Chicago-Kent College of Law, part of Illinois Institute of Technology, is based in downtown Chicago, with full-time and part-time JD divisions. Its strengths include intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, and legal technology.
This guide walks you through how to get into Chicago-Kent Law.
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1. Chicago-Kent Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Chicago-Kent Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 164 | Median: 161 | 25th: 156
- GPA: 75th: 3.89 | Median: 3.72 | 25th: 3.45
Chicago-Kent Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 162 | Median: 160 | 25th: 155
- GPA: 75th: 3.89 | Median: 3.74 | 25th: 3.43
These are the 2025 and 2024 entering cohorts, combining full-time and part-time students. Enrollment rose from 236 to 245. The LSAT median increased one point while the GPA median slipped slightly. The LSAT upper quartile increased two points, so the changes were not uniform across the profile.
Aim to be at or above at least one median to be competitive. Above both puts you in a stronger position. Below both medians, this is a prayer, not a reach.
For context on how medians affect your strategy, see How to Build a Smart Law School List.
2. Chicago-Kent Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
Chicago-Kent requests approximately two to three typewritten pages. Suggested subjects include personal or professional accomplishments, reasons for studying law, obstacles you have faced, and context that helps explain your academic record or experiences.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
Background and Perspective Within the Personal Statement
Chicago-Kent's personal statement instructions list social, physical, or economic obstacles you have overcome as possible topics. That gives you room to explain background and perspective within the required statement.
For more on discussing your background and perspective within this personal statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.
Why Chicago-Kent Essay (optional)
You may submit a separate statement of no more than one page explaining your interest in Chicago-Kent.
For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.
Part-Time Day Supplemental Statement (required for that division)
Part-time day applicants must submit the supplemental statement in the LSAC application in addition to the personal statement. The optional Why Chicago-Kent essay does not replace it.
For more on making all of these essays work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.
Addenda and Character & Fitness Resources
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Chicago-Kent Law Resume Requirements
A resume is optional for the ordinary JD application. Submit one that makes your education, work, service, and responsibilities easy to understand. Specific accomplishments and clear dates matter more than legal-sounding job descriptions. Keep it readable rather than squeezing everything onto an overcrowded page.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Chicago-Kent Law Letters of Recommendation
Chicago-Kent requires one and accepts up to two letters of recommendation through CAS. Professors who evaluated substantial academic work are preferred. Applicants who have been out of school may use employers. Choose someone who can describe your performance, not merely confirm your title.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Chicago-Kent Law Interview Process
Chicago-Kent offers 15-minute admissions counseling appointments by phone or Zoom. Use these informational conversations to ask focused questions about the program, application, or financial aid. Do not confuse a counseling appointment with an evaluative interview or assume that it replaces anything in the written file.
6. Chicago-Kent Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
The school accepts the LSAT or GRE taken within five years. An applicant with an LSAT score is reviewed primarily on that score; GRE results can supplement the file. GRE-only applicants must submit all GRE scores from the previous five years and still register for CAS. Tell admissions about a planned retake when you need the file held.
If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
For fall 2027, submit your application as soon as practical after September 15. March 15 is the suggested deadline. Chicago-Kent reviews applications on a rolling basis, begins decisions November 1, and continues into spring and summer while space remains. A suggested deadline is not a reason to leave a finished application sitting until March.
Apply through LSAC. Chicago-Kent charges no application fee, but CAS fees are separate and the school does not grant CAS fee waivers. Include the application, personal statement, required recommendation, transcripts, test results, and any division-specific statement or necessary addenda.
Admission offers specify deposit deadlines. Read those terms before committing, particularly when comparing scholarships and full-time versus part-time attendance.
7. Chicago-Kent Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
All entering students receive automatic merit-scholarship consideration. Some awards cover only the first year; others are renewable. Renewable merit awards are guaranteed while you remain enrolled and do not carry a GPA renewal condition. Read the award letter carefully so you know which kind you received.
Honors Scholars Program
The program offers full-tuition scholarships and a separate academic experience. Its selection process is distinct from ordinary merit review. Eligible full-time and part-time students can also apply for need-based scholarships; that process requires an additional application and, for eligible applicants, the FAFSA.
Cost of Attendance
For 2026-2027 entrants, tuition is $1,885 per credit. First-year full-time tuition is $56,550 to $60,320, depending on course load, before fees and living expenses. Part-time evening tuition for 22 credits is $41,470; part-time day tuition for 23 credits is $43,355. Compare total degree costs, not just the first year's bill.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Chicago-Kent Law Joint Degrees
Chicago-Kent partners with Illinois Tech's Stuart School of Business:
- JD/MBA: Generally three and a half to four years full-time or five years part-time.
- JD/MPA: Generally three and a half to four years full-time or five to six years part-time.
- JD/MS in Finance: Combines law with graduate finance study.
- JD/MS in Sustainability Analytics and Management: Connects legal training with sustainability-related business methods.
The MBA and MPA require separate admission to each program and coordinated enrollment. These combinations are most useful when the added training serves a defined goal in business, financial analysis, sustainability, or public administration.
9. Chicago-Kent Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Chicago-Kent Law Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 75.4%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 19.0%
- Federal clerkships: 0.4%
- Public service (including government): 12.5%
These percentages use the entire graduating class, not just employed graduates. Illinois was the dominant employment destination, followed by California and Indiana. Large-firm employment was a meaningful outcome, but it was not the default. Evaluate Chicago-Kent against your intended market and a debt level that remains workable outside BigLaw.
10. Chicago-Kent Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Intellectual Property Law: The IP program includes a certificate, the Chicago Intellectual Property Colloquium, and the Center for Empirical Studies of Intellectual Property.
Labor and Employment Law: The Martin H. Malin Institute for Law and the Workplace supports a specialized certificate and contact with practitioners. Students in the program can choose an alumni mentor, making this a concrete option for applicants interested in workplace disputes or counseling.
Legal Innovation and Technology: The Law Lab connects legal practice with quantitative methods and technology. The certificate includes Legal Analytics, a Justice and Technology Practicum, and an innovation externship or clinic.
Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution: The LADR certificate combines litigation training with mediation and clinical work. It is useful to applicants interested in both presenting a case and resolving a dispute without trial, rather than treating advocacy as synonymous with courtroom performance.
Environmental and Energy Law: The certificate connects coursework with the Environmental and Energy Law Clinic and related externships. The Environmental Law Society and Journal of Environmental and Energy Law provide additional ways to develop the interest beyond a single class.
11. Chicago-Kent Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
The C-K Law Group gives students supervised experience in a working law practice. Clinical opportunities include:
- Criminal Defense Litigation: Investigate facts, interview witnesses, and prepare motions in criminal and post-conviction matters.
- Civil Litigation: Work on employment, consumer, whistleblower, and other complex plaintiff-side disputes.
- Estate Planning, Probate and Transactional Law: Draft planning documents, prepare probate filings, and assist with business transactions.
- Family Law: Help with client interviews, pleadings, discovery, and hearing preparation in domestic-relations matters.
- Immigration Law: Prepare applications, affidavits, and evidence in family-based immigration and removal-defense cases.
- Intellectual Property, Entertainment, and Entrepreneurship Law: Explore nonpatent IP issues affecting creative work and businesses.
- Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution: Train as a mediator and work on referred disputes.
- Tax Law: Assist taxpayers with administrative disputes, petitions, negotiations, and collection issues.
The separate Environmental and Energy Law Clinic works with the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic on community environmental matters.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
The student-run Public Interest Center connects students with volunteer opportunities. Full-time students can also choose the optional 1L Your Way track, deferring Legislation to take an approved elective or first-year clinical course.
12. Chicago-Kent Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Graeme B. Dinwoodie, University Distinguished Professor and Global Professor of Intellectual Property Law, studies trademark and international IP law and co-directs the IP program.
- Jason R. Bent, Professor of Law and director of the Malin Institute, studies workplace law and co-authors a treatise on statistical evidence in discrimination cases.
- Raff Donelson, Professor of Law, works on criminal law, constitutional protections, and legal philosophy. He holds both a JD and a philosophy doctorate.
- Elizabeth De Armond, Professor of Legal Research and Writing and the program's director, studies consumer protection and information privacy and contributes to National Consumer Law Center publications.
Journals
- Chicago-Kent Law Review: The flagship journal. It publishes symposium articles and student scholarship.
- Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property: Articles on intellectual property rights and technological developments.
- Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal: Peer-reviewed scholarship on workplace legal issues.
- Journal of Environmental and Energy Law: Discussion of environmental and energy law and policy.
- Seventh Circuit Review: Tied to its honors seminar. It publishes analysis of recent Seventh Circuit opinions.
13. Chicago-Kent Law Culture and Student Life
Chicago-Kent's downtown location and multiple attendance divisions support a student experience that can include substantial work and family obligations. Part-time evening classes run Monday through Thursday, although students do not attend every available hour each night. Build a realistic commute and study schedule before choosing that division.
Student groups include the First-Generation Law Student Association, Labor and Employment Law Society, and Intellectual Property Law Society. The Student Bar Association coordinates organizations and events. Ask current students how activities and clinical commitments fit their division rather than assuming the full-time and evening experiences are identical.
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Related Reading
→ How to Build a Smart Law School List
→ Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
→ How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships
→ 6 Proven Steps to Get Off a Law School Waitlist
→ How to Get Into Law School Below Both Medians
→ What Holistic Law School Admissions Really Means
→ Blog Directory
Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Chicago-Kent Law website before applying.
Think you spotted an outdated requirement or something that doesn't look right? Email moshe@sharperstatements.com with the school and a link to the current information.
