Inputs
Data sources
All figures come from ABA 509 Required Disclosure filings, which every ABA-accredited law school must submit annually. Three file types feed the estimator:
File 1
First Year Class
LSAT and GPA percentiles (p25 / p50 / p75) and full-time enrollment counts for each entering class.
File 2
Grants & Scholarships
Percentage of students receiving grants and grant amount percentiles. Covers 2021–2025.
File 3
Tuition & Living Expenses
Annual full-time resident and non-resident tuition. The 2025 filing only — no averaging across years.
Averaging
Five-year weighted averages
LSAT percentiles, GPA percentiles, and grant amounts are averaged across five years (2021–2025). Each year is weighted by the school's full-time enrollment that year, so larger classes carry more influence.
weighted average = Σ(value × enrollment) / Σ(enrollment)
% Receiving aid is taken directly from the 2025 filing only — not averaged. Tuition figures also come from 2025 only, since using a single current number is more meaningful than a historical blend.
Calculation
Step-by-step estimate
1
Score your LSAT against the school's distribution
Your LSAT is placed within the school's p25 / p50 / p75 band using linear interpolation, producing a score from 0 to 1. The anchors are fixed: p25 → 0.25, p50 → 0.50, p75 → 0.75. Values outside the band extrapolate linearly and are capped at 0 and 1.0.
Between p25 and p50:
score = 0.25 + 0.25 × (LSAT − p25) / (p50 − p25)
Example: LSAT 163, p25/p50/p75 = 161/165/167
score = 0.25 + 0.25 × (163 − 161) / (165 − 161) = 0.375
score = 0.25 + 0.25 × (LSAT − p25) / (p50 − p25)
Example: LSAT 163, p25/p50/p75 = 161/165/167
score = 0.25 + 0.25 × (163 − 161) / (165 − 161) = 0.375
2
Score your GPA the same way
Identical interpolation is applied to your GPA using the school's GPA percentile band.
Above p75 (extrapolates upward):
score = 0.75 + 0.25 × (GPA − p75) / (p75 − p50), capped at 1.0
Example: GPA 4.00, p25/p50/p75 = 3.49/3.74/3.87
score = 0.75 + 0.25 × (4.00 − 3.87) / (3.87 − 3.74) = 1.00
score = 0.75 + 0.25 × (GPA − p75) / (p75 − p50), capped at 1.0
Example: GPA 4.00, p25/p50/p75 = 3.49/3.74/3.87
score = 0.75 + 0.25 × (4.00 − 3.87) / (3.87 − 3.74) = 1.00
3
Blend into one combined score (60 / 40)
LSAT and GPA scores are merged with a 60 / 40 weighting, reflecting that LSAT is generally the more heavily weighted factor in admissions decisions.
combined = (0.60 × LSAT score) + (0.40 × GPA score)
Example:
combined = (0.60 × 0.375) + (0.40 × 1.00) = 0.625
Example:
combined = (0.60 × 0.375) + (0.40 × 1.00) = 0.625
4
Map the score to a dollar estimate
The combined score is matched against the school's grant p25 / p50 / p75 dollar amounts using the same interpolation logic. A score of 0.25 anchors to the grant p25 amount, 0.50 to p50, 0.75 to p75. Scores outside that range extrapolate linearly. Grant estimates are floored at $0.
Between 0.50 and 0.75 anchors:
grant = p50g + (score − 0.50) / 0.25 × (p75g − p50g)
Example: score = 0.625, p25/p50/p75 = $21,370 / $34,867 / $45,293
grant = $34,867 + 0.5 × ($45,293 − $34,867) = $40,080
grant = p50g + (score − 0.50) / 0.25 × (p75g − p50g)
Example: score = 0.625, p25/p50/p75 = $21,370 / $34,867 / $45,293
grant = $34,867 + 0.5 × ($45,293 − $34,867) = $40,080
5
Assign applicant strength and confidence labels
Strength reflects where the combined score falls:
≥ 0.60 → Strong | ≥ 0.38 → Competitive | < 0.38 → Reach
Confidence reflects how far your stats sit from the school's observed range:
High — both LSAT and GPA fall within the p25–p75 band
Medium — one stat is within the band; the other is near it (within 5 LSAT points or 0.20 GPA points)
Low — one or both stats require significant extrapolation beyond observed data
≥ 0.60 → Strong | ≥ 0.38 → Competitive | < 0.38 → Reach
Confidence reflects how far your stats sit from the school's observed range:
High — both LSAT and GPA fall within the p25–p75 band
Medium — one stat is within the band; the other is near it (within 5 LSAT points or 0.20 GPA points)
Low — one or both stats require significant extrapolation beyond observed data
6
Calculate net cost
Net cost subtracts the estimated grant from the school's annual tuition (resident or non-resident, per your selection). If the estimated grant exceeds tuition, net cost is shown as $0. Schools without full-time tuition data — typically those charging per credit hour — show a dash.
net cost = max(0, annual tuition − estimated grant)
Example: $36,500 tuition − $40,080 grant = max(0, −$3,580) = $0
Example: $36,500 tuition − $40,080 grant = max(0, −$3,580) = $0
Special cases
Need-based schools
Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are flagged as need-based. Grant estimates are suppressed for these schools because their financial aid is awarded primarily on demonstrated financial need rather than LSAT and GPA credentials. Contact each school's financial aid office directly for accurate aid information.
Caveats
Limitations
These estimates are statistical projections based on historical patterns — not guarantees of what any individual school will offer.
Actual awards depend on factors outside the ABA data: application cycle dynamics, class composition goals, competing offers, demonstrated interest, and each school's budget in a given year.
The model assumes merit aid scales linearly with applicant strength between the p25 and p75 anchors, which simplifies how schools actually structure their award tiers.
Schools that award grants to nearly all students may show high estimates even for weaker profiles, because the ABA data does not distinguish between merit and nominal aid.
Extrapolation beyond the observed p25–p75 range (flagged as Low confidence) is inherently less reliable than interpolation within it.
Tuition figures reflect the 2025 ABA filing and do not include fees, living expenses, or bar preparation costs.
Only schools present in the 2025 grants filing are included. Schools that closed or lost ABA accreditation before 2025 are excluded.