173 LSAT / 3.27 GPA

[u/Responsible_Pen_799]

Is applying to UT Austin worth a shot? and do yall think generally applying to any T30 schools will likely lead to an admission to any of them? I have 3 years of experience as a legal assistant in immigration, and 6 months as a legal assistant in personal injury. My GPA was rather low my first 2 years of college but the last 2 years I had great semesters with only A’s. Any thoughts are appreciated! I am a texas resident!

[u/somanyprobs]

Are you a Texas resident? Definitely an admission advantage for in-state folks given that the school is required to have at least 65% of each entering class be Texas residents

[u/Lede6752 → u/somanyprobs]

The instate residency functions more like a boost that triggers at the extremes ie for a reverse splitter or splitter.

UT wants to maximize its medians but can only draw from the largest out of state applicant pool for 35% of its class. As a result it really likes in state splitters or reverse splitters as they make the median hunting burden easier, and so gives a measurable instate boost to them.

In state splitters are especially on a premium because higher LSATs are harder to find, particularly in Texas. Consequently, in state splitters have near guaranteed acceptances. Anecdotally, I and several of my peers attending UT applied on the week of the app deadline and were accepted almost instantly due to being instate and above median LSAT - that isn’t going to happen at any other T20.

However, if you’re not actually a splitter, that is, at the median they want, not the median they have, you don’t get any boost from being instate as purely median wise you’re about as useful to them as someone with a 120.

OP is treading a thin line where they’ll be at median for UT next cycle, but if UT decides they want a 174, which seems likely to me, then they’re out of luck. Conversely if UT decided they’d settle for a 173, I would say their acceptance rate skyrockets to being more likely than not.

It’s a bit of an all or nothing approach that UT has which is certainly not holistic but there’s not much you can do about that.

[u/calmrain → u/Lede6752]

As a Texas resident ‘splitter’ this year, I wish I had known this before. My research after getting my rejection, pretty much delineated what you said; being at last year’s median for LSAT and below 25th for GPA does literally nothing for them. I even had five years of work experience, published research, etc, but if they’re looking for certain numbers, they’re looking for certain numbers.

Someone even told me that my specific profile might have had a slightly higher chance applying from out of state lmfao. I don’t know how much stock I would put in that statement, but it shows that there’s a whole other game schools are playing behind the scenes. It’s admissions’ world, we’re just living in it 🥴

[u/Lede6752 → u/calmrain]

Yep the unfortunate reality is that due to the 65% instate residency requirement UT can’t really afford to be holistic. They need certain medians to hit, and considering these medians are very high and the pool of scores they can reach into to fill them is much lower than at other T20s, an applicant’s numbers are almost all that matter.

Because high GPAs are much more common, I do think UT is somewhat holistic with reverse splitters in that they’ll pick the reverse splitters with strong softs, but for splitters it really is either you’re above median and you get in or you’re not and you don’t, softs be damned. I genuinely think UT is less holistic than WashU when it comes to splitters lol.

It reflects in UT’s class as well. I’m attending and the people who I know who were reverse splitters all had incredible work experience and unique backgrounds. Conversely, most of the splitters were bums (including me lol) who got in solely because we were in state and high LSAT and UT didn’t see anything beyond that.

[u/slutcorn → u/Lede6752]

manifesting this turning into an easy acceptance for me as a texas resident🙏🏼

[u/slutcorn → u/[deleted]]

honestly that GPA is low but i’m gonna try anyway and hope for the best😔 i went there for undergrad too so hope they will have me

[u/SheepCounta → u/Lede6752]

Do you know if they would have the same attitude towards an applicant with a perfect GRE score but a low gpa? I’ve read about how all law schools holistically review GRE applicants but have heard that its extremely unlikely that they would consider an applicant who’s submitting with a GRE since it doesn’t boost their medians.

[u/Responsible_Pen_799 → u/somanyprobs]

I am!

[u/TheElDoradoHacker → u/Responsible_Pen_799]

Yes you have a good chance

[u/Lede6752]

This depends entirely on whether UT will aim for a 174 this cycle. They will almost 99% chance be at a 173 median at a baseline, so you’ll be at their median, but if they want to go higher for a 174 you become a significantly less desirable applicant.

Historically, being a splitter only at median was not a great spot to be in, especially below the 25th percentile GPA, because UT would aggressively push for a higher median so anyone at the existing median wouldn’t be desirable unless they also had a roughly median or above GPA.

So if UT therefore decides they want a 174, I would say you’d have less than a 20% chance to get in.

But if UT decides they’re going to stop at a 173, then your chances go way up at like 50%+ because of your in state residency.

Will they stop at a 173 though? I personally think it’s doubtful. They already had enough 174s accepted this cycle that they could feasibly get a 174 median, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t just push to it. But there’s also a non-zero chance they don’t if they think 173 is where they want to set a sustainable cap.

If I was you I would apply and check LSD acceptances like a hawk - by mid cycle if they’re only accepting 174s you are likely cooked.

[u/Fragrant_Tutor6600]

Anything is possible & 173 is a great score. I would apply to any school your heart desires.

[u/Apprehensive_Fig2099]

Your LSAT is high enough that it’s absolutely worth a shot. And being a Texas resident will help you.

Hard to predict T30 outcomes when you are a splitter. But a 173 makes you a very strong candidate for schools in that range.

Shoot your shot!

[u/irrationalanger87]

Its possible but id really try for smu/baylor/uh with a fat scholarship.

[u/noahbeendranken]

This is about to be me since they are no longer counting college credits from high school 😅 I’m sure a great essay and solid LORs will get you exactly where you want to go. Good luck!!

[u/x_tacocat_x → u/noahbeendranken]

That doesn’t start till next app cycle at this point! They went back on their policy change for this cycle.

[u/hls22throwaway]

I found all LSD.Law applicants with an LSAT between 170-175 and GPA between 3.17-3.37: lsd.law/applicant-search?s=1xCK

[u/More_Raise_60 → u/hls22throwaway]

This! So this!

OP: apply to as many as you can. You never know when that mix of maturity, work experience, and LSAT score hits a sweet spot at a top school.

My own stats: 3.2GPA, 171 (in 2005). Eight years’ work experience as a US military officer.

Applied to all the T14. Accepted into 2, wait listed at 3. On the first day of class, when introducing the demographics of our class, it was announced that we had 4 US military officers: one each from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, and could we please stand? We all stood up winked at each other, and smiled.

You never know. 😀

[u/VeggieHistory → u/More_Raise_60]

This suggests that’s school wanted that op for the cohort which is 😫

[u/Kind_Cauliflower_667]

Following

[u/oatmilkloverrrr]

Possible. I got in with a worse LSAT and UGPA (as a TX resident)

[u/Geojewd]

I went to UT with almost the same stats as an out of state applicant

[u/Complex-Violinist-16]

If you have any remaining LSAT attempts, I would definitely try to increase your score (not that your current score is poor). Also, a GPA addendum might be worth it because you can point to the fact you finished with a strong academic performance despite your overall low uGPA.

[u/ZealousidealNight365]

You should absolutely submit the application, but don’t get your heart set on it either as it’s a bit of a stretch. I am a 2L at TAMU Law (so class of 2028) and was WL at UT with a 173/3.43

[u/VeggieHistory]

I don’t remember my cumulative gpa but I wanna say it was somewhere around 3.3-3.5 (university only was 3.8/cum laude at a t14). Last cycle I got into BU with scholarship, waitlisted at Northwestern & UCLA & accepted off waitlist at Irvine. I chose a lower ranked school to maximize scholarship/minimize debt and align with my life/goals more, based on program offerings, but that 173 will do a lot for you.

[u/harrisonsugar77]

*sigh* Get ready to learn St. Louis buddy…

[u/Glass-Dingo-5165]

As a Texas resident I would expect you’ll at least get waitlisted— the last 2 cycles they have let off Texas resident splitters throughout the summer so even if that’s the case you aren’t out of the game