Hi everyone! I’m hoping to get some honest insight from people familiar with law school admissions, especially anyone who has experience with applicants whose LSAC GPA is significantly lower than their undergraduate GPA.
My situation is a little weird:
LSAC GPA: ~2.8 Undergraduate GPA: 4.00 (BA Honours) Current LSAT practice scores: around 150 Goal: I’m hoping to continue increasing my LSAT score before applying.
I also completed an advanced diploma at a college before my bachelor’s degree, and some of those grades are contributing significantly to my LSAC GPA.
The first year of my college program was during COVID, and I was also dealing with significant immigration issues and some health/personal circumstances at the time. My academic performance during that period was much weaker than it was later on. It was just a super bad year.
I eventually completed my BA Honours with a 4.00 GPA, so there is a pretty significant upward academic trend. I also completed the degree pretty quickly and performed consistently well in my upper-level coursework.
I’m trying to be realistic about my chances rather than just hear “apply and see.” With a 2.8 LSAC GPA, 4.0 undergraduate GPA, and an LSAT currently around 150, how would admissions committees likely view my application?
A few questions I’d especially appreciate insight on:
- How much does the 4.0 undergraduate GPA/upward trend help when the LSAC GPA is 2.8?
- Would the circumstances surrounding my earlier grades be worth addressing in an addendum, particularly COVID and immigration issues?
- If I can raise my LSAT into the 155–160+ range, does that substantially change my options?
- Are there particular types of schools where someone with this GPA/LSAT profile might still have a realistic shot? If anyone has had a similar low LSAC GPA but strong later undergraduate performance, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience.
I’m planning to apply broadly and am willing to be realistic about school selection. I’d just like to understand whether the 2.8 LSAC GPA is going to be an automatic barrier despite the 4.0 BA GPA.
Thanks in advance for any honest advice!
4 comments
It’s definitely going to be a barrier for most schools. You should prepare to be a splitter. So if I were you, I’d prioritize getting a stellar LSAT score because 150 ain’t gonna cut it. But there’s hope. You’ve proven that you have what it takes to lock in when it matters so getting a high 160s maybe even 170s score is not out of the question. Heck shoot for a 180, then you’d have schools begging for you to come. Consider taking a year to get your PTs as high as possible before the official test
You need to write an addendum explaining those facts, because they do look at it and take it into consideration. I remember watching a podcast episode of an application review for a guy who got a 3.0 but explained he was homeless during college, and he got admit into a t14 (lsat score was 175 though). For the time being, focus heavily on raising your LSAT score and writing a good personal statement.
Good questions!
Yes, an upward trend in your grades is good to see. That's far better than if you were consistently around a 2.8 GPA every year.
Yes, you should give some more background regarding your early academic struggles in the Addenda section of the application. The key is just to let me know the straightforward who/what/when/where/how of the situations at hand.
Yes, raising your LSAT substantially would help. Right now, you have a 2.8 GPA. Your GPA is going to be below medians for every school out there. If you can balance that out statistically via an LSAT at/above a school's most recent median, that's a good thing.
Every school is going to enroll LSAT splitters (high LSAT, low GPA). The places where you are the most likely to exceed your stats are going to be the ones where you can most directly/articulately discuss why the school would be a good fit for you and what you want to achieve.
I hope that all helps!
I am making my lower undergraduate gps into my overcoming obstacles essay, putting a positive spin on how the challenges helped me grow too