Where to Apply

Supreme Court at night

Once you have decided to apply to law school, you need to select a set of schools to which you will apply. As with undergraduate applications, most applicants choose a range of schools, including at least one school that might prove difficult to get into (a "reach" school), at least one that seems to offer an easier prospect (a "safety" school) and then a number that seem to offer a reasonable chance of admission. The number of applications submitted can vary, but a set of six schools is often cited as a very reasonable number.

Law school admission is heavily determined by undergraduate GPA and LSAT score. Other factors can influence your chances, but most applicants start their search by comparing their GPAs and LSAT scores to those of the range of students admitted by particular law schools. To make those comparisons, consult one or more of the following sites:

Once you have a sense of where your record places you as a potential applicant, you should consider all the other factors that might make a school right (or wrong) for you. Those will include:

  1. Curriculum: How is it organized, in the first year and after? What special programs are offered? What areas of the law are the school's faculty especially well known for?
  2. Location: Is this a place you would enjoy living for three years? Do many of the school's graduates end up practicing in the area? If so, is this an area where you would enjoy living after law school?
  3. Cost: How much is the tuition? What sort of financial aid is available at this particular school?

Here are some resources for thinking through these questions:

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