ABA 509 DATA, 2025
Duke Law School Admissions: LSAT, GPA, Cost, and Jobs (2025)
Duke's sticker tuition runs $80,100 a year, or $240,300 over 3 years, but 94.4% of the class gets some grant against it. The median LSAT is 171, the median GPA a 3.9, and the acceptance rate is 12.9% on 6,240 applications.
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 | 169 | 171 | 172 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
| 2019 | 167 | 169 | 170 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| 2015 | 166 | 169 | 170 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
The median LSAT is up 2 points since 2019 and the median GPA moved +0.1. The bar moved here.
Your odds
A 172 LSAT and up puts you in Duke's top quarter, 171 sits you right at the median, and 169 or below drops you into the bottom 25% of the admitted class. At a 12.9% acceptance rate, even a top-quarter score is far from guaranteed. 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 you get out (Class of 2024)
| Class year reported | 2024 |
| FT/LT employed, 10 months out | 98.9% |
| Biglaw (101+ lawyer firms) | 77.3% |
| Federal clerkships | 10.5% |
| Government + public interest | 6.5% |
| Bar pass rate | 94.4% |
98.9% of the 2024 class landed a full-time, long-term job within 10 months, 77.3% went to firms of 101 lawyers or more, and 10.5% landed a federal clerkship, numbers that make the $240,300 sticker one of the safer bets on this list.
What it costs
| Sticker tuition (2025) | $80,100/yr |
| 3-year sticker total | $240,300 |
| Pays full sticker | 5.6% |
| Gets some grant | 94.4% |
94.4% of Duke's class gets some grant money and only 5.6% pays full sticker, so a score above the 172 75th percentile gives you the strongest position to negotiate a better offer.
Schools like Duke
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 Duke Law School?
The median LSAT for Duke's 2025 class is 171. The 25th percentile is 169 and the 75th is 172, up from a 169 median in 2019.
What GPA do you need for Duke Law School?
The median GPA is 3.9. The 25th percentile is 3.8 and the 75th is 4.0.
What is Duke Law School's acceptance rate?
12.9% for the 2025 cycle, based on 804 offers out of 6,240 applications.
How much does Duke Law School cost with and without aid?
Sticker tuition is $80,100 a year, or $240,300 over 3 years before living costs. 94.4% of the class gets some grant, and only 5.6% pays that full price.
What jobs do Duke Law School graduates get?
98.9% of the 2024 graduating class had a full-time, long-term job within 10 months. 77.3% went to firms with 101 or more lawyers, and 10.5% landed a federal clerkship. The bar pass rate for that class was 94.4%.
Is Duke worth it at sticker?
Yes, for nearly every admitted student. A 77.3% biglaw placement rate and 98.9% FT/LT rate mean the debt from $240,300 gets serviced fast for most of the class. Only 5.6% pay that number in full anyway, since 94.4% get some grant to bring it down.
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.
