Does Harvard law care about undergrad school?

Asked by: Tessie Considine  |  Last update: December 17, 2025
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As a general guideline, most admitted applicants demonstrate potential for success in law school through an exceptional undergraduate academic record, standardized test scores in the top percentiles, and substantial accomplishments in work or extracurricular activities; however, no one of these aspects of an ...

Does Harvard Law care about your undergrad?

Harvard Law School considers applications from all undergraduate majors. There are no fixed requirements with respect to the content of pre-legal education. The nature of a candidate's college work, as well as the quality of academic performance, are reviewed in the selection process.

Do law schools care if you went there for undergrad?

In one word, NO. Law schools care about many things: your GPA, your LSAT, the story you tell, the obstacles you've overcome. But if there is one thing law school admissions committees care least about, it may be your major.

Does undergrad degree matter for law school?

Do law schools really care about your major? Unlike medical school, which requires certain prerequisite courses, law school doesn't require that you major in anything specific or take certain classes before applying. Your LSAT score and your GPA are the key determining factors in law school admissions.

Does Yale law care about undergraduates?

Yale Law School admissions requirements are: A bachelor's degree (you must hold one or are expected to receive one before you apply)

The Three Things I did to get into Harvard Law School.

31 related questions found

Can you get into Harvard law with a 3.5 GPA?

The most recent Harvard Law entering class had a median GPA of 3.92; the lowest GPA accepted was 3.82. As such, Harvard does not consider a 3.0 GPA competitive, so it's very unlikely you will get into it if you have this GPA.

Is 174 a good LSAT?

So, a great score on the LSAT is a 172, but more than 100,000 people take the LSAT every year and only 1% score 172 or higher. For the top 50 law schools, the median LSAT score is between 164 and 174. A good LSAT score for top tier(defined by T14 schools for this article) law schools is between 171 and 174.

Which majors do best on LSAT?

Here are some of the results:
  • Mathematics/Physics: 160.0.
  • Economics/Philosophy/Theology: 157.4.
  • International Relations: 156.5.
  • Engineering: 156.2.
  • Government/Service/Chemistry: 156.1.
  • History: 155.9.
  • Interdisciplinary Studies: 155.5.
  • Foreign Languages: 155.3.

Where do Harvard law students come from?

On the list you'll see that some of the law school students graduated from elite institutions, but there were plenty of successful applicants from schools that most Americans probably have never heard of including Biola University, Hamline University, Missouri Valley College, Norwich University and Walla Walla College.

What undergrad degree do most lawyers get?

"You may choose to major in subjects that are considered to be traditional preparation for law school, such as history, English, philosophy, political science, economics or business, or you may focus your undergraduate studies in areas as diverse as art, music, science and mathematics, computer science, engineering, ...

Can I get into Columbia Law with a 3.5 GPA?

Columbia Law GPA: Requirements

While there is no GPA requirement, examining class profile data can help you compare your academic performance to admitted students: 25th percentile GPA: 3.81. Median GPA: 3.90. 75th percentile GPA: 3.97.

Is Notre Dame good for pre-law?

With its focus on analytical rigor, critical reasoning and strong communication skills, a Notre Dame education provides excellent preparation for law school.

How does Harvard law calculate GPA?

In calculating a GPA, LSAC uses the grades and credits for every course that can be converted to the 4.0 scale, although the institution issuing the transcript may exclude some of the courses from its own calculations. Courses excluded from the academic summary are not included in the GPA calculation.

What colleges feed into Harvard Law School?

That being said, some of the well-regarded universities that have sent a considerable number of students to Harvard Law include:
  • Harvard University.
  • Yale University.
  • Stanford University.
  • Princeton University.
  • Columbia University.
  • University of Pennsylvania.
  • MIT.
  • University of Chicago.

Is 176 a good LSAT score?

A score of over 175 or better almost guarantees acceptance at some of the most elite universities: Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, and with an outstanding GPA, even Yale.

What does Harvard Law look at?

As a general guideline, most admitted applicants demonstrate potential for success in law school through an exceptional undergraduate academic record, standardized test scores in the top percentiles, and substantial accomplishments in work or extracurricular activities; however, no one of these aspects of an ...

What did Elle Woods get on the LSAT?

The trending post led to multiple stories, including one in Newsweek, that compares Boyle to the fictional character Elle Woods, who scored a nearly perfect 179 on her LSAT to gain entry to Harvard Law School.

What is the hardest law school to get into?

According to Lawschooli, the ten hardest law schools with the lowest acceptance rates are:
  • Yale University: 6.9%
  • Stanford University: 9.72%
  • University of Pennsylvania: 14.6%
  • University of Virginia: 15.3%
  • Harvard University: 15.6%
  • Columbia University: 16.8%
  • University of Chicago: 17.5%
  • Duke University: 20.2%

What is the most accepted major for law school?

The Best Undergraduate Majors for Law School
  • English. Regardless of their niche, the cornerstones of every successful lawyer are exceptional reading comprehension and persuasive writing. ...
  • Classical Studies. ...
  • Environmental Sciences. ...
  • Literature. ...
  • Policy Studies. ...
  • Industrial Relations. ...
  • History. ...
  • Math.

Does LSAT outweigh GPA?

Yes, many schools with holistic admissions prioritize LSAT scores and other qualities over strictly GPA. Check individual schools for their approach.

What major scores highest on MCAT?

Interestingly, students who pursue math and statistics, humanities, and physical sciences as pre-med majors tend to achieve higher scores on the MCAT than those who take other majors. While there are exceptions, these three majors are definitely good majors for pre-med students.

What was Obama's LSAT score?

The easiest to predict, by far, is Barack Obama's score, mostly because we have some data. Based on admissions records, we can deduce — somewhat reliably — that Barry-O scored between the 94th and 98th percentile on his LSAT. Using today's grading system, that would place him somewhere around a 170.

How rare is a 180 LSAT?

How Hard Is It To Get A Perfect Score On The LSAT? According to LSAC, only 119 test-takers out of nearly 60,000 achieved this in 2022. So when you ask, “How many people get a 180 on the LSAT?” the answer highlights the rarity and difficulty of this achievement.

Is 3.5 too low for law school?

Among the 191 ranked law schools that submitted grade data to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average median GPA of entering law school students in 2021 was 3.55. But at the 20 highest-ranked law schools, the average median GPA is much higher – 3.86.