The two most important factors in law school admission decisions are the GPA of your undergraduate work and your LSAT scores. To find out if you have a reasonable chance of getting into law school, you should look at the median GPAs and LSAT scores of selected schools (e.g., the Boston College Law School Locator), or refer to the binder AdmissionDecisions for New England Law Schools, located in the Academic Advisement Resource Library.

In general, you need around a 3.0 GPA and an above average LSAT score (150+). This does not mean that if you have a GPA under 3.0 or a low LSAT score that you won’t get into law school, many do, but these are numbers to shoot for. All grades will be factored into a GPA, including summer school courses and courses transferred from another institution. Although your Saint Anselm cumulative GPA does not include grades from other institutions, the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) will factor in all grades.

For many law schools, your score on the LSAT will be as important as your undergraduate GPA—if not more important. If you are serious about getting into law school you will take this test seriously and prepare for it diligently. A good LSAT score can dramatically improve your chances for admission. A poor LSAT score can likewise severely damage an otherwise strong application. Visit the FAQs: LSAT Web page for answers to some of the most frequently asked questions concerning the LSAT.

Researching and Evaluating Law Schools