Going to one of the top law schools in Indiana can set you up for a great career. The state is suffering from a massive shortage of attorneys, with many of its counties having less than one lawyer for every 1,000 residents. That means that if you play your cards right, you should have some pretty good offers lined up upon graduation.
To give you a sense of your options when it comes to earning a JD in Indiana, we’ve compiled a list of the best law schools in the Hoosier State. Keep reading to see the ones that made our list and what you need to be a competitive applicant.
Top Law Schools in Indiana
1. University of Notre Dame Law School
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #20
Tuition: $73,430 (full-time)
Median GPA of Program Entrants: 3.89
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 170
Acceptance Rate: 16.1%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 92.2%
When it comes to law schools in Indiana, Notre Dame comes out on top. And for good reason. In addition to that Fighting Irish spirit that makes crowds roar on crisp fall afternoons, it’s widely considered the most prestigious Catholic law school in the U.S. In fact, people who went there have ended up on the Supreme Court. Justice Amy Coney Barrett earned her JD from Notre Dame in 1997, and she was a faculty member there from 2002 to 2017.
As for specialty rankings, U.S. News and World Report puts Notre Dame at:
- #5 in Law Schools With the Most Graduates in Federal Clerkships
- #19 in Constitutional Law
- #20 in Law Schools With the Most Graduates at Big Law Firms
- #22 in Contracts/Commercial Law
- #34 in Business/Corporate Law and International law
As for the curriculum, in their first year Notre Dame students take Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Legal Writing, Property, and Torts.
Dual degree options you can pursue at Notre Dame include:
- JD/MBA
- JD/MS in Engineering, Science, & Technology Entrepreneurship
- JD/MA in English
- JD/Master of Engineering
- JD/PhD in Political Science
Students interested in earning another type of dual degree can ask the Law School Office if they can create an individualized program.
Notre Dame has lots of opportunities to gain practical experience via externships offered in South Bend, IN, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
The Notre Dame Clinical Law Center also houses clinics where students get to work on real cases under the supervision of full-time faculty members. The school’s clinics include (but aren’t limited to):
- Applied Mediation
- Eviction
- Global Human Rights
- Immigration
- Intellectual Property
- Veterans Law
Notre Dame has more than 30 student organizations, including (the):
- American Civil Liberties Union
- American Constitution Society
- Business Law Forum
- Death Penalty Abolition Society
- Exoneration Project
- Space Law Society
- Student Bar Association
There are also many student-run law journals at this school, including the Notre Dame Law Review, the Journal of International and Comparative Law, the Journal of Law, Ethics, & Public Policy, the Journal of Legislation, the Notre Dame Journal on Emerging Technologies, and the American Journal of Jurisprudence.
Summary:
If you plan on applying, please keep in mind the median undergrad GPA of program entrants is 3.89 and the median LSAT score is also on the higher end at 170. Given the school’s admissions criteria and specialty rankings, Notre Dame may be a great option if you have a strong application and want a federal clerkship down the road or are interested in being a constitutional lawyer.
2. Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #49
Tuition: $38,472 (in-state) $59,522 (out-of-state)
Median Undergrad GPA of Program Entrants: 3.91
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 164
Acceptance Rate: 35.8%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 87.4%
Next on our list of the top law schools in Indiana is Indiana University Bloomington’s Mauer School of Law. When it opened on December 5th, 1842, the Maurer School of Law was the first law school founded in the Midwest and only the 9th founded in the entire country. Since then, the school has had a proud progressive history. Tamar Althouse, the school’s first female graduate, completed her degree in 1892, and Sam Dargan, the first black man to earn a degree at Mauer, graduated in 1909.
Today, the school is known as one of the best law schools in Indiana and one of the top public law schools in the United States. Jerome Hall, the school’s library, is considered one of the best legal research facilities in the nation.
When it comes to specialty rankings, Maurer comes in at:
- #24 in International Law
- #27 in Intellectual Property Law
- #28 in Contracts/Commercial Law
- #31 in Criminal Law
- #34 in Business/Corporate Law
The Maurer School of Law has a team-based curriculum for first-year students. This includes a year-long course called The Legal Profession that introduces them to various aspects of lawyering through panel discussions. In subsequent years, students can focus their education on a specific area, such as intellectual property or environmental law.
You can earn the following dual degrees at Maurer:
- JD/Master of Business Administration
- JD/Master of Public Administration
- JD/Master of Science in Library Studies
- JD/MS in Cyber Security
- JD/Master of International Law (completed overseas)
There are a number of clinics offered, including (the):
- Conservation Law Clinic
- Intellectual Property Law Clinic
- Civil Protection Order Clinic
- Cybersecurity Law Clinic
- Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic
- Reentry Clinic
And Maurer students have over three dozen student organizations to choose from. These include (the):
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Organization
- Business and Law Society
- Intellectual Property Association
- Space Law Society
- Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
Law journals at Maurer include the Indiana Law Journal, Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality, and IP Theory, a journal about intellectual property legal issues.
The Maurer Vision Program aims to address the lawyer shortage in the state of Indiana. Through the program, students and faculty at the school encourage Indiana residents to become attorneys and help them on their journey to earning a JD.
Summary:
The median GPA of Maurer program entrants is 3.91. The bar for LSAT scores isn’t quite as high at 164, but it’s still well above the average score of ~153. The school has an interesting first-year curriculum that introduces students to various aspects of the legal profession through group discussion. Some of its stronger specialties include international law, intellectual property, contracts/commercial, criminal law, and business/corporate law.
3. Indiana University Indianapolis McKinney School of Law
U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #124
Tuition: $31,055 (in-state) $49,239 (out-of-state)
Median Undergrad GPA of Program Entrants: 3.58
Median LSAT Score of Program Entrants: 155
Acceptance Rate: 55.9%
First-Time Bar Passage Rate: 73.9%
Rounding off our list of the top law schools in Indiana is the Robert H. McKinney School of Law. This school is known for its legal writing program and the famous Lawrence W. Inlow Hall, widely considered one of the most impressive law school buildings in the U.S.
Located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, McKinney is within walking distance of the Indiana Statehouse, the NCAA Hall of Champions, and the famed scenic Canal Walk.
When it comes to law school specialty rankings, McKinney is ranked:
- #14 in Legal Writing
- #26 in Law Schools With the Most Graduates in Public Interest Law
- #29 in Health Care Law
- #30 in Part-Time Law
- #72 in Constitutional Law
The school’s curriculum illustrates why McKinney is widely recognized as a leader in the legal writing specialty. In their first year, McKinney students can enroll in the Legal Writing Program, where they acquire solid analytical writing skills that enable them to excel in their studies and subsequent professional work.
Students can also pursue a number of dual degree options in the course of their studies, including the following:
- JD/Master of Business Administration
- JD/Master of Public Affairs
- JD/Master of Health Administration
- JD/Master of Public Health
- JD/MD
- JD/Master of Arts
- JD/Master of Library and Information Science
- JD/Master of Social Work
Legal clinics at McKinney include (the):
- Child Advocacy Law Clinic
- Immigration Clinic
- Wrongful Conviction Clinic
- Re-Entry Clinic
- Appellate Clinic
- Civil Practice Clinic
- Criminal Defense Clinic
- Housing, Health, and Human Rights Clinic
Through the Rural Justice Initiative, McKinney students gain experience working in rural Indiana counties during the summer. They are placed with judges in rural jurisdictions or become certified legal interns working in prosecutorial or public defender offices.
Some of the student organizations at McKinney include (the):
- Student Bar Association
- American Constitution Society
- Attractive Nuisance Running and Walking Club
- Business Law Association
- Health Law Society
- Immigration Law Society
- Law and Information Technology
- Sports and Entertainment Law Society
Law journals at McKinney include the Indiana Law Review, Indiana Health Law Review, and the Indiana International and Comparative Law Review.
Summary:
While the school is third on our list of the best law schools in Indiana, the median GPA of McKinney entrants is still an impressive 3.58. On the other hand, the median LSAT of new McKinney students is slightly above the national average of ~153 and the school has a very high acceptance rate of 55.9%. Given the school’s specialty rankings, it may be a good option if you’re looking to attend part time and/or gain expertise in legal writing.
How do I get into one of the top law schools in Indiana?
Whether you’re applying to the top law schools in Indiana or another part of the country, the process is the same. The first step in the law school admissions timeline is to take the LSAT. Although there are no required LSAT scores for law school, all law schools have median LSAT scores for their program entrants that give you a pretty good indication of how you compare to their previous incoming class. Remember, law schools want to attract the best of the best, so make sure you give yourself the ultimate shot by getting a high LSAT score.
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