What LSAT score do you need for Harvard Law?

Asked by: Miss Aida Ruecker I  |  Last update: October 12, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (59 votes)

So let's take a look at what it actually takes to have a chance of being admitted to the most prestigious and preeminent law school in the world. As you can see from these numbers, an LSAT score of 170 or higher and a GPA above 3.75 will give you a chance of gaining admission to Harvard Law School.

What is the lowest LSAT score accepted by Harvard?

With that said, you will realistically need to score 168 or above on the LSAT in order to give yourself a chance of being admitted into Harvard Law School. Of course, there are always exceptions, especially if the other aspects of your application are remarkable.

Is a 172 LSAT good enough for Harvard?

172 LSAT is average for Harvard law. So, that's excellent already. Even with a 3.4 GPA, if he can get that LSAT up to, say, 175+ (which then begins the luck zone even for most top scorers), he's looking at probably admission into at least one of Harvard, Yale, or Stanford (the top 3).

What is an Ivy League LSAT score?

High-ranking law schools, such as T14 schools or those within the Ivy League, often require substantially higher LSAT scores. Applicants to these schools commonly have LSAT scores in the mid-160s or even higher.

Is 170 a bad LSAT score?

170 score: Scoring a 170 on the LSAT is almost always considered a good score — that means you are in the 2-3% of test-takers. Still, it won't guarantee you admission at a top law school. Other parts of your application are still a factor.

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

34 related questions found

What was Elle Woods' LSAT score?

Elle Woods, a fictional character portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde, is known for her remarkable LSAT score—179 out of 180. Portrayed as a stereotypical "valley girl," she embarks on a journey to Harvard Law School in the movie that has since become a cult favorite.

How rare is 172 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.

What is a realistic LSAT score?

The LSAT percentile score range demonstrates your score relative to other test-takers over the past three years. According to the Law School Admission Council, which administers the test, the median score for the 2021-24 testing years was 153, meaning 50% of test-takers scored below and 50% scored above that number.

How rare is a 180 on the LSAT?

The LSAT is scored on a bell curve, ranging from 120 to 180. On recent tests, the hump of the curve has centered around 153. Percentiles vary slightly between tests, but generally around 25% of test-takers score 160 or higher, 5% score 170 or higher, and 1% score 175 or higher. Only one in 1,000 test-takers scores 180.

How rare is a 175 LSAT?

For a top five law school, an LSAT score of 175 and above increases your chances of being admitted and being awarded a full scholarship by the school. Such a score also puts you in the 99th percentile of LSAT takers, making you a rare and highly coveted law school candidate.

Is a 3.9 good for Harvard Law?

A good GPA for law school generally falls between 3.5 and 4.0. However, top-tier institutions like Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, and Yale Law School often admit students with median GPAs closer to 3.9 or higher.

What LSAT do you need for Yale?

The median LSAT score for Yale Law School admitted students is 174. Again, this is a very impressive score, so make sure that you put a lot of effort into studying for the challenging LSAT!

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.

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%

Has anyone gotten into law school with a low LSAT?

You can get into law school with a low LSAT score if it is above 144-145. Scores in this range will get you into some lower-ranking schools, although the majority of law schools prefer scores above 150. For expert prep on increasing your score and chances of accetpance, speak with a counselor at Juris Education.

How rare is 170 LSAT?

A 170 is a top 3 percentile score, meaning that out of a random sample of a hundred people who sat down to take an official LSAT, you scored 3rd place out of a hundred. A 173 is a nearly 99th percentile score, meaning that in a random sample of a hundred test takers, you were probably the best scorer of them all.

How bad is a 130 on LSAT?

If you have a 130s LSAT, you're not going to law school. It's not fun for me to say this, and I know it hurts to hear it. And, yes, I will answer this question exactly the same way no matter how many times or in how many variations it is posted as a comment on my blog or the Law School Expert Facebook page.

How hard is it to get 173 on LSAT?

What Does A 173-180 LSAT Score Mean? First off, if you're in this score range, congratulations: you're officially above the mean, median, and mode (you're welcome, stats fans). In fact, you're besting 99.4 to 99.9 percent of your peers – not bad at all.

Will a 180 LSAT get you in anywhere?

LSAT takers can score anywhere from 120 to 180. With that big of a range, what kind of score should you aim for? Realistically, you should try to get a score of at least 150. That's the score that will get you into any accredited law school.

How bad is a 155 on the LSAT?

From your raw scores, the test is graded on an LSAT score scale from 120-180. The average LSAT score is about 150. To get into a top 14 law school, you need to score above 166, and to get into a top 50 law school, you need 153 or above.

How many wrong on LSAT to get 170?

How many questions can be answered incorrectly for a score of 170? The most questions you can answer wrong on the LSAT if your objective is to achieve a score of 170 is 11. You should achieve your goal score of 170 by correctly answering 90 out of the 101 questions.

Does Elle go to Harvard Legally Blonde?

The character was later brought to life by Reese Witherspoon in the film series Legally Blonde, which follows Woods' transformation from a sorority girl focused on a future with her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, to a successful student at Harvard Law School.

What is a mediocre LSAT score?

Average LSAT Score

The LSAT score range is 120–180, and the median score is approximately 152. You need to get about 60 questions right (out of 99–102 questions) to get that median score of 152, which means you need to bat about 60 percent.

What is the highest LSAT score ever?

The highest LSAT score possible is 180. However, given the complexity and time constraints of the exam, achieving a perfect score on the LSAT is rare. Only a tiny fraction of test takers are able to achieve this top score, and they are considered exceptionally skilled and well-prepared for the exam.