Average LSAT Score in 2026: What You Need for T14, Top 50 and Regional Schools

Last updated: 24 October 2026. This guide uses LSAC’s LSAT percentile table for the 2023 to 2026 testing years, LSAC’s published test format, fee and retake policies, and ABA Standard 509 admissions data for the first-year class that entered in autumn 2025. It is general information, not legal or admissions advice.

Short answer: The LSAT is scored from 120 to 180, and the middle LSAT score among all test takers is about 154, according to LSAC’s 2023 to 2026 percentile table. Admitted students score higher: the median LSAT at a typical ABA law school was 159 for autumn 2025, about 170 to 175 at T14 schools and 164 or above at the top 50 by median.

Key takeaways

• A score of 154 sits at roughly the 50th percentile of all LSAT scores from August 2023 to June 2026. A 160 beats about 71% of scores, a 165 about 85% and a 170 about 94%.
• Across the 196 law schools reporting ABA data for autumn 2025, the middle school median LSAT was 159. Only 22 schools had a median of 170 or higher.
• The 50 schools with the highest median LSATs all had medians of 164 or more. Many schools with medians in the 150s and low 160s serve mainly a regional legal market.
• The LSAT no longer has a logic games (analytical reasoning) section. Since August 2024 it has two Logical Reasoning sections and one Reading Comprehension section that count, plus an unscored section and an unscored writing sample.

What is the average LSAT score?

LSAC, the organisation that runs the LSAT, reports scores on a scale of 120 to 180 and publishes percentile ranks showing the share of scores below each point on the scale. Its current LSAT percentile table covers the 2023 to 2024, 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 testing years. In that table, 46.9% of scores fall below 153 and 50.4% fall below 154, which puts the median test taker at about 154.

LSAC’s percentile page does not publish a mean score, so “average LSAT score” in practice usually refers to that midpoint. Two other averages matter more for applicants, because they describe the people who actually enrol:

• The median of school medians. Across the 196 schools in the ABA’s Standard 509 compilation for autumn 2025, the middle school’s median LSAT was 159 and the simple average of school medians was 159.6.
• Each school’s own median. This is the figure to compare yourself against, because it shows the score of the middle student in the class the school actually admitted.

The gap between 154 and 159 exists because not everyone who sits the LSAT applies, gets admitted or enrols, and because many applicants retake the test and report a higher score. A good score is only the first step on a three-year JD; our guide to how long law school takes sets out the full path to bar admission.

How do LSAT scores map to percentiles?

The table below is taken from LSAC’s percentile table. “Percent below” is the share of all scores in the three testing years that were lower than the score shown.

The scale is compressed at the top. Moving from 170 to 175 lifts you only about four percentile points, but it can change which schools are realistic and how much scholarship money you are offered.

What LSAT score do you need for T14, top 50 and regional schools?

Every ABA-approved law school must publish admissions data under ABA Standard 509, and the ABA posts it on its required disclosures site. The latest data covers the first-year class that entered in autumn 2025; data for the class entering in autumn 2026 had not been published as of 24 October 2026, and the ABA usually releases it in December. We ranked all 196 schools by their reported median LSAT, breaking ties alphabetically, to show where the cut-offs fall:

Ranking by median LSAT is not the same as the US News ranking, which weighs employment and bar passage heavily. The 15 schools ranked 14th or better by US News in April 2026 reported medians from 170 (Vanderbilt) to 175 (Washington University), while Berkeley (170) and Georgetown (171), which fell just outside that group, had similar medians; our guide to the T14 law schools has the full list with acceptance rates.

The spread also shows how much the median hides. Georgia’s middle half ran from 159 to 171 and Washington University’s 25th percentile was 165, ten points below its median. A score below a school’s median is not disqualifying, especially with a strong GPA, but a score near the 25th percentile makes admission harder and scholarships less likely.

“Regional” schools are those whose graduates mostly stay in one state or city. Many of them, with medians in the mid-150s to low 160s, place well in their home market, so a lower LSAT does not rule out a solid legal career. If you plan to practise in a particular state, look at where each school’s graduates are employed and at its bar passage record; our guide to understanding the bar exam explains those figures.

What is on the LSAT now?

The format changed in August 2024, when LSAC removed the analytical reasoning section, better known as logic games. The change followed a 2019 settlement with two blind test takers who argued that the section’s reliance on diagrams disadvantaged them. According to LSAC’s test format page, the LSAT now has two parts:

• Multiple choice: four 35-minute sections. Three are scored, made up of Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension, so the scored test is two Logical Reasoning sections and one Reading Comprehension section. The fourth is an unscored section used to trial new questions, which can be of either type and appear at any point.
• LSAT Argumentative Writing: an unscored essay taken online at home, as early as eight days before the multiple-choice test. You get 50 minutes in total, 15 for prewriting analysis and 35 for writing. Schools receive the essay, and your score is not released until a writing sample is on file.

LSAC’s fee schedule puts LSAT registration at $253 for the August 2026 to June 2027 testing year, with the Credential Assembly Service at $219 and $45 for each law school report. For study resources, see our guides to LSAT prep materials and tips to ace the LSAT. Older prep books with logic games sections are now out of date.

Can you retake the LSAT, and how does Score Preview work?

Yes, within limits. LSAC’s policy on repeating the test allows five attempts within the current reportable score period (since July 2021) and seven over a lifetime. Tests taken before September 2019 do not count, and anyone who has scored 180 in the reportable period cannot retake. Cancelled scores count towards the limits, but absences and withdrawals do not. Appeals for an exemption are possible in significant and extenuating circumstances.

Score Preview lets you see your score before deciding whether to keep it. According to LSAC’s Score Preview page, it costs $46 if bought before the first day of testing for an administration and $87 if bought in the window after testing. You then have six calendar days from score release to keep or cancel the score. Candidates with an approved LSAT fee waiver get it free.

Schools receive all reportable scores in your LSAC file, and policies on how they weigh multiple scores vary, so check each school’s admissions pages before planning a retake.

Can you apply to law school without the LSAT?

Yes, at some schools. Many ABA law schools accept the GRE instead of the LSAT; ETS keeps a list of law schools that accept GRE scores, which includes Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia and Georgetown. The LSAT still dominates in practice. In the ABA’s autumn 2025 data, schools reported LSAT scores for 41,840 first-year students and GRE scores for 530, spread across 92 schools. A further 127 students were reported in the JD-Next column, a separate admissions test some schools accept.

The ABA also lets approved schools admit students without any test under a variance from Standard 503. In August 2026 the ABA’s legal education council gave schools three more years to apply for it; the ABA Journal reported that 21 of the 198 ABA-accredited law schools had been granted the variance, although not all have used it.

If you are an international applicant, the LSAT is mainly a US and Canadian requirement. Foreign-trained lawyers who want to practise in the US often take a one-year LLM instead, which does not require the LSAT; our guide to the LLM degree explains that route.

Frequently asked questions

Is 160 a good LSAT score?

Yes. A 160 is higher than about 71% of LSAT scores in LSAC’s 2023 to 2026 table and is above the median at most ABA law schools, although it is below the median at the 84 schools with medians of 161 or higher.

What LSAT score do I need for Harvard?

Harvard’s ABA data for the class entering in autumn 2025 shows a median LSAT of 174, with a 25th percentile of 171 and a 75th percentile of 176. Its median undergraduate GPA was 3.96.

What is the lowest LSAT score accepted by law schools?

There is no universal minimum. In autumn 2025 the lowest median LSAT reported by an ABA school was 139, and several schools had 25th percentiles in the mid-140s. Schools look at the whole application, not only the score.

How many times can you take the LSAT?

Under LSAC’s current policy, five times within the reportable score period, which runs from July 2021, and seven times in a lifetime. Cancelled scores, including those cancelled through Score Preview, count towards the limits.

Does the LSAT still have logic games?

No. LSAC removed the analytical reasoning section, known as logic games, starting with the August 2024 test. The scored sections are now two Logical Reasoning sections and one Reading Comprehension section.

When will 2026 law school LSAT medians be published?

Schools report data for the class that started in autumn 2026 under ABA Standard 509, and the ABA normally publishes it in December. Until then, the autumn 2025 figures in this guide are the latest official medians.

This article is general information about LSAT scores and US law school admissions and is not legal or admissions advice. LSAC fees and policies and ABA data change each year, so check LSAC and each school’s latest figures before you apply.