2026 CLASS PROFILE AND ABA 509 DATA
Cornell Law School Admissions: LSAT, GPA, Cost, and Jobs (2026)
Cornell's acceptance rate is 18.2%, with a 173 median LSAT and a 3.9 median GPA on 4,608 applications. The sticker underneath it still runs $84,722 a year.
The 2026 entering class
Cornell Law School's 2026 entering class had a median LSAT of 173, the same as 2025. The median GPA was 3.94.
| Year | LSAT 25th | LSAT 50th | LSAT 75th | GPA 25th | GPA 50th | GPA 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 167 | 173 | 175 | 3.77 | 3.94 | 4.00 |
Source: the school's own 2026 class profile, as of September 26, 2026. These numbers can shift until the 2026 ABA 509 reports publish. Everything below this section is 2025 ABA 509 data.
What it takes to get in
These are the school's own reported 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT and GPA numbers from its ABA Standard 509 filing, the same disclosure every accredited law school has to file each year. The 50th percentile is the median: half the admitted class scored above it, half below.
| Year | LSAT 25th | LSAT 50th | LSAT 75th | GPA 25th | GPA 50th | GPA 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 168 | 173 | 175 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
| 2019 | 165 | 168 | 169 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| 2015 | 164 | 167 | 168 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
The median LSAT is up 5 points since 2019 and the median GPA moved +0.1. The bar moved here.
Your odds
A 175 LSAT and up puts you in Cornell's top quarter, 173 sits you right at the median, and 168 or below drops you into the bottom 25% of the admitted class. At an 18.2% acceptance rate, admission here is still far from safe. Run your own numbers through the calculator before you spend a filing fee guessing.
See where you land: the LSAT Unplugged law school chances calculator. What is 1 LSAT point worth here? See the scholarship math.
What it costs
| Sticker tuition (2025) | $84,722/yr |
| 3-year sticker total | $254,166 |
| Pays full sticker | 9.3% |
| Gets some grant | 90.7% |
90.7% of Cornell's class gets some grant money and only 9.3% pays full sticker, so a score above the 175 75th percentile puts you in one of the strongest positions of any T14 conversation.
What you get out (Class of 2024)
| Class year reported | 2024 |
| FT/LT employed, 10 months out | 98% |
| Biglaw (101+ lawyer firms) | 79.6% |
| Federal clerkships | 6.6% |
| Government + public interest | 4.6% |
| Bar pass rate | 94.9% |
98.0% of the 2024 class landed a full-time, long-term job within 10 months and 79.6% went to firms of 101 lawyers or more, numbers strong enough that the $254,166 3-year sticker is one of the safer bets on this list.
Schools like Cornell
These 6 are the closest match by median LSAT, then median GPA, out of all 196 schools in the 509 master (as of 2026). Use them as your realistic comparison set, not the list of "reach" schools everyone starts with.
FAQ
What LSAT score do you need for Cornell Law School?
The median LSAT for Cornell's 2025 class is 173. The 25th percentile is 168 and the 75th is 175, up from a 168 median back in 2019.
What GPA do you need for Cornell Law School?
The median GPA is 3.9. The 25th percentile is 3.8 and the 75th is 4.0, up slightly from 2019.
What is Cornell Law School's acceptance rate?
18.2% for the 2025 cycle, based on 838 offers out of 4,608 applications.
How much does Cornell Law School cost with and without aid?
Sticker tuition is $84,722 a year, or $254,166 over 3 years before living costs. 90.7% of the class gets some grant, and only 9.3% pays that full price. A score above the 175 75th percentile is the strongest position for merit aid.
What jobs do Cornell Law School graduates get?
98.0% of the 2024 graduating class had a full-time, long-term job within 10 months. 79.6% went to firms with 101 or more lawyers, and 6.6% landed a federal clerkship. The bar pass rate for that class was 94.9%.
Is Cornell worth it at sticker?
Yes, for nearly everyone admitted. A 79.6% biglaw placement rate and a 98.0% FT/LT rate mean the $254,166 in tuition gets paid off fast for most of the class. Only 9.3% pay full sticker anyway, so the real number most students face is lower than the headline price.
Source: ABA Standard 509 Information Reports, 2015 to 2025, via LSAT Unplugged's 509 master. Verify against the school's filing before relying on it. Last updated 2026-09-30.
