Georgia State Law Expands Access to Legal Education

ATLANTA – Beginning in fall 2027, Georgia State University College of Law will admit up to twenty-five percent of its first-year J.D. degree seeking students without the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test.

The Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association approved the decision at its May 2026 meeting, to allow Georgia State Law to offer a program that enhances its ability to provide legal education to a broader range of applicants, who have already demonstrated a record of academic excellence.

The new Georgia State Law Gateway Scholars program will extend this opportunity to students who have earned a bachelor’s degree within the past two years, currently enrolled or will graduate from a member institution of the University System of Georgia; the University System of Florida or the Texas State University System.

Qualified candidates are required to have a minimum 3.5 GPA, and they must earn a score above the 85^th percentile nationally on the SAT or ACT exam.

"Georgia State Law is an excellent place to begin your legal education and Atlanta is perfectly situated to launch your legal career. We are excited for the opportunity to create an additional pathway and reduce barriers to qualified and deserving students who may not have initially considered us,” said Monique McCarthy, assistant dean for Law Admissions.

Prior to this decision, Georgia State Law required applicants to take the LSAT or GRE to be considered for admission, with limited exceptions for select graduates of Georgia State University.

“Future Georgia State Law Gateway Scholars will find that we are a great fit to help them achieve their goals. Whether they choose to remain in Atlanta or return to serve their communities, we know the education they receive here will allow them to make a significant impact on the world,” said McCarthy.

“Georgia State Law is proud to produce the highest number of Georgia attorneys and to raise its regional profile as the destination for law students who want to make an impact on the profession and in their community. The Georgia State Law Gateway Scholars Program optimizes our ability to identify, enroll and support these students.”

In Fall 2026, Georgia State Law enrolled its largest class of 300 law students, representing 18 different countries and 20 U.S. states. The law school offers an LL.M. program for foreign-trained and U.S. attorneys with three different concentrations including Health Law, AI, Analytics, Technology & Law and the Practice of Law in the United States, a bar track for foreign-trained lawyers.