ABA extends deadline for law schools to consider admissions alternatives to the LSAT

Law schools accredited by the American Bar Association will have more time to explore alternative admission standards thanks to a change approved last month.

The ABA Accreditation Council voted Aug. 21 to extend the deadline for schools to apply for Standard 503 variances. Those allow law schools to admit a higher percentage of first-year students using methods other than standardized testing to weigh applicant eligibility. The change would allow some students to sidestep the Law School Admission Test, or LSAT, on their way to a legal education.

Students who’ve recently taken the LSAT told The Indiana Lawyer they have mixed feelings about the potential change. Some see it as an opportunity to approach law school admittance from a more holistic perspective. Others see the standardized testing as a way to level the playing field for students coming from all different backgrounds.

“If we didn’t all major in the same thing or take the same classes, we at least, for the most part, all prepared for and took the same test, which I think is important,” said Drake Calhoon, a first-year student at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Law schools now have three more years to consider their options. One Indiana law school has already started using a variance, but others are hesitant to take that step just yet.

Standard 503 variance

Currently, the ABA requires all law schools to admit prospective students using a standardized test, according to Standard 503 of the American Bar Association’s 2026-2027 Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools. The most common admissions test under Standard 503 is the LSAT.

In 2021, the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar approved the use of the Graduate Record Examination, otherwise known as GRE, for admission instead of the LSAT.

Under Standard 503, law schools can admit up to 10% of first-year students without a standardized test. Typically, students who aren’t admitted with a test are admitted through their school’s direct admission program.

But ongoing discussions surrounding Standard 503 variances could change that percentage. Last month, the ABA Accreditation Council voted to extend the deadline for law schools to apply for a Standard 503 variance, which was originally voted on in November 2024.

These variances, including the JD-Next program, would allow law schools to admit up to 100% of students without requiring the LSAT or GRE. The JD-Next program is an eight-week online course focused on first-year law skills that culminates in an assessment.

The ABA originally planned to end the application process for variances in August. But because it is looking to get more data on how the variances demonstrate student success, the ABA extended the deadline to encourage schools to apply.

“It does open more doors to allow for more students to take other tests that they may be stronger at in order to show their ability for law school success,” said Tim Luczak, assistant dean of enrollment management at McKinney. “Ultimately, every law school is going to have to make its determination on what is going to be its best indicator of students being successful in their program.”

Trying a different path

As of August 2026, 21 of nearly 200 law schools and programs recognized by the ABA have been granted variances. That’s up from 14 schools in August 2025.

Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law in Bloomington is one of the law schools that applied for a variance. The ABA granted that request in March 2025 along with nine other law schools in Florida, Mississippi, New York and Texas.

IU Maurer did not request a specific variance, such as the JD-Next course. Instead, it pursued a general variance request.

That decision was made based on leaders’ determination that the strongest predictor of success on the bar exam is academic success in law school, not success in a single standardized test, law school Dean Christiana Ochoa told The Indiana Lawyer in an email.

In addition, Ochoa said success in the legal profession in general is “mostly unrelated” to students’ performances on standardized tests and is instead “much more a matter of careful reasoning, effective communication, and ethical judgment,” she said.

“Given the importance of these attributes to actual success, it is important for our law school to be allowed to admit students on the basis of indicators of such abilities,” Ochoa said in an email.

The ABA approved Maurer’s request to implement a test-optional admissions process for up to 25% of its class.

While Maurer anticipated deploying the variance as early as last fall, the current school year marked the first time it was used. The school admitted three students under the variance for the fall 2026 semester. None of them enrolled.

Ochoa emphasized that Maurer is committed to student success, both academically and professionally.

“While reducing the role of the LSAT in admissions decisions, the admissions process will continue to hold candidates to the highest standards, ensuring that all students are well-prepared to thrive academically, pass the bar exam, and succeed in their careers,” the law school dean said in an email.

Weighing options

Currently, IU Maurer is the only ABA-accredited law school in Indiana saying that it sought and was granted a Standard 503 variance. The Indiana Lawyer reached out to the University of Notre Dame Law School but did not hear back before this story’s deadline.

The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis has not applied for a variance and doesn’t anticipate seeking one, according to Luczak. Right now, the school remains comfortable with its decision to admit students using the LSAT and GRE, he said.

“There is a lot of research with the LSAT that makes us feel more confident that students are going to be able to be successful if they have that strong LSAT [score],” Luczak said.

McKinney began accepting GRE scores in the admissions process a few years ago, which Luczak said was a way for the school to create more access to legal education. Beyond that, however, leaders feel strongly that the recruitment efforts they’re making right now are successful.

Along with the traditional application route, IU McKinney also admits students through its direct admission program. Like many law schools, McKinney’s direct admission program assesses a prospective student’s SAT or ACT scores and undergraduate GPAs.

Tate Coulter, a trademark attorney at Barnes & Thornburg, was admitted to McKinney through the school’s direct admission program and therefore didn’t take the LSAT.

He said he sees the benefits of expanding admittance options for students, particularly for those who may not excel in standardized testing but still possess qualities that will serve them well in law school.

When Barnes & Thornburg hires summer associates, the firm goes beyond GPAs and testing scores to assess how students would fit in at the firm.

Coulter believes, therefore, that a holistic assessment of prospective law students “offers a little bit more insight [into] who they are as people and, from the law school’s perspective, who they’re going to be as law students and future attorneys,” he said.

Kennedy Cleveland, a first-year law student at McKinney, echoed a similar perspective. While test scores are a helpful reflection on how students perform academically, they don’t paint the entire picture.

“I think law schools need to look more at what students are doing inside the classroom, but also outside the classroom,” she said. “If you can keep straight As, that’s great, but if that’s all you’re doing, then you’re probably not going to be successful in law school, especially because you have to learn how to manage your time.”

McKinney student Drake Calhoon said that one challenge with the LSAT is access to quality studying materials and resources.

“Taking the LSAT can get really expensive on top of the cost of applying to different schools,” Calhoon said. And students who decide to retake the test to boost their scores spend even more.

But Calhoon said studying for the LSAT helped her prepare for law school, especially when it logical reasoning and reading comprehension.

Calhoon earned her undergraduate degree in biology, so she went into law school without having pursued a more traditional pre-law major, such as political science.

In taking the LSAT, she felt that she and her classmates were on equal footing from day one.

Each law school pursues different methods to build their juris doctorate classes, Luczak said, noting that the variances and admissions methods are tools to ensure the students admitted to the programs will graduate and pass the bar exam. While time will tell whether schools like McKinney will apply for a variance, leaders are keeping their options open.

“We’re always continuing to assess what best practices there are, and if it ever is something that we need to seek a variance, then of course we would do that as long as we are still maintaining the strength of our J.D. pipeline,” he said.•