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Getting into Boston College Law School is no small feat. A strong LSAT score and GPA are important indicators of academic readiness, but BC Law considers much more than numbers when evaluating applicants.
As part of its holistic review process, BC Law’s admissions committee looks at the experiences, perspectives, and strengths you bring alongside your academic credentials.
To get into BC Law, you’ll need to show how these different pieces fit together into a cohesive narrative about who you are, what has shaped your path, and why pursuing law makes sense for you.
I spoke with several former law school admissions officers on my team about how much GPA and test scores matter, what makes a strong personal statement that reflects BC Law’s values, and how applicants can demonstrate that they would be a strong fit for the BC Law community. I used their insights to help build this guide.
If you just need the application requirements, skip to the checklist.
Boston College Law School’s acceptance rate is 8.48%. According to the American Bar Association, BC Law received 7,668 completed applications for its 2025 entering class and extended 650 offers of admission. Of those admitted, 216 enrolled.
BC Law received 8,486 applications for its Fall 2026 entering class, up more than 10% from the previous cycle, and enrolled 238 students.
Getting into Boston College Law School is very difficult, with fewer than 9% of applicants admitted in the most recent cycle, according to ABA data. BC Law's applicant pool has also grown considerably, from more than 6,000 applicants for the Class of 2027 to more than 7,500 for the Class of 2028 and 8,486 for the Class of 2029.
The median GPA and LSAT scores have increased along with the rise in applications. BC Law’s Fall 2026 entering class had a median LSAT of 168 and a median GPA of 3.85, both higher than the 167 LSAT and 3.80 GPA reported for the entering class just two years earlier.
Approach BC Law as a highly selective school and aim to be competitive across academics, written materials, recommendations, and experiences, not just one part of the application.
Boston College Law School’s latest entering class has a median LSAT score of 168 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.85. BC Law accepts either the LSAT or GRE, although applicants with both scores on file are evaluated using their highest LSAT score.
Boston College Law School’s median LSAT score is 168 for its Fall 2026 entering class. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored between 165 and 169. BC Law does not publish a minimum LSAT score for JD admission.
Boston College Law School’s median undergraduate GPA is 3.85 for its Fall 2026 entering class. The middle 50% of enrolled students had GPAs between 3.72 and 3.91.
BC Law does not publish a minimum undergraduate GPA for JD admission.
While BC Law accepts the GRE for JD admission, the school doesn’t publish a median GRE score for its entering class, so there’s no official GRE benchmark like there is for the LSAT.
You may submit an LSAT or GRE as long as you took it within the previous five years. If you take the GRE, you must send all GRE scores directly to BC Law. If you have both LSAT and GRE scores, BC Law records and reports your highest LSAT score during the admissions process.
Use your personal statement to explain what a law degree means in the context of your life, not simply what job you want after graduation.
Across its mission and leadership messaging, BC Law consistently returns to the idea of preparing “lawyers who lead good lives.” That idea grows out of Boston College’s Jesuit tradition and its emphasis on human dignity, service, and the common good.
You don’t need to repeat BC Law’s exact language verbatim. Instead, think about the values that BC Law identifies as part of its law school identity and use your written statements to show the admissions committee how you live these values and plan to incorporate them into your studies and career as a lawyer.
In your written materials, take extra care to leave BC Law with a strong understanding of why law school is meaningful to you beyond being a good career.
Build your application narrative around the kind of reflection BC Law explicitly values.
Dean Odette Lienau’s welcome message asks prospective students to
This gives us a deeper understanding of BC Law’s unique values. The most successful applications show the admissions committee that you have researched BC Law’s distinctive identity and can demonstrate how you, as an individual, align with this identity. So, let Dean Lienau’s welcome message guide your narrative. Instead of literally answering each question, use your written statements to point to concrete examples of how you have lived these virtues and plan to continue doing so as a future lawyer.
Regardless of what your path to law school has looked like, paint a picture of how that process has shaped who you are, who you want to become, and why a legal education fits into that picture. Providing the admissions committee with a thoughtful account of how you got to law school provides Boston College Law School with a much more insightful account of who you are than simply saying you’ve wanted to be a lawyer since childhood.
If you already know what kind of law you want to practice, demonstrate that by naming a specific BC Law clinic or experiential program in your written statements and show the admissions committee how this connects to your interests.
Importantly, go beyond simply naming the program and elaborate on how it aligns with your identity. Your goal is to let the admissions committee see you as a future student of this program. Use your written statements to show the reader that you have researched BC Law and can explain how its specific opportunities fit the legal education you want.
For example, if you’ve worked with tenants, explain why BC Law’s Housing Justice Clinic would let you build on that experience through direct client representation. If instead, you’re interested in criminal justice, discuss what you hope to learn through the Criminal Justice Clinic’s prosecution or defense work.
BC Law doesn’t track applicant contact as part of the admissions process, which means that attending information sessions, taking a campus tour, or emailing admissions won’t give you an advantage.
Additionally, BC Law doesn’t conduct regular interviews for standard JD applicants. So, applying Early Decision is one of the clearest structural ways to show you’re committed to attending BC Law.
You can choose among the Dean’s Scholars, BC Scholars, and Eagle Track options. The first two include scholarship awards, while the Eagle Track doesn’t. Early Decision I has a December 1 deadline, while Early Decision II has a January 15 deadline.
Importantly, the decision is binding, and you’ll be required to withdraw any other law school applications. So, make sure you understand your full expected cost of attendance before applying ED.
Note: Before applying Early Decision, decide whether BC Law’s Public Service Scholarship is a better fit, since you cannot apply for both. The scholarship covers full tuition for applicants with a strong record of public service and requires at least nine months of qualifying full-time experience, an additional essay and recommendation, and potentially an interview. Your application should clearly support your commitment to public service, and recipients must commit to at least five years of public interest or government work after graduation.
To be competitive for Boston College Law School, aim for an LSAT score of 168 or higher and a GPA of about 3.85 or higher. If one of your numbers falls below that range, a stronger score in the other area can help balance your academic profile, especially when paired with a compelling overall application.
Beyond your numbers, BC Law looks for applicants with meaningful experiences, sound judgment, and a clear sense of purpose.
No single background defines a strong BC Law applicant. The Fall 2026 class came from 104 colleges and universities, represented 54 undergraduate majors, and included students with 22 advanced degrees. Work experience isn’t required, although BC Law says roughly 70% of incoming students have traditionally had at least one year of professional experience.
Use the rest of your application to show what your numbers can’t. Highlight your most meaningful work, leadership, service, research, and extracurricular experiences, and use your personal statement to explain what shaped your decision to pursue law and what you hope to contribute through it.
Be selective with optional materials and recommendation letters, and make sure every part of your application works together to show why you’re ready for law school and why BC Law is the right fit for your goals.
Boston College Law School’s application requirements include an LSAC application, CAS registration, standardized test scores, essays, recommendation letters, and academic records. For the current admissions cycle, you’ll need to submit:
For Regular Decision applicants, Boston College Law School’s application deadline is March 1, and admissions decisions are released on a rolling basis beginning in early February.
Early Decision I applications are due December 1, with decisions released by December 15. Early Decision II applications are due January 15, with decisions released by January 28. Both programs are binding, meaning admitted applicants commit to attending BC Law.
Applicants pursuing BC Law’s Public Service Scholarship have a separate February 1 deadline and can’t apply through Early Decision.
Boston College Law School ranks #26 among the best law schools in the U.S. in Juris Education’s 2026 law school rankings. BC Law offers a close-knit learning environment with small classes, hands-on clinics, and international opportunities. Its Catholic mission gives the school a strong public-interest focus, while graduates also place well in private practice, making it a top law school for students who want both mission-driven training and strong career outcomes.
Boston College Law School reports a 93.8% first-time bar passage rate. Among BC Law graduates who took the July 2025 Massachusetts bar exam for the first time, 128 of 129 passed, giving the school a 99.22% first-time pass rate in Massachusetts.
Boston College Law School offers a JD program, an LLM, an MLS in Cybersecurity, Risk, and Governance, an SJD, and several dual-degree options. Dual-degree programs include the JD/MBA, JD/MSW, JD/MEd or MA in Education, JD/MA or JD/PhD in Philosophy, and partnerships with Tufts University and Vermont Law School in areas such as public health, international affairs, and environmental law.
Co-Founder of Juris Education, Dartmouth College
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