George Washington University

DC · Private · South Atlantic

Acceptance rate: 27% (9,718 applicants)
Median LSAT: 168 (middle 50%: 162–170)
Median GPA: 3.86 (middle 50%: 3.55–3.93)
Tuition: $75,420 (per year)
Bar passage: 87.7% (+2.8 pts vs. state average)

Deadlines

Application deadline: March 1, 2027

Essays

Personal statement (2 pages, double-spaced)

A free-topic personal statement is required and may include additional information you believe will assist the Admissions Committee in considering your application. Consistent with the goal of creating an intellectually stimulating, well-rounded, and professionally promising environment, GW Law is keenly focused on applicant potential in the application process, including evidence of leadership; ability to thrive in GW Law's robust, dynamic environment with an expansive academic and experiential curriculum; resilience; work experience; and/or perseverance. Please label this section "Personal Statement". The statement should not exceed two pages (double-spaced).

Optional statement (1 page, double-spaced)

You are welcome to submit a free-topic optional statement, which may cover any subject not discussed elsewhere in this application. If submitted, please label this section "Optional Statement". This statement should not exceed one page (double-spaced).

Addendum

An applicant who wishes to provide context for an element of their academic history that otherwise would not be apparent to the Admissions Committee may do so by attaching an addendum to their application. An addendum may be included in the same document containing the personal and/or optional identity statement. This section must be clearly titled as an addendum. An applicant should exercise good judgment about whether an addendum is necessary.

Editor's notes

Pick your plan before you write. Early decision gets priority review but only need-based aid, and GW says outright that anyone who needs merit money shouldn't use it. The Presidential option is also binding but carries a full-tuition scholarship, and if you're not chosen you're released into regular decision. If money decides where you go, read the Presidential option before you sign an ED agreement.
Apply early in the fall. Decisions roll from November, merit awards go out every few weeks until the money is gone, and GW tells Presidential applicants to apply early in the cycle. A March 1 file competes for what's left.
Check the test-optional list before you register for the LSAT. If you have four years of full-time work, military service, a doctoral program or patent bar passage, you may be able to skip the test, but only if you have no reportable LSAT score.
GW's review factors name your experience "as reflected in the resume" and your letters alongside the personal statement. With only one essay on the public pages, treat the résumé as writing too: specific results, no filler lines. And pick a recommender who has actually seen your work.