$

$ / $$ / $$$ / $$$$

Shorthand for scholarship amounts. $ ≈ quarter tuition or less, $$ ≈ half tuition, $$$ ≈ three-quarters tuition, $$$$ = full tuition or more.

See: Scholarship Calculator

#

0L

A prospective law student who has not yet started law school.

1L

A first-year law student.

2L

A second-year law student.

3L

A third-year law student. Traditional full-time JD programs are three years long.

25th / 75th Percentile

The scores below which 25% or 75% of the entering class falls. The 25th-to-75th range (the interquartile range) contains the middle half of the class. Falling within this range means your stat is typical for that school's entering class.

See: Reading a School Profile

A

ABA

The American Bar Association, the national organization that accredits law schools and publishes annual 509 disclosure reports with admissions and employment data.

See: ABA 509 Reports Explained

ABA 509 Report

An annual disclosure that every ABA-accredited law school must file, containing admissions, enrollment, employment, bar passage, and financial data. The primary public data source for law school statistics.

See: ABA 509 Reports Explained

Acceptance Rate

The percentage of applicants who receive an offer of admission. Drawn from ABA 509 data and reflects the prior cycle. Distinct from yield, which measures the percentage of admits who actually enroll.

See: Reading a School Profile

ACL

Active Consideration List, a status used exclusively by NYU Law. Functionally similar to a waitlist or hold.

Adcomm / Adcom

An admissions officer or member of a law school's admissions committee.

Addendum

A short supplemental document attached to a law school application explaining a specific weakness or anomaly, most commonly a GPA addendum or LSAT addendum.

ASD

Admitted Students Day, an event hosted by a law school for admitted applicants, typically including campus tours, class visits, faculty panels, and meetings with current students.

ASW

Admitted Students Weekend, a longer version of ASD, typically spanning Friday through Saturday.

Attending

On LSD.Law, a flag an applicant sets on exactly one accepted school to indicate where they are matriculating. The attending flag is the signal the ranking uses to derive cross-admit observations.

See: Rankings Methodology

B

Biglaw

Large law firms employing 500+ attorneys, typically following a market-standard ("lockstep") compensation model set by the Cravath scale, with first-year associate salaries currently at $225,000.

BL+FC

Biglaw + Federal Clerkship rate, the percentage of a school's graduates who secured positions at large law firms or federal clerkships. A headline employment metric used to compare schools.

See: Reading a School Profile

C

C&F

Character and Fitness, the background check and disclosure process required for bar admission. Law school applications include C&F questions about criminal history, academic misconduct, and similar matters.

CAS

LSAC's Credential Assembly Service. Generates transcript summary reports, calculates a standardized cumulative GPA, and collects letters of recommendation on behalf of applicants.

See: Admissions Predictions

CAS GPA

The GPA computed by LSAC's Credential Assembly Service using a standardized calculation. It may differ from your undergraduate institution's GPA because CAS applies its own rules for grade conversions, repeated courses, and credit weighting. This is the GPA that appears on ABA 509 reports and school profiles.

See: Admissions Predictions

CCN

Shorthand for Columbia, Chicago, and NYU. Frequently grouped together in admissions discussions.

COA

Cost of Attendance, the total annual cost of attending a law school, including tuition, fees, living expenses, and books.

See: Scholarship Calculator

Cross-admit

An applicant admitted to two or more schools. The school the applicant ultimately chooses to attend is the input data for the LSD ranking: a single enrollment decision generates one pairwise observation against each of the applicant's other acceptances.

See: School Comparison Rankings Methodology

Cycle

The admissions period in which applications are submitted and decisions rendered, spanning one admissions calendar year (e.g., the 2023-2024 cycle).

See: Cycle Tracker

D

Deferred

Two meanings depending on context: (1) an ED applicant moved to the regular decision pool rather than receiving an immediate decision; or (2) an admitted student who chose to delay enrollment by one year.

Ding

Informal term for a denial (rejection) from a law school.

DLS

Decision Letter Sent, a portal status update indicating the school has mailed or released its admissions decision.

DS

Diversity statement, an optional application essay about your perspective, background, and identity.

E

EA

Early Action, a non-binding early application option. Unlike ED, accepting an EA offer does not require withdrawing other applications.

ED

Early Decision, a binding application track. If admitted under ED, you commit to attending that school and withdrawing all other applications. Some schools offer ED with scholarship guarantees; others do not.

Experimental Section

An unscored section of the LSAT used by LSAC for research and future test development. Test-takers do not know which section is experimental during the test.

F

FC

Federal clerkship, a one- or two-year position working for a federal judge after law school, considered highly prestigious.

Fee Waiver

A waiver of the LSAT registration fee or a law school's application fee. Schools often distribute unsolicited application fee waivers to encourage applications from applicants in their target score range.

Feeler

An informal email from a school gauging your continued interest before extending an offer or scholarship. Not a formal status change.

G

GRE

The Graduate Record Examination, an alternative to the LSAT accepted by a growing number of law schools.

See: Admissions Predictions

H

Hold

A decision in which the school delays making a final admit/deny/waitlist decision. Nominally distinct from a waitlist, though in practice some schools use holds as de facto waitlists.

HTE

"Hold tight" email. A message from a law school indicating that no decision has been made but the application is still under review.

HYS

Shorthand for Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. Traditionally considered the three most prestigious law schools.

I

II

Interview Invite, an invitation to interview with a law school's admissions office. Format varies by school (in-person, video, alumni interview).

In-flux cycle

The current admissions cycle, during which rankings and aggregate statistics are still accumulating data. Rankings marked "in-flux" will change as more applicants report their enrollment decisions. They stabilize after the cycle closes.

See: Cycle Tracker

Index Score

A weighted formula combining LSAT and GPA that some schools use for initial application screening. Different schools weight the components differently.

See: Admissions Predictions

Intend to Apply

On LSD.Law, an application status indicating the user plans to apply to a school but has not yet submitted. These are excluded from most aggregate statistics and automatically converted to "Pending" once any application activity is recorded.

IP

Intellectual property, a legal specialty covering patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

J

JD

Juris Doctor, the professional doctorate required to practice law in the United States.

JS1

Interview invite from Harvard Law School, named after the initials of HLS's previous dean of admissions. Same meaning as KJ1; the terminology shifted when the dean changed.

JS2

Acceptance from Harvard Law School, named after the initials of HLS's previous dean of admissions. Same meaning as KJ2.

K

KJ1

Interview invite from Harvard Law School, named after Kristi Jobson, HLS's current dean of admissions. Previously known as JS1.

KJ2

Acceptance from Harvard Law School, named after Kristi Jobson, HLS's current dean of admissions. Previously known as JS2.

KJD

"Kindergarten through JD." An applicant going straight from undergraduate to law school with no gap years or full-time work experience between degrees.

L

Law Review

A scholarly publication produced by a law school featuring legal articles and research. Editorial board membership is competitive, typically based on a writing competition, grades, or both.

LG

Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning), an LSAT section testing diagramming and deductive reasoning. Removed from the LSAT starting August 2024.

LOCI

Letter of continued interest, a letter sent to a law school after being waitlisted, reaffirming your desire to attend.

LOR

Letter of recommendation, a reference letter submitted as part of a law school application, typically from a professor or employer.

LR

Logical Reasoning, an LSAT section testing the ability to analyze and evaluate arguments.

LRAP

Loan Repayment Assistance Program, a school-funded program that helps graduates in lower-paying public interest or government jobs repay their law school loans.

LSAC

The Law School Admission Council, the organization that administers the LSAT, operates the CAS, and manages the law school application process.

LSAT

The Law School Admission Test, the primary standardized test used for law school admissions, scored 120 to 180. The single most influential numerical factor in law school admissions.

See: Admissions Predictions

LSD

Two meanings: (1) Law School Data, a repository of self-reported admissions data and results (that's us); or (2) lysergic acid diethylamide, a powerful hallucinogenic drug manufactured from lysergic acid (not us).

See: Getting Started

LSD Rank

LSD.Law's composite law school ranking, computed from a Bradley-Terry pairwise preference model fit to cross-admit decisions. It measures where applicants actually choose to enroll when admitted to multiple schools.

See: Rankings Methodology

LST

Law School Transparency, a website owned by LSAC that publishes information about law schools, including employment data and consumer information.

M

Matriculation

Officially enrolling and beginning classes at a law school. ABA 509 medians describe the matriculating class — students who actually enrolled — not the broader pool of applicants or admits.

See: Reading a School Profile

Medians

A school's median LSAT score and GPA for its most recent entering class, the primary benchmarks applicants use to gauge competitiveness at a given school. Sourced from ABA 509 reports. The median GPA uses the CAS-computed GPA, not the degree-granting institution's GPA.

See: Rankings Methodology Reading a School Profile

Midlaw

Mid-sized law firms, roughly 50 to 500 attorneys, sitting between small firms and Biglaw. Compensation and work culture vary widely across Midlaw firms.

N

nKJD

An applicant who is not KJD, i.e., who has full-time work experience between undergrad and law school.

Non-Traditional (Non-Trad)

An applicant who doesn't follow the typical path to law school, usually a career changer, someone with significant professional experience, or an applicant with advanced degrees in other fields.

nURM

A non-URM applicant, someone not from an underrepresented minority group.

O

OCI

On-campus interviews, the recruiting process (typically in the summer after 1L) where law firms interview students for summer associate positions, often leading to Biglaw offers.

P

Part-time

A part-time JD enrollment option offered by some law schools, typically with evening classes and a four-year timeline instead of three. Part-time programs may have different admissions statistics.

Pending

On LSD.Law, the default application status after an application has been submitted but before a decision is rendered. Applications stay pending until the user marks them accepted, rejected, or waitlisted.

PI

Public interest law, legal work focused on serving the public good, including nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and legal aid.

PS

Personal statement, the primary application essay, usually two to three pages, in which an applicant makes their case for admission.

PSLF

Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a federal program that forgives remaining student loan balances after 120 qualifying monthly payments while working for a qualifying public service employer.

PT

Practice test, a previously administered LSAT used for test preparation (e.g., "PT 89").

PWL

Priority Waitlist, a higher-priority tier of a school's waitlist, indicating the applicant is more likely to be admitted if space opens.

R

R&R

Retake and Reapply. Common advice for applicants whose LSAT score is below their potential, suggesting they retake the LSAT and apply in a future cycle with a stronger score.

RC

Reading Comprehension, an LSAT section testing the ability to read and analyze complex passages.

RD

Regular Decision, the standard, non-binding application timeline, as opposed to ED or EA. Applicants may hold multiple offers simultaneously and choose by the deposit deadline.

Reverse Splitter

An applicant with a high GPA but low LSAT relative to a school's medians, the opposite of a splitter. The term was coined by applicants after "splitter" entered the vocabulary.

See: Admissions Predictions

Rolling

Rolling admissions. Schools review applications and release decisions on an ongoing basis rather than in batches after a deadline. Applying earlier in a rolling cycle is generally advantageous.

S

SA

Summer Associate, a paid summer position at a law firm, typically after 2L year. Most Biglaw hiring happens through SA programs, with offers to return full-time extended at the end of the summer.

Seat Deposit

A non-refundable payment to hold your spot in an incoming class. Most schools require one or two deposits before enrollment.

Softs

Non-numerical application factors: work experience, leadership, extracurriculars, personal statement quality, and other qualitative elements. On LSD.Law, softs are self-rated on a scale from T1 (strongest) to T4 (minimal distinguishing factors).

See: Admissions Predictions

Splitter

An applicant whose LSAT is above a school's median but whose GPA is below it. Splitters present a mixed signal to admissions committees: strong on one metric, below target on the other.

See: Admissions Predictions

Stats

An applicant's LSAT score and undergraduate GPA, the two hard numbers that dominate law school admissions decisions.

See: Admissions Predictions Reading a School Profile

Sticker

Paying full tuition with no scholarship, as in "sticker price."

See: Scholarship Calculator

Suggested

On LSD.Law, an application status assigned to schools the site has pre-populated for a user based on their stats. Suggested schools are excluded from aggregate statistics until the user claims them by changing the status.

T

T1

Tier 1, law schools ranked 1-50 in the U.S. News rankings.

T2

Tier 2, law schools ranked 51-100.

T3

Tier 3, law schools ranked 101-150.

T4

Tier 4, law schools ranked below 150.

T6

The top 6 law schools (Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, Columbia, and NYU), which have historically occupied the top six positions with unusual consistency.

T14

The top 14 law schools, a group that has historically maintained its composition with remarkable stability, making "T14" a category unto itself in admissions discourse.

See: Rankings Methodology

Target Medians

The LSAT and GPA medians a school is aiming for in the current cycle. These may differ from last year's reported medians. A school whose median was 168 last year may be targeting 169 this year, putting a 168 below target.

See: Rankings Methodology

TTT

Derogatory shorthand for third- and fourth-tier law schools. Occasionally seen in admissions forums.

U

UG

Undergrad, short for undergraduate education or institution.

uGPA

Undergraduate GPA, specifically the cumulative GPA calculated by LSAC's CAS, which may differ from your transcript GPA due to LSAC's standardized calculation methodology.

See: Admissions Predictions

Unicorn

An applicant with exceptionally strong soft factors, e.g., Olympic athlete, Rhodes Scholar, or published author with national recognition. Rare enough to meaningfully shift admissions odds beyond what stats alone would predict.

UR

Under Review, a portal status indicating your application is being reviewed by the admissions committee. Going UR is generally a positive signal: it means your file is being read.

UR2

A second "Under Review" status change on a school's portal, indicated by an updated date. Often interpreted as the application getting a second look by the committee, though the exact meaning varies by school.

URM

Underrepresented minority, an applicant from a racial or ethnic group historically underrepresented in the legal profession. URM status has traditionally been a meaningful factor in law school admissions.

See: Admissions Predictions

USNWR

U.S. News & World Report, publisher of the most widely referenced law school rankings. Source of the T14/T1/T2 tier vocabulary.

See: Rankings Methodology

V

V10 / V100

The top 10 or top 100 law firms as ranked by Vault, a legal industry publisher. Used as shorthand for firm prestige in career discussions.

W

WE

Work Experience, time spent in full-time employment between undergrad and law school. A common factor in admissions discussions, especially when distinguishing KJD from non-traditional applicants.

Why X

A supplemental essay explaining why you want to attend a specific law school. Also called a "Why Statement." Demonstrates fit and genuine interest, often relevant to yield-conscious admissions decisions.

Withdrawn

You have voluntarily removed your application from consideration at a school, typically after accepting an offer elsewhere. Withdrawing promptly frees up a seat for waitlisted applicants.

WL

Waitlist, neither admitted nor rejected. The school may extend an offer later if space opens in the class, typically after deposit deadlines pass. Waitlist conversion rates vary widely by school and cycle.

Y

Yield

The percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll. A 50% yield means that for every two offers extended, one student matriculates. Higher yield generally indicates stronger desirability.

See: Rankings Methodology

YP

Yield protection, the practice of waitlisting, holding, or denying an applicant the school believes is unlikely to attend if admitted. Less common now than in past cycles, but still discussed in admissions forums.