Which Law Schools That Accept JD-Next Let You Skip the LSAT?

Which law schools accept JD-Next instead of the LSAT for the 2026 or 2027 admissions cycle?

For Fall 2027, the University of Miami School of Law explicitly lists JD-Next as an accepted assessment option; the available sources do not establish a current-cycle standalone policy for every other school with a variance or prior JD-Next enrollment. Treat “accepts JD-Next” as a question about the school’s current instructions, not just its name on a list.

Miami Law’s application instructions say official LSAT, GRE, and JD-Next exam scores dated after June 2022 can fulfill its assessment requirement. Its Fall 2027 application opens September 1, 2026, and has a July 15, 2027 deadline. Applicants who have taken multiple assessment types must submit all reportable scores; JD-Next scores are sent directly from the program at the applicant’s request. If you have a score on file and indicate you plan to take another test, the application remains incomplete until that future score is reported unless you write to request review using current scores.

JD-Next’s variance list names Florida A&M, Florida International, Florida State, the University of Miami, the University of Florida, Southern Methodist, St. Mary’s, and Texas A&M; Texas Southern is also listed with an August 2026 approval date. That list records variance approvals, not whether each school accepts JD-Next alone, only in certain circumstances, or as an additional score. The program itself says admissions requirements are set independently by each school.

Prior enrollment data is useful, but it answers a different question. The ABA’s 2025 Standard 509 release reported 127 first-year students accepted with JD-Next, compared with 41,847 with LSATs and 531 with GREs. JD-Next’s analysis of those reports says 30 schools enrolled students using JD-Next in the 2025–2026 cycle, and 26 admitted students with only a JD-Next score. Those are prior-cycle outcomes—not a guarantee of acceptance for 2026 or 2027.

Use the guide to law schools that do not require the LSAT as a starting point for building a broader school list, then verify the test rule school by school.

Does an ABA variance mean a law school actually accepts JD-Next as its only admissions test?

No. An ABA variance grants regulatory permission under Standard 503; the school’s admissions policy determines whether JD-Next satisfies its requirement and under what conditions. Permission, published policy, and evidence that students enrolled using the test are three separate pieces of evidence.

The ABA notices illustrate why the distinction matters. Florida State’s March 2025 notice is explicitly marked as a JD-Next variance, while the University of Florida’s November 2025 variance appears without the JD-Next designation. The ABA notice page also lists approvals for Florida A&M in February 2025, Texas A&M in March 2025, and Texas Southern in August 2026. A school’s presence in the list does not, by itself, answer whether applicants can use JD-Next as their only test.

Standard 509 data can show that a school enrolled students admitted with JD-Next, but it reports a prior entering class. The program advises applicants to check the variance status, the school’s public Standard 509 report, and the admissions website, then ask admissions for clarification if needed. In practical terms: use variance records to establish permission, the current page to establish the stated rule, and the report to confirm historical enrollment.

What schools in Florida accept JD-Next, and can I use it without an LSAT score?

Miami Law explicitly accepts JD-Next to fulfill its assessment requirement for Fall 2027; for Florida’s other listed schools, the sources establish variance or program-list status but do not establish a current standalone policy. Do not infer that an LSAT is unnecessary just because a Florida school appears on a variance list.

The official JD-Next list includes Florida A&M, Florida International, Florida State, Miami, and the University of Florida. The ABA notices specifically identify Florida A&M and Florida State approvals as JD-Next variances, while the University of Florida notice is listed without that designation. These records are not interchangeable with an admissions office statement that JD-Next can replace the LSAT.

Miami provides the clearest current-cycle answer in the sources: its Fall 2027 instructions list JD-Next alongside LSAT and GRE as an assessment option. The page also explains score-reporting rules, including the requirement to submit all reportable assessment scores when multiple test types have been taken. If you are applying to another Florida school, ask: “For the [cycle] JD application, can JD-Next alone satisfy the assessment requirement if I have no LSAT score?”

What schools in Texas accept JD-Next, and do they accept it instead of the LSAT?

Texas A&M and Texas Southern appear in JD-Next variance records, but those records do not establish their current acceptance policies or standalone use; Texas Law currently says it is not accepting JD-Next scores. Verify each school’s policy separately rather than treating Texas as one admissions market.

The JD-Next variance list includes Southern Methodist University, St. Mary’s University, and Texas A&M, and lists Texas Southern with an August 2026 approval date. Texas Law’s current FAQ gives a direct contrary example: it says the school is not accepting JD-Next scores at this time. A variance at another Texas institution does not alter that policy.

For a Texas school not covered by an explicit current policy in these sources, use a short written check: “I plan to apply for [cycle]. Can JD-Next meet your admissions assessment requirement by itself, or must it be paired with an LSAT or GRE?” Ask whether the answer changes if you have already taken the LSAT. Keep the reply with your application notes; it settles the specific cycle and situation you asked about.