March 7, 2017

Do Underrepresented Minority (URM) Applicants Have a Law School Admissions Advantage?

Law school admissions decisions are often thought to be formulaic and assume LSAT and GPA are the only important elements. We cannot deny that those numbers play a huge (and important) part in most admissions decisions. But, they aren’t the only factors that matter. We’ve previously discussed other key ingredients in the admissions decision factors, such as timing and applying through early decision (ED). There are other factors that make a difference, and some of them are quantifiable factors with user-reported data. These include an applicant’s gender, traditional or non-traditional status, and URM. In law school lingo, URM stands for an underrepresented minority. This post will focus on statistics relating to how URM status may affect law school application outcomes.

How Big of a Role Does Minority Status Play?

Theoretically, URM applicants may get a “boost,” or increase chance of admission, due to their status as an underrepresented minority. There are a number of reasons and explanations for this, which go far beyond our purposes here. But, in general, law schools believe that creating a diverse environment means creating a rich environment. There is also evidence that the LSAT, while it generally creates a level playing field, may somewhat disadvantage certain racial and ethnic minorities. In addition, there are questions regarding structural problems with our public education system that might disadvantage certain groups. Regardless of the reasoning for an URM boost, however, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that it exists. The purpose of our analysis here is to provide some numerical statistics to support that anecdotal evidence.

To address questions regarding any advantage URM candidates might have in law school admissions, here’s what we need to do:

Quantify what we’ve termed the “URM Boost” by measuring the effects of URM status on admissions outcomes. We will also be controlling a variety of other quantifiable factors.
Present the average LSAT and GPA figures for both URM and non-URM admits to schools in the USNWR Top 100. These schools have sufficient user-reported data available and thus make this equation more consistent.

This analysis makes use of data reported by law school applicants and spans the 2009/2010 through 2015/2016 application cycles. The URM status for individual applicants was self-reported.

Does the URM boost exist?

Short answer: yes! Almost every school we cover shows an increased chance of admission to URM applicants, with higher boosts for higher-tiered schools. Let’s review by tier. The number given in the table is the % increase in chances for admission for URM vs. non-URM candidates. We controlled for LSAT, GPA, applicant gender, ED application, non-traditional status, and the month an application was sent.

As you can see in Table 1a, law schools typically give a 7% boost to URM applicants. In other words, a URM applicant who is exactly equal to a non-URM candidate, including all other factors we control for, is 7% more likely to be admitted to any law school than a non-URM equivalent. This number is a whopping 498% in the Top 14, 126% in the Top 25, and 52% in the Top 50 law schools.

From this data, we can conclude that URM applicants have a major advantage during admissions decisions. That advantage is even higher in top-tier schools.

The Top 100 and the URM Boost

Table 1b below lists the 74 schools in the Top 100 for which we have enough data to draw conclusions. It is ranked in order of the URM boost percentage. Schools shaded in yellow demonstrated no statistically significant (NSS) discernible boost for URM applicants.

Rank	School	URM Boost
57	Case Western	36457%
72	Loyola (Chicago)	25292%
6	NYU	18728%
4	Chicago	18172%
13	Cornell	13369%
2	Harvard	10360%
11	Duke	8336%
4	Columbia	6707%
3	Stanford	6069%
16	Vanderbilt	5440%
19	USC	4672%
50	Temple	4172%
14	Georgetown	3623%
40	Wake Forest	2845%
82	Northeastern	2829%
40	U of Colorado (Boulder)	1888%
86	Penn State	1795%
86	Chicago-Kent	1731%
65	U of Connecticut	1703%
33	U Wisconsin (Madison)	1655%
25	George Washington	1573%
45	U of Utah	1572%
15	U Texas	1564%
40	Washington & Lee	1497%
37	Fordham	1402%
20	Boston U	1363%
40	U of Illinois	1239%
8	UC Berkeley	1117%
12	Northwestern	1032%
78	U of Pittsburgh	1000%
28	Boston College	850%
1	Yale	823%
30	Ohio State	794%
92	Lewis & Clark	698%
40	U of Arizona	668%
17	UCLA	663%
28	U Alabama	642%
30	William & Mary	624%
78	American	603%
8	UVA	587%
33	U Georgia	585%
18	WUSTL	565%
65	Loyola Marymount	557%
25	Arizona State	528%
7	U Penn	512%
8	Michigan	490%
25	Indiana (Bloomington)	435%
38	UNC	371%
45	Southern Methodist	363%
74	Cardozo	359%
33	U Washington	352%
72	Denver	344%
48	U of Maryland	335%
30	UC Davis	321%
86	Syracuse	294%
50	Hastings	262%
60	U of Miami	255%
57	Georgia State	250%
22	Minnesota	235%
97	Brooklyn	230%
50	Houston	NSS
22	Notre Dame	NSS
22	Emory	NSS
20	Iowa	NSS
45	George Mason	NSS
48	U of Florida	NSS
50	FSU	NSS
50	Tulane	NSS
55	Baylor	NSS
55	Richmond	NSS
60	U of Kentucky	NSS
65	Pepperdine	NSS
74	U of San Diego	NSS
100	Michigan State	NSS

Some of you might be asking “Table 1a shows that for Top 50 schools as a whole, there is a 52% URM boost, but Table 1b makes it look like that should be much larger!” It’s a good question but that disparity is explained by the fact that some schools have no URM boost at all and the data is being sliced differently in each table.

In Table 1b, each school analyzes its applicants in a vacuum, without regard to other schools. In Table 1a, those applicants are grouped together within a tier. To put it differently, for the Top 14, Yale, Harvard, and Cornell students are all lumped together.

You have probably also noticed that many of the numbers in Table 1b are astronomical. Case Western gives URM applicants a 365-times better shot at admission? The takeaway here is that there are some URM admits whose numerical profiles (along with other quantifiable admissions factors) simply would not have a shot if not for their URM status and other unmeasurable factors like their personal statement, recommendations, resume, etc.

Don’t read too much into any individual numbers in Table 1b. Instead, think of it as a guideline that shows which schools give relatively larger/smaller URM boosts.

LSAT Differentials

To make things easier to digest, below are tables that show average LSAT and GPA scores for admitted URM students vs. non-URM students at the Top 100 schools. First up, in Table 2a, we are focusing on LSAT scores. The schools are listed by the difference between an average non-URM admit’s LSAT vs. the average URM admit’s LSAT. Please note that nothing else is controlled for here, and these are just the raw numbers.

Rank	School	Non-URM LSAT	URM LSAT	LSAT Differential
4	Columbia	173.9	166.2	7.7
40	Washington & Lee	165.7	158.7	7.0
2	Harvard	174.3	167.5	6.8
4	Chicago	172.7	166.3	6.4
57	Case Western	162.1	155.8	6.3
6	NYU	173.1	167.0	6.2
82	Northeastern	163.9	157.8	6.1
18	WUSTL	168.5	162.6	5.9
8	UC Berkeley	171.6	165.9	5.7
12	Northwestern	171.5	165.8	5.7
11	Duke	172.0	166.4	5.6
8	Michigan	171.0	165.4	5.6
40	U of Illinois	166.5	160.9	5.6
7	U Penn	171.6	166.1	5.5
72	Loyola (Chicago)	162.2	156.5	5.3
78	American	161.8	156.5	5.3
14	Georgetown	171.2	165.9	5.3
16	Vanderbilt	169.8	164.6	5.2
28	U Alabama	166.3	161.1	5.1
38	UNC	164.9	159.8	5.1
3	Stanford	173.7	168.7	5.1
13	Cornell	170.2	165.2	5.0
1	Yale	175.0	170.0	5.0
33	U Georgia	166.4	161.5	4.9
92	Lewis & Clark	163.8	159.1	4.6
30	William & Mary	166.87	162.2	4.6
78	U of Pittsburgh	161.9	157.4	4.5
15	U Texas	170.0	165.5	4.5
86	Chicago-Kent	162.0	157.6	4.4
17	UCLA	170.0	165.6	4.3
45	Southern Methodist	164.5	160.2	4.3
100	Michigan State	159.0	154.7	4.3
25	George Washington	167.7	163.4	4.3
8	UVA	170.8	166.6	4.3
19	USC	169.1	164.8	4.2
22	Notre Dame	166.9	162.7	4.2
22	Emory	167.5	163.3	4.1
50	Houston	164.4	160.4	4.0
48	U of Maryland	163.4	159.4	4.0
86	Syracuse	157.5	153.5	3.9
50	Temple	163.6	159.7	3.9
25	Indiana (Bloomington)	165.4	161.5	3.9
33	U Washington	166.9	163.0	3.8
30	Ohio State	164.3	160.5	3.8
33	U Wisconsin (Madison)	164.6	160.8	3.8
86	Penn State	161.7	158.0	3.8
74	Cardozo	164.5	160.8	3.8
50	Hastings	164.7	161.0	3.7
20	Boston U	167.1	163.4	3.7
65	U of Connecticut	162.8	159.1	3.7
28	Boston College	166.7	163.1	3.6
40	Wake Forest	164.5	160.9	3.6
97	Brooklyn	162.8	159.3	3.6
30	UC Davis	165.6	162.2	3.4
20	Iowa	164.4	161.0	3.4
55	Baylor	163.6	160.3	3.3
37	Fordham	167.3	164.0	3.2
45	George Mason	163.7	160.7	3.1
40	U of Arizona	163.4	160.5	2.9
60	U of Kentucky	160.7	157.8	2.9
22	Minnesota	167.6	164.7	2.9
48	U of Florida	163.3	160.6	2.7
55	Richmond	162.4	159.7	2.7
40	U of Colorado (Boulder)	165.6	162.9	2.7
65	Loyola Marymount	163.5	160.9	2.5
25	Arizona State	164.0	161.5	2.5
50	Tulane	163.0	160.6	2.5
45	U of Utah	163.1	160.7	2.4
72	Denver	160.9	158.8	2.1
50	FSU	162.5	160.5	2.0
65	Pepperdine	163.4	161.6	1.8
57	Georgia State	161.7	160.0	1.7
74	U of San Diego	162.8	161.2	1.6
60	U of Miami	160.9	159.4	1.6

As you can see, Columbia has the highest LSAT differential (by quite a bit, actually), with Columbia’s differential being nearly 5 times higher than the University of Miami’s, which is bringing up the rear. And, of course, there is a wide range in between.

Top 14 Law School URM LSAT Differential — Table 2b

When comparing the Top 14 schools in Table 2b, the range is much smaller, but still considerable. Note that UVA’s differential, despite being the lowest in Table 2b, is still well within the top half for the 74 schools. This further underscores the idea that the URM boost is worth more at top schools.

GPA Differentials

In the following tables, we repeat the same exercise for GPA:

Rank	School	Non-URM GPA	URM GPA	GPA Differential
60	U of Kentucky	3.43	3.20	0.23
25	Indiana (Bloomington)	3.52	3.30	0.22
65	U of Connecticut	3.46	3.26	0.21
86	Chicago-Kent	3.34	3.14	0.19
50	Temple	3.48	3.29	0.19
40	U of Illinois	3.53	3.34	0.19
20	Iowa	3.59	3.40	0.19
92	Lewis & Clark	3.43	3.25	0.18
78	American	3.45	3.28	0.17
72	Loyola (Chicago)	3.38	3.21	0.17
97	Brooklyn	3.43	3.27	0.15
74	Cardozo	3.51	3.36	0.15
28	Boston College	3.62	3.48	0.15
78	U of Pittsburgh	3.44	3.29	0.15
30	William & Mary	3.64	3.50	0.14
57	Case Western	3.41	3.27	0.14
25	Arizona State	3.55	3.41	0.14
86	Penn State	3.45	3.31	0.14
45	U of Utah	3.50	3.37	0.13
74	U of San Diego	3.47	3.35	0.13
50	Hastings	3.55	3.43	0.13
6	NYU	3.79	3.66	0.13
2	Harvard	3.89	3.76	0.12
22	Minnesota	3.53	3.41	0.12
30	Ohio State	3.61	3.49	0.12
40	Washington & Lee	3.52	3.40	0.12
65	Loyola Marymount	3.52	3.41	0.12
4	Columbia	3.79	3.68	0.12
28	U Alabama	3.53	3.41	0.12
15	U Texas	3.71	3.60	0.11
3	Stanford	3.91	3.80	0.11
16	Vanderbilt	3.70	3.59	0.11
4	Chicago	3.85	3.74	0.11
13	Cornell	3.75	3.64	0.11
7	U Penn	3.82	3.71	0.11
19	USC	3.74	3.64	0.10
57	Georgia State	3.47	3.36	0.10
33	U Wisconsin (Madison)	3.48	3.38	0.10
40	U of Arizona	3.52	3.42	0.10
1	Yale	3.52	3.42	0.10
100	Michigan State	3.48	3.39	0.10
8	UC Berkeley	3.84	3.75	0.09
12	Northwestern	3.68	3.59	0.09
40	U of Colorado (Boulder)	3.54	3.45	0.09
20	Boston U	3.67	3.58	0.09
40	Wake Forest	3.50	3.42	0.09
48	U of Maryland	3.47	3.39	0.09
8	Michigan	3.74	3.66	0.08
11	Duke	3.79	3.71	0.08
65	Pepperdine	3.55	3.47	0.08
86	Syracuse	3.36	3.28	0.07
33	U Washington	3.65	3.58	0.07
14	Georgetown	3.71	3.64	0.07
22	Notre Dame	3.63	3.57	0.06
55	Richmond	3.40	3.33	0.06
18	WUSTL	3.54	3.48	0.06
37	Fordham	3.61	3.55	0.06
45	George Mason	3.50	3.44	0.06
55	Baylor	3.48	3.42	0.06
82	Northeastern	3.48	3.42	0.06
30	UC Davis	3.61	3.55	0.06
72	Denver	3.37	3.32	0.06
8	UVA	3.74	3.68	0.06
38	UNC	3.56	3.51	0.05
25	George Washington	3.61	3.56	0.05
60	U of Miami	3.45	3.40	0.05
50	Tulane	3.45	3.45	0.05
17	UCLA	3.73	3.74	-0.01
50	FSU	3.47	3.50	-0.03
22	Emory	3.58	3.62	-0.04
45	Southern Methodist	3.45	3.51	-0.06
33	U Georgia	3.49	3.56	-0.07
50	Houston	3.44	3.53	-0.10
48	U of Florida	3.55	3.66	-0.11

Top 14 Law School URM GPA Differential — Table 3b

Here, we see a range of differentials, this time for the GPA. You can see that for 7 schools, admitted URMs had a higher average GPA than admitted non-URM applicants. Admittedly, some of that may have to do with smaller sample sizes for URM applicants that may not be entirely representative. Regardless, this gives you a general idea of where the schools stand in terms of the difference in the GPAs of URM and non-URM admitted students.

While a lot can be said or debated about these numbers, one thing for sure is that when it comes time for law school applications. Students who can apply as underrepresented minorities do seem to have an advantage. For those students, each additional LSAT point (or tenth of a point of GPA) can be that extra edge needed to get into a school.

Final note: Some of the data used here comes from public, self-reported sources. Thus it can be subject to some variation and uncertainty. Please keep this in mind when reviewing specific outcomes, and remember that each year the numbers can and do change.

Robin Stuart
March 07, 2017 at 6:25pm
I need this, especially since I’m a minority from South Central Los Angeles.

santiago mellon
August 11, 2017 at 5:17pm
Great analysis.
Where did you get the raw data for your analysis? I assume that you must be looking at LSAT & GPA numbers for admitted and rejected students for both URM and non-URM. Since schools don’t publish this breakdown and it is not on the ABA 509 documents either.
Thank you,
Santiago

Dave Killoran
August 11, 2017 at 7:49pm
Hi Santiago,
Daniel had talked about the data source in other blogs he wrote for us, so he didn’t feel the need to go in depth here on that topic again, but the data comes from LSN, hence his reference to self-reported. since it is a fairly substantial dataset, we feel comfortable drawing broad conclusions, but the self-reported element means that specifics are tougher. Take it with a grain of salt and look at the bigger picture trends as most useful.
By the way, although you are correct that this data is not publicly released by the schools, it SHOULD be. The lack of transparency is still troubling.
Thanks!

santiago
August 12, 2017 at 5:19am
Dave, Thanks for the response. I wish the sample was broader than LSN/self report because I have always wondered if the data is accurate, because my sense is there is a strong bias when self reporting is the sample. Nevertheless my instinct is there is probably a slight push for URM’s but actually data is locked away in the admission “vaults” of our country’s finest institutions.
Santiago

Dave Killoran
August 12, 2017 at 11:57pm
Hey Santiago,
Yes, I agree–it would be better to have access to all the data straight from the schools. But that’s clearly not happening any time soon (or ever), so we work with what we have.
One note though, the data is usually a better less biased than you might otherwise suspect due to the anonymity and the clear correlation between accurate data and usable info for all candidates. It’s probably less biased that one would suspect, which is a good thing for our purposes.
Thanks!

Vegas Man
March 15, 2018 at 7:02pm
What is the boost for black males vs. the regular URM boost?

Dave Killoran
March 15, 2018 at 7:09pm
Hi Vegas Man,
Thanks for the question! The underlying data isn’t that granular, meaning we can’t separate it out by different types and have any reliable data left. It’s certainly no worse than what you see here though.
Thanks!

El R
January 20, 2019 at 8:21am
Great analysis and information.
In terms of URM, would homosexual be considered to fall in this category?
Some advisers have suggested that I include my sexual orientation – and struggles – in my personal statement, but I’m not sure if it would be advantageous to do so.
What do you think?

Dave Killoran
January 28, 2019 at 6:39pm
Hi El R,
Thanks for the question! While you won’t be considered an URM, discussing your background and some of your struggles can definitely be helpful. You can do that either in your personal statement, or in a diversity essay/addendum depending on the school and what they ask for. So, I’d look to talk about it but not expect the URM boost from it!
Thanks!

Comments

Juan says
December 15, 2021 at 1:57 pm
Hello,
Seeing people asking for their chances on here;
What can I expect for a T14 admission?
– DACA/URM Hispanic
– Out of school for 2 years
– First Generation
– 169/3.46 (Wrote a GPA addendum, my cum. GPA is 3.6)
Reply
- PowerScore Test Prep says
  December 16, 2021 at 5:47 pm
  Hi,
  Thanks for the comment! Last year was one of the worst admissions cycles in history, and it really threw all prediction models for a loop because the medians rose so much in the T14, and thus many people who would have “normally” received offers did not. This year is not as bad, but still worse than two years ago (listen to the Powerscore podcast for more info on this, they talk about it constantly [https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/podcast]). So, currently, we are waiting to see how the data develops before considering doing any admissions chancing this year.
  Thanks again!
  Reply
Nick says
December 2, 2021 at 1:32 am
Would you say the differentials still hold even through this cycle?
Reply
- PowerScore Test Prep says
  December 2, 2021 at 4:55 pm
  Hi Nick!
  Thanks for the post! Even though last admissions cycle was historically competive, URM applicants did quite well overall —numbers/percentages of admits were up. 🙂 As for this cycle, it’s too early to tell. 🙂 Thanks!
  Reply
  - Juan says
    December 15, 2021 at 1:53 pm
    Hello!
    I wanted to know if URM applies equally among Hispanics? I keep getting conflicting answers about this
    I also wanted to know if I can put Latino and leave out race?
    Thank you,
    Reply
    - PowerScore Test Prep says
      December 16, 2021 at 2:54 pm
      Hi Juan,
      Thanks for your comment! Groups that are typically considered URMs include African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, and Native Americans. If your racial or ethnic makeup is from one of those groups then you would be considered a URM. As for how to list your ethnicity and/or race, list what you identify with. 🙂
      Reply
RT says
November 5, 2021 at 3:00 am
Tricky question. If you’re biracial can you just list one, or should you list both? I actually mostly identify with the side that would make me a URM. Further, do you know if you would still be counted as a URM if you’re mixed (and are one race that would make you a URM)?
Reply
- PowerScore Test Prep says
  November 5, 2021 at 12:54 pm
  Hi Rose,
  Thank you for your comment! We recommend that you list what you identify with, so listing both would be best in your case. Also, groups typically considered URMS include African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, and Native Americans. If your racial or ethnic makeup is from one of those groups then you would be considered a URM.
  Thank you!
  Reply
Lissa says
December 4, 2020 at 10:20 pm
Hey! I am worried I will not be accepted to any Law Schools in Georgia. I got a 142 LSAT flex and a 3.77 GPA. I wrote the best personal statement I could and a letter talking about how the transition to the LSAT flex online messed up my score, which it did it was a hard time. I am Hispanic and a woman. Do I have a chance in any schools?
Reply
- Jon Denning says
  December 9, 2020 at 7:43 pm
  Hi Lissa – thanks for posting!
  I tend to be of the never say never mentality in most things, and certainly surprises happen all the time with admissions, but I’ll be honest with you: that LSAT score is going to be awfully tough for schools to overlook.
  I believe there are five law schools in the state (my home state, turns out!), and the top four of them—Emory, UGA, GA State, and Mercer—are all ranked and have a median LSAT range of roughly 165 for Emory down to about a 152 for Mercer. The fifth school, John Marshall, is unranked so hard to gauge its prestige by the standard metrics, and even its median LSAT is a 147. Couple that with the seriously competitive cycle we’re in and the rising LSAT scores the past year, and things get even trickier: I think everyone of those LSAT medians is likely to rise a few points in 2021, in fact (although we’ll see).
  So the takeaway isn’t necessarily that you won’t get in anywhere. Slim odds, but as I said outliers do happen. It’s more though that you’re almost certainly going to need to take the LSAT again and get your score up to around a 147 or so to have a more realistic chance (and into the 150s for Mercer or GA State).
  No doubt that’s not what you’d hoped to hear, but I do have some good news! First, your GPA is at or above all of those schools’ medians, telling me (1) it’s going to be very helpful for you, and (2) you’ve got a ton of potential if you’ve managed academic numbers like that. It bodes really well for the likelihood of you making a serious score jump if you’re able take the LSAT another time.
  Second: the Flex test experience, much like 2020 itself, is a particularly tough thing to adjust to straight away. So I’m certain a second Flex effort in, say, February, would have you far more comfortable…another big impactor in your outcome’s favor! If I’m in your shoes I’d be gearing back up to test in two months, work hard to keep improving (and master the Flex situation in the process), and give these schools the opportunity to say yes to a candidate your GPA shows they’d be lucky to have 🙂
  I hope that helps!
  Reply
Catherine says
December 3, 2020 at 3:18 am
Hi Dave,
Do you have any insight on students who are URM and undocu or DACAmented?
Reply
- Dave Killoran says
  December 3, 2020 at 12:39 pm
  Hi Catherine,
  Per our Law School and LSAT Terminology Dictionary, “URM status in admissions refers to a group of students whose racial or ethnic population in law school is less than that of the general population. Groups typically considered URMS include African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, and Native Americans.” As far as insights, those statuses are typically treated the same as everyone else.
  Thanks!
  Reply
B says
October 13, 2020 at 5:22 pm
Hello! I’m a NA URM with a 3.68 gpa and a 165 lsat flex. what are my chances of getting into UT Law?
Reply
- Dave Killoran says
  October 13, 2020 at 5:29 pm
  Hi B,
  Fairly good, at least a 50% chance, and likely more. In the latter half of the T14 you have a shot at most of the schools, assuming your softs are excellent.
  Best of luck1
  Reply
Ana says
September 22, 2020 at 7:56 pm
Hi, I am a Mexican American and I got a 165 LSAT Flex (I was scoring around 170 on traditional PTs but the flex format threw me off) and I have a 3.94 GPA. Today, I received a Priority Track email from Duke with a a fee waiver. What would you say my probability of getting to Duke in is?
Reply
- Dave Killoran says
  September 23, 2020 at 5:52 pm
  Hi Ana,
  Your admission chances here for Duke are probably 50-60%, maybe higher. A higher LSAT would help solidify that but if you really don’t want to retake, I could see a very reasonable case made for that.
  Note: the priority track invite is great, but it’s not an auto-admit. Your GPA is certainly attractive to them, and so you are clearly in the running, but it’s really hard to tell how this cycle will shape up. that informs so much of what happens each year that it makes early cycle predictions extremely difficult!
  Thanks!
  Reply
Kaya says
September 18, 2020 at 11:27 am
Hi Dave! If you are a nontraditional URM splitter (2.9 from a top 10 university), is it possible that an LSAT score at the URM average (166–168)—but lower than non-URM average—will still be competitive for the top 14 schools?
Reply
- Dave Killoran says
  September 21, 2020 at 2:58 pm
  Hi Kaya,
  Thanks for the question! I’m not sure “competitive” is the right word. At most T14s, it would likely be a rejection due to the GPA. At the tail end–Georgetown, for example–the chances increase, and then from there they progressively get better. But in the T10, chances are really low overall.
  I hope that helps. Thanks!
  Reply
Mariam says
June 14, 2020 at 7:33 pm
Great analysis! Who exactly counts as a URM? Are there defined groups that only qualify?
Reply
- PowerScore Test Prep says
  June 16, 2020 at 11:05 am
  Hi Mariam!
  Thank you for your comment. URM status in admissions refers to a group of students whose racial or ethnic population in law school is less than that of the general population. Groups typically considered URMS include African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, and Native Americans.
  Thank you!
  Reply
  - Katin Perez says
    September 18, 2020 at 6:20 pm
    Does Latinos/Hispanics category include people of Central American descent? I see a lot of posts that say only Puerto Rican’s and Mexican Americans are considered URMs.
    Reply
    - PowerScore Test Prep says
      September 21, 2020 at 9:03 am
      Hi Katin,
      Thanks for your comment, and that’s correct. Per LSAC, “Law schools seek qualified African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American students, as well as other students of color, to enrich the learning process for all students.” Feel free to read their entire statement on Racially/Ethnically Diverse Applicants here: https://www.lsac.org/discover-law/diversity-law-school/raciallyethnically-diverse-applicants.
      Thank you!
      Reply
Lillian says
May 11, 2020 at 5:58 pm
The UCLA GPA differential seems to be positive, but it is listed down with the negative. Is that right?
Reply
- PowerScore Test Prep says
  May 12, 2020 at 2:00 pm
  Hi Lillian,
  Thank you for your comment, and yes, you’re correct! Please note that this data comes from Law School Numbers and is from 2017. Feel free to visit LSN directly for recent stats. We appreciate the correction and I’m sure your good eye will serve you well on the LSAT.
  Thank you!
  Reply
yin says
June 28, 2019 at 7:06 pm
Does who qualifies as an urm range from school to school?
Reply
- Dave Killoran says
  June 29, 2019 at 4:50 pm
  Hi Yin,
  Thank you for your comment. The answer here is not really. The URM definition is one that is broadly used in law school admissions, and the groups that are included in that definition are fairly standardized at this point.
  Thanks!
  Reply