Will I be able to get into UCLA Law?

[frederickblackmon19]

I'm a African-American student with a 3.45 gpa & an LSAT score of 178. The only concern that I have is my gpa because it's below their 25th percentile, but my lsat is way above their 75th percentile. Any thoughts?

Thank you

[Stephanie Oswalt]

I'm a African-American student with a 3.45 gpa & an LSAT score of 178. The only concern that I have is my gpa because it's below their 25th percentile, but my lsat is way above their 75th percentile. Any thoughts?

Thank you

Hi Frederick,

Thanks for the post! You are what we call a "splitter": someone with a high LSAT score and a lower GPA. You can find some more information about splitters here:
What Are Splitters, Reverse Splitters, and Super Splitters?
Which Law Schools Are Splitter-Friendly? Which Ones Aren’t?

One of the tools we use when assessing admission chances is LSAC’s UGPA/LSAT Search. When you input your GPA and LSAT score, it produces a statistical admission chance at various schools. If you put in your numbers you will see that, as you noted, your GPA is below UCLA's median and your LSAT score is above their median. According to the data on this site, students with similar stats would have had a likelihood between 67% and 78% of being admitted in 2020.

Of course, this is just an estimate, and there are a variety of other factors that law schools will consider! Your URM status can play a part. In addition, I would make sure your "softs" are as strong as possible: your letters of recommendation, your personal statement, your resume, etc. Lastly, if you do have a compelling reason for why your GPA may have been lower, you may want to consider writing an addendum to explain the situation: https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/whats- ... h-addenda/.

Hopefully, this information helps! If you're looking for some specific assistance with any parts of your application, you may want to look into our admission consulting resources!

[braydo29]

I think you will have a great shot. I’m not very in tune with admission chances, but I know that schools seem to value LSAT over GPA, and I think your LSAT score more than makes up for your GPA.

As the other comment says, as long as you focus on having good letters and essays, I think you would be a strong candidate.

It’s impossible to say for sure, but you shouldn’t be discouraged at all.

[oneuser]

Do not lose your hope.