Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law is a public law school in downtown Indianapolis. Its strengths include health law, intellectual property, state government, and clinical training, with full-time and part-time hybrid JD options.
This guide walks you through how to get into IU McKinney Law.
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1. IU McKinney Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
IU McKinney Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 159 | Median: 155 | 25th: 152
- GPA: 75th: 3.82 | Median: 3.58 | 25th: 3.33
IU McKinney Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 159 | Median: 155 | 25th: 152
- GPA: 75th: 3.83 | Median: 3.59 | 25th: 3.31
The 2025 entering class included 280 students, compared with 269 in 2024. These are combined full-time and part-time figures. The LSAT distribution stayed unchanged, while the median GPA moved down slightly. Among 2025 entrants, the full-time LSAT median was 155 and the part-time median was 154.
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. IU McKinney Law Application Essays
Statement of Motivations and Goals (required)
McKinney replaces the conventional personal statement with a Statement of Motivations and Goals. Its application instructions present two required responses, with up to 450 words per prompt: one about an issue that matters to you and your perspective on it; the other about why you want to study law and attend McKinney specifically.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.
Optional Statements
You may submit up to three optional statements, 500 words each, addressing academic record, socioeconomic background, responsibilities, or an area of legal interest. The responsibilities option asks how formative experiences would inform your approach to law school and practice.
For more on how to write a diversity or perspective statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.
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. IU McKinney Law Resume Requirements
A resume is required. Make employment, education, service, and leadership easy to follow, with dates and concrete responsibilities. For the part-time hybrid program, substantial work experience belongs prominently on the page. Show what you handled and accomplished rather than relying on job titles.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. IU McKinney Law Letters of Recommendation
McKinney requires two letters of recommendation through LSAC. Faculty letters are preferred, particularly from professors who can assess your academic work.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. IU McKinney Law Interview Process
Kennedy Law Scholars finalists participate in virtual interviews in late February. Reapplicants may also be asked to have an advising call with admissions. For either conversation, be ready to explain your legal goals, interest in McKinney, and the experiences that support your application.
6. IU McKinney Law Deadlines and Early Decision
Testing Policy
Ordinary applicants may submit the LSAT or GRE; the school recommends taking the LSAT by April.
If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
- Applications open: September 1 annually.
- Priority, scholarship, and international deadline: March 1.
- Application deadline: May 15 for first-time and returning applicants.
- File-completion deadline: June 1.
- Application fee: $0.
Binding Early Decision: Complete the file by November 15, using an LSAT no later than October or a GRE report received by the deadline. Decisions arrive by January 1. Admitted applicants must commit and withdraw pending applications; the deposit deadline is February 1. Scholarship consideration remains available, but you give up the ability to compare admission offers.
For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
Direct Admission: The fall 2027 route includes qualifying IU Indianapolis undergraduates with six semesters completed, a bachelor's degree earned no earlier than May 2027, an ACT or SAT at the 85th percentile, and either a 3.50 GPA or top-10% standing. Separate eligibility provisions cover certain dual-degree graduate students. Applicants cannot have an earned LSAT score. The deadline is May 15, 2027. Taking the LSAT after admission will cause the admission offer and associated scholarship to be rescinded.
Program Formats
The part-time hybrid JD takes four years. Its first year includes nine fall credits, nine spring credits, and three summer credits. Students combine in-person study at Inlow Hall with online coursework.
7. IU McKinney Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Tuition and Fees
For 2026-27, tuition is $1,049 per credit for Indiana residents, $1,676 for nonresidents, and $1,574 through Indiana Partner Tuition. At the law school's 29-credit first-year full-time schedule, tuition is $30,421, $48,604, or $45,632, respectively, before campus fees. IU's separately published full-time first-year attendance budgets are $58,478 for residents and $77,288 for nonresidents, including tuition, fees, and living expenses.
Merit Scholarships
Merit consideration is automatic for timely applicants, with March 1 the scholarship deadline. Renewal requires the GPA specified in the award, for up to three full-time or four part-time years. Most one-time donor awards also require the application's scholarship questions.
Kennedy Law Scholars
Recipients receive full tuition plus annual stipends of $6,000 full-time or $4,500 part-time. Consideration requires at least a 3.65 undergraduate GPA, a 162 LSAT, and a completed application by February 1. Up to two recipients are selected. Renewal requires a 2.90 law school GPA.
Compare the full cost of your chosen schedule and residency category, not just the award's headline amount. Include living expenses and the consequences of falling below the renewal GPA.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. IU McKinney Law Joint Degree Programs
McKinney offers dual degrees within Indiana University:
- J.D./M.B.A. with the Kelley School of Business.
- J.D./M.P.A. with the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
- J.D./M.H.A. and J.D./M.P.H. with the Fairbanks School of Public Health.
- J.D./M.D. with the School of Medicine: six years.
- J.D./M.A. in Philanthropic Studies with the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
- J.D./M.L.I.S. with the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.
- J.D./M.S.W. with the School of Social Work.
Most master's combinations ordinarily take four years full-time. Each partner program requires separate admission. The philanthropic-studies combination connects legal study with nonprofit governance and philanthropic institutions.
9. IU McKinney Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
IU McKinney Law Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 75.9%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 11.3%
- Federal clerkships: 0.5%
- Public service (including government): 28.3%
Indiana was the leading employment destination, followed by Illinois and Colorado. Small firms and government accounted for substantial portions of the class. McKinney makes the most straightforward geographic case for applicants who want to practice in Indiana. Build a financing plan around the work you realistically intend to pursue, whether that means local litigation, agency practice, business work, or a public-interest organization.
10. IU McKinney Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Health Law: The Hall Center for Law and Health anchors a certificate requiring at least 15 credits and a capstone. Courses such as Bioethics and Law and Health Care Business and Revenue Systems connect legal analysis to the institutions and decisions involved in health care.
Intellectual Property: The Center for Intellectual Property and Innovation supports a 15-credit certificate and substantial research paper. Patent Prosecution and Intellectual Property Licensing: Drafting Skills give applicants concrete ways to connect scientific, technical, or creative experience to the legal work they want to learn.
State Government: The Program on Law and State Government connects students with legal offices across Indiana's executive and legislative branches. Externs work on research, administrative appeals, and statutory or regulatory drafting. This is a specific reason to study in Indianapolis, not simply a reference to its capital-city location.
Environmental and Natural Resources Law: The Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate Certificate combines Environmental Law and Administrative Law with advanced courses and a capstone. Options include the Environmental Advocacy Practicum and an environmental-agency placement through the Program on Law and State Government.
11. IU McKinney Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
McKinney's clinics put students into supervised representation across several practice settings:
- Appellate Clinic: Communicate with clients, draft appellate briefs, and present arguments in Indiana appeals.
- Child Advocacy Law Clinic: Work with Kids' Voice on cases involving children's interests in abuse, neglect, and civil disputes.
- Civil Practice Clinic: Handle domestic, housing, consumer, and administrative matters, including court and agency appearances.
- Criminal Defense Clinic: Represent clients at hearings, plea proceedings, and trials involving misdemeanors and Level 6 felonies.
- Housing, Health, and Human Rights Clinic: Work on housing litigation, negotiation, investigations, and public education.
- Immigration Clinic: Assist clients with asylum, family-based petitions, juvenile immigration matters, and crime-victim visas.
- Reentry Clinic: Help federal probationers address reentry barriers and assist with driving-privilege matters.
- Wrongful Conviction Clinic: Investigate cases, review records, and pursue post-conviction relief with the Office of the Public Defender of Indiana.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
McKinney offers more than 100 externship placements across courts, agencies, health organizations, and businesses. The Supervised Externship Placement option lets students propose a placement. The voluntary Pro Bono Program encourages 50 hours by graduation, with transcript recognition beginning at that level. These opportunities let you build a sustained practice interest rather than collect disconnected activities.
12. IU McKinney Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Karen E. Bravo: Dean and Gerald L. Bepko Professor of Law. She teaches international and business law. She founded the Slavery Past, Present and Future research project and previously practiced corporate law.
- Lea Bishop: Professor of Law. She studies copyright and human rights. Her book Ending Book Hunger examines access to reading materials; earlier work appeared under the name Lea Shaver.
- Amber Comer: Visiting associate professor and interim director of the Hall Center. She studies medical decision-making and bioethics. She also serves on the Eskenazi Hospital Medical Ethics Committee.
- Margaret C. Tarkington: Samuel R. Rosen Professor of Law and Dean's Fellow. She teaches professional responsibility and federal courts. She wrote Voice of Justice, about lawyers' First Amendment rights.
Journals
- Indiana Law Review: The general-interest flagship.
- Indiana Health Law Review: Scholarship on health care law and policy.
- Indiana International & Comparative Law Review: Scholarship on international legal issues.
Applicants to journal membership participate in a joint writing competition.
13. IU McKinney Law Culture and Student Life
McKinney combines full-time students with classmates pursuing a degree around established careers. The four-year hybrid program blends in-person study with online coursework, while Inlow Hall and the Ruth Lilly Law Library provide shared academic space. That mix creates opportunities to learn from people approaching law through different professional experiences.
Downtown Indianapolis makes the school part of a working legal community. The Pro Bono Program is open even to first-year students, and upper-level clinics connect classroom relationships to shared responsibility for clients. Think about how work, commuting, and participation will fit together in your chosen program.
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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 IU McKinney 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.
