‘If You’re On Time, You’re Late’: Law School Acceptance Rate Is 40% For On-Time Applicants, 24% For Late Applicants

AccessLex, “If You’re On Time, You’re Late”: Law School Application Timing Among Historically Underrepresented Applicants:

The “not so big” secret of college and graduate school admissions is that applicants who apply early are more likely to receive an offer of admission than those who apply closer to the final deadline. The same is true for law school applicants. When applicants submit applications later, their admission chances may be lower simply due to the timing of their application rather than their qualifications. Applicants who identify as underrepresented people of color (uPOC) or socioeconomically disadvantaged are less likely to apply early to law school or utilize formal early decision programs. In other words, applicants who identify as uPOC or low-socioeconomic status (SES) may inadvertently self-select into a more competitive admission environment which ultimately reduces their likelihood of receiving an admission offer. ...

• The predicted likelihood of a late applicant receiving a law school admission offer is 24% compared to 40% for early/on-time applicants.

• LSAT timing is a key contributor to application timing. The predicted likelihood of applying late is 63% for applicants who sat for the LSAT late (after January 1) compared to only 26% for early or on-time (before January 1) applicants.

ABA Journal, Met That Law School Application Deadline? You Might Be Too Late, AccessLex Study Finds