Your Ultimate Admissions Timeline Guide

We developed the law school admissions iGLAD timeline to help students focus on the right step at the right time. 

The i in iGLAD stands for “investigate.” Do it continuously. Adopt an investigative mindset from now on. 

The G, L, A, and D are the steps in the timeline and should be done in that order: GPA, LSAT, Apply, and Decide. 

Do your research. Prioritize your numbers. Go step by step. You’ll be GLAD you did.

i: Investigate

Keep yourself informed. Fully investigate law schools, legal jobs, and your own interests. Take your time. Ask questions and know the game to earn great scholarships. 

Law schools give generous scholarships to strong applicants. On the upper end, each LSAT point could be worth an estimated $10–15k in scholarships. Here’s how to check scholarship value on a school’s 509 form: 

• Note the differences in LSAT score for the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. 

• Compare those numbers to the differences in scholarship amounts for the respective quartiles. 

Too many law students wind up saddled with crippling debt. ABA has said those who borrow leave school with an average of over $137,000 in student loans.

Becoming a strong applicant is possible if you investigate and follow the iGLAD timeline.

Bottom line

Develop a critical mindset to keep yourself informed. 

Timing tips

Gather information at every step of GLAD and beyond. Don’t rush the process. 

Recommendations

• The GLAD Timeline for Law School Admissions | LSAT Demon Daily, Ep. 730 (Public link) 

• The iGLAD timeline (View with Free membership) 

• Practice networking (Paid content) 

G: Investigate Your GPA

Investigate your classes, meaning, show genuine interest. For better or worse, the law touches most subjects. If you know you want to do law but aren’t sure what field, the answer could be in a class you thought was unrelated.

Investigate what “GPA” means in law school admissions. Your undergraduate GPA, uGPA, is critical. Shoot for straight As (or A+s!). Don’t settle for less. Community college or other credits you took before your undergraduate graduation date are also considered. Graduate grades are not calculated in your uGPA and are generally a non-factor in law school admissions. 

After you graduate, it’s difficult to change your uGPA. Still, there are cases where it happens. Ask your school if they will turn your A’s into A+’s. LSAC counts grades on a 4.33 scale, even if your school didn’t.

Timing tips

While you’re in undergrad, the best thing you can do for your law school admissions chances is prioritize your grades above all until you graduate. 

Don’t study for the LSAT if you aren’t getting straight A’s. Still need to study while in school? Shoot for summer and other breaks. The LSAT takes focus. 

Don’t assume law schools will care if it takes you longer than four years to graduate. Don’t assume law schools will care if you graduated 15 years ago. Both situations are completely normal in law school admissions.

Bottom line

Your law school timeline starts in undergrad with your grades. 

Recommendations 

• How to Hack Your GPA for Law School Admissions | LSAT Demon Daily, Ep. 1268 (Public link) 

• Your GPA Isn’t Frozen: How to Boost Your LSAC GPA (Public link) 

• GPA addendum: Yes or no? (Paid content) 

L: Investigate Your LSAT 

In step i, investigate, we showed how your LSAT score largely determines your scholarship. When you get to “L,” it’s time to investigate the LSAT itself. LSAT Demon’s classes and community can help you immerse yourself in the arguments that the LSAT tests you on. Have fun with it. You’ll uncover why right answers are right and why wrong answers are wrong. Each passage is an investigation.

Success on the LSAT continues to benefit folks well beyond admissions. The LSAT enforces key legal career skills and is predictive of both 1L success and bar passage rates. 

Timing tips

Play the long game. It may take time, but you can master the LSAT. Plan to spend at least a few months regularly studying the LSAT several hours a week. If it takes longer—years, for some people—to achieve your goal score, know that it will be worth it for your legal career. 

Since it’s important to apply early in the cycle after applications come out, aim to master the LSAT before the June and August tests. If you know your score can still improve, take September, too. If you’re going past October, consider holding off on applying until the following cycle. 

Bottom line

Spend time on the LSAT until you master it at your own pace. 

Recommendations

• Your Ultimate LR Study Guide  (Public link)  

• Your Ultimate RC Study Guide (Public link) 

• When should I take the official test? (Paid content) 

A: Investigate Applying Strategically

We recommend applying broadly to 10–20 schools or more. Doing so creates options, shows you a fuller picture of your market value, and helps you understand your best deal. Investigate schools that are likely to give you great scholarships. Also look at those where you could potentially leverage another offer for a scholarship reconsideration (negotiation). For example, a generous offer from Fordham can carry weight at Columbia. One from Georgetown can make a difference at UVA.

Here’s how to check which schools gave scholarships to applicants with your stats in the most recent cycle:

• Go to lsatdemon.com/scholarships.

• Enter your LSAT and GPA (or your goal numbers).

• View your estimated scholarship range for each school. 

These estimates are based on the previous year’s scholarships—publicly available data the schools report to the American Bar Association. 

Use our Estimator to favorite schools and track your progress. Click the stars next to strategic school choices. Log whether you sought and obtained a fee waiver. Track interactions with schools. Track application open dates to submit early in the cycle for the best chance of admission and scholarships. 

Timing tips

Apply early in the cycle, soon after applications come out, but not at the expense of the LSAT. Applications typically open in September and are on rolling admissions, so September or October is the ideal time to submit. 

If you haven’t achieved your goal LSAT by then, the best option is to wait until the next cycle. Every year, many of our students decide to wait to apply until the next cycle—not to put it off, but as a strategic move. 

Wait to finalize your school selections and write your application materials until you’re sure your LSAT score is ready. (Coming soon: Check out our other Ultimate Admissions guides for more information on these parts of the journey.)

Bottom line

Apply broadly to give yourself options and get a full picture of your market value.

Recommendations

• Scholarship Estimator (Public link) 

• Our Scholarship Estimator/Tracker (View with Free membership)

• Finances overview (Paid content) 

D: Investigate Your Decision

After you hit Submit on your applications, your job as an applicant doesn’t stop. Pay attention to updates from schools, LSAC, and your peers. As offers come in, don’t cave to pressure to accept an offer before you’re ready. Continue to investigate. 

If you decide to write a renegotiation email, investigate whether your financial request makes sense. You don’t want the admissions officer to be the one to point out to you that they would already be the most affordable option. Don’t lay out a whole list of offers—you may come across as disingenuous. Directly competing offers are the most convincing.

Timing tips

You may hear back from some schools right away. For others, it may take weeks or months. Use this time to network with law students and develop relationships with admissions officers at your potential schools. Be genuine and mindful of their time. 

After you receive offers, schools may pressure you with deadlines. Those deadlines may not be binding. Investigate the fine print. Patience gives you leverage.

If none of your offers were what you hoped, it’s ok to go back to the LSAT, improve your score, and apply again next cycle. A new LSAT score could turn you into a brand-new applicant.

If you’re looking at multiple excellent offers, nice job! 

Bottom line

Assess your offers and ask for more before making your decision.

Recommendations

• Our #1 Tip for Scholarship Negotiation | LSAT Demon Daily, Ep. 683 (Free)

• Admissions interviews (Paid content)

• Negotiating example (Paid content) 

Final thoughts

The iGLAD timeline is about going to law school when the timing benefits you the most. 

No matter where you are in the timeline, you have options. Stay curious. The more informed you are, the more leverage you'll have—and the better your law school options will be.

Remember: law school is only the beginning of your legal career. A few extra months—or even an extra year—spent improving your LSAT can pay dividends for decades. You'll be GLAD you did.

Investigate with us

Check out our Admissions course, and use the Admissions Ask button! Join our live Admissions classes.

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