2026 Law School Statistics using Mean and Median

In 2026, 196 law schools were active with ABA accreditation. By institutional control type, There are 85 public and 111 private law schools. The following table shows the 2026 important law school statistics at a glance.

For 2026 admission, the average (mean) LSAT score is 159.6. In public law schools, the average LSAT score is 160.0 and private law schools' average is 159.4. The median LSAT score is 159.0, where public law schools'median LSAT is 159.5 and private law schools' median LSAT is 158.0.

Both 2026 mean and median LSAT scores are higher than previous year (2025)'s score.

For 2026 admission, the average (mean) GPA is 3.65. In public law schools, the average GPA is 3.69 and private law schools' average is 3.62. The median GPA is 3.67, where public law schools'median GPA is 3.71 and private law schools' median GPA is 3.63.

Both 2026 mean and median GPA are higher than previous year (2025)'s GPA.

For 2026 admission, the average acceptance rate is 26.57%. In public law schools, the average acceptance rate is 25.70% and private law schools' average is 27.05%.

The median acceptance rate is 33.04%, where public law schools'median rate is 30.71% and private law schools' median rate is 31.86%.

Both 2026 mean and median acceptance rate are lower than previous year (2025)'s rate.

For 2026 admission, the average number of applicants is 2,638. In public law schools, the average number of applicants is 2,175 and private law schools' average is 2,993.

The median number of applicants is 1,875, where public law schools'median value is 1,630 and private law schools' median value is 2,213.

For the academic year 2025-2026, the average tuition & fees is $53,787. In public law schools, the average tuition & fees is $31,980 for state residents and $45,727 for out-of-state students. In private law school, the average tuition & fees is $59,959.

The median law school tuition & fees is $53,165. As you might expect, public law school's tuition is lower than private school's tuition. In particular, median tuition is even lower than mean tuition. This means that there are actually many public law schools that charge lower-than-average tuition.

Both 2026 mean and median law school tuition & fees are higher than previous year (2025)'s tuition.

For the academic year 2025-2026, a total of 145,116 students enrolled in U.S. law schools. Public law schools have 56,876 students and private law schools have 88,240 students.

Of that, 120,039 students (82.72%) enrolled for Juris Doctor (J.D>) program and 25,077 students (17.28%) enrolled in non-JD program.

The total number of students increased, and both J.D. and Non-J.D. enrollment increased.

For 2026 admission, 42,812 first-year students enrolled, 15,936 in public and 26,876 in private law schools. By gender, there are 18,188 male and 23,605 female students enrolled.

The total number of first-year students increased, and both male and female enrollment increased.

For the first-time exam takers, the average bar exam pass rate is 80.31% in 2026. A total of 37,375 took the exam and 30,949 passed.