Georgetown Law says it will accept the GRE as an entrance test
Georgetown University Law Center. Photo by Ben Stanfield via Wikimedia Commons.
Georgetown Law announced Monday that for its 2018 entering class, it will accept scores from the Graduate Record Examination or the Law School Admissions Test.
Georgetown is the country’s largest law school, Law.com (sub. req.) reports.
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law also announced Monday that it will accept the GRE or the LSAT in admissions, starting in the fall of 2018 for admissions in the fall of 2019.
Previously, The University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law and Harvard Law School announced they will accept the GRE as an entrance exam in addition to the LSAT.
“Georgetown Law is committed to attracting the best and the brightest students of all backgrounds,” Dean William M. Treanor said in a press release. “We believe this change will make the admissions process more accessible to students who have great potential to make a mark here at Georgetown Law and in successful legal careers, but who might find the LSAT to be a barrier for whatever reason.”
The standard regarding entrance tests for ABA-accredited law schools is under consideration by the Council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. The proposed revision to Standard 503 calls for the council to establish a process that determines reliability and validity of other tests besides the LSAT. That’s a change from the current version, which directs law schools using alternate admissions tests to demonstrate that the exams are valid and reliable.
The council sought comments on the matter, and a public hearing was held July 13. The matter is currently under consideration.
