The idea that every law school applicant must sit the LSAT hasn't been fully true for years, and it's become even less true recently. Between a genuinely test-optional pathway launching at one law school, a growing number of schools accepting an online alternative called JD-Next, an ABA rule change opening the door to broader test-optional admissions, and the UK's entirely different LLB system that never required the LSAT in the first place, international applicants who want to avoid US standardized testing have more real options than most guides acknowledge. Here's what's actually current.
Option 1: US Law Schools With Genuine Test-Optional Pathways
This is the newest and most limited option, so treat it as an emerging pathway rather than a widely available one.
ASU Law (Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law) launched a true test-optional pathway for its full-time, on-campus JD program starting with the fall 2026 application cycle. Applicants who choose this pathway don't submit an LSAT, GRE, or JD-Next score at all — a meaningful shift from "alternative test accepted" to genuinely test-optional. Confirm current eligibility criteria and whether the pathway has expanded to other application tracks directly on ASU Law's admissions page, since this is a newly launched program and details may evolve.
This follows a broader ABA policy shift: in November 2024, the ABA Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar expanded its variance process under Standard 503, allowing law schools to apply to admit up to 100% of an entering class without any standardized admissions test for a period of up to five years — a significant change from the prior 10%-of-class limit. Expect more schools to introduce test-optional pathways over the next few admissions cycles as this variance process plays out; check each target school's current policy directly rather than assuming test-optional access based on this article, since the list is actively growing and specific eligibility criteria differ school to school.
Option 2: The ABA's Existing 10% Rule (No Test, for a Narrow Group)
Separately from the newer test-optional variances above, ABA Standard 503's long-standing Interpretation 503-3 has for years allowed law schools to admit up to 10% of an entering class without any LSAT or GRE score, provided the applicant meets specific alternative academic criteria — commonly, scoring at or above the 85th percentile on the ACT or SAT, combined with a strong undergraduate record (often top 10% of their undergraduate class, or a cumulative GPA around 3.5+, through six semesters of study). This pathway is most often used for direct-admission or dual-degree programs (for example, a school admitting its own high-performing undergraduates directly into its law school without a separate LSAT). It's a narrow, specific route — not a general test-optional policy — so check whether your specific situation (often tied to attending a particular undergraduate institution) qualifies before assuming it applies to you.
Option 3: JD-Next as an LSAT/GRE Alternative
JD-Next is an eight-week online course culminating in an assessment that measures case-analysis, legal-reasoning, and analytical-writing skills — built specifically as an alternative admissions measure rather than a general graduate-admissions test like the GRE. As of the 2025–26 cycle, roughly 60–67 ABA-accredited law schools have received ABA approval (via individual variance) to accept JD-Next in place of the LSAT or GRE.
An important nuance: the ABA Council has specifically declined to grant JD-Next full "test parity" with the LSAT and GRE under Standard 503, citing a need for more outcome data — so it remains available only at schools that have individually obtained a variance to use it, not as a universally accepted test. Confirm whether your specific target schools are on the current approved list directly through JD-Next's own school list or each school's admissions page, since the list of participating schools has grown quickly and may continue to change.
Option 4: The UK LLB — No LSAT Required, Ever
If your goal is simply to study law and the specific country doesn't matter, the most straightforward LSAT-free (and GRE-free) route is the UK's undergraduate LLB, covered in full in our UK law degree guide. The LLB is a direct-entry undergraduate degree — you apply straight from secondary school via UCAS, with admission based on your prior academic grades (A-levels or equivalent) and, at several top programs (Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE, KCL, Durham, Bristol, Glasgow), the LNAT (National Admissions Test for Law) — a distinct test from the LSAT, built specifically for UK undergraduate law admissions and not accepted at any US law school.
This route works well if:
- You're applying to law straight from secondary school (or with a non-US undergraduate background) and don't need a US JD specifically
- You're comfortable with the UK's different legal-career structure afterward — the LLB alone doesn't make you a qualified solicitor or barrister; you'd still need the SQE (solicitor route) or the Bar's vocational stage afterward, as covered in our UK LLB and SQE guide
It does not work as a shortcut into US legal practice — an LLB alone does not make you eligible for most US state bars; see our JD guide for why a US JD (or, for already-qualified lawyers, an LLM in specific states) is generally required for US practice.
Option 5: GMAT Acceptance for Joint JD/MBA Applicants
If you're specifically applying to a joint JD/MBA program, a small number of schools will accept the GMAT (or GRE) for the MBA-admissions side of a combined application, sometimes without a separate LSAT requirement at all:
- Northwestern's integrated JD/MBA accepts a valid GMAT or GRE and does not require the LSAT.
- Columbia Law's Three-Year JD/MBA accepts either a GMAT or GRE score.
- Several other joint-degree programs accept GMAT or GRE for the business-school half of the application even where the standalone JD track still requires the LSAT or GRE — policies vary considerably by program.
This route only applies if a JD/MBA (not a standalone JD) is genuinely your goal — confirm current test requirements directly with each specific joint-degree program, since these policies are set independently by each school's law and business programs together and change periodically.
Quick Reference: Which Option Fits Your Situation
| Your situation | Best option to research |
|---|---|
| Want a US JD, strong non-test academic profile, flexible on school | ASU Law test-optional pathway, or check the ABA's growing test-optional list |
| Want a US JD at a school offering JD-Next | Confirm your target schools are on JD-Next's current approved list |
| Want to study law generally, open to the UK, applying from secondary school | UK LLB via UCAS (with LNAT at some schools) |
| Already have a foreign law degree, want a US LLM | LSAT/GRE not typically required for LLM at all — see our LLM application guide |
| Specifically want a joint JD/MBA | Check whether your target program accepts GMAT/GRE in place of the LSAT |
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