ABA 509 DATA, 2025
Northern Illinois Law School Admissions: LSAT, GPA, Cost, and Jobs (2025)
Before applying to Northern Illinois, know the tradeoff: tuition is cheap at $23,667 a year, but the bar pass rate is 59.6%. The median LSAT is 150, the median GPA 3.4, and the school accepts 44.3% of applicants.
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 | 148 | 150 | 154 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
| 2019 | 147 | 150 | 153 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
| 2015 | 145 | 148 | 150 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
The median LSAT is up 0 points since 2019 and the median GPA moved +0.1.
Your odds
A 150 LSAT lands you at Northern Illinois's median, inside the 148 to 154 middle 50%, and 44.3% acceptance keeps this reasonably reachable for applicants in that band. Below 148 you're relying on the rest of the file to close the gap. 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 | 84% |
| Biglaw (101+ lawyer firms) | 6.4% |
| Federal clerkships | 0% |
| Government + public interest | 30.9% |
| Bar pass rate | 59.6% |
Only 84% of the 2024 class had a full-time, long-term job within 10 months, and with 6.4% in biglaw and a 59.6% bar pass rate, the low $23,667 sticker is what makes this school survivable financially, not the outcomes.
What it costs
| Sticker tuition (2025) | $23,667/yr |
| 3-year sticker total | $71,001 |
| Pays full sticker | 22.2% |
| Gets some grant | 77.8% |
77.8% of the class gets some grant money and 22.2% pays full sticker, so a score above the 154 75th percentile is the strongest position for merit aid here.
Schools like Northern Illinois
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 Northern Illinois?
The median LSAT for Northern Illinois's 2025 class is 150. The 25th percentile is 148 and the 75th is 154.
What GPA do you need for Northern Illinois?
The median GPA is 3.4. The 25th percentile is 3.2 and the 75th is 3.6.
What is Northern Illinois's acceptance rate?
44.3% for the 2025 cycle, based on 421 offers out of 951 applications.
How much does Northern Illinois cost with and without aid?
Sticker tuition is $23,667 a year, or $71,001 over 3 years before living costs. 77.8% of the class gets a grant, and 22.2% pays full price.
What jobs do Northern Illinois graduates get?
84% of the 2024 graduating class had a full-time, long-term job within 10 months. Only 6.4% went to biglaw, and the bar pass rate was 59.6%.
Is Northern Illinois worth it at sticker?
The low tuition helps a lot: $23,667 a year is manageable on almost any legal salary. But an 84% placement rate and a 59.6% bar pass rate mean the risk isn't the debt, it's whether you finish with a license and a job on the timeline you planned for.
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.
