Providing More Time for Schools and Candidates to Adjust to the LSAC GPA Changes
Last month, we announced that, effective July 28, 2026, LSAC would no longer include grades from college-level courses completed while a candidate was in high school, often referred to as dual enrollment classes, in the LSAC GPA calculation. After careful review, we have decided to delay implementation of the policy until summer 2027, enabling candidates and law schools to adjust to the new policy.
This change, which now will take effect for the 2027-2028 applicant cycle, recognizes that access to college-level courses varies widely among high schools, and where access does exist, high school students may not understand whether and how grades earned in those courses could affect their applications to law school. Excluding such courses from the LSAC GPA calculation supports our goal of ensuring that all high school students, regardless of their motivation for taking college courses, could feel free to do so without concern over how it might affect their future law school enrollment.
We appreciate the level of support for this policy change, but have heard concerns about whether prospective applicants had been provided adequate notice in approaching the 2026-2027 application cycle, and that is why we are delaying implementation.
- For the 2026-2027 application cycle, for all applicants with college credits earned in high school, LSAC will continue the policy that has been in place for many years, and calculate the LSAC GPA with their dual enrollment grades included.
- Starting with the 2027-2028 application cycle, LSAC will exclude grades from all college credits earned while in high school from the calculation of their LSAC GPA. This new policy will include all applicants for the 2027-2028 cycle and beyond, including new applicants and reapplicants from previous years.
In addition to providing additional time for this transition, this approach means that all applicants in each cycle will have their LSAC GPAs calculated in the same way as one another.
It is important to recognize that, both before and after any changes take effect, law schools will continue to have access to the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report that includes full transcripts. Applicants who want to highlight their dual enrollment performance for a more complete picture of their academic achievements can and should provide an addendum to their application.
We recognize the importance of providing notice and transition time to any new policy. We appreciate the thoughtful feedback we received from law school admission professionals, prelaw advisors, and candidates, and your patience as we considered the feedback and developed this revised plan.
