GRADE POINT AVERAGE  INTRODUCTION

TOPICS WHAT YOUR LSAT AND GPA CAN DO FOR YOU LINKS HOW IMPORTANT IS THE GRADE POINT AVERAGE STRIVING FOR A HIGH GPA HOW LAW SCHOOL MAY LOOK AT THE GPA THE GRADES OF WITHDRAW (W) AND INCOMPLETE (I) AVOIDING THE GRADES OF WITHDRAW (W) AND INCOMPLETE (I) PASS/FAIL OPTION WHAT TO DO ABOUT YOUR FALL SEMESTER SENIOR YEAR GRADES    WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A LOW GRADE POINT AVERAGE

WHAT YOUR LSAT AND GPA CAN DO FOR YOU

LAW SCHOOLS   AVERAGE LSAT   AVERAGE USNews RANK   25th Percentile - 75th Percentile   25th Percentile - 75th Percentile           1-10   167.5 - 172.2   3.61 - 3.87 11 - 25   163.4 - 167.5   3.42 - 3.79 26 - 50   159.2 - 164.6   3.31 - 3.76 51  -75    157.5 - 162.1   3.25 - 3.71 76 - 104   155.5 - 160.3   3.13 - 3.66 Tier 3   151.9 - 157.2   3.09 - 3.64 Tier 4   150.0 - 154.9   2.95 - 3.49

GRADE POINT AVERAGE  LINKS

The undergraduate grade point average is calculated by the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) following the procedure given in TRANSCRIPT SUMMARIZATION. The GPA determined by LSDAS may differ from the GPA determined by your college. This is because the policy of LSDAS and a college's may differ on what courses to exclude from the calculation of the GPA and they may differ on how many grade points to award for a letter grade (for example, LSDAS awards 3.33 grade points for each credit of B+ whereas colleges which award pluses but no minuses, oftentimes award 3.5 grade points for each credit of B+).

GRADE POINT AVERAGE HOW IMPORTANT IS THE GPA?

The University of Kansas Pre-Law Advising says that, "The major benchmarks in the law school admission decision are a student's grade point average and a student's score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Other factors, such as extracurricular activities, work experience, recommendations, and the rigor of a student's academic experience are always relevant, but are not determinative. In answer to the question, IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET INTO LAW SCHOOL WITH A LOW GPA, the University of Texas at Austin says, "Anything is possible, but applicants with a GPA below 3.0 may find it very difficult, especially if their LSAT score is average."

GRADE POINT AVERAGE STRIVING FOR A HIGH GPA

The appropriate time to begin working on having an impressive grade point average is on the first day that you are in a course that awards a grade and college credit (this may be while you are in high school).  Santa Clara University Pre-Law Manual informs us that, "While the maximum GPA of 4.0 ('straight A's') cannot be a realistic expectation for more than a few highly gifted and highly motivated students, it should be the goal of every pre-law student at the time he or she begins college work, and every effort should be made to come as close as possible to that goal. Since law school is a rigorous academic program, admissions officials want proof (i.e., a high GPA, particularly in your last two years) that you can succeed in college. A GPA below 3.0 [depending on the law school, this may apply to higher GPAs] will harm your chances of gaining admission to law school and will need to be explained."

GRADE POINT AVERAGE  HOW LAW SCHOOLS MAY LOOK AT THE GPA

The University of California at Berkeley Career Center indicates that, "Admissions committees not only look at your cumulative GPA from all undergraduate colleges and universities you attended, but also consider a year-to-year GPA breakdown. All courses taken for a letter grade are considered in this breakdown; in other words, the GPA in the major is not typically considered as a separate element. Because law schools examine your GPA year-to-year, substantial and continuing academic improvement will work to your advantage; improvement in grades reflects not only your ability to work hard, but also your ability to maneuver through college while grasping more difficult material." The Florida State University Pre-Law Handbook advises that, "Many law schools consider performance trends along with your numerical grade point average. Thus, schools may discount a slow start in your college career if you perform exceptionally well in the later school years. At the same time, admissions committees may see a strong start followed by a mediocre finish as an indication of less potential to do well in law school.