On Campus

U Michigan law admitting students without LSAT scores

The University of Michigan has decided to admit 5-10 students out of 360 into law school without submitting an LSAT score. Eligible students must have a GPA of 3.8 or higher. The move is evidently intended to boost the number of students from within Michigan attending law at the institution. In state law students are unusually low at 22 per cent, compared to, say, the University of California where students from in state account for around 60 per cent of students.

An interesting policy idea, given the fact that LSAT scores are nearly universally required for admittance into law as well as the fact that Michigan is considered a top law school.

From Inside Higher Education:  

Robert Schaeffer, public education director of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, called the move “a step in the right direction.” He said he believes Michigan and other law schools don’t even need such a high GPA to make such a shift, but that the principle involved is what’s important. “Top-notch performance in a rigorous undergraduate curriculum is a better predictor of readiness for graduate school than any multiple-choice exam,” he said.

Any law students or lawyers out there who care to comment?

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