Law Schools for a 165 LSAT: Safety, Target & Reach
With a 165 LSAT, of the 196 ABA-accredited U.S. law schools that publish an LSAT band, 38 are a Target (your score sits inside their middle 50%), 137 are a Safety (you're at or above their 75th percentile), and 21 are a Reach. Classification uses each school's official ABA Standard 509 LSAT 25th/75th percentiles.
Safety / Target / Reach here is LSAT-based. Exhibit's interactive Match Me tool weighs LSAT and undergraduate GPA together; see the methodology for the full rule.
Target — 38 schools
Your LSAT falls inside the school's published middle-50% band.
| # | Law school | State | LSAT 25/50/75 | Median GPA | First-time bar | JD employment | Resident tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington University (St. Louis) School of Law | Missouri | 165/175/176 | 3.96 | 93.57% | 97.8% | $72,792 |
| 2 | Boston University School of Law | Massachusetts | 164/170/171 | 3.88 | 92.28% | 96.7% | $69,870 |
| 3 | University of Florida School of Law | Florida | 165/169/170 | 3.91 | 88.55% | 94.4% | $19,139 |
| 4 | George Mason University School of Law | Virginia | 162/169/171 | 3.93 | 85.96% | 97.6% | $24,864 |
| 5 | University of Georgia School of Law | Georgia | 159/169/171 | 3.92 | 90.37% | 95.9% | $18,044 |
| 6 | University of Southern California School of Law | California | 165/169/170 | 3.91 | 94.01% | 96.5% | $84,034 |
| 7 | Texas A&M University School of Law | Texas | 161/169/170 | 4.00 | 95.98% | 99.2% | $32,634 |
| 8 | Boston College School of Law | Massachusetts | 162/168/169 | 3.83 | 93.82% | 95.8% | $72,380 |
| 9 | Fordham University School of Law | New York | 165/168/170 | 3.79 | 92.98% | 91.2% | $78,078 |
| 10 | The George Washington University School of Law | District of Columbia | 162/168/170 | 3.86 | 90.22% | 96.8% | $75,420 |
| 11 | University of North Carolina School of Law | North Carolina | 165/168/169 | 3.89 | 92.27% | 97.3% | $28,082 |
| 12 | The Ohio State University School of Law | Ohio | 163/168/169 | 3.91 | 91.95% | 93.6% | $35,650 |
| 13 | University of Alabama School of Law | Alabama | 161/167/168 | 3.97 | 91.39% | 99.3% | $24,980 |
| 14 | Southern Methodist University School of Law | Texas | 163/167/168 | 3.81 | 90.2% | 98.2% | $60,844 |
| 15 | Washington and Lee University School of Law | Virginia | 161/167/168 | 3.75 | 89.36% | 92.7% | $57,450 |
| 16 | University of Wisconsin School of Law | Wisconsin | 161/167/169 | 3.81 | 80% | 95.3% | $36,526 |
| 17 | Emory University School of Law | Georgia | 162/166/168 | 3.82 | 88.36% | 91.1% | $69,510 |
| 18 | Florida State University School of Law | Florida | 158/166/167 | 3.93 | 87.22% | 92.4% | $19,952 |
| 19 | University of Illinois School of Law | Illinois | 160/166/168 | 3.81 | 93.56% | 95.4% | $36,500 |
| 20 | University of Utah School of Law | Utah | 162/166/168 | 3.87 | 94.74% | 96.8% | $34,721 |
| 21 | Wake Forest University School of Law | North Carolina | 163/166/168 | 3.79 | 88.24% | 98.7% | $57,920 |
| 22 | William & Mary School of Law | Virginia | 161/166/167 | 3.82 | 83.63% | 93.5% | $38,734 |
| 23 | Arizona State University School of Law | Arizona | 158/165/167 | 3.91 | 87.54% | 92.8% | $28,390 |
| 24 | University of California-Davis School of Law | California | 160/165/167 | 3.70 | 88.94% | 94.6% | $57,460 |
| 25 | Cardozo, Yeshiva University School of Law | New York | 162/165/167 | 3.78 | 88.47% | 90.8% | $74,438 |
| 26 | Temple University School of Law | Pennsylvania | 162/165/168 | 3.76 | 90.28% | 95.4% | $32,588 |
| 27 | University of Washington School of Law | Washington | 162/165/167 | 3.76 | 91.72% | 88.7% | $45,927 |
| 28 | University of Colorado School of Law | Colorado | 161/164/167 | 3.81 | 90.42% | 96.2% | $35,992 |
| 29 | Indiana University-Bloomington School of Law | Indiana | 158/164/166 | 3.91 | 87.37% | 90.9% | $36,950 |
| 30 | University of Maryland School of Law | Maryland | 156/164/166 | 3.72 | 82.1% | 91.3% | $37,830 |
| 31 | Northeastern University School of Law | Massachusetts | 161/164/166 | 3.77 | 87.39% | 86.9% | $65,652 |
| 32 | Pepperdine University School of Law | California | 161/164/167 | 3.85 | 86.77% | 93.4% | $72,920 |
| 33 | University of Richmond School of Law | Virginia | 159/164/167 | 3.81 | 80.13% | 92.3% | $57,700 |
| 34 | St. John's University School of Law | New York | 156/164/166 | 3.81 | 87.74% | 92.8% | $75,170 |
| 35 | University of Tennessee School of Law | Tennessee | 160/164/166 | 3.89 | 91.94% | 92.7% | $16,696 |
| 36 | Villanova University School of Law | Pennsylvania | 159/164/166 | 3.80 | 91.26% | 96.2% | $59,800 |
| 37 | Wayne State University School of Law | Michigan | 157/164/166 | 3.89 | 86.05% | 96.8% | $38,861 |
| 38 | Lewis & Clark Law School | Oregon | 158/161/166 | 3.59 | 85.03% | 88.2% | $61,434 |
Safety — 137 schools (showing 25 of 137)
Your LSAT is at or above the school's 75th percentile.
| # | Law school | State | LSAT 25/50/75 | Median GPA | First-time bar | JD employment | Resident tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baylor University School of Law | Texas | 159/164/165 | 3.77 | 94.92% | 98.2% | $64,639 |
| 2 | University of Iowa School of Law | Iowa | 161/164/165 | 3.78 | 90.96% | 98.1% | $30,944 |
| 3 | University of Miami School of Law | Florida | 160/164/165 | 3.79 | 81.28% | 88% | $66,720 |
| 4 | University of Arizona School of Law | Arizona | 162/163/165 | 3.78 | 72.17% | 93.1% | $26,490 |
| 5 | Chapman University School of Law | California | 156/163/164 | 3.70 | 74.13% | 85.4% | $63,126 |
| 6 | University of Houston School of Law | Texas | 160/163/165 | 3.79 | 88.63% | 92.4% | $31,326 |
| 7 | Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles School of Law | California | 160/163/165 | 3.74 | 84.19% | 91% | $70,360 |
| 8 | University of San Diego School of Law | California | 160/163/165 | 3.84 | 84.8% | 98.3% | $66,950 |
| 9 | American University School of Law | District of Columbia | 157/162/163 | 3.63 | 81.28% | 82.5% | $66,990 |
| 10 | Case Western Reserve University School of Law | Ohio | 156/162/164 | 3.76 | 81.99% | 81.7% | $64,600 |
| 11 | University of Connecticut School of Law | Connecticut | 160/162/164 | 3.78 | 84% | 90.1% | $30,354 |
| 12 | University of Kansas School of Law | Kansas | 158/162/164 | 3.85 | 92.17% | 96% | $24,853 |
| 13 | Michigan State University School of Law | Michigan | 158/162/164 | 3.73 | 78.34% | 88.3% | $43,480 |
| 14 | University of Oklahoma School of Law | Oklahoma | 159/162/164 | 3.73 | 88.77% | 94.9% | $18,379 |
| 15 | University of South Carolina School of Law | South Carolina | 160/162/164 | 3.67 | 83.25% | 93.7% | $20,322 |
| 16 | Belmont University School of Law | Tennessee | 158/161/163 | 3.84 | 95% | 89.8% | $55,500 |
| 17 | Brooklyn Law School | New York | 158/161/163 | 3.59 | 84.48% | 91.6% | $75,496 |
| 18 | University of California-San Francisco School of Law | California | 158/161/163 | 3.71 | 83.84% | 91.2% | $53,087 |
| 19 | The Catholic University of America School of Law | District of Columbia | 158/161/163 | 3.68 | 83.08% | 92.9% | $61,580 |
| 20 | Chicago-Kent, Illinois Institute of Technology School of Law | Illinois | 156/161/164 | 3.72 | 79.02% | 84.5% | $53,070 |
| 21 | Florida International University School of Law | Florida | 159/161/162 | 3.80 | 88.34% | 93% | $20,039 |
| 22 | Loyola University-Chicago School of Law | Illinois | 159/161/163 | 3.70 | 80% | 92% | $58,670 |
| 23 | University of Missouri School of Law | Missouri | 156/161/162 | 3.72 | 83.33% | 96% | $23,548 |
| 24 | Seton Hall University School of Law | New Jersey | 158/161/164 | 3.71 | 87.21% | 95.7% | $69,660 |
| 25 | Tulane University School of Law | Louisiana | 159/161/164 | 3.67 | 77.73% | 89.7% | $69,578 |
Reach — 21 schools
Your LSAT is below the school's 25th percentile.
| # | Law school | State | LSAT 25/50/75 | Median GPA | First-time bar | JD employment | Resident tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Irvine School of Law | California | 166/169/170 | 3.80 | 85.53% | 93.5% | $59,080 |
| 2 | Brigham Young University School of Law | Utah | 168/170/172 | 3.95 | 90.44% | 94.5% | $15,992 |
| 3 | UC Berkeley School of Law | California | 167/170/172 | 3.92 | 91.16% | 97.2% | $62,532 |
| 4 | University of Notre Dame School of Law | Indiana | 166/170/171 | 3.89 | 92.15% | 93.9% | $73,430 |
| 5 | Vanderbilt Law School | Tennessee | 167/170/171 | 3.91 | 94.51% | 98.8% | $76,440 |
| 6 | UCLA School of Law | California | 166/171/172 | 3.95 | 94.23% | 97% | $59,084 |
| 7 | Duke University School of Law | North Carolina | 169/171/172 | 3.91 | 97.48% | 98.7% | $80,100 |
| 8 | Georgetown University Law Center | District of Columbia | 166/171/173 | 3.93 | 93.05% | 95.9% | $83,576 |
| 9 | University of Michigan Law School | Michigan | 168/171/173 | 3.88 | 95.57% | 97.7% | $76,108 |
| 10 | University of Minnesota School of Law | Minnesota | 166/171/173 | 3.88 | 94.09% | 95.5% | $51,440 |
| 11 | New York University School of Law | New York | 169/172/174 | 3.92 | 96.72% | 99.3% | $83,952 |
| 12 | University of Texas School of Law | Texas | 166/172/173 | 3.89 | 95.86% | 99.4% | $38,236 |
| 13 | Columbia Law School | New York | 169/173/175 | 3.92 | 95.85% | 97.4% | $85,368 |
| 14 | Cornell Law School | New York | 168/173/175 | 3.92 | 96.41% | 99.5% | $84,722 |
| 15 | Northwestern Pritzker School of Law | Illinois | 167/173/175 | 3.96 | 91.8% | 97.3% | $79,772 |
| 16 | University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School | Pennsylvania | 167/173/174 | 3.95 | 96.7% | 99.6% | $78,348 |
| 17 | Stanford Law School | California | 171/173/176 | 3.96 | 96.5% | 91.6% | $77,454 |
| 18 | University of Virginia School of Law | Virginia | 168/173/175 | 3.99 | 94.98% | 98.7% | $74,078 |
| 19 | University of Chicago Law School | Illinois | 171/174/176 | 3.97 | 97.42% | 98.1% | $83,316 |
| 20 | Harvard Law School | Massachusetts | 171/174/176 | 3.96 | 97.86% | 97.2% | $77,100 |
| 21 | Yale Law School | Connecticut | 171/174/177 | 3.96 | 96.5% | 94.8% | $76,636 |
FAQ
What law schools can I get into with a 165 LSAT?
A 165 LSAT lands inside the published middle-50% LSAT band (a Target) at 38 of 196 ABA-accredited law schools, and at or above the 75th percentile (a Safety) at 137 more. The tables above list them with bar passage, employment and tuition.
Is a 165 LSAT good?
A 165 is at or above the median class LSAT at 153 of the 196 ABA-accredited schools that report LSAT bands — so it opens 175 schools as a Target or Safety. 'Good' depends on your target schools; use the bands, not a single label.
What are target law schools for a 165 LSAT?
At a 165 LSAT, target schools (your score inside their middle-50% band) include Washington University (St. Louis) School of Law, Boston University School of Law, University of Florida School of Law, among 38 in total listed above.
Source: ABA Standard 509 Required Disclosures, most recent reported cycle. Last updated June 26, 2026.