Three Years of Law School Admissions
| Entering class | Fall 2023 | Fall 2024 | Fall 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 410,519 | 422,195 | 517,127 |
| Offers of admission (approx.) | ~129,800 | ~135,100 | ~137,200 |
| Share of applications offered | 31.6% | 32.0% | 26.5% |
| Median school's acceptance rate | 42.9% | 40.5% | 35.5% |
| Schools admitting 50% or more | 72 | 67 | 51 |
| Schools admitting under 20% | 28 | 26 | 35 |
| Average of school median LSATs | 158.6 | 158.6 | 159.6 |
| Average of school median GPAs | 3.61 | 3.62 | 3.65 |
All figures are summed or averaged across the ABA-accredited US law schools reporting in each year (194, 195 and 196 schools), from their Standard 509 disclosures. Offers are each school's applications multiplied by its reported acceptance rate, then summed, so they are approximate to within a few offers. Applications count every application, not individual applicants — one person applying to seven schools counts seven times.
Fall 2023 to fall 2024 was a normal year: applications up about 3% and the median school's acceptance rate down a little over two points. Fall 2024 to fall 2025 was not. Applications jumped by almost 95,000 while offers grew by about 2,000, and every measure of selectivity moved at once.
Almost Every School Tightened
The change was not concentrated at the top. Of the 195 schools that reported in both years, 191 received more applications, 175 admitted a smaller share of applicants, and 145 raised their median LSAT. Only two lowered it; 48 held steady. Median GPAs rose at 130 schools.
The biggest drops were at schools many applicants treat as safeties:
| School | 2024 rate | 2025 rate | Applications | Median LSAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | 66.5% | 37.3% | 541 → 915 | 157 → 158 |
| Washburn | 73.1% | 46.4% | 372 → 549 | 151 → 155 |
| Wyoming | 62.0% | 35.8% | 376 → 483 | 155 → 156 |
| Nebraska | 62.1% | 40.1% | 718 → 1,096 | 158 → 160 |
| University of Washington | 40.5% | 19.6% | 2,489 → 3,412 | 163 → 165 |
| Quinnipiac | 61.5% | 43.1% | 1,082 → 1,485 | 153 → 155 |
| UC Davis | 33.2% | 16.0% | 2,880 → 3,896 | 163 → 165 |
| Pittsburgh | 51.7% | 34.9% | 1,055 → 1,606 | 159 → 160 |
| UMKC | 61.9% | 45.9% | 590 → 714 | 155 → 156 |
| Iowa | 59.8% | 44.3% | 1,019 → 1,251 | 162 → 164 |
| New England Law (Boston) | 76.3% | 61.3% | 3,393 → 3,997 | 153 → 153 |
| Loyola Chicago | 43.0% | 28.2% | 3,287 → 4,244 | 160 → 161 |
Regional public schools dominate the list. Maine went from admitting two in three applicants to just over one in three; Washington and UC Davis roughly halved their acceptance rates. When applications rise by roughly 30–70% at a school with a fixed class size, the acceptance rate has nowhere to go but down — and the medians rise because the school can now fill the same seats from a stronger pool.
The Next Two Classes
The ABA data above stops at the class that entered in fall 2025. The data for the class entering in fall 2026 will be published in December 2026, but LSAC's application counts for that cycle are already final: 82,487 applicants submitted 579,839 applications, 7.9% more applicants and 10.8% more applications than the year before (LSAC, September 2026). Demand rose again on top of the 2025 surge.
The cycle for fall 2027 has just begun, and it is running ahead too. As of October 14, 2026, LSAC counted 15,273 applicants, up 12.0% on the same date a year earlier, with applications up 14.6% (LSAC, October 2026). LSAC cautions that only about 15% of the cycle's applicants have applied at this point, so the final number can move — but LSAT registrations for the first four tests of the testing year are also up 3% on last year and 20% on two years ago.
Last year's safeties may be this year's targets.
AdmitBase scores your LSAT and GPA against each school's 2025 admitted class — the most recent ABA data, after the surge — and sorts all 196 schools into Safety, Target, Reach and Far Reach. Your top matches show instantly — no account needed.
Check my law school odds →What to Do About It
- Read medians as a floor. The published medians describe a class admitted before this cycle's applicants arrived. If you sit exactly at a school's median, assume you are slightly below it this year.
- Add safeties. A list that would have produced several admits two years ago may produce one now. Put at least two schools on your list where your LSAT and GPA sit at or above the 75th percentile — see how many law schools you should apply to.
- Apply early in the cycle. Under rolling admissions, seats are filled as decisions go out. In a heavier year, the difference between a November and a February application is larger.
- Weigh a retake. In a year when the 25th percentile is rising at most schools, two or three LSAT points move you further than they used to. See retaking the LSAT.
For the schools that still admit a large share of applicants, see the easiest law schools to get into; for the most selective, the hardest.