Standardized Test Policy

Notre Dame Law School accepts both the LSAT and GRE for admissions and scholarship consideration. The Admissions Committee does not have a preference for either exam. A candidate is not considered more committed by taking both exams or disadvantaged by taking the same exam multiple times.

Providing Score Reports to Notre Dame Law School

Both the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) consider their score reports to be valid for five years. LSAC will automatically report all LSAT test scores to NDLS via a student’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report. To maintain parity in the requirements between the LSAT and GRE results and to continue to study the validity of the GRE in connection to academic success at Notre Dame Law School, applicants must also submit all GRE test results from the last five years. Applicants may not choose which results they will share, regardless of ScoreSelect option availability. A failure to comply with this policy may result in a withdrawal of an offer of admission.

If an applicant has concerns about sharing all test results from the last five years, the Admissions Committee encourages the student to utilize the Addendum section of their application to elaborate upon the circumstances in question. The Admissions Committee will review such scores within the context of the information the applicant provides.

The Admissions Committee should receive the results of the February LSAT or a GRE taken in February with sufficient time so as to be considered as part of a Regular Decision application. The Admissions Committee may consider the results of any LSAT or GRE taken in March for applicants who are offered a place on the waitlist.

Applicants who submit their materials and later register for the GRE must inform the Admissions Committee of their plans via email at bulletin@nd.edu.

Students admitted as a GRE-only applicant and who subsequently take the LSAT will be subject to admission and/or scholarship reconsideration. In the event that an offer of admission and/or scholarship is rescinded, any seat deposits paid will be refunded.

Multiple Score Reports

If an applicant has taken both the GRE and the LSAT, the Admissions Committee will review all scores but must report the highest LSAT score to the American Bar Association (ABA).

If an applicant has taken the LSAT multiple times, the Admissions Committee will review all scores but must report the highest LSAT score to the ABA.

If an applicant applies as a GRE-only applicant and has taken that exam multiple times, the Admissions Committee will review all scores but must “super score” (ie, take the highest section scores an applicant received regardless of whether they occurred on the same test administration) and report those highest section scores to the ABA.

Comparing the GRE and LSAT

The Admissions Committee utilizes two methods when evaluating the GRE versus the LSAT.

ETS provides a conversion tool on their website to translate a GRE score into an LSAT score. This conversion tool is based on ETS’s research into the predictive validity of the GRE vis-a-vis the LSAT and first year law school grades.

US News and World Report asks law schools to report GRE-only applicants’ scores via section percentile scores rather than either raw scores or the ETS conversion tool. You may find the percentile scores for each section of the GRE here and for the LSAT here.  

Notre Dame Law School’s entering Class of 2023 had an LSAT median of 169 which was in the 96th percentile for that exam. We encourage GRE-only applicants to consider that percentile in comparing their score for each section of the GRE.

For more information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions or contact the Admissions Office at lawadmit@nd.edu.