Harvard Law Will Accept GRE Scores

March 9, 2017

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Summary: Harvard Law is the second accredited law school to accept GRE scores.

Harvard Law made a surprising announcement on Wednesday that has many potential law students cheering for joy. In order to open itself up to a larger, more diverse pool of applicants, the esteemed law school will accept the GRE for its fall 2018 class and beyond.

Last year, the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law was the first and only ABA-accredited law school to accept the GRE for admission, and that decision brought on a heated controversy over the validity of the Law School Admissions Test, the LSAT.

Harvard Law Dean Martha Minow expressed support for Arizona before Harvard Law became the second accredited law school in the country to accept the GRE. Applicants can still submit LSAT scores.

According to The New York Times, Harvard Law conducted a study of current and former students who had taken the GRE and LSAT. The study showed that the GRE is an equally valid predictor of first-year grades than the traditional law school exam.

Jeff Thomas, executive director of pre-law programs at Kaplan Test Prep, said that Harvard Law’s decision could influence other law schools to take Arizona and Harvard’s lead.

“Harvard Law School’s decision to allow applicants to submit GRE scores instead of LSAT scores has the potential to create a domino effect among other law schools,” Thomas said. “When Harvard changes their admissions strategy, other law schools take notice.”

When Arizona first made its change, the Law School Admission Council, which oversees the LSAT administration and the common application process used by students, considered expelling the school. However, after law schools deans rallied around Arizona, the Council announced that schools have the right to accept the GRE under current American Bar Association standards.

In addition to now accepting the GRE, Harvard Law has also started to give Skype interviews in order to diversify its student body.