The GRE and Law School

There are now over 40 U.S. law schools that will accept the GRE in lieu of the LSAT for admission into law school.

The change allows law schools to draw from a wider, more diverse pool of applicants in terms of undergraduate preparation (major) and practical/life experience. As an initiator of the change, Harvard Law School reaffirmed the value of the GRE as “a great way to reach candidates not only for law school, but for tackling the issues and opportunities society will be facing.” Allowing the GRE in place of the LSAT is thought to encourage students of more varied backgrounds to apply for law school without the additional time and expense of a separate LSAT.
So, what should you know about this new trend?
First, make sure to read each law school’s application criteria carefully – some schools are not accepting the GRE for this cycle, or will only accept the GRE for joint degree programs (programs which combine a law degree with either a master’s or doctoral degree). Even if your school of interest is on the list, you should verify which exam is required before you sign up for the GRE in place of the LSAT.

Second, if you have already taken the LSAT, schools that accept the GRE will still see your LSAT score. In other words, taking the GRE will not erase a poor LSAT score.

Third, if your first avenue of interest is law school, you should still take the LSAT. The majority of law schools are still requiring the LSAT for admission. The elite schools are leading the way; but these are also highly competitive institutions and with an even wider applicant pool, admissions rates at these schools may actually go down. As importantly, the American Bar Association (ABA) is still actively considering whether the GRE is a suitable replacement and accurate predictor of law school success. It is not a good strategy to limit or target your law school applications based on a desire to avoid the LSAT. You should identify the schools that are a good fit for you and then take the admissions test as required (which more than likely means you'll still have to take the LSAT). The new GRE rules are mostly to allow students who have taken the GRE for graduate admissions in another program to apply to these select law schools without the time or expense of taking the LSAT as well.

Fourth, the move toward the GRE does say something about who and what law schools are looking for in terms of applicants. They do look at more than just your LSAT/GRE admission test score. Your undergraduate GPA, your letters of recommendation, your personal statement, and your life and career experiences all matter. Law schools increasingly value students from diverse educational backgrounds and with a wide array of interests. So be sure to give them the whole picture and emphasize what makes your application unique.

If you are a student who will be registering to take the GRE by January 1, 2020 with the intent of also applying to law school, please contact me at lparshal@daemen.edu for a $50 discount voucher. 

I have up to 15 of these to distribute on a first come basis.

In order to receive the US $50 discount for GRE Test, students must:

• register for the General Test before January 1, 2020. It is not necessary that students take the test by January 1, 2020.
• Students can register online in their ETS Account at www.ets.org/mygre.
• Students will be required to pay US$155 at the time they register to test.
• A variety of free and low-cost test preparation materials are available at www.ets.org/gre/prepare.
• Refunds will not be issued for test takers who cancel or are absent from their test appointments. 

If you have any questions about the terms of the voucher, you may contact GRE Test via email at gretests@ets.org or by phone at 609-683-2002.

Law Schools Currently Accepting the GRE*:

American University Washington College of Law
Boston University School of Law
Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School
Brooklyn Law School
California Western School of Law
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Columbia Law School
Cornell Law School
Florida International University College of Law
Florida State University College of Law
George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School
Georgetown University Law Center
Harvard Law School
John Marshall Law School
Massachusetts School of Law at Andover
New York University School of Law
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law
Pennsylvania State University — Penn State Law
Pepperdine School of Law
Seattle University School of Law
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law
St. John's University School of Law
Suffolk University Law School
Texas A&M University School of Law
University at Buffalo School of Law
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
University of California, Davis, School of Law
University of California, Irvine School of Law
University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
University of Chicago Law School
University of Dayton School of Law
University of Hawai’i at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law
University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law
University of New Hampshire School of Law
University of Notre Dame Law School
University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of Southern California, Gould School of Law
University of South Carolina School of Law
University of Texas at Austin School of Law
University of Virginia School of Law
Wake Forest University School of Law
Washington University School of Law
Yale Law School
Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

*Note: Other institutions not on the list may accept the GRE if you are applying to a joint J.D./M.A. or J.D./Ph.D. program. This list is subject to change so always check the admissions site of the law schools to which you seek to apply.