FSU College of Law now accepts the GRE

Florida State University College of Law is now one of 17 schools to accept GRE (Graduate Record Exam) scores for law school admissions, making it the first in Florida. This change is effective as of Fall 2018.

The GRE is a widely used exam for graduate admissions, offered almost every day, and required by a variety of programs in the US and other countries. Traditionally, law schools require applicants to take the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) and for decades, it was the only exam accepted. The GRE is now making a push across various schools throughout the US, and the number of schools accepting GRE scores is expected to rise.

According to a phone survey conducted by Kaplan Test Prep in 2017, from a pool of 128 schools, 25 percent said they are planning to allow students to submit GRE scores instead of LSAT scores in order to provide students with more options in the admissions process, which is 14 percent more than 2016. 45 percent have no intent on doing so, and 30 percent have not made a definitive decision.

Over the past couple of years, there has been a huge drop in the number of students applying to law school. One of the reasons for this was because students were not finding jobs after graduation. Now, law schools are trying to implement different curriculums, and more practice oriented classes to better prepare students for the workforce.

They are also trying to reduce costs and give students more testing options. Accepting GRE scores is one way to do this. The Law School Admissions Council is also making changes to the LSAT, like adding more test dates, to make the test more accessible to students.

The American Bar Association has not yet ruled the GRE to be valid in replacement of the LSAT, however, it is ultimately up to law schools themselves to make this change. Currently, the LSAT remains as the only option for most schools. Unless a student is only applying to schools that are accepting GRE scores, LSAT scores will still be required. If both tests are taken, schools will receive both scores, as certain scores cannot be withheld.

Executive Director of Pre-Law Programs at Kaplan, Jeff Thomas, advises students to take the LSAT if law school is ultimately where they plan to go, in which case they should not to take the GRE too. He explained that the LSAT is designed specifically for law school, whereas the GRE is for students considering different programs.

“The GRE is a good test for students who are also currently applying to business school, or also currently applying to PhD programs and may want to consider applying to law school too and then they have a handful of schools which they consider at that point,” Thomas said. “But right now, if you really know you want to go to law school and you’re really trying to keep your options open for what law schools you want to apply to, the LSAT is the test that’s most important for you.”

For some, this change won’t affect their admission process. Pre-law student and senior at Florida State, Juliana Alvarez, wishes she would have known of this change sooner. However, she still has to take the LSAT due to the fact that the other schools she is applying to, besides FSU, still require it.

“Well I’ve already devoted two months in studying for the LSAT,” Alvarez said. “I’ve also invested a lot of my personal time and money into preparing for the exam which I’ll be taking in June. Although FSU Law is on my list of schools, right now I’m focused mainly on achieving the best score possible.”

However, pre-law student and junior at Florida State, Lauren Carr, expressed newfound interest in FSU’s College of Law.

“I think it's great that they are allowing both the GRE scores and LSAT scores,” Carr said. “It would be extremely beneficial to me because I am between attending law school and going to graduate school. Although I haven't taken the LSAT yet, the idea that FSU is now accepting both tests is swaying my decision to apply there.”