From time to time, our students ask us what major is best for applying to law school. Because law schools don’t require any pre-law curriculum, you can apply with any major, from Underwater Basket Weaving to Astrophysics. However, a recent study by University of North Texas Professor Michael Nieswiadomy may shed light on what types of majors tend to perform better on the LSAT. Nieswiadomy (say that three times quickly) tracked the average LSAT score across majors, with some interesting results.
Physics/Math majors ranked #1 with an average LSAT score of 160, followed by Economics and Philosophy majors who tied with an average LSAT score of 157. Pre-Law and Criminal Justice majors ranked lower than every other major, coming in at #28 and #29 respectively. (That’s out of 29, by the way). The average LSAT score for pre-law majors was a 148, followed by a 146 for the Criminal Justice folks.
Here is the complete table:
So here’s a fun test of your LSAT skills. Given this information, should people who want to score better on the LSAT change their Criminal Justice major to Physics or Math?
