissions.
Check Bar Passage Before You Apply
Of the 16 schools where a 3.0 is in range, only the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico posted a first-time bar-passage rate at or above its jurisdiction's average. At several others the gap is large: WMU Cooley's graduates passed at 51.5% against a 74.1% state average, and Widener Commonwealth's at 54.0% against 80.1%. Getting in is the first test; the bar exam is the one that decides whether the degree pays off.
What Else Moves a 3.0 Application
- Context. If your GPA was dragged down by an early semester, an illness or a heavy work schedule, say so briefly in an addendum — see how to write a law school addendum.
- Trend. A strong final two years reads very differently from a steady 3.0.
- Timing. Most of these schools admit on a rolling basis. A complete application in the fall competes for more open seats than the same file in February.
Holding a different number? See law schools for a 150 LSAT and the easiest law schools to get into.