Law Schools That Do Not Require LSAT in the USA

Seeking admission to a U.S. university’s law program means taking the LSAT. The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a standard requirement for admission. However, the problem is that this exam is very challenging for international students. Therefore, if you want to study in the U.S without the LSAT, you need to apply to law schools that do not require the LSAT. Yes. Such law schools exist. This doesn’t mean you are exempt from an entrance exam. Instead, you might have to prepare for a less complex exam like the GRE/GMAT. 

Read this article to understand the law schools that do not require the LSAT, top law schools accepting alternative tests, the benefits of not taking the exam, and how you can get admission without taking this popular test.

Steps to Get Admission Into Law Schools That Don’t Require LSAT

First, let us understand how you can get admission without taking the Law School Admission Test. The answer is you need to take an alternative exam. In addition to this, you can create a solid personal statement and make your overall application stand out

Take an Alternative Exam

Many ABA-accredited schools in the USA make LSAT optional. These institutions accept alternative exams. The alternative exams accepted are as follows:

1.  GRE: The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a general standardised test that you can take for graduate school. This exam is an excellent alternative for those who have strong quantitative or verbal reasoning skills.
2. GMAT: The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a test used by business schools for admission to MBA and other graduate programs. Many universities give you the option to pursue a dual degree program. Therefore, if you intend to study law and an MBA, the GMAT is the exam that can save you from the LSAT.
3. JD-Next:  This is a new admission test for law schools. Basically, you will have to attend an 8-week online law preparation course that will train you in the skills required for law. Thereafter, you can take the exam. This test has growing acceptance.

Make a Strong Overall Academic Profile 

Ensure that your overall academic profile is strong. This means securing a strong GPA in your undergraduate studies and learning to make a strong personal statement. Your statement must highlight your strengths, your passion for justice, and your commitment to law.

Benefits of Applying to Law Schools That Don’t Require LSAT

LSAT is a challenging paper and is expensive. Therefore, by applying to a law school that does not require this exam, you can be stress-free and even save on exam costs! The preparation courses and materials are also expensive, which you don’t have to pay for since you are not taking this exam. 

Moreover, universities that give you an option between the LSAT and other exams usually take into consideration the overall application of a student. Therefore, you will get the chance to highlight your work experience, undergraduate GPA, your statement, your resume, and letters of recommendation. You can even highlight your personal story!

In addition to that, if you focus on applying to these universities, you have the option to either get into law school or any other graduate program, like a Master’s or PhD. Therefore, taking exams like the GRE keeps your options open.

Also Read: What is LNAT? Law National Aptitude Test in the UK [A Guide]

42 Law Schools in the USA That Do Not  Require LSAT

Here is a complete list of law schools that either keep LSAT as an option (meaning this can be substituted for another exam) or do not require LSAT. The table below will help you understand the alternative exams that are accepted.

S.No	University	LSAT Requirement	Alternative Exams Accepted
1	Cornell Law School	Optional	GRE, GMAT
2	Columbia Law School	Optional	GRE
3	Duke University School of Law	Optional	GRE
4	Emory University School of Law	Optional	GRE, GMAT
5	Harvard Law School	Optional	GRE
6	Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law	Not required for MSL; encouraged for JD	GRE, GMAT, MCAT
7	Georgetown University Law Centre	Optional	GRE, GMAT; test-optional for evening program
8	University of Iowa College of Law	Optional	GRE
9	University of Wisconsin Law School	Optional	GRE
10	Wake Forest University School of Law	Optional	GRE
11	St. John’s University School of Law	Optional	GRE
12	University of Maryland Carey School of Law	Optional	GRE
13	University of Hawai’i at Mānoa – Richardson School of Law	Optional	GRE
14	Yale Law School	Optional	GRE
15	New York University School of Law	Optional	GRE
16	UCLA School of Law	Optional	GRE
17	University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School	Optional	GRE, GMAT
18	University of Virginia School of Law	Optional	GRE
19	University of Chicago Law School	Optional	GRE
20	Stanford Law School	Optional	GRE
21	USC Gould School of Law	Optional	GRE
22	George Washington University School of Law	Optional	GRE, GMAT, JD-Next; SAT/ACT for junior early action
23	University of Texas at Austin School of Law	Optional	GRE, GMAT
24	University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law	Optional	GRE, GMAT, JD-Next
25	Washington University in St. Louis School of Law	Optional	GRE
26	University of Florida Levin College of Law	Optional	GRE, GMAT
27	Boston University School of Law	Optional	GRE, GMAT
28	UC Irvine School of Law	Optional	GRE
29	Fordham University School of Law	Optional	GRE
30	University at Buffalo School of Law	Optional	GRE, GMAT
31	Texas A&M University School of Law	Optional	GRE
32	University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law	Optional	GRE
33	University of Dayton School of Law	Optional	GRE
34	University of Massachusetts School of Law	Not required	JD-Next
35	Suffolk University Law School	Optional	GRE
36	University of Akron School of Law	Optional	GRE, GMAT, JD-Next
37	University of Baltimore School of Law	Optional	GRE, JD-Next
38	New England Law – Boston	Optional	–
39	Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law	Optional	GRE
40	California Western School of Law	Optional	GRE, JD-Next
41	Thomas Jefferson School of Law	Optional	GRE
42	Western State College of Law	Optional	GRE, JD-Next

Top 10 Law Schools That Do Not Require LSAT

Here is a list of the top ten law schools that you can get admission to without taking the LSAT. The QS World Ranking 2026 of these schools (overall), the alternative tests accepted, and the score they require for the alternative exam are provided below:

S.No	Law School	QS World Ranking 2026 (Overall)	Alternative Tests Accepted	Estimated Score Requirement (GRE)	Estimated Score Requirement (GMAT)
1	Stanford Law School	3	GRE, GMAT	No minimum; competitive scores encouraged	No minimum; competitive scores encouraged
2	Harvard Law School	5	GRE	Verbal: 165–169Quant: 164–169Writing: 5–6	710–740
3	University of Chicago Law School	13	GRE, GMAT	Verbal: 167GRE Quant: 167GRE Writing: 5.5	710–740
4	University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School	15	GRE, GMAT	Verbal: 165–170Quant: 165–170Writing: 5–5.5	710–740
5	Yale Law School	21	GRE	No minimum; evaluated holistically	No minimum; evaluated holistically
6	Columbia Law School	38	GRE	Verbal: 165–167Quant:164–169Writing: 5–5.5	710–740
7	New York University School of Law	55	GRE	Verbal: 166–170Quant: 165–170Writing: 5–5.5	710–740
8	Duke University School of Law	62	GRE	No minimum; competitive scores encouraged	No minimum; competitive scores encouraged
9	University of Virginia School of Law	275	GRE, GMAT	Verbal: 165–170Quant: 165–170Writing: 5–5.5	710–740
10	Georgetown University Law Centre	285	GRE, GMAT	Verbal: 165–170Quant: 165–170Writing: 5–5.5	GMAT: 710–740

Other Law Schools That Accept the GRE in the USA

Apart from the top law schools, several other law schools do not require the LSAT. Instead, they accept GRE scores. These law schools are listed below, along with their overall QS World Ranking for 2026. 

Only a few universities have published their GRE score requirement. For example, the Harvard Law School requires you to obtain  167 Verbal and 165 Quantitative. For other schools, you require at least a 325 score for admission.

S.No	Law School	QS World Ranking 2026 (law and legal studies)
1	Stanford Law School	3
2	Harvard Law School	5
3	University of California, Berkeley, School of Law	12
4	University of Chicago Law School	13
5	University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School	15
6	Cornell Law School	17
7	Yale Law School	21
8	University of California Law, San Francisco	25
9	University of California, Los Angeles School of Law	35
10	Columbia Law School	38
11	Duke University School of Law	62
12	University of Texas at Austin School of Law	68
13	New York University School of Law	55
14	Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law	47
15	Boston University School of Law	59
16	George Washington University Law School	340
17	Georgetown University Law Center	285
18	University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law	239
19	Case Western Reserve University School of Law	294
20	Pennsylvania State University Dickinson Law	280
21	Pennsylvania State University — Penn State Law	280
22	Emory University School of Law	308
23	University of California, Irvine School of Law	303
24	University of California, Davis, School of Law	310
25	Indiana University Maurer School of Law	321
26	University of Notre Dame Law School	305
27	George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School	526
28	Florida State University College of Law	496
29	Fordham University School of Law	389
30	Boston College Law School	526
31	Temple University Beasley School of Law	425
32	Northeastern University School of Law	451-460
33	Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law	536
34	University of Kansas School of Law	561-570
35	Florida International University College of Law	587
36	American University Washington College of Law	587
37	Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law	701-710
38	University of Richmond School of Law	711-720
39	University of South Carolina School of Law	711-720
40	Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law	711-720
41	LMU Loyola Law School, Los Angeles	801-850
42	Syracuse University College of Law	801-850
43	University of San Diego School of Law	801-850
44	Wayne State University Law School	801-850
45	Brooklyn Law School	Not Ranked
46	California Western School of Law	Not Ranked
47	Drake University Law School	Not Ranked
48	Charleston School of Law	Not Ranked
49	Cleveland State University College of Law	1201-1400
50	DePaul University College of Law	1201-1400
51	Loyola University New Orleans College of Law	1201-1400
52	Northern Illinois University College of Law	1201-1400
53	University of Massachusetts School of Law – Dartmouth	1201-1400
54	Suffolk University Law School	1001-1200
55	Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center	1401+
56	Seattle University School of Law	951-1000
57	Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law	671-680
58	Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law	671-680
59	University of Houston Law Center	671-680
60	Wake Forest University School of Law	671-680
61	Seton Hall University School of Law	661-670
62	Santa Clara University School of Law	641-650

Law Schools That Accept GMAT Scores

Here is a list of the law schools that accept the GMAT scores. These law schools do not compulsorily require the LSAT. Their QS World Ranking (2026) overall is also provided below for your reference.

S.No	Law School	QS Law Ranking 2025-26 (law and legal studies)
1	University of California, Berkeley, School of Law	6
2	University of Chicago Law School	8
3	Georgetown University Law	17
4	Cornell Law School	18
5	Capital University Law School	Not Ranked
6	Delaware State University	Not Ranked
7	Emory University School of Law	Not Ranked
8	George Washington University Law	Not Ranked
9	Loyola Law School (Loyola Marymount University)	Not Ranked
10	Massachusetts School of Law	Not Ranked
11	Northwestern Pritzker School of Law	Not Ranked
12	Pepperdine University School of Law	Not Ranked
13	Roger Williams University School of Law	Not Ranked
14	Rutgers University School of Law – Camden	Not Ranked
15	Santa Clara University School of Law	Not Ranked
16	Stetson University College of Law	Not Ranked
17	Tufts University Fletcher School of Law	—
18	University of Dayton School of Law	Not Ranked
19	University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School	Not Ranked
20	University of South Carolina – Columbia School of Law	Not Ranked
21	University of Virginia School of Law	Not Ranked
22	Villanova University School of Law	Not Ranked

Which is Harder, the GRE or the LSAT?

The GRE emphaises mathematics skills more in the quantitative section. Moreover, it requires longer and more formal essays in the analytical reasoning section. For this reason, students who find mathematics to be difficult or struggle with reading can find the GRE to be a more challenging exam.

Conversely, LSAT essays are short. However, the exam in general emphasises logical reasoning and consists of questions that are more like logic games. Therefore, those who are not trained in dissecting arguments can find it to be more difficult. LSAT logic puzzles can be difficult to solve.

Hence, the exact difficulty level is based on the individual skills and capabilities. Here is a comparison table that reflects the difficulty level of each skill. Based on this table and an analysis of your strengths and weaknesses, you can decide which exam is better for you.

S.No	Skill	GRE	LSAT
1	Vocabulary	Moderate-high	Moderate-high
2	Math	Moderate	Very low
3	Logical reasoning	Moderate	High
4	Analytical thinking	Moderate	Very high
5	Time pressure	Moderate	High
6	Specialized prep	Low	High (logic games are unique to LSAT)

Also Read: 9 Most Popular Entrance Exams for Foreign Universities

Should You Take the LSAT Anyway?

The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is the main exam for entry into schools in the USA. The test results are accepted by almost every ABA-accredited school. Is it exam difficult? Yes. But students do clear it with dedicated practice. You can clear the exam with 3- 6 months of preparation.  If your aim is crystal clear, and you want to enter a law school, we recommend that you take the LSAT.

On the other hand, if you think you cannot clear the LSAT, or you are keeping other graduate programs as a backup for admission, you can take the GRE/GMAT. These exams qualify you for other graduate programs as well. GRE/GMAT scores are accepted as an optional exam by law schools. Hence, even if you cannot enter the law school, you may qualify for other graduate programs. For example, an MBA.

Similarly, if your overall academic profile is good. For example, if you have a strong GPA, an excellent letter of recommendation, participated in extracurricular activities, and know how to make a strong personal statement, you should prefer alternative exams. This is because universities that keep LSAT as optional and consider other test takers prefer students who have a holistic academic background.

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