Penn State Dickinson Law reunites the former Dickinson Law and Penn State Law schools as one law school with locations in Carlisle and University Park, Pennsylvania. Its programs include immigration, health, children's advocacy, intellectual property, entrepreneurship, and agricultural law, alongside connections to Penn State's research campus.
This guide walks you through how to get into Penn State Dickinson Law.
Jump to a section
1. Penn State Dickinson Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics
Penn State Dickinson Law Class of 2028:
- LSAT: 75th: 161 | Median: 159 | 25th: 157
- GPA: 75th: 3.86 | Median: 3.71 | 25th: 3.50
Penn State Dickinson Law Class of 2027:
- LSAT: 75th: 162 | Median: 161 | 25th: 155
- GPA: 75th: 3.88 | Median: 3.68 | 25th: 3.42
The Class of 2027 figures cover 107 fall 2024 entrants at the former Carlisle school. The Class of 2028 figures cover the reunited school, so these blocks describe different reporting populations.
The fall 2025 entering class had 215 students across the reunited school.
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. Penn State Dickinson Law Application Essays
Personal Statement (required)
Dickinson's application guidance emphasizes your story and personality, not a prose version of the resume.
For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.
Supplemental Essays (optional)
The school's instructions:
“In addition to your personal statement, you may want to include a supplemental essay that addresses any discrepancies between your LSAT and GPA, explains how you add to the diversity of our community, or provides other relevant information to the admissions committee. Please note that you may submit more than one supplemental essay, but you are not required to submit any.”
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 (if applicable)
Dickinson requires applicants to update material disclosures through matriculation and students to continue meeting disclosure obligations after enrollment.
I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.
3. Penn State Dickinson Law Resume Requirements
A resume is required. Show education, work, service, and other sustained responsibilities in an easy-to-follow timeline. Give the reader concrete duties and accomplishments rather than making every position sound like a leadership role.
For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.
4. Penn State Dickinson Law Letters of Recommendation
Submit two to four letters of recommendation. Professors and work supervisors are useful when they can describe your abilities firsthand. A detailed letter from someone who knows your work beats a recognizable name with little to say.
For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).
5. Penn State Dickinson Law Interview Process
The admissions team may invite an applicant to a virtual interview when it needs additional information. Prepare to explain your experiences, reasons for law school, and interest in Dickinson clearly and conversationally. Interviews are by invitation.
6. Penn State Dickinson Law Deadlines and Early Decision
Testing Policy
Dickinson accepts the LSAT or GRE and considers all submitted scores. GRE applicants submit all scores from the preceding five years using code 0545. A separate alternative-test route serves qualifying Penn State students and recent graduates.
If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.
Application Dates and Fees
The school's recurring application schedule is:
- Early Decision I: September 1 through December 1; decisions by December 30.
- Early Decision II: December 2 through February 1; decisions by March 1.
- Regular Decision: September 1 through June 1, with rolling review.
- Application Fee: Waived.
Early Decision
Both early-decision rounds are binding. Admission requires withdrawing other applications, submitting no new ones, and attending that fall. The school says admitted early-decision applicants may not request to defer to the regular application process.
For a full breakdown of early decision strategy, see Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?.
7. Penn State Dickinson Law Scholarships and Financial Aid
Merit Scholarships
Admission includes automatic merit consideration. Awards require good academic standing and compliance with the Honor Code. Full-tuition scholarships increase with tuition; Honor Code violations will result in revocation of all Dickinson scholarships and grants.
Keystone Scholars Grant
Pennsylvania residents or graduates of any Penn State campus with a bachelor's or higher degree qualify for a $20,000 annual grant, totaling $60,000 over three years, when admitted before April 15. Later awards depend on funds. Residency-based eligibility requires maintaining Pennsylvania residency.
Public Interest Scholars Grant
This separately selected program adds $1,000 annually, individualized support, and preference for certain public-interest opportunities. Scholars complete ten hours of public-interest leadership each semester and attend a group gathering. The application can include a statement addressing service, leadership, and goals.
Need-Based Aid, Costs, and LRAP
Need-based grants require the incoming-student grant application and FAFSA, with a recurring March 2 priority date. For 2026–27, tuition is $61,248 at either location. Estimated annual cost of attendance is $89,246 in Carlisle and $93,610 at University Park.
Dickinson's Loan Repayment Assistance Program supports eligible graduates in qualifying public-interest work. It requires annual recertification and five years in qualifying employment; leaving early creates an obligation to repay assistance under the program's terms.
For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.
8. Penn State Dickinson Law Joint Degree Programs
Dickinson's joint degrees reach across Penn State:
- JD/MBA: Penn State Harrisburg or Smeal at University Park; the Smeal route includes a full year devoted to business study.
- JD/MPA: Penn State Harrisburg.
- JD/MA in Media Studies: Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
- JD/MIA: School of International Affairs, with a four-year course plan.
- Public Health: Master's and doctoral combinations.
- Education: Master's and doctoral combinations in educational leadership, education theory and policy, and higher education.
Each program has separate admissions and sequencing requirements. The Harrisburg public-administration route and the MIA offer different preparation for applicants drawn to government or international work.
9. Penn State Dickinson Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)
Penn State Dickinson Law Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):
- Full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (ABA): 83.4%
- BigLaw (firms with 101+ attorneys): 13.9%
- Federal clerkships: 1.8%
- Public service (including government): 31.8%
These are the reunited school's reported outcomes. Career Services works with students at both locations, beginning individual advising in the first semester.
10. Penn State Dickinson Law Areas of Study and Specializations
Intellectual Property and Innovation: The Intellectual Property Law and Innovation Initiative connects scholarship on ownership, competition, and emerging technology. The Intellectual Property Clinic adds work with startup clients, including patent and trademark questions, to that academic foundation.
Immigration: The Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic combines organizational representation, advocacy projects, and community-facing work. It offers a route for students interested in how immigration rules affect both individual clients and the organizations serving them.
Health and Poverty: The Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic brings law students into collaboration with health providers. Work on benefits and immigration barriers makes the relationship between access to care, income, and legal representation concrete rather than purely theoretical.
Children and Families: The Center on Children and the Law and Children's Advocacy Clinic connect child-welfare study with representation. Students encounter the different roles of lawyers, social workers, and medical professionals in cases involving children and families.
Business and Rural Practice: The Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic addresses startup transactions, while the Rural Economic Development Clinic works with agricultural producers, businesses, and landowners. These are distinct ways to explore business counseling, contracts, and the practical problems facing smaller enterprises.
11. Penn State Dickinson Law Clinics and Experiential Learning
The unified JD requires 88 credits, including nine experiential credits. At least three must come through a clinic or externship. Clinical work includes:
- Children's Advocacy Clinic: Interview children, investigate facts, draft documents, and appear in court under supervision alongside an interdisciplinary team.
- Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic: Assess benefits eligibility and prepare applications, supporting letters, and advocacy materials for low-income patients, including limited immigration matters.
- Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic: Work in teams on organizational advocacy and policy projects, developing research and client-communication skills.
- Community Law Clinic: Handle family, disability, housing, and benefits matters from intake through negotiations and potential court proceedings.
- Civil Rights Appellate Clinic: Help select cases, develop appellate strategy, and draft merits or amicus briefs.
- Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic: Counsel startups and nonprofits on entity formation, agreements, financing, and other transactional issues.
- Intellectual Property Clinic: Conduct patentability research, help prepare patent applications, and work on trademark registration and client counseling.
- Rural Economic Development Clinic: Review contracts and advise agricultural producers, landowners, and rural organizations on business matters.
Other offerings include Family Law; Arts, Sports and Entertainment Law; and Veterans and Servicemembers clinics. Individual programs are location-specific.
Pro Bono and Experiential Learning
Externship placements have included the Middle District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Army War College, Pennsylvania agencies, and MidPenn Legal Services. Students combine supervised work with an academic course and reflection. Private-sector placements must be paid. Semester-in-Practice programs offer more immersive work; the Leading Law Students Program and other pro bono activities add service opportunities.
12. Penn State Dickinson Law Notable Faculty and Journals
Faculty
- Daryl Lim, H. Laddie Montague Jr. Chair in Law and associate dean for research and strategic partnerships, studies intellectual property and competition. He founded the Intellectual Property Law and Innovation Initiative and is an elected American Law Institute member.
- Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar and Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic director, studies immigration law. Her books include Beyond Deportation and Banned.
- Medha D. Makhlouf, Elsie de R. and Samuel P. Orlando Distinguished Professor, works at the intersection of health, immigration, and poverty. She founded the Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic.
- Lucy Johnston-Walsh, associate dean for experiential education and associate professor of law, directs the Children's Advocacy Clinic and Center on Children and the Law. Her background includes both legal practice and social work.
Journals
- Penn State Dickinson Law Review: Unites the two legacy reviews during 2026–27 with Volume 131. It publishes legal articles, critical reviews, and student comments.
- Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs: Interdisciplinary scholarship on law and international affairs.
- Arbitration Law Review: Scholarship on domestic and international arbitration and other dispute resolution.
13. Penn State Dickinson Law Culture and Student Life
Carlisle and University Park offer different daily settings within one school. Carlisle places legal study near the state-capital region; University Park brings Penn State's main-campus surroundings. Apply through one application rather than separately to each location. You can indicate a preferred location in the application or before the first seat deposit.
A shared Student Bar Association connects both campuses. The 2025–26 organization roster includes First Generation Law Student Association, Black Law Students Association, Health Law and Policy Society, and Public Interest Law Fund groups at both locations. Campus-specific organizations include University Park's Immigration Law Society and Carlisle's Business Law Society.
Want Help Getting Into Penn State Dickinson Law?
I work with applicants one-on-one on the whole application process, from strategy through essays and submission.
Explore my services | Request a consultation
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 Penn State Dickinson 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.
