Frequently Asked Admissions Questions

Fall 2026 Entering Class (as of August 12, 2026):
 

GPA
75th Percentile: 3.78
50th Percentile: 3.60
25th Percentile: 3.30

LSAT
75th Percentile: 161
50th Percentile: 159
25th Percentile: 156

Syracuse is considered to be a national law school. This means that we are known nationally (and indeed, internationally), and that our graduates are placed in jobs all over the country (not just Upstate New York).

September 1 of each year.

Our priority application deadline is March 15th of each year. Syracuse operates on a “rolling admission” basis and students are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Our deadline for a completed application is July 15th.

Yes. For more information regarding our Early Decision program, including how to apply, please review our Early Decision FAQs.

The American Bar Association requires an entrance exam for admission. The College of Law will accept the LSAT or GRE. For more information on entrance exams, please see our apply for admission page. JD-Next scores are accepted only as a complement to your LSAT or GRE score, not in lieu of these scores.

June. However, we encourage you to take an earlier LSAT to meet our priority deadline.

$75.00 USD

Yes. To request a fee waiver, a student should email lawadmissions@syr.edu and provide their full name, LSAC account number, and the reason for needing the application fee waived.

If granted, the Office of Admissions will individually assign a fee waiver for students through the electronic LSAC database so that the application fee will be automatically waived when the student applies.

Syracuse requires two letters of recommendation. These should be primarily from professors if the student is still in school, or from employers if the student graduated some time ago.

We require applicants to have their recommendation letters sent through the CAS (Credential Assembly Service).

Yes. Merit scholarships are decided on by the Admissions Committee and no additional scholarship application is required.

Admitted students are notified within their admission packet if a merit scholarship has been awarded.

Our students find jobs all over the country. Refer to the Office of Career Services  for more specific details and for a list of selected employers.

10.7:1

Our students come from all over the country and the world. Each year, approximately 1/3 are from New York State. After New York, we generally get the largest number of students from Florida, California, Pennsylvania, Texas, and New Jersey.

Visit our Fast Facts for more specific information.

The Ultimate Bar Passage rate is 94% in 2025. First time bar passage for the class of 2025 is 82.9%.

Yes. Students may enroll in our residential program on a part-time basis and complete the law degree in up to five years instead of three. Part-time students take between 8 and 11 credits per semester and are enrolled in daytime classes with the rest of the full-time JD class. Review our part-time enrollment options for more information or contact the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid at 315.443.1962.

Additionally, our JDinteractive program is a part-time, year-round, fully interactive online JD program developed for working professionals.

We cannot make this assessment without seeing a student’s entire application. We review all pieces of an application including, but not limited to, transcripts, LSAT scores, letters of recommendation, essays, and resumes.

According to the ABA/LSAC rules, we will use the highest LSAT score to calculate student’s index score when it is taken multiple times.

We will, however, see all attempts at the LSAT and consider each score when reviewing the application.

As a general rule, the highest LSAT score is the score that will be used to combine with the undergraduate cumulative GPA for the index score.

Applicants who have been academically disqualified or dismissed from another law school cannot apply as a first year student until two years from the date of disqualification until two years from the date of disqualification have passed.

Applicants who attended Syracuse University College of Law and have been disqualified or dismissed cannot apply as a first year student until one year from the date of disqualification has passed.