How much do law schools look at your study abroad grades?

kwantalope

Hi all!

I know law schools calculate your study abroad GPA into your overall GPA (if it shows up at pass/fail at your home institution), but I was wondering how deeply law schools look into these grades. For example, if you're studying abroad at a place like Oxford or Cambridge, and law schools know their grading system is very intense, will they scrutinize the fact that your grades abroad bring down your overall GPA? I'm not talking about a significant amount; just if your GPA is dragged down 0.05 to 0.1. (Thinking about T14 schools.)

Thanks!

Bob Loblaw

@Katherine-3 Had no idea that law schools calculated abroad GPA into cumulative... Do you know if law schools do that if the undergrad uni doesn't take it into account? It shows up on my undergrad transcript, but does not have any bearing on my cumulative gpa.

kwantalope

Hi @Tenzin_W,

I'm not an expert, but I heard you have to submit both your undergraduate and abroad transcripts to law schools. The law schools then calculate your average GPA based on these separate grades. It shouldn't have an effect, like you mentioned, on your specific undergraduate institution, but it will be seen by law schools.

Stevie C

If the grades appear on your undergraduate transcript, then I believe LSAC will include them in its calculation of your cumulative GPA

I don't think it's reasonable to expect adcoms to account for the relative rigor different study-abroad destinations