Which Law Schools Accept JD-Next? The Complete 2026 List

By Jeremy M. Fine, Founder of ConnectPrep · Updated October 2026 · 12-minute read

JD-Next adoption has grown every ABA review cycle since 2023. Original graphic © ConnectPrep, compiled from published variance approvals.

The single most common question we hear at ConnectPrep, is: will the schools I care about actually take it? The answer, increasingly, is yes. 68 ABA-accredited law schools have now received formal authorization, known as a variance, to consider JD-Next in their admissions process. What started as a pilot experiment at a handful of schools in 2023 now includes nationally ranked programs like Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Boston College, and Fordham, and the list has grown in nearly every ABA review cycle since.

Below is the complete list as of October 2026. For each school you will find its variance approval date, how it actually uses JD-Next today, how many JD-Next students it enrolled in fall 2025, and any JD-Next score data it publishes. After the list comes the analysis most lists skip: what the pattern of adoption tells you, and how to build an application strategy around it. Bookmark this page. We update it as new schools are approved.

First: What a “Variance” Actually Means

ABA accreditation standards require law schools to use a valid and reliable admissions test. Historically that meant the LSAT, full stop. A variance is the ABA’s formal permission for a school to use an alternative assessment, the JD-Next course and exam, in its admissions process. When you see a school on this list, it means the ABA has reviewed that school’s request and authorized it to consider JD-Next scores from applicants.

Two important caveats before you scan the list. First, a variance authorizes a school to consider JD-Next; it does not obligate the school to weigh it identically to an LSAT score. Some schools accept it as a full alternative, others use it alongside additional credentials or for particular applicant pools, and internal policies evolve between cycles. Second, this list is a snapshot: approvals continue to land, and occasionally a school’s policy details shift. Treat the list as your map, then confirm the current policy directly with each admissions office before finalizing your testing plan. We do exactly this with every ConnectPrep student during intake. On October 31, 2026 we re-checked every school’s own admissions pages. The policy column shows what each school says, and the Evidence column links the page we relied on.

The Complete List of JD-Next Law Schools (with Policies, Enrollment and Score Data)

How we built this table: Policies come from each law school’s own admissions pages, re-checked October 31, 2026; the Evidence column links each source. Enrollee counts come from each school’s 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report, which covers the class that entered in fall 2025; “None reported” means the report shows no JD-Next enrollees. The ABA only publishes a school’s 25th, 50th and 75th percentile JD-Next scores once 10 or more students enroll with JD-Next, which is why only Arizona and Dayton have score data so far. Policies change between cycles, so confirm with each admissions office before you build your testing plan.

What JD-Next Scores Do Admitted Students Have?

Only two law schools publish JD-Next score ranges so far. The reason is an ABA reporting rule: a school reports its 25th, 50th and 75th percentile JD-Next scores only when 10 or more students enroll with JD-Next. In fall 2025, 127 JD-Next students enrolled across 30 law schools, and only Arizona and Dayton cleared that bar.

Source: each school’s 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report.

The national picture comes from JD-Next’s own admissions data. Half of enrolling JD-Next students were admitted with scores between 750 and 820. Applicants who scored 800 or higher were admitted 68 percent of the time, compared with 40 percent for scores of 750 to 795 and 7 percent for scores of 700 to 745. (JD-Next, 2025 ABA 509 data)

A few schools give guidance without publishing a number. Gonzaga says a score at or above the 80th percentile is most competitive for applicants using JD-Next alone. Seattle University expects competitive JD-Next applicants near the same percentile as its 161 LSAT median, roughly the 70th. Denver and Loyola New Orleans state that there is no minimum score.

Here is how we turn that into a target for ConnectPrep students: aim for 800 or higher if your list includes the more selective schools above, since that is where admission odds jump, and treat the high 700s as competitive at many others.

What the Adoption Pattern Tells You

Having watched this list grow cycle by cycle while coaching JD-Next students, three patterns stand out to us.

The trend line only points one way

Counting by approval dates on the official JD-Next variance list, adoption went from 43 schools by the end of 2023 (the ABA itself reported 51 variance schools in February 2024, more than the list dates account for) to 55 by the end of 2024, 64 through 2025, and 68 as of August 2026, with St. John’s University and Texas Southern University (both August 2026) the newest additions. Nearly every ABA review cycle has added schools, and none have publicly walked away. If you’re a sophomore or junior planning ahead, it is reasonable to expect this list to be longer when you apply than it is today.

Every tier is represented

This is not a list of schools that struggle to fill seats. It spans T14-adjacent national names (Georgetown, Vanderbilt), strong regionals with national reach (Fordham, George Washington, Washington University in St. Louis, Boston College, SMU), respected state flagships (Georgia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland), and access-focused programs (CUNY, Cooley, Atlanta’s John Marshall). Whatever your target tier, the JD-Next path now reaches into it.

The early adopters share a philosophy

The schools that moved first tend to be ones that emphasize demonstrated readiness for 1L coursework, which is precisely what JD-Next measures, since the exam tests actual contracts doctrine and case analysis rather than abstract logic puzzles. That’s worth internalizing as an applicant: a school on this list has already signaled that it values proof you can do law school work. Your JD-Next preparation, done well, is that proof. (For how scores are read, see what counts as a good JD-Next score.)

The pattern now extends to online legal education. Six of the 23 law schools with ABA-approved online or hybrid JD programs accept JD-Next in place of the LSAT, including Arizona State, whose fully online JD takes only the LSAT or JD-Next. See our complete list of ABA-approved online JD programs for formats, residency requirements, and tuition.

JD-Next can also matter for joint degree applicants. If you are weighing a JD/MBA, JD/MPP or JD/MPH, our guide to joint and dual degree programs explains which tests each combination requires and when to apply to the second school.

How to Build Your School List Around JD-Next

Here’s the strategic framework we walk through with ConnectPrep students deciding on the JD-Next path.

Step 1: Sort your targets into three buckets: schools on this list where JD-Next is an established route; schools on this list where you’ll want policy details confirmed; and dream schools not yet on the list, which still require the LSAT. If bucket three holds most of your list, JD-Next may be a supplement rather than your primary path. Our free JD-Next Pathway Planner sorts your list into these buckets using the verified policies above.

Step 2: Call or email each admissions office and ask five questions: Do you currently accept JD-Next for my application cycle? Is it accepted for all applicants or specific pools? How is the score weighted relative to the LSAT? Do you review the JD-Next essay? And does a JD-Next application affect merit-scholarship consideration? The answers vary more than applicants expect, and they change year to year.

Step 3: Let the answers set your score target and timeline. Your target band should come from the most selective school in bucket one, then work backward to an exam date and a ten-week preparation runway. If your cycle deadlines are early, remember scores arrive about three weeks after you test.

How We Verify This List: Method, Changes and Corrections

Where each fact comes from. The variance approval dates come from the official JD-Next variance school list published by Aspen Publishing. How each school actually uses JD-Next comes only from that school’s own admissions pages, application instructions or official FAQ. A variance list is never treated as proof of a school’s admissions policy. The Evidence column links the exact page we relied on.

What the categories mean. Accepted in place of the LSAT: JD-Next can be your only admissions test, sometimes with conditions such as the LSAT counting as primary if you also have one. Only if you have no LSAT: JD-Next counts as your test only if you have not taken (and, at some schools, do not plan to take) the LSAT. Supplement only: you still need an LSAT or GRE, and a JD-Next score is optional extra evidence. Not accepted: the school says it does not accept JD-Next. No policy posted: the school holds a variance but its admissions pages do not mention JD-Next, so ask admissions in writing before relying on it.

Evidence status. Most rows are verified against a current school page. School pages conflict means two official pages from the same school say different things; we show the most recent application page and recommend confirming with admissions. Partly verified means we confirmed part of the policy but could not read every relevant page. Not yet verified means we could not find a readable test policy on the school’s site, so we make no claim.

Enrollment and score data. Enrollee counts come from each school’s 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Report for the class that entered in fall 2025. The ABA reported 127 JD-Next students in that national first-year class. School rows here sum to 124; Texas A&M reports 3 students in a combined line for applicants admitted without an LSAT, which may include JD-Next. The ABA publishes a school’s 25th, 50th and 75th percentile JD-Next scores only when 10 or more students enroll with JD-Next.

Change log

• November 1, 2026: Western New England University: Not yet verified to Accepted in place of the LSAT (partly verified). Its JD Access program page lists an LSAT or JD-Next score as an application requirement. Willamette University: Not yet verified to Supplement only. Its JD application page accepts the LSAT or GRE and allows a JD-Next score only as a supplement.
• October 31, 2026: Re-verified all 68 variance schools against their own admissions pages and added an Evidence column with the source page and check date for every row. Changes from the previous version:
  • California Western School of Law: Only without an LSAT to Accepted in place of the LSAT. Its application components page accepts the LSAT, GRE or JD-Next and considers the highest score.
  • University of California, Davis: No policy posted to Not accepted. Its FAQ addresses JD-Next directly: the faculty has not approved it, and an LSAT or GRE is required.
  • Cardozo School of Law: Accepted in place of the LSAT to Only without an LSAT. Its 2027 application page bars JD-Next in lieu of the LSAT for anyone who has taken or plans to take the LSAT.
  • University of Dayton: Only without an LSAT to Accepted in place of the LSAT. Its application page accepts any one of the LSAT, GRE or JD-Next, with the LSAT treated as primary if you have one.
  • University of Maine: Supplement only to No policy posted. Its apply pages list the LSAT only, and we found no Maine Law page that mentions JD-Next.
  • Vanderbilt University: Accepted in place of the LSAT to Only without an LSAT. Its application steps limit JD-Next to applicants who have not taken and do not intend to take the LSAT.
  • Widener University Delaware Law School: Accepted in place of the LSAT to Only without an LSAT. If you have taken the LSAT, the admission decision is based on the LSAT.
  • Texas A&M University: Detail removed to Accepted in place of the LSAT (sources conflict). We removed “highest score considered” because no official page states it, and flagged a catalog that still lists LSAT or GRE.
  • Brigham Young University: Detail removed to Accepted in place of the LSAT. We removed a scholarship restriction for JD Next applicants that we could not confirm on BYU’s pages.
  • Western New England University and Willamette University: Listed policies to Not yet verified. Their admissions pages did not show a test policy we could read. We will update them once confirmed.
• October 2026: Policy column added, separating variance status from each school’s actual admissions treatment.
• August 2026: List first published with 68 variance schools.

Corrections. If a school changes its policy or you see something we got wrong, email info@connectprep.com with the school name and a link to the official page. We review every correction and record substantive changes in the log above.

Researched and maintained by Jeremy M. Fine, founder of ConnectPrep. This is a ConnectPrep resource page. Policies change between cycles, so confirm your plan with each admissions office before you apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I take JD-Next or the LSAT?

It depends on your strengths and your list. JD-Next rewards students who excel at learning real material; the LSAT rewards abstract reasoning under time pressure. If most of your targets appear above, the JD-Next path deserves serious consideration, my full breakdown is here: JD-Next vs. the LSAT.

Can I apply with both a JD-Next score and an LSAT score?

Yes, and some applicants do, a strong JD-Next result can complement an LSAT file by demonstrating readiness for law school coursework. Whether it helps depends on each school’s review policy, which is one of the five questions worth asking admissions directly. Note that at Cardozo, Cleveland State, Fordham, New England Law, McGeorge, Vanderbilt and Widener, JD-Next counts as your admissions test only if you have no LSAT.

What score do I need for the schools on this list?

Only two schools publish JD-Next score ranges. The University of Arizona’s fall 2025 JD-Next enrollees scored 770 to 840 (25th to 75th percentile, median 790), and the University of Dayton’s scored 770 to 800 (median 790). Nationally, half of admitted JD-Next students scored between 750 and 820. As a working framework, we treat 800 to 850 as the target band for the most selective programs here, with the 700s competitive at many others. Full details are in our our scoring guide.

Do all of these schools accept JD-Next instead of the LSAT?

No. All 68 hold an ABA variance, but as of November 1, 2026, 30 accept JD-Next in place of the LSAT, 7 accept it only from applicants without an LSAT score, 12 use it only as a supplement to the LSAT or GRE, 4 say they do not accept it, and 15 post no JD-Next policy on their admissions pages. Check the policy column in the table above for each school.

How often is this list updated?

We revise this page as the ABA publishes new variance approvals, typically several times a year. The list above includes every school on the official JD-Next variance list (the newest were approved August 21, 2026), and each school’s policy was re-checked on its own admissions pages on October 31, 2026. The change log below shows what changed.

About the author: Jeremy M. Fine is the founder of ConnectPrep and has spent more than 20 years coaching students through high-stakes admissions exams. ConnectPrep’s JD-Next coaching program pairs 1-on-1 instruction with a phased, ten-week preparation system targeting the 800-850 score band.