How to Get Into Kansas Law (2026-2027 Guide)

The University of Kansas School of Law in Lawrence combines a small entering class with a major public research university. Its strengths include advocacy, business law, tribal law, and international trade, supported by clinical training.

This guide walks you through how to get into Kansas Law.

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Admissions numbers
Application essays
Resume
Recommendations
Interviews
Deadlines and testing
Scholarships and cost
Programs and curriculum
Employment outcomes
Areas of study
Clinics and experience
Faculty and journals
Student life

1. Kansas Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics

Kansas Law Class of 2029:

LSAT: Median: 164
GPA: Median: 3.80

Kansas Law Class of 2028:

LSAT: 75th: 164 | Median: 162 | 25th: 158
GPA: 75th: 3.95 | Median: 3.85 | 25th: 3.58

The fall 2026 entering class enrolled 123 students, compared with 122 in 2025 and 127 in 2024. Across those cohorts, the LSAT median rose from 161 to 162 to 164. GPA increased from 3.79 to 3.85 before settling at 3.80. The newest profile reports medians only.

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. Kansas Law Application Essays

Personal Statement (required)

Kansas asks for two to three double-spaced pages about significant personal, social, or academic experiences. Explain your interest in law and how your ability to learn, adapt, and excel will carry into legal education and practice.

For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.

Life Experience Statement (Diversity / Perspective / Identity Statement) (optional)

This separate attachment connects life experiences or personal characteristics to a quality or ability relevant to future academic or professional success. The prompt includes discrimination, hardship, and other formative experiences. Kansas specifies no numerical length limit for this attachment.

For more on how to write a diversity or perspective statement, see my Diversity Statement Examples and Diversity Statement Guide.

Kansas Statement (optional)

Briefly explain your interest in or connection to Kansas, the university, or the law school in a separate attachment. The prompt sets no numerical length limit.

For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.

For more on making all of these essays work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.

Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)

Kansas permits an optional addendum about academic or personal context. Character-and-fitness disclosures require the charge, adjudication, and a short account of events, including applicable juvenile matters.

I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.

3. Kansas Law Resume Requirements

Kansas requires a resume covering education, employment, service, honors, scholarships, awards, and relevant activities. No numerical page limit is specified. Describe your responsibilities clearly so the reader understands what you actually did.

For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.

4. Kansas Law Letters of Recommendation

Kansas requires two and accepts up to three letters of recommendation through LSAC. Applicants within three years of college should include a professor's letter. Those further removed may use professional colleagues who know their work.

For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).

5. Kansas Law Interview Process

The admissions committee may request an interview when it needs additional information. Interviews may occur in person, by phone, or by video at the applicant's convenience. Applicants cannot request an admissions interview themselves.

6. Kansas Law Deadlines and Decision Options

Testing Policy

Kansas accepts the LSAT or GRE. Applicants must submit all scores from the preceding five years. The LSAT is primary when both tests are available; multiple GRE results are evaluated using the highest score from each section. Notify admissions of planned LSAT retakes or changes to those plans.

If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.

Application Dates and Fees

Kansas uses a modified rolling process. Its published annual schedule lists:

Application opening: September 1.
Priority application deadline: February 20.
Later applications: Considered as space remains available.

Review begins in mid-November, with initial decisions in mid-December. Applications completed before December 15 generally receive decisions by January 31; later files typically take four to six weeks, with additional review taking longer. The application fee is $55. Scholarship decisions accompany admission decisions.

7. Kansas Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Tuition and Fees

For 2026-2027, first-year tuition and fees are $27,585 for Kansas residents and $35,055 for nonresidents. Estimated attendance budgets are $47,823 and $55,293, respectively. Moving to Kansas primarily for school does not automatically establish resident tuition eligibility.

Merit Scholarships

All admitted applicants receive automatic consideration, with awards announced alongside admission. Kansas considers academics, leadership, adversity, and public service. Some awards are conditional: the 2025 ABA report records 34 conditional scholarship recipients entering in 2024-2025, with six awards subsequently reduced or eliminated.

Rice Scholar Program

Kansas residents with strong academic records and leadership experience are eligible. A faculty committee interviews finalists. The award covers tuition, required fees, and a stipend based on estimated book costs.

Vantage Scholarship

Residents of eleven designated Missouri counties who have not otherwise received a scholarship offer may receive an award bridging the difference between resident and nonresident tuition.

Need-Based Aid

KU Tuition Grant consideration uses the FAFSA and financial-need questions in the admission application. No separate scholarship application is required for this consideration.

For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.

8. Kansas Law Joint Degree Programs

Kansas offers ten joint degrees, requiring separate admission to both programs:

JD/MBA: With the School of Business, four years.
JD/MA in East Asian Languages and Cultures: With the corresponding department, four years and one summer.
JD/MA in Economics: With the Department of Economics, three years and one summer.
JD/MHSA: With the School of Medicine's Department of Population Health, four years for law and health services administration.
JD/MA in Indigenous Studies: With the Indigenous Studies program, four years.
JD/MS in Journalism: With the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, approximately three-and-a-half years.
JD/MA in Philosophy: With the Department of Philosophy, three years and one summer.
JD/MA in Political Science: With the Department of Political Science, three years and one semester.
JD/MPA: With the School of Public Affairs & Administration, four years and two summers.
JD/MSW: With the School of Social Welfare, potentially four years, depending on course availability and academic performance.

Joint-degree students ordinarily complete both degrees concurrently, with law coursework in the final semester.

9. Kansas Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)

Kansas Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):

Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 91.3%
BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 15.1%
Federal clerkships: 4.0%
Public service (including government): 23.8%

Kansas and Missouri were the leading employment destinations, followed by Colorado. The results show a substantial regional firm market alongside government, public interest, and state and federal clerkships. For applicants planning to practice in Kansas or western Missouri, that employment base and the resident or nonresident net cost are central to the decision.

10. Kansas Law Areas of Study and Specializations

Advocacy: The Shook, Hardy & Bacon Center for Excellence in Advocacy connects students with experienced litigators. The Advocacy Skills Certificate combines litigation study with practical experience, while the Legal Aid Clinic gives eligible students supervised responsibility for client matters.

Business and Commercial Law: The Polsinelli Transactional Law Center supports transactional coursework, professional programming, and competitions. The Business and Commercial Law Certificate provides a structured foundation, while the Due Diligence in Business Transactions workshop develops skills used in evaluating deals.

Tribal Law: The Tribal Law & Government Center prepares students to work with tribal communities and institutions. The Tribal Lawyer Certificate and Tribal Judicial Support Clinic connect federal Indian law with the research, codes, and court documents used in tribal governance.

International Trade: The International Trade and Finance Certificate covers trade, business, and finance across borders. Raj Bhala's teaching and scholarship provide depth in trade law, while International Business Law Drafting connects international practice to producing legal documents.

Environmental and Natural Resources Law: The Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Law Certificate provides a defined course of study. Robin Kundis Craig's water and climate scholarship complements courses including Water Law and Energy Law and Policy, connecting resources questions with legal practice.

11. Kansas Law Clinics and Experiential Learning

Kansas combines supervised clinics with distinct off-campus field placements:

Legal Aid Clinic: Students interview clients, argue motions, appear in court, and take cases through settlement or trial. Matters include juvenile cases in Douglas County, municipal cases in Lawrence, expungements, and name changes for low-income clients.
Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence & Post-Conviction Remedies: Students investigate state and federal prisoners' cases, work with experts, and prepare pleadings and appellate briefs. The two-semester program covers post-conviction claims beyond factual innocence alone.
Tribal Judicial Support Clinic: Students research tribal law, help develop codes, and prepare memoranda and proposed judicial orders for tribal courts. Federal Indian Law is a prerequisite.
Medical-Legal Partnership Field Placement: Students assist patients and families through the University of Kansas Health System and LMH Health. Work includes intake, research, drafting, and eligible supervised court appearances.
Elder Law Field Placement: Kansas Legal Services supervises work with seniors on housing, consumer, benefits, and estate-planning issues. Students interview clients and draft wills, powers of attorney, and other planning documents.
Criminal Prosecution Field Placement: Students help prosecutors develop cases, work with law enforcement, prepare briefs, and participate in proceedings under supervision. Placements span federal, state, and local prosecution offices.

Pro Bono and Experiential Learning

The JD requires six experiential credits. Separate pro bono recognition honors 50 service hours over law school or 15 hours within an academic year. Past field-placement hosts include the Kansas Attorney General's Office and ACLU of Kansas. The general placement program requires supervised legal work in government or nonprofit settings rather than for-profit employers.

12. Kansas Law Notable Faculty and Journals

Faculty

Raj Bhala: University Distinguished Professor, specializing in international trade and Islamic law. His scholarship includes the multi-volume International Trade Law textbook and Modern GATT Law. He previously practiced at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Robin Kundis Craig: Robert A. Schroeder Distinguished Professor of Law, focusing on water, environmental law, and climate adaptation. She coedited Re-Envisioning the Anthropocene Ocean and has served on National Academy of Sciences committees studying water and environmental problems.
Stephen J. Ware: Frank Edwards Tyler Distinguished Professor of Law, teaching arbitration, contracts, and bankruptcy. His scholarship includes Principles of Arbitration Law, and his work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Shawn K. Watts: Lecturer and Director of the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic, teaching federal Indian law and mediation. He also serves as a district court judge for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

Journals

Kansas Law Review: A student-edited general-interest journal publishing five issues annually. Students edit scholarship and develop their own legal writing.
Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy: A student-edited journal publishing three issues annually, focused on the relationship between legal questions and public policy.

13. Kansas Law Culture and Student Life

Kansas combines a small law-school cohort with the resources of a large university. Most classes meet in Green Hall in Lawrence. Dean's Fellows provide peer mentoring on studying, time management, course planning, and available support, giving new students a connection to experienced classmates.

Lawrence offers a university-town setting, while placements and graduate employment connect students with Kansas and Missouri practice. Community-facing work through Legal Aid, the medical-legal partnerships, and pro bono service gives students ways to build professional relationships while meeting local needs.

Want Help Getting Into Kansas Law?

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Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Kansas 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.