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LOW GPA, GOAL 160 In the Importance of LSAT Scores I discussed how even an undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.75 or higher may not be sufficient to get you admitted to law school if your LSAT score is below 150. In this article I discuss how the effect of a GPA of 2.5 or below impacts your likelihood of being accepted to law school. Using a sampling of nine randomly selected fourth-tier law schools that are listed below demonstrates that only 74 out of 270 applicants (27.4 percent) to those schools with undergraduate GPAs of 2.5 or below and LSAT scores of 155-159 were admitted. This is compared to 43 out of 78 applicants (55.1 percent) with undergraduate GPAs of 2.5 or below and LSAT scores of 160-164 being admitted to the same schools. To score a 160 on the LSAT means that you scored in the 83 rd percentile, or higher than 83 percent of all LSAT test takers for the last three years. To score a 155 puts you in the 67 th percentile. If you have a low undergraduate GPA you are going to need to come across strong in other parts of your law school application such as the LSAT. Furthermore, your personal statement is where you will need to explain the reason for your low GPA. For that explanation to be effective it needs to demonstrate that in addition to your undergraduate studies you had other important responsibilities. Responsibilities such as working full time to support a family, or you were ill or caring for a loved one who was ill. Explaining that you are a community activist saving the world may not be the type of explanation you want to provide. To some members of the admissions committee it may send the message that you were putting your other interests ahead of your studies and in their minds you may be likely to do that again during law school. The article on this website Personal Statement: A Few Suggestions discusses things to consider in writing an effective personal statement. Below four websites are provided; the first two discuss undergraduate GPAs, and the final two allow you to submit your undergraduate GPA and LSAT score to determine at which law schools you are likely to be most competitive for admission . http://www.prelawhandbook.com/grade_point_average . Other related articles on this website include LSAT-Best Course and LSAT Prep-Free & Cheap. Good luck on the LSAT! Michael Santana If you have any questions or comments about this article, or want to write your own article about the pre-law or law school process, feel free to contact me.
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