Summary: Washington University in St. Louis School of Law will accept GRE scores for the fall 2018 class.
The trend of major law schools accepting the GRE test for admissions is growing, and now Washington University in St. Louis School of Law is jumping on the bandwagon. Starting in the Fall of 2018, the school will allow applicants to submit GRE scores or LSAT scores.
“WashULaw wants to appeal to the best students in the country and the world, regardless of their academic, professional or personal background,” Nancy Staudt, dean and the Howard & Caroline Cayne Professor of Law, said in a school press release. “The class beginning this fall was one of the most accomplished and diverse in the history of WashULaw. The decision to accept the GRE will continue to build on these efforts, making the admissions process even more accessible to highly qualified and motivated students of all backgrounds interested in pursuing a legal education.”
Washington University said that its law school uses a holistic approach to choosing who gets into the school but that test scores are still an important factor in the admission process. They said by allowing GRE test takers to apply, they are expanding their pool of candidates by allowing candidates with diverse backgrounds such as engineering, math or science to apply. Additionally, the GRE is administered more often than the LSAT and in more locations.
“The GRE complements the interdisciplinary approach we have adopted in preparing students for the real-world challenges they will face in a job market that values candidates with a variety of skill sets,” Staudt said.
Washington University Law will now join other law schools such as Harvard and Northwestern in accepting the GRE, which Kaplan Test Prep said is a growing trend.
“Kaplan Test Prep’s 2017 law school admissions officers survey shows more law schools warming up to the idea of allowing applicants to submit GRE scores instead of LSAT scores. According to the responses of 128 law schools across the United States, 25 percent say it’s an admissions policy they plan to implement, up from just 14 percent in Kaplan’s 2016 survey; 45 percent say they have no plans to do so, a drop from 56 percent who ruled it out in last year’s survey; and 30 percent are not sure, the same as in 2016,” Kaplan wrote in September.
Washington University said that it was excited about adding the GRE to the admissions process and that they encouraged potential law students to contact the admissions department with questions.
“I am extremely excited about adding the GRE as an option to the application process,” said Katherine Scannell, associate dean for admissions and placement. “We are committed to attracting the best and brightest applicants to WashULaw, and we strongly encourage anyone considering law school as an option to reach out to us and learn more about our community.”
- Northwestern Announces GRE Acceptance
- GRE Trend May Be Catching on at Law Schools
- Harvard Law Will Accept GRE Scores