Washington University in St. Louis

MO · Private · West North Central

Acceptance rate: 19% (5,616 applicants)
Median LSAT: 175 (middle 50%: 165–176)
Median GPA: 3.96 (middle 50%: 3.58–4.00)
Tuition: $72,792 (per year)
Bar passage: 89.6% (+6.2 pts vs. state average)

Deadlines

Final deadline: July 1, 2027

Essays

Personal statement (About 1 to 3 pages)

A personal statement, approximately one to three pages in length, is not required during application submission. If your personal statement is not attached here, you may send it as an email attachment directly to the Washington University School of Law Admissions Office at applylaw@wustl.edu. Successful applicants have written about significant experiences and sources of personal motivation.

Experiences, perspectives, skills and character qualities (optional)

Providing your race, ethnicity, and/or gender identity is always optional. These are not factors that we consider in the admissions and scholarship process. Unique perspectives, skills, and character qualities improve classroom discussion, education experience, and overall community. The committee invites you to share as much as you are comfortable about yourself and your experiences. Your answers help us better understand the variety of skills and perspectives developed through your experiences.

Other addenda, including interest in WashU (optional)

Please attach any additional addenda. This may include, but is not limited to, addenda regarding lived experience, financial need, unique perspective(s), grades, gaps in employment, and any other areas you feel best represent your background and tell your complete story. You may also attach GRE score reports (pdf) here. In addition, you may submit addenda addressing your specific interest in WashU Law and its areas of expertise. For example, WashU Law is a national leader in legal AI education and became one of the first law schools in the country to provide formal AI training to students and faculty. As such, you may wish to submit a brief addendum addressing the use of AI in the legal profession.

Webster Society Scholarship statement (1 to 2 pages)

Any interested applicant should submit a 1-2 page statement summarizing their involvement in public service activities and commitment to pursuing public service work during and after law school along with their application for admission to be considered for this prestigious award.

Editor's notes

Plan for the interview. WashU interviews by invitation over Zoom, and the assistant dean for admissions calls it a key part of the process. Be ready to talk through anything in your file, especially your reasons for law school.
Early decision here works differently. As WashU has described it, you see your scholarship before you're bound and get two business days to decide, and if you decline you move to regular decision. If WashU is a top choice and money matters, that's worth knowing. Check the current terms in the application first.
Don't treat July 1 as your target. WashU says to apply by December if you can and that decisions mostly start in January, so a fall file reaches the committee before the class fills up.
The prompts changed this year. The assistant dean for admissions says the tweaks are meant to draw out what you'd add to the classroom, so read them closely and answer them as written.