Indiana University Indianapolis Law

Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis is a fantastic choice for any student wanting to practice law in Indiana. With its Indianapolis location, diverse academic offerings, and solid career prospects, this school is tough to beat. Those who want to practice out-of-state, however, should look elsewhere, as Indiana-Indianapolis struggles to place students nationally.

Admissions & Tuition

Indiana does not have particularly high admissions standards. Roughly 39% (646 of 1,662) of applicants were granted admission last year. Of full-time matriculating students, the 25th to 75th percentile GPA range was 3.19–3.79 and the range for the LSAT was 155-160—with medians of 3.56 and 158, respectively.

Indiana also accepts students on a part-time basis; and, while the application processes are similar, the admissions standards are much lower for the part-time program. A whopping 63% of part-time applicants were accepted last year (147 out of 233). Those matriculating had GPAs ranging from 3.03 to 3.53 for the 25th to 75th percentiles, and LSAT scores which ranged from 148 to 155.

Once the admissions cycle is over and done with, students must figure out how they will pay the bills. At Indiana, this is a much easier task for in-staters than it is for those who come from out-of-state: Indiana residents pay only $18,148 annually, while non-residents pay nearly $39,140. Room& board hovers around $11,000 on average, and book costs & miscellaneous fees tack on another $9,000 or so, bringing the total cost-of-attendance to about $40,000 and $60,000 for residents and non-residents respectively.

The financial aid office does its part to help, awarding grants to nearly 40% of the entering class. Grants last year ranged from $1,800 for the 25th percentile to $7,000 for the 75th. The median grant amount was just over $3,500 (USNews).

Bar Passage & employment Prospects

Indiana graduates pass the Indiana Bar at a rate of 85%, just beating out the state-wide rate of 84%. After passing the Bar, Indiana grads do pretty well for themselves: 80% of the graduating class is employed at the time of graduation, and nearly 96% of graduates are employed within nine months of graduating.

The school reports that 48% of graduates end up in private-practice in an average year. Government work is the next most popular choice, taking in 25% of the graduating class. Students also go to work in business (17%) and public-interest (2%), among other fields. Those who entered the private sector earned the most—thus explaining why the majority of students flock to this area annually—with salaries ranging from $60,000 to $100,000 for the middle 50th percentile.

While Indiana graduates are well-represented in almost every field of law, the opposite is true of regions of the United States. In fact, nearly 85% of students stay in Indiana after graduation. This is to be expected, as schools of Indiana’s rank and reputation are rarely able to employ students outside of their own region. Some students did make it out-of-state, but these are generally the top students in the class, or those with previously-made connections. And so, prospective students should be sure that they could be happy with a career in Indiana before sending in that seat deposit.

Academics

While Indiana Law may be considered a regional school as far as career prospects are concerned, it boasts academic programs with national recognition. According to this year’s USNews specialty rankings, the school is among the top-15 for both legal writing and healthcare law. Surely, these high rankings are due in part to Indiana’s legal centers and clinics. Students can complement their study with research, for example, at the Hall Center for Law and Health, or gain hands-on experience in one of the school’s clinics. Other centers and clinics include: Indiana Legal Aid Society, Center for International Human Rights Law and the Center on Law & Government, among others.

If the normal classes and clinics fail to satiate students’ academic desires, Indiana also offers study abroad programs and dual-degrees. Students last year had the option of studying law all over the world: from France to Uruguay to China, Indiana students could be found broadening their horizons and challenging their perspectives. Students also build their resumes with the dual-degree programs that Indiana offers, such as the JD/MBA, JD/MPH and JD/MPA, among many others.

Quality-of-life

As the state capital, Indianapolis is the epicenter or government, business and even cultural happenings. Indianapolis sports a lively downtown area, with a thriving arts community and an enthusiastic sports culture. Students can also meet their intellectual desires, as Indianapolis is home to the state government, providing unique perspectives and opportunities hard to get elsewhere. Without a doubt, Indianapolis scores high in “quality-of-life”

Conclusion

Offering solid career prospects, strong academics, and life in a big city that allows students both social and professional opportunities, Indiana-Indianapolis should be among the top choices for any student with a desire to practice law in Indiana.

Quick Reference

U.S. News Ranking: 87
LSAT Median: full-time 158, part-time 151
GPA Median: full-time 3.56, part-time 3.26
Multiple LSAT scores: Higher score accepted (with explanation)
Application Deadlines: 03/01 (Regular)
Application fee: $50
Entering class size: full-time 176, part-time 109
Yearly Tuition: $18,148 (in-state) $39,140 (out-of-state)
Bar passage rate: 84.9%
Percent of graduates employed 9 months after graduation: 96%
Median private sector starting salary: $87,500 (Class of 2007, 26% responding)