Drexel University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia combines co-op education with clinical training and an accelerated two-year JD option. Its strengths include trial advocacy, health law, business, and intellectual property.
This guide walks you through how to get into Drexel Kline Law.
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1. Drexel Kline Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Drexel Kline Law Class of 2029:
- LSAT: 75th: 162 | Median: 160 | 25th: 156
- GPA: 75th: 3.91 | Median: 3.80 | 25th: 3.50
Drexel Kline Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 162 | Median: 160 | 25th: 154
- GPA: 75th: 3.87 | Median: 3.76 | 25th: 3.35
Drexel's 2026 entering profile holds the LSAT median at 160 while raising the GPA median 0.04 over 2025. The LSAT's lower quartile rose two points and the GPA's rose 0.15. The entering group decreased from 181 to 169. These are schoolwide entering-JD figures, not separate medians for each pathway.
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. Drexel Kline Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
Drexel asks for approximately two double-spaced pages on a topic of your choice. The statement should introduce you through your experiences, ideas, and qualifications. Suggested subjects include career aspirations, academic interests, life experiences, family background, and talents. This is an open personal statement, not a required response about a particular practice area.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
For more on discussing life experiences and family background within this personal statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.
Scholarship Addenda (if applicable)
The Courtroom Scholarship and Public Interest Law Scholarship each require a program-specific addendum attached to the admission application. Courtroom eligibility is limited to participants in American Mock Trial Association undergraduate competitions. Public Interest applicants must submit the scholarship materials by March 1. These are scholarship submissions, not additional personal statements required of every applicant.
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. Drexel Kline Law Resume Requirements
A current resume is required. Include employment, volunteer work, and leadership experience.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Drexel Kline Law Letters of Recommendation
Drexel requires two letters of recommendation and accepts up to four through LSAC. Professors or employers should address your academic ability, professional experience, and potential for success in law school.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Drexel Kline Law Interview Process
Drexel may invite Global Access JD applicants to interview after reviewing their applications. That separate route serves graduates of international law programs.
6. Drexel Kline Law Deadlines and Decision Options
Testing Policy
Drexel accepts the LSAT or GRE and requires LSAC CAS for either route. Applicants who have taken the LSAT cannot apply using the GRE. Taking the LSAT after a GRE application triggers reevaluation of the application and any scholarship using the LSAT; the GRE is no longer considered.
If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
- Applications Open: August 15.
- Early Completion Date: November 15 for a guaranteed decision by January 15.
- Accelerated and Summer-Start Deadline: January 15; later applications receive rolling consideration as space permits.
- Scholarship Consideration Deadline: March 1 for a complete application.
- JD Review Cutoff: April 1; review is not guaranteed after this date.
- Application Fee: None.
Program Formats
The three-year fall-start, three-year summer-start, and two-year accelerated pathways use the same LSAC application. Select the pathway when applying. November 15 is an early-completion option, not a stated binding enrollment commitment.
For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
March 1 guarantees scholarship consideration, not a scholarship award. GRE applicants send official scores through ETS using code 4120.
7. Drexel Kline Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Applicants receive automatic consideration, with awards communicated at admission. Drexel has awarded conditional scholarships, so renewal can require more than good academic standing. The 2025 ABA report records reductions or eliminations among recipients of conditional awards.
Rising Advocate Scholarship
Drexel's leading merit award recognizes outstanding undergraduate academic achievement.
Courtroom Scholarship
Awards can reach full tuition. Selection considers undergraduate mock trial experience, competition success, and academic achievement. A separate addendum is required.
Public Interest Law Scholarship
This competitive award can cover full tuition and includes a lawyer mentor, special programming, and priority for co-ops and clinics. The application addendum is due March 1.
Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program
Returning Peace Corps volunteers may receive scholarship support tied to a co-op or clinic serving an underserved American community. Submit the Peace Corps Description of Service with the application.
DiveIN Scholarship
Successful completion of Drexel's Summer Immersion Program before admission qualifies recipients for a $5,000 annual award, added to merit aid without exceeding full tuition.
Need-Based Aid and Costs
The FAFSA is required for federal aid, but not merit consideration. For 2026-2027, fall-start tuition is $58,710 and the nine-month first-year budget is $90,346. Summer-start students have a $99,547 first-year budget covering twelve months. The accelerated program's first twelve-month budget is $129,308 because it includes three full-tuition semesters.
Public Interest Experience Prizes support unpaid summer work. Drexel's LRAP offers renewable, forgivable loans for qualifying public-sector employment, subject to eligibility and available funding.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Drexel Kline Law Dual Degree Programs
Current options include:
- JD/MBA: With Drexel's LeBow College of Business, generally 3.5 to four years under the published plan.
- JD/MS in Public Policy: With Drexel's College of Arts and Sciences and Center for Public Policy, generally three to four years under the published plan.
Each requires admission to both programs, with financial aid administered separately. Students can apply during their first or second JD year. Revised plans for 2027-2028 are scheduled for publication in January 2027.
The JD/PhD in Law and Clinical Psychology is not accepting applicants. The catalog also states that the JD/MPH with Dornsife School of Public Health is not accepting students for 2026-2027.
9. Drexel Kline Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Drexel Kline Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 85.7%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 24.8%
- Federal clerkships: 0.0%
- Public service (including government): 15.0%
Pennsylvania leads placement, followed by New Jersey and Delaware. Larger firms account for roughly a quarter of the class. State and local clerkships are another significant destination, distinct from the federal clerkship figure. Drexel's strongest geographic connection is to Philadelphia and the surrounding region.
10. Drexel Kline Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Business and Entrepreneurship: The concentration combines Business Organizations with transactional courses, venture capital, and technology-related study. The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic lets students apply that work to startup clients, while LeBow courses add a business perspective.
Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution: Students study litigation drafting, mediation, arbitration, and deposition skills. The Kline Institute of Trial Advocacy adds a dedicated courtroom-training setting. Clinical work connects advocacy techniques with client representation and negotiation.
Health Law: The concentration addresses healthcare quality, business regulation, finance, and bioethics. Faculty collaborate with Drexel's medical and public health programs, while co-op partners provide exposure to hospitals, insurers, and public agencies.
Intellectual Property: The IP concentration combines substantive courses with supervised practice. Patent, copyright, and related work connects with Philadelphia's technology and creative businesses. Amy Landers directs the program, bringing scholarship and prior Silicon Valley litigation experience.
Criminal Law: Coursework spans criminal procedure, sentencing, trial advocacy, and healthcare fraud. A required concentration-related co-op or clinic connects those subjects to prosecution, defense, or court practice, including representation through the Criminal Litigation Field Clinic.
11. Drexel Kline Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
Clinic options cover direct representation, community advocacy, and transactional practice:
- Andy and Gwen Stern Community Lawyering Clinic: Assist Philadelphia residents with housing, employment, and other legal barriers, including foreclosure prevention and utility restoration.
- Entrepreneurial Law Clinic: Interview startup founders, form entities, and draft ownership, employment, licensing, and governance agreements.
- Federal Litigation and Appeals Clinic: Investigate facts, counsel clients, draft briefs, and handle hearings and appeals, with a current emphasis on immigration matters.
- Child Advocacy Field Clinic: Work with the Defender Association of Philadelphia on children's dependency cases, collaborating with attorneys, social workers, and other advocates.
- Civil Litigation Field Clinic: Represent clients through Philadelphia Legal Assistance's Family Law Unit in protection-from-abuse and custody matters, including intake and courtroom advocacy.
- Criminal Litigation Field Clinic: Represent indigent defendants through the Defender Association in preliminary hearings, pretrial motions, and misdemeanor trials.
- Federal Reentry Field Clinic: Assist participants in the federal Supervision to Aid Reentry program with civil problems involving housing, debt, family matters, and driving privileges.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Students complete 50 pro bono hours. Co-ops satisfy the professional practice requirement and pair fieldwork with a seminar. Regular and summer co-ops require at least 298 field hours; intensive placements require 425. Partners include Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Wawa, and Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. Compensation depends on the employer, and particular placements may impose GPA requirements. Several clinics, including Federal Litigation and Appeals, require a two-semester commitment.
12. Drexel Kline Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Adam Benforado: Professor of Law. Studies criminal justice, children's rights, and cognitive psychology; author of Unfair and recipient of a National Science Foundation grant for research on punishment.
- Barry R. Furrow: Professor of Law and Health Law Program director. Studies healthcare regulation and patient safety; lead author of Health Law: Cases, Materials and Problems.
- Amy L. Landers: Professor of Law and Intellectual Property Law Program director. A former Orrick partner and author of Understanding Patent Law.
- Richard H. Frankel: Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Experiential Learning Programs. Studies immigration and civil justice; his arbitration scholarship won the 2022 Pound Civil Justice Institute Scholarship Award.
Journals
- Drexel Law Review: A student-run, general-interest journal whose staff includes second- and third-year students.
13. Drexel Kline Law Culture and Student Life
Drexel's University City campus places the law school near 30th Street Station and within reach of Center City's legal community. Organizations include the First Generation Law Society, Health Law Society, and OUTLaw. Trial advocacy, clinics, and required service connect classroom peers through shared professional work.
Philadelphia offers hospitals, corporate legal departments, courts, and public interest organizations within the school's co-op network. The accelerated pathway compresses the calendar, not the curriculum, into six consecutive semesters. First-year students taking at least 11 credits may not work more than 20 hours weekly.
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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 Drexel Kline 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.
