Splitter-friendly law schools (the splitter index)

Law schools ranked by the splitter index: how a school’s median LSAT ranks nationally versus its median GPA. A positive lean means the LSAT is the more selective number, so the class skews toward splitters (high LSAT, lower GPA); a negative lean skews toward reverse splitters (high GPA, lower LSAT). Click any school for its 15-year lean trend.

Read this first. The ABA reports LSAT and GPA separately (marginal distributions), not the joint distribution of who got in. So this index cannot prove a school “admits splitters” at any rate — it measures what the class’s numbers weight, which is a strong proxy for application strategy but is not a measured admit rate. Treat it as a starting point, not a guarantee. Full method →

#	Law school	State	Lean	Skew	LSAT	GPA
1	Santa Clara University School of Law	California	+28	splitter	159	3.50
2	University of Tulsa School of Law	Oklahoma	+26	splitter	157	3.45
3	Brooklyn Law School	New York	+25	splitter	161	3.59
4	Lewis & Clark Law School	Oregon	+25	splitter	161	3.59
5	University of Pittsburgh School of Law	Pennsylvania	+23	splitter	160	3.54
6	University of California-Davis School of Law	California	+22	splitter	165	3.70
7	Ave Maria School of Law	Florida	+22	splitter	155	3.36
8	American University School of Law	District of Columbia	+21	splitter	162	3.63
9	Mitchell/Hamline School of Law	Minnesota	+20	splitter	154	3.29
10	Washington and Lee University School of Law	Virginia	+19	splitter	167	3.75
11	Southwestern Law School	California	+17	splitter	157	3.51
12	South Texas College of Law Houston	Texas	+17	splitter	155	3.41
13	Western New England University School of Law	Massachusetts	+16	splitter	153	3.27
14	University of California-Irvine School of Law	California	+15	splitter	169	3.80
15	University of Maryland School of Law	Maryland	+15	splitter	164	3.72
16	University of South Carolina School of Law	South Carolina	+15	splitter	162	3.67
17	University of Oregon School of Law	Oregon	+15	splitter	160	3.62
18	Seattle University School of Law	Washington	+15	splitter	159	3.60
19	Albany Law School	New York	+15	splitter	158	3.54
20	Jacksonville University School of Law	Florida	+15	splitter	156	3.48
21	Fordham University School of Law	New York	+14	splitter	168	3.79
22	University of Baltimore School of Law	Maryland	+14	splitter	155	3.45
23	Chapman University School of Law	California	+13	splitter	163	3.70
24	Atlanta's John Marshall Law School	Georgia	+13	splitter	152	3.13
25	Temple University School of Law	Pennsylvania	+12	splitter	165	3.76
26	University of Washington School of Law	Washington	+12	splitter	165	3.76
27	Tulane University School of Law	Louisiana	+12	splitter	161	3.67
28	University of San Francisco School of Law	California	+12	splitter	155	3.47
29	Georgia State University School of Law	Georgia	+11	balanced	160	3.64
30	Elon University School of Law	North Carolina	+11	balanced	154	3.40
31	Touro University School of Law	New York	+11	balanced	153	3.35
32	Vermont Law School	Vermont	+11	balanced	152	3.25
33	University of Michigan Law School	Michigan	+10	balanced	171	3.88
34	University of Minnesota School of Law	Minnesota	+10	balanced	171	3.88
35	The Catholic University of America School of Law	District of Columbia	+10	balanced	161	3.68
36	Syracuse University School of Law	New York	+10	balanced	158	3.60
37	Campbell University School of Law	North Carolina	+10	balanced	156	3.51
38	University of Texas School of Law	Texas	+9	balanced	172	3.89
39	Wake Forest University School of Law	North Carolina	+9	balanced	166	3.79
40	Stetson University School of Law	Florida	+9	balanced	159	3.63
41	DePaul University School of Law	Illinois	+9	balanced	158	3.61
42	University of New Mexico School of Law	New Mexico	+9	balanced	157	3.56
43	Northern Kentucky University School of Law	Kentucky	+9	balanced	154	3.41
44	Cardozo, Yeshiva University School of Law	New York	+8	balanced	165	3.78
45	Baylor University School of Law	Texas	+8	balanced	164	3.77
46	Northeastern University School of Law	Massachusetts	+8	balanced	164	3.77
47	University of Denver School of Law	Colorado	+8	balanced	160	3.66
48	University of Detroit Mercy School of Law	Michigan	+8	balanced	156	3.52
49	University of the Pacific School of Law	California	+8	balanced	156	3.52
50	New England Law/Boston	Massachusetts	+8	balanced	153	3.37
51	Boston University School of Law	Massachusetts	+7	balanced	170	3.88
52	Boston College School of Law	Massachusetts	+7	balanced	168	3.83
53	Loyola University-Chicago School of Law	Illinois	+7	balanced	161	3.70
54	University of Hawaii School of Law	Hawaii	+7	balanced	158	3.62
55	California Western School of Law	California	+7	balanced	155	3.50
56	Cleveland State University School of Law	Ohio	+7	balanced	155	3.50
57	University of New Hampshire School of Law	New Hampshire	+7	balanced	155	3.50
58	Widener University Delaware Law School	Pennsylvania	+7	balanced	152	3.33
59	Columbia Law School	New York	+6	balanced	173	3.92
60	Cornell Law School	New York	+6	balanced	173	3.92
61	University of Iowa School of Law	Iowa	+6	balanced	164	3.78
62	Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles School of Law	California	+6	balanced	163	3.74
63	University of Dayton School of Law	Ohio	+6	balanced	157	3.60
64	University of Illinois-Chicago School of Law	Illinois	+6	balanced	153	3.40
65	University of Notre Dame School of Law	Indiana	+5	balanced	170	3.89
66	Southern Methodist University School of Law	Texas	+5	balanced	167	3.81
67	University of Wisconsin School of Law	Wisconsin	+5	balanced	167	3.81
68	Saint Louis University School of Law	Missouri	+5	balanced	157	3.61
69	University of District of Columbia School of Law	District of Columbia	+5	balanced	151	3.28
70	Duke University School of Law	North Carolina	+4	balanced	171	3.91
71	The George Washington University School of Law	District of Columbia	+4	balanced	168	3.86
72	University of Miami School of Law	Florida	+4	balanced	164	3.79
73	Michigan State University School of Law	Michigan	+4	balanced	162	3.73
74	University of Oklahoma School of Law	Oklahoma	+4	balanced	162	3.73
75	University of California-San Francisco School of Law	California	+4	balanced	161	3.71
76	Seton Hall University School of Law	New Jersey	+4	balanced	161	3.71
77	Loyola University-New Orleans School of Law	Louisiana	+4	balanced	154	3.47
78	University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law	Arkansas	+4	balanced	153	3.41
79	University of North Texas at Dallas School of Law	Texas	+4	balanced	153	3.41
80	University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth School of Law	Massachusetts	+4	balanced	152	3.36
81	Western State, Westcliff University School of Law	California	+4	balanced	152	3.36
82	North Carolina Central University School of Law	North Carolina	+4	balanced	151	3.31
83	Barry University School of Law	Florida	+4	balanced	150	3.23
84	University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School	Pennsylvania	+3	balanced	173	3.95
85	New York University School of Law	New York	+3	balanced	172	3.92
86	University of Illinois School of Law	Illinois	+3	balanced	166	3.81
87	Duquesne University School of Law	Pennsylvania	+3	balanced	157	3.62
88	Mercer University School of Law	Georgia	+3	balanced	157	3.62
89	University of Wyoming School of Law	Wyoming	+3	balanced	156	3.55
90	Nova Southeastern University School of Law	Florida	+3	balanced	155	3.52
91	Mississippi College School of Law	Mississippi	+3	balanced	152	3.37
92	Washington University (St. Louis) School of Law	Missouri	+2	balanced	175	3.96
93	Emory University School of Law	Georgia	+2	balanced	166	3.82
94	William & Mary School of Law	Virginia	+2	balanced	166	3.82
95	Villanova University School of Law	Pennsylvania	+2	balanced	164	3.80
96	Chicago-Kent, Illinois Institute of Technology School of Law	Illinois	+2	balanced	161	3.72
97	University of Missouri School of Law	Missouri	+2	balanced	161	3.72
98	University of Memphis School of Law	Tennessee	+2	balanced	155	3.53
99	Willamette University School of Law	Oregon	+2	balanced	154	3.48
100	Lincoln Memorial University School of Law	Tennessee	+2	balanced	153	3.44
101	Wilmington University School of Law	Delaware	+2	balanced	149	3.13
102	Cooley Law School	Michigan	+2	balanced	147	3.09
103	Harvard Law School	Massachusetts	+1	balanced	174	3.96
104	Yale Law School	Connecticut	+1	balanced	174	3.96
105	Vanderbilt Law School	Tennessee	+1	balanced	170	3.91
106	Southern University School of Law	Louisiana	+1	balanced	147	3.15
107	University of Chicago Law School	Illinois	0	balanced	174	3.97
108	Northwestern Pritzker School of Law	Illinois	0	balanced	173	3.96
109	Stanford Law School	California	0	balanced	173	3.96
110	Georgetown University Law Center	District of Columbia	0	balanced	171	3.93
111	University of North Carolina School of Law	North Carolina	0	balanced	168	3.89
112	Case Western Reserve University School of Law	Ohio	0	balanced	162	3.76
113	Texas Tech University School of Law	Texas	0	balanced	159	3.69
114	Rutgers University School of Law	New Jersey	0	balanced	158	3.66
115	New York Law School	New York	0	balanced	157	3.63
116	University of Virginia School of Law	Virginia	-1	balanced	173	3.99
117	UCLA School of Law	California	-1	balanced	171	3.95
118	UC Berkeley School of Law	California	-1	balanced	170	3.92
119	University of Florida School of Law	Florida	-1	balanced	169	3.91
120	University of Southern California School of Law	California	-1	balanced	169	3.91
121	University of Utah School of Law	Utah	-1	balanced	166	3.87
122	University of Arizona School of Law	Arizona	-1	balanced	163	3.78
123	City University of New York School of Law	New York	-1	balanced	155	3.54
124	Faulkner University School of Law	Alabama	-1	balanced	150	3.33
125	Texas Southern University School of Law	Texas	-1	balanced	150	3.33
126	Widener University Commonwealth Law School	Pennsylvania	-1	balanced	150	3.33
127	Appalachian School of Law	Virginia	-1	balanced	146	3.20
128	University of Colorado School of Law	Colorado	-2	balanced	164	3.81
129	University of Richmond School of Law	Virginia	-2	balanced	164	3.81
130	St. John's University School of Law	New York	-2	balanced	164	3.81
131	Gonzaga University School of Law	Washington	-2	balanced	155	3.55
132	St. Thomas University (Miami) School of Law	Florida	-2	balanced	152	3.42
133	University of Georgia School of Law	Georgia	-3	balanced	169	3.92
134	University of Houston School of Law	Texas	-3	balanced	163	3.79
135	Hofstra University School of Law	New York	-3	balanced	157	3.65
136	University of Akron School of Law	Ohio	-3	balanced	154	3.51
137	Charleston School of Law	South Carolina	-3	balanced	154	3.51
138	St. Mary's University School of Law	Texas	-3	balanced	153	3.49
139	Brigham Young University School of Law	Utah	-4	balanced	170	3.95
140	The Ohio State University School of Law	Ohio	-4	balanced	168	3.91
141	University of Connecticut School of Law	Connecticut	-4	balanced	162	3.78
142	Regent University School of Law	Virginia	-4	balanced	158	3.68
143	Indiana University-Indianapolis School of Law	Indiana	-4	balanced	155	3.58
144	Suffolk University School of Law	Massachusetts	-4	balanced	155	3.58
145	George Mason University School of Law	Virginia	-5	balanced	169	3.93
146	Pepperdine University School of Law	California	-5	balanced	164	3.85
147	Penn State Dickinson Law	Pennsylvania	-5	balanced	159	3.71
148	Ohio Northern University School of Law	Ohio	-5	balanced	149	3.34
149	University of Louisville School of Law	Kentucky	-6	balanced	157	3.67
150	University of South Dakota School of Law	South Dakota	-6	balanced	152	3.47
151	University of Kentucky School of Law	Kentucky	-7	balanced	159	3.72
152	University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) School of Law	Minnesota	-7	balanced	159	3.72
153	University of Maine School of Law	Maine	-7	balanced	158	3.70
154	Marquette University School of Law	Wisconsin	-7	balanced	158	3.70
155	Howard University School of Law	District of Columbia	-7	balanced	156	3.63
156	Samford University School of Law	Alabama	-7	balanced	156	3.63
157	Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	-7	balanced	139	3.33
158	University of Mississippi School of Law	Mississippi	-8	balanced	157	3.68
159	University of Montana School of Law	Montana	-8	balanced	156	3.64
160	Creighton University School of Law	Nebraska	-8	balanced	153	3.51
161	Florida A&M University School of Law	Florida	-8	balanced	152	3.48
162	Capital University Law School	Ohio	-8	balanced	151	3.44
163	Southern Illinois University School of Law	Illinois	-8	balanced	149	3.38
164	Drexel University School of Law	Pennsylvania	-9	balanced	160	3.76
165	University of Nevada-Las Vegas School of Law	Nevada	-9	balanced	160	3.76
166	Liberty University School of Law	Virginia	-9	balanced	154	3.54
167	Pace University School of Law	New York	-9	balanced	154	3.54
168	Northern Illinois University School of Law	Illinois	-9	balanced	150	3.41
169	University of Tennessee School of Law	Tennessee	-10	balanced	164	3.89
170	Wayne State University School of Law	Michigan	-10	balanced	164	3.89
171	University of Arkansas School of Law	Arkansas	-10	balanced	158	3.71
172	University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law	Missouri	-10	balanced	156	3.65
173	Roger Williams University School of Law	Rhode Island	-10	balanced	150	3.43
174	Texas A&M University School of Law	Texas	-11	balanced	169	4.00
175	University of San Diego School of Law	California	-11	balanced	163	3.84
176	Florida International University School of Law	Florida	-11	balanced	161	3.80
177	University of Toledo School of Law	Ohio	-11	balanced	153	3.53
178	Arizona State University School of Law	Arizona	-12	reverse	165	3.91
179	Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	-12	reverse	144	3.39
180	Florida State University School of Law	Florida	-13	reverse	166	3.93
181	Drake University School of Law	Iowa	-13	reverse	156	3.67
182	University of North Dakota School of Law	North Dakota	-13	reverse	151	3.48
183	Indiana University-Bloomington School of Law	Indiana	-14	reverse	164	3.91
184	University at Buffalo School of Law	New York	-14	reverse	157	3.71
185	University of Idaho School of Law	Idaho	-14	reverse	153	3.54
186	University of Kansas School of Law	Kansas	-15	reverse	162	3.85
187	Quinnipiac University School of Law	Connecticut	-15	reverse	155	3.65
188	West Virginia University School of Law	West Virginia	-15	reverse	155	3.65
189	University of Alabama School of Law	Alabama	-16	reverse	167	3.97
190	Belmont University School of Law	Tennessee	-17	reverse	161	3.84
191	Louisiana State University School of Law	Louisiana	-18	reverse	157	3.74
192	University of Cincinnati School of Law	Ohio	-20	reverse	159	3.80
193	Washburn University School of Law	Kansas	-20	reverse	155	3.68
194	University of Nebraska School of Law	Nebraska	-21	reverse	160	3.81
195	Oklahoma City University School of Law	Oklahoma	-26	reverse	151	3.56
196	University of Puerto Rico School of Law	Puerto Rico	-53	reverse	152	3.77

Lean = national percentile rank of the median LSAT minus that of the median GPA (latest ABA Standard 509 cycle); +12 or more reads as splitter-leaning, −12 or less as reverse. 196 of 210 schools report both. Open any school for its 15-year lean trend, or the interactive map.

Source: ABA Standard 509 Required Disclosures (most recent cycle), via abarequireddisclosures.org. State attorney-salary context from U.S. BLS OEWS 2024. Methodology: /methodology.html.