Law School Admissions Glossary
90+ law school admissions terms defined, from LSAT and GPA to T14, splitters, Biglaw, and waitlist jargon. The complete reference for applicants.
Common terms, abbreviations, and acronyms used in law school admissions and on LSD.Law.
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A
ABA
The American Bar Association, the national professional organization responsible for accrediting law schools, which publishes annual 509 disclosure reports with admissions and employment data.
ABA 509 Report
An annual disclosure every ABA-accredited law school must file, containing admissions, enrollment, employment, bar passage, and financial data. This is the primary public data source for law school statistics.
Acceptance Rate
The percentage of applicants who receive an offer of admission from a law school during a particular cycle, including those on the waitlist. This information is drawn from ABA 509 data and is different from yield, which measures the percentage of admitted students who ultimately enroll in the institution.
ACL
Active Consideration List, a status NYU Law uses during the admissions cycle, which is similar to a waitlist or hold.
Addendum
A short supplemental document prospective law school students can attach to their application to explain a weakness or red flag, such as a low GPA or LSAT score.
ASD
Admitted Students Day, an event a law school hosts to celebrate admitted applicants, often featuring campus tours, class visits, faculty panels, and meetings with current students.
Attending
A flag an applicant sets on exactly one accepted school on LSD.Law to indicate where they are matriculating. This is the signal the ranking uses to derive cross-admit observations.
B
Biglaw
Large, prestigious law firms, typically with 500+ attorneys. They follow a market-standard, or lockstep, compensation model known as the Cravath scale, with first-year associate salaries currently at $235,000.
C
C&F
Character and Fitness, the background check and disclosure process applicants must complete for law school and bar admission. Questions cover criminal history, moral character, and academic misconduct, and a “yes” response usually triggers a mandatory C&F addendum.
CAS
The Law School Admission Council’s (LSAC’s) Credential Assembly Service. This clearinghouse service streamlines the application process by generating transcript summary reports, calculating a standardized cumulative GPA, and collecting letters of recommendation on behalf of applicants.
CAS GPA
The standardized grade point average the LSAC calculates through its Credential Assembly Service. It’s the official metric law schools report to the ABA and use for rankings. It may differ from your undergraduate institution’s GPA because CAS applies specific rules for grade conversions, repeated courses, and credit weighting. 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.
CCN
Shorthand for Columbia, Chicago, and NYU, which are often grouped together in admissions discussions.
COA
Cost of Attendance, the total cost to attend a law school for one year, including tuition, fees, living expenses, books, and transportation.
Cross-admit
An applicant who receives an acceptance letter to two or more schools. The school the applicant decides to attend serves as the input data for the LSD ranking. A single enrollment decision generates one pairwise observation against each of the applicant's other acceptances.
Cycle
The admissions calendar year period, such as the 2023-2024 cycle, during which prospective students submit their applications and law schools review them and render decisions.
D
Deferred
Depending on context, the term either means (1) an early-decision applicant who is moved to the regular decision pool rather than given an immediate decision, or (2) an admitted student who chooses to delay their enrollment by one or, in some cases, two years.
E
EA
Early Action, a non-binding application option where you apply by a specified deadline and generally receive a decision earlier in the admissions cycle. Unlike Early Decision, accepting an EA offer does not require you to withdraw your other applications.
ED
Early Decision, a binding application track where you admit your application early and get a faster decision in exchange for your commitment to attend that school and withdraw all your other applications. Some schools offer ED with scholarship guarantees, while others do not.
Experimental Section
Also known as the variable section, an unscored section of the LSAT that the Law School Admission Council uses for research and future test development. Test-takers do not know which section is experimental during the test, and the section has no direct impact on your final score.
F
FC
Federal clerkship, a highly prestigious one- or two-year position working for a federal judge after law school.
G
H
Hold
An admissions decision in which the school delays committing to a final admit, denial, or waitlist. This status is distinct from a waitlist, though in practice some schools use holds as de facto waitlists.
I
II
Interview Invite, an invitation to interview with a law school's admissions office. The format varies by school and can include an in-person, video, or alumni interview.
In-flux cycle
The current admissions cycle, during which rankings and aggregate statistics are still accumulating data. Rankings marked as in-flux update when applicants report enrollment decisions, and they become official on August 15 of each matriculating year.
Index Score
A weighted formula combining your LSAT score and GPA, with component weighting differing by school. Some law schools use this score for initial applicant screening.
J
K
L
Law Review
A scholarly student-edited periodical published by a law school, featuring legal articles and research by scholars, professors, judges, and students. Editorial board membership is competitive and is generally based on a writing competition, grades, or both.
LG
Logic Games, also known as Analytical Reasoning, an LSAT section testing your deductive reasoning and your ability to order and group information. This section was removed from the LSAT in August 2024.
LOCI
Letter of Continued Interest, a formal letter a waitlisted or deferred applicant sends to a law school to reaffirm their desire to attend.
LOR
Letter of Recommendation, a reference letter submitted as part of a law school application, typically from a professor or employer familiar with your qualifications and skills.
LR
Logical Reasoning, an LSAT section testing your critical reasoning skills and ability to analyze and evaluate arguments.
LRAP
Loan Repayment Assistance Program, a financial aid program to help graduates who take lower-paying public interest or government jobs repay their law school loans.
LSAC
The Law School Admission Council, a nonprofit organization that administers the LSAT, manages the law school application process, and operates the Credential Assembly Service.
LSAT
The Law School Admission Test, the primary standardized test used for law school admissions, administered by the Law School Admission Council. The test is scored from 120 to 180 and is the most influential numerical factor when making admissions decisions.
LSD
Law School Data, our repository of self-reported admissions data and results. Not to be confused with lysergic acid diethylamide, a powerful hallucinogenic drug manufactured from lysergic acid.
LSD Rank
LSD.Law's composite law school ranking, computed from a Bradley-Terry pairwise preference model fit to cross-admit decisions. The ranking is based on where students choose to enroll when they are admitted to multiple law schools.
M
Matriculation
The formal process of enrolling and beginning classes at a law school. ABA 509 medians describe the matriculating class, or students who officially enrolled, rather than the broader pool of applicants or admits.
Medians
The 50th percentile LSAT scores and GPAs for a school’s most recent entering class. These are the primary benchmarks applicants use to gauge whether they will be competitive at a particular school, and they are sourced from ABA 509 reports. The median GPA is based on the GPA computed by the Credential Assembly Service, not the GPA calculated by the degree-granting institution.
N
nKJD
Not Kindergarten to JD, an applicant who took a break between graduating from their undergraduate program and beginning law school to gain full-time work experience or achieve other goals.This distinguishes them from KJD students, who do not take time off before starting law school.
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P
Part-time
A part-time JD enrollment option offered by some law schools. These programs typically involve evening classes and often require four years of study instead of three. They may have different admissions statistics than full-time programs.
Pending
On LSD.Law, the default status after an application has been submitted but before the applicant makes a decision about where to enroll. Application statuses remain listed as pending until the user marks the school as accepted, rejected, or waitlisted.
PI
Public interest law, legal work focused on serving the public good and representing vulnerable or marginalized individuals. Employers in this area include nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and legal aid.
PS
Personal statement, the primary application essay an applicant writes to explain their background and demonstrate their writing skills. This essay, which is usually two to three pages long, makes the applicant’s case for admission.
PSLF
Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a federal program available to individuals working for qualifying public service employers. After 120 qualifying monthly payments, the program forgives any remaining student loan balances.
R
R&R
Retake and Reapply, common advice for applicants whose LSAT scores are below their potential. This is the suggestion that they retake the LSAT and apply again in a future cycle once they have a stronger score.
RC
Reading Comprehension, an LSAT section testing the ability to read and analyze complex passages and understand logical relationships.
RD
Regular Decision, the standard, non-binding process where applicants submit their materials by a set deadline later in the cycle, as opposed to Early Decision or Early Action. Applicants may have multiple offers simultaneously and have until the deposit deadline to choose between them.
S
SA
Summer Associate, a law student working a paid summer position at a firm, typically after their second (2L) year. SA programs are the primary source of hiring for Biglaw, with firms often extending offers to return full-time at the end of the summer.
Seat Deposit
A non-refundable payment to hold your spot in an incoming class. This is a partial payment toward your tuition, and most schools require one or two deposits to confirm you plan to enroll.
Softs
Non-numerical and qualitative application factors, including work experience, leadership, extracurricular activities, the quality of your personal statement, and letters of recommendation. On LSD.Law, softs are self-rated on a scale from T1 (strongest) to T4 (minimal distinguishing factors).
Splitter
An applicant who has an LSAT score above a school's median but a GPA below it. Splitters present a mixed signal to admissions committees because they’re strong on one metric but below target on the other.
Stats
An applicant's LSAT score and undergraduate GPA, the two hard numbers that dominate law school admissions decisions.
T
T6
The law schools that have historically occupied the top six positions in the U.S. News rankings: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, Columbia, and NYU.
T14
The top 14 law schools in the U.S. News rankings. This is a group that has been remarkably stable in the rankings, making it a category unto itself when discussing law school admissions.
Target Medians
The LSAT and GPA medians a school is aiming for in the current cycle. These may change from year to year. For example, a school with a median of 168 in one year may target 169 the following year, making a 168 less competitive.
U
uGPA
Undergraduate Grade Point Average, specifically the cumulative GPA the Credential Assembly Service calculates. This may differ from the GPA listed on your transcript because the LSAC has a different calculation methodology.
Unicorn
A law school applicant who has exceptionally strong soft (non-numerical) factors, such as an Olympic athlete, a Rhodes Scholar, or a published author with national recognition. While most applicants are judged largely on their LSAT scores and GPA, a unicorn is rare enough to shift their admissions odds beyond what their typical stats would predict.
UR
Under Review, a portal status indicating the admissions committee is still reviewing your application. Your status changing to UR is usually a good sign because it means the committee is reading your file.
UR2
A second Under Review status change on a school's portal, indicated by a new date. Although the exact meaning depends on the school, this often indicates that the committee is giving your application a second look.
V
W
WE
Work experience, specifically full-time employment completed between finishing your undergraduate program and beginning law school. This is a common factor in admissions discussions, especially when distinguishing between KJD and non-traditional applicants.
Why X
Also called a Why Statement, a supplemental essay explaining why you want to attend a particular law school. This offers an opportunity to express your genuine interest and express why you’re a good fit for the school, which is often relevant to yield-conscious admissions decisions.
Withdrawn
The applicant voluntarily removes their application from consideration at a school, usually after deciding to enroll elsewhere. When you withdraw, a seat immediately opens for waitlisted applicants.
WL
Waitlist, a status where the applicant has not been admitted or rejected. The school may extend an offer at a later date if space opens in the incoming class because other applicants decide not to enroll. This typically occurs after deposit deadlines have passed, and waitlist conversion rates vary widely by school and cycle.
Y
Yield
The percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll at a particular school. A 50% yield means that for every two offers the school extends, one student chooses to enroll. A high yield rate generally indicates that admitted students view the school as a top choice.
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