How To Get Into Penn Law

Penn Carey Law is one of the most interdisciplinary and professionally-minded schools in the T14. Known for its integration with other graduate schools, team-based culture, and practical training, Penn looks for applicants who bring both strong credentials and a sense of maturity and purpose. It receives around 6,000 applications each cycle and admits fewer than 900 students, making it one of the more selective schools in the T14.

This guide breaks down exactly how to get into Penn Law.

Step 1: Know the Numbers

Penn Law Class of 2027:
GPA: 25th percentile: 3.63 | Median: 3.91 | 75th percentile: 3.98
LSAT: 25th percentile: 165 | Median: 172 | 75th percentile: 173

Penn is range-sensitive but not strictly numbers-driven. Being above one median is often enough if the rest of your materials show polish, promise, and purpose.

Step 2: Submit a Personal Statement That Shows Direction and Professional Readiness

Your Penn personal statement should follow the same strong structure used across top schools:

1. Begin with a real-world moment—a specific, grounded experience with ethical or legal resonance
2. Zoom out with reflection—what did it teach you about people, systems, values, or responsibility?
3. Turn toward law—why does this experience make law feel like a logical next step?
4. End with restrained clarity—not a pitch, but a perspective

Ask yourself:

• When did I take on responsibility or see a power dynamic play out?
• What’s the deeper theme or question that keeps showing up in my work?
• What do I want to build, shift, or understand better with a JD?

Penn values professionalism, collaboration, and depth. Your tone should be confident, clear, and grounded in real experiences—not abstract ideas or resume gloss. Their readers want to see:

• Strategic and ethical thinking
• Professional maturity
• Lived motivation, not abstract interest

Avoid:

• Broad life summaries or philosophical takes
• Childhood stories unless reinforced by recent reflection
• Performative claims about justice or helping people

You want to sound like someone who is already operating with law school-level maturity—someone they can picture succeeding not just in their classroom, but beyond it.

👉 Read personal statement examples

Step 3: Optional Essays

Penn allows you to write an additional essay on any of the following topics. These essays are optional but often recommended—they let you add relevant information that didn’t fit into your personal statement.

You may answer more than one if you choose. Each essay should be titled, double-spaced, and one page max.

Here are the official 2024–2025 options:

• Core strengths match: (This functions as a Why X essay.) How do your goals and values align with Penn Carey Law’s core strengths—interdisciplinary education, impactful scholarship, clinical training, global engagement, and collegiality?
• Lived experience and inclusion: (This functions as a Diversity Statement.) How does your lived experience shape your identity and inform who you are today?
• Overcoming challenge: Describe a significant challenge you’ve faced and how you moved through it.
• Undervalued trait: What strength or quality do you have that most people might not see or recognize?
• Additional context: What’s something we don’t already see in your application that you’d like to share?
• Explaining low scores: If your academic record or LSAT/GRE scores don’t reflect your ability, explain why.

Pro tip: The core strengths prompt is the most strategic for many applicants.

👉 Read diversity statement examples

Step 4: Submit a Polished Resume That Reflects Judgment

Penn cares about substance, not just formatting. Your resume should:

• Reflect real outcomes, not tasks
• Show initiative, writing, leadership, and service
• Be organized and easy to skim in 15–30 seconds

Use a clean layout:

• 1–2 pages max
• Reverse chronological
• No color, icons, or fluff

Bullet format: Action → What you did → Why it mattered

👉 View resume examples

Step 5: Letters of Recommendation

Penn requires two letters of recommendation. They do not publicly express a preference for academic over professional letters—but your recommenders should know your voice, mind, and work ethic.

Look for writers who can:

• Describe a specific project or turning point
• Reflect on your intellectual character or professional integrity
• Offer real comparisons to others they’ve worked with

Avoid:

• Fluffy, generalized praise
• Letters from high-status people who don’t know you well

Step 6: Nail the Logistics

Application Components

• Personal Statement
• Resume (1–2 pages)
• 2 Letters of Recommendation
• LSAT or GRE
• Transcripts
• Optional Essays (topics listed above)
• Character & Fitness section

Early Decision Program

Penn Carey Law offers a binding Early Decision (ED) option for applicants who are confident that Penn is their top choice.

• Deadline: November 15, 2025 (ED1); January 7, 2026 (ED2)
• Decision Timeline: Applicants are typically notified in mid December and late January.
• Binding Terms: If admitted through ED, you must withdraw all other applications and commit to enroll.
• Interviews: Some ED applicants may be invited to interview, but not all are. Receiving an interview can be a positive signal, though not receiving one does not imply rejection.

Want Help Getting In?

If you’re applying to Penn, you’re already in range. But range alone isn’t what gets you admitted—clarity, voice, and depth are what set you apart.

I help applicants find the story that shows not just potential—but purpose.

👉 Explore my services
👉 Book a free consultation

Note: While this guide is kept up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Penn Law School website before applying.