Application Toolkit: Transcripts & Testing

Candidates must apply to the regular J.D. program via the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and must participate in the Credential Assembly Service (CAS). When we receive and process your application, HLS will request your CAS report, which includes your LSAT score(s), academic transcripts, LSAT writing sample(s), and letters of recommendation.

Applicants who elect to take the GRE (instead of or in addition to the LSAT) must instruct the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to send HLS all GRE test scores from the preceding five-year period. Applicants who have taken the GRE can log into their ETS account and select Harvard Law School as a recipient of GRE results using the school code: 2135.

Admission decisions are based on the Admissions Committee’s experienced judgment applied to individual cases, and many aspects are considered. Quantitative factors, while informative, are not dispositive in our selection process.

The LSAT and GRE are both designed to measure some of the acquired skills that are important to successful graduate school study.  Within broad limits, both exams provide a reasonable assessment of these skills.  Standing alone, however, the LSAT and/or GRE provide only a partial measure of an individual’s promise for legal study. In the context of the broader range of information contained in a complete application for admission, the LSAT and/or GRE is helpful in assessing individual promise and in making meaningful comparisons among those who apply for admission.

Please note, we have no computational methods for making admission decisions, no mechanical shortcuts, and no substitutes for careful assessment and good judgment applied to individual cases.  We try to assess intangible qualities— concern for the welfare of others, energy, ambition, sound judgment, and high ideals.  We have also found merit in allowing several strong factors to offset another factor on which an applicant may perform only modestly in comparison with other applicants. As a result, we emphasize that there are no “cut-off” GPAs or standardized test scores below which an application will not be considered in its entirety.

While applicants need only take either the LSAT or the GRE, HLS does require all those test results from the past five years.

We strongly recommend that you sit for your standardized test well in advance of the application deadline. To be considered for admission, you must take either the LSAT or GRE no later than the February administrations of these tests.

The LSAT is administered multiple times per year.  Please visit the Law School Admission Council website for more information.

The GRE is administered year-round. Please visit the Educational Testing Service website for more information.

Please note, we are not able to hold a decision on your application for any additional test scores. Applications will be considered complete once we have received at least one score from the exam(s) indicated in your HLS application, and we have processed your complete CAS report with all requisite materials. Your application will only be eligible for review once it is deemed complete.

If your completed application has been submitted and remains under consideration, you are welcome to send additional materials (including test scores). They will be added to your file and included in the review process. However, additional test scores cannot be considered once a final decision has been rendered on an application.

You need only take the LSAT or GRE once, however, if you take multiple tests, the Admissions Committee will consider all LSAT and/or GRE scores presented as part of your application.

Please note, while the GRE is composed of multiple sections, no one section will be weighted more heavily than the others. Similarly, each test score is reviewed individually; we do not “super-score”, average, or consider the highest composite score exclusively.

We consider any information an applicant provides about their scores. If you feel that one or more of your scores is not representative of your capabilities, you may address your concerns in an addendum attached to your application. If you have already submitted your application, you may submit an addendum via your status checker with your name and LSAC number. This will be automatically added to your file – therefore, there is no need to email the office.

We do not have a preference for either exam. Similarly, a candidate is not considered more committed by taking both exams or disadvantaged by taking the same exam multiple times. Individuals considering either test should explore several factors, including whether they intend to apply to other law schools that may only accept the LSAT, timing and geographic location, and any other plans they may have for graduate study.

No. There are no “cut-off” GPAs or standardized test scores below which an application will not be considered in its entirety. We have no computational methods for making admission decisions, no mechanical shortcuts, no substitutes for careful assessment and good judgment.