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Top Law Schools in Indiana

  • by Stephanie Michaud
  • Apr 13, 2022
  • Admissions, General LSAT Advice, Law School, Law School Admissions, Law School Advice, Legal Life, LSAT
  • Reviewed by: Matt Riley

Indiana is the 38th largest state by area and the 17th most populous.

Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis and even though you might equate the Midwest with common sense, Indiana happens to be home to some antiquated laws, like the one that stipulates a person may not enter a movie house, theater or public streetcar within four hours of eating garlic. Turns out, bad breath is a crime. So needless to say, attending law school here may come with monitoring your garlic intake, but that could be a positive detail for dating and socializing.

Indiana is also home to the University of Notre Dame, which is a big deal in the world of college football. So if football and humorous laws are on your list of law school criteria, in addition to high Bar passage rates of course, keep reading to find out what it takes to go to law school in Indiana. 

Top Law Schools in Indiana

  1. 1.  University of Notre Dame Law School
  2. 2.  Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law
  3. 3.  Indiana University Indianapolis McKinney School of Law

There are three high-ranking law schools in Indiana. Each comes with a top notch law program. There are also exciting student organizations and legal journals to consider. Keep reading to see what makes each school stand out in this Midwestern state. 

  1. 1.  University of Notre Dame Law School

U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #22

Tuition: $62,590 (full-time)

Average GPA: 3.4

Average LSAT Score: 167

Acceptance Rate: 20.3%

Bar Passage Rate: 89.7%

Notre Dame Law School is the oldest Roman Catholic law school in the United States with more than 30 student organizations, including the Sports, Communications and Entertainment Law Forum, the Asian Law Students Association, the Black Law Students Association, the Hispanic Law Students Association and the LGBT Law Forum. 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, and Public Policy and the Journal of Legislation.

Additionally, there are opportunities to gain practical experience via  externships that are offered near Notre Dame’s campus in South Bend, IN, in Chicago and in Washington, D.C. The Notre Dame Clinical Law Center also houses five clinics where students get to work on real cases under the supervision of full-time faculty members.

Tuition is on the higher end at $62,590 for full-time attendance. The average LSAT score is also on the higher end at 167. The acceptance rate is 20.3% with a relatively high Bar passage rate of 89.7%. The application deadline falls on March 15 and the fee to submit is $75. 

  1. 2.  Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law

U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #43

Tuition: $37,731 (full-time)

Average GPA: 3.5

Average LSAT Score: 162

Acceptance Rate: 43.3%

Bar Passage Rate: 88%

Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law relies on a team-based curriculum for first-year students, which includes a unique course with a focus on ethical and economic issues. In subsequent years, Indiana Law students can focus their education on a specific area of law, such as intellectual property or environmental law.

There are 10 different clinics offered, including the Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic, which focuses on sustainable business startups, and the Inmate Legal Assistance Project, which takes place in a federal prison in Terre Haute, IN. There are also three legal journals at this school including the Indiana Law Journal, the Federal Communications Law Journal and the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies.

Tuition is half of the tuition at University of Notre Dame at $37,731 for full-time in-state with a comparable Bar passage rate of 88%. Acceptance is also higher at 43.3%, so your odds of getting in are far greater. The application deadline falls on July 15 and the fee to submit is $50. 

Fun fact: Michael Maurer, the founder of the National Bank of Indianapolis is an alumnus. The law school was renamed after him following a $35 million scholarship donation.

  1. 3.  Indiana University Indianapolis McKinney School of Law

U.S. News Top Law School Ranking: #111

Tuition: $30,397 (full-time)

Average GPA: 3.4

Average LSAT Score: 154

Acceptance Rate: 56%

Bar Passage Rate: 67.5%

Welcome to the largest law school in the state! The Robert H. McKinney School of Law is well known for its high ranking program in legal writing. Law students can even apply to the Special Summer Program to gain focused training in legal writing before their first year. 

Legal areas emphasized through the Indiana University Law Clinics include immigration, health and human rights. The law school also operates the William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health and the Center for International and Comparative Law, and has several law reviews, including the Indiana Law Review, the Indiana Health Law Review and the Indiana International and Comparative Law Review. 

Tuition falls in the middle range for full-time in-state at $30,397 and $50,461 for full-time out-of-state. The average LSAT score is 154 and the Bar passage rate is lower than you normally see for a top law school at 67.5%. The Robert H. McKinney School of Law has an application deadline of May 15 and there is no fee to submit. 

How Do I Get Accepted to a Law School in Indiana?

Whether you’re applying to the best law school 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 of them have median LSAT scores 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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