LSAT Scoring and Applicant Cycle Update, Week of 5/18/26
Per LSAC data, we are about 95% of the way through the cycle in terms of total applicant count. Here's the breakdown of Applicants so far, compared to last week and last year:
| Total Applicants | Last Year | Current Year | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Weeks Ago | 28,234 | 35,219 | 24.7% |
| 3 Weeks Ago | 68,927 | 75,957 | 10.2% |
| 2 Weeks Ago | 70,662 | 77,532 | 9.7% |
| Last Week | 71,255 | 78,060 | 9.6% |
| This Week | 71,960 | 78,591 | 9.2 |
The relative decrease in applicants from the start of the cycle continues on, this time moving from 9.6% down to 9.2%. Going back to the start of the cycle, there were 7K+ additional applicants in the pool. That number has slowly dropped, but not by much. Now, we have 6,631 additional applicants compared to this time last year.
Let’s take a look at the LSAT scores for those applicants:
| Highest LSAT | Last Year | Current Year | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 140 | 2,775 | 2,761 | -0.5% |
| 140-144 | 4,313 | 4,625 | 7.2% |
| 145-149 | 8,331 | 8,638 | 3.7% |
| 150-154 | 12,431 | 13,087 | 5.3% |
| 155-159 | 13,091 | 13,786 | 5.3% |
| 160-164 | 11,338 | 12,591 | 11.1% |
| 165-169 | 8,519 | 9,737 | 14.3% |
| 170-174 | 5,431 | 6,306 | 16.1% |
| 175-180 | 2,093 | 2,434 | 16.3% |
| Total | 68,322 | 73,965 | 8.3% |
Every band except 175-180 dropped, although as with applicants, the total numbers are now relatively small. 175-180 held steady, but that seems more significant than it is—only 2 people were added to that score band this week. And only 6 were added in the 170-175 range, 16 in the 165-169 band, and 38 in the 160-164 band. Why the slow trickle despite no score release this week? Score holds being lifted and applicants finishing up the LSAT Writing so their scores can be released.
TL;DR: We are 95% of the way through the cycle. Applicant increase numbers declined again, to 9.2%. Score bands all went down aside from 175-180, but the changes were small. Data continues to support that this is the most front-loaded cycle in history.
Things will remain quiet for a while until the June LSAT score release. Any questions, please let me know!