University of Missouri - Columbia Law School

Offering fantastically low tuition and a great quality-of-life, Missouri Law in Columbia is a wonderful option for any student hoping to practice law in Missouri. For those who want to work elsewhere, however, Missouri-Columbia is not the school to attend.

Admissions & Tuition

Roughly 44% (400 of 914) of applicants were granted admission for the 2009 entering class. Of those who matriculated, the 25th to 75th percentile GPA range was 3.24–3.70 and the range for the LSAT was 156-161—with medians of 3.47 and 158, respectively.

Once admitted, students face the task of financing their legal education. For Missouri residents, this should prove to be relatively simple, as in-state students pay a delightfully low $14,883 for tuition. Out-of-staters have a harder time; though their tuition rate, at $29,403, can still be considered cheap. Beyond tuition, all other costs are the same regardless of one’s state of residence. Here, students continue to save. Room & board at Missouri is only around $8,500 on average. Book costs and miscellaneous fees add about $5,000 to the mix, making the total cost-of-attendance around $31,900 for in-state students, and roughly $46,400 for out-of-staters.

It is understandable, given the school’s low cost-of-attendance, that the financial aid office is not terribly generous. In fact, the 75th percentile grant last year barely reached $7,000. And so, almost every student ends up borrowing money to pay the bills; but the average indebtedness for those who borrowed was just over 65K last year, and debt can hardly be said to be a big problem for Missouri grads.

Bar Passage & employment Prospects

The Bar passage rate for Missouri graduates is a solid 95.0%, beating out the state-wide rate of 90.4%. After taking the bar, however, Missouri grads struggle to find work—at least in the immediate sense. Less than 53% of graduates were employed at the time of graduation in 2007. Discouragement should be contained, however, as, within nine months of graduation, more than 91% of graduates are employed (USNews, LSAC).

Missouri graduates are represented in just about every field of practice. While 48% of the graduating class of 2007 entered private-practice, according to the Missouri Law website, roughly 13% of the graduating class that year worked for the government; 9% secured judicial clerkships; 5% of the graduating class went into public-interest fields of law; and business employed 6% of Missouri grads. Those who entered the private sector earned the most, with salaries ranging from $45,000 to $95,000 for the middle 50th percentile. Those in public service earned a median of $42,000.

As is the case with most schools similarly ranked, Missouri is a regional school—meaning that the majority of its graduates will struggle to find work outside of Missouri. In fact, Missouri Law can be said to be one of the most regional schools at this rank, with 86% of its graduates finding work in-state. Prospective students should be aware of the limitations that a Missouri Law degree might place on their future career choices. But for those who know they want to practice in Missouri, there are few better schools to attend.

Academics

Missouri is strong in several fields of law. Throughout the state, hiring attorneys know that Missouri graduates have been exposed to some great professors, especially in the fields of criminal law, government services, and dispute resolution. It is for the latter field, dispute resolution, that the school gains the most recognition. Earlier this year, USNews ranked Missouri’s dispute resolution among the top-3 in the nation, beating out schools like Georgetown (12th) and Stanford (17th). Students can choose to earn a certificate in the field, or even an LLM.

Also a boost to Missouri’s academics is the school’s proximity to the state capital, Jefferson City. Only a half hour away, Jefferson City offers students a plethora of government and judicial opportunities.

There are downsides, however, to studying at Missouri. Students complain about the facilities in the Law building and it seems that a technology update would be hugely beneficial; bigger classrooms wouldn’t hurt either. The student-faculty ratio could also be better—at 18.4:1, students may not find themselves getting all the attention they need. Further, Missouri’s clinical program is severely lacking, depriving students of crucial, hands-on experience. Until Missouri makes improvements in these areas, it is likely to see stagnation in the rankings, if not a drop.

Quality-of-life

A college town with a population of 100,000, Columbia is located in central Missouri, just between Kansas City and St Louis. Students will not enjoy the type of night-life that they might find in New York or Los Angeles, but Columbia has plenty of its own benefits to offer. The population is diverse, the cultural offerings are many, and the city’s natural treasures make it easy for students to get out and enjoy themselves.

What’s more, Columbia is a great city to be young in. With two other colleges in the city (Columbia College and Stephens College), there are plenty of social and intellectual opportunities. It is also a great city to grow old in, for those who decide to build their career in Columbia after law school: the town was voted among the best places to raise a family in “50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family”.

Simply put, Columbia is a nice place to live.

Conclusion

Missouri is a stubbornly regional school, and career prospects will be grim for those who want to leave the state. For those who are content to work in, Missouri however, the school’s location and cheap tuition might just make it the best option around.

Quick Reference

U.S. News Ranking: 65
LSAT Median: 158 (2009)
GPA Median: 3.47 (2009)
Multiple LSAT scores: Higher score accepted
Application Deadlines: 03/01 (Regular)
Application fee: $55
Entering class size: 145
Yearly Tuition: $14,854 (in-state) $28,336 (out-of-state)
Bar passage rate: 90.8%
Percent of graduates employed 9 months after graduation: 98%
Median private sector starting salary: $55,000 (Class of 2007, 56% reporting)
Average law firm salary: $68,081 (Class of 2007)