Last updated: September 1, 2026

University of Minnesota Law School

University of Minnesota Law School (commonly "Minnesota Law") is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public research university in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Founded in 1888, it is the highest-ranked law school in the Upper Midwest, known for its collegial culture, its clinical program, and the strongest employment and bar-passage numbers in Minnesota — including a 97% first-time Minnesota bar passage rate for the Class of 2025, the highest in the state.

University of Minnesota Law School at a Glance

Category	Latest information
Founded	1888
Type	Public (University of Minnesota)
ABA approval or accreditation	ABA approved (Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar)
Location	Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota (Walter F. Mondale Hall)
Latest U.S. News rank	#22 (tie) (2026 edition, out of 194)
Latest completed applications	3,405 (Fall 2025, school-reported)
Latest acceptance rate	≈27% (per ILRG/LSATLab; LSD.Law reports 34.9% — see note)
Latest LSAT median	171 (school 25th–75th: 166–173)
Latest GPA median	3.88 (school 25th–75th: 3.61–3.95)
Latest entering class	228 (Class of 2028, Fall 2025)
Current tuition	$54,024 (resident) / $64,944 (non-resident) — 2026–27
Current estimated cost of attendance	$86,788 (resident) / $97,708 (non-resident) — 2026–27
Latest first-time bar passage	97% (Minnesota, July 2025) — highest in state
Latest bar-required employment	95.95% employed; 203 of 222 in bar-required jobs (Class of 2025)
Current dean	William McGeveran (12th dean, since June 17, 2024)

Introduction

Minnesota Law is the flagship law school of the University of Minnesota system and the dominant legal institution of the Upper Midwest. Located in Walter F. Mondale Hall on the Twin Cities campus, it combines public-university tuition with outcomes that rival private peers: a 97% first-time Minnesota bar passage rate (the highest in the state in 2025), a 95.95% employment rate for the Class of 2025, and a median private-sector starting salary of $200,000. The school is full-time only, enrolls about 228 students per class, and is widely described as one of the most collegial communities in the top 25.

Rankings and Reputation

Overall ranking

U.S. News (2026 edition) ranks Minnesota Law #22 (tie) out of 194 (official U.S. News profile) — a decline from its recent high of #16 (2025–26 methodology lists show 16→20 in one tracker), and a position that has drawn active forum debate about what "T20" means for the school. Secondary trackers list #20 (LSD.Law). Official profile: U.S. News profile

Specialty rankings

Minnesota Law's most cited strengths are its clinical program (long ranked among the nation's best), criminal law, and its status as the hub school for Minnesota's robust legal market (specialty-rank positions not re-verified this cycle — marked not confirmed). Its signature distinction this cycle is outcomes-based: the highest Minnesota bar passage rate in the state (97%) and a 96% FT/LT bar-required/JD-advantage/grad-school employment rate.

Admissions: What It Takes to Get In

Entering class (Fall 2025)

Minnesota received 3,405 applications and enrolled 228 students in the Class of 2028 (school-reported By the Numbers data). The breakdown: 70% of the class came from outside Minnesota; 37 states plus Washington, D.C. and 127 undergraduate institutions were represented; 3% were international students.

LSAT and GPA

School-published 25th–75th ranges for the Fall 2025 entering class: LSAT 166–173 and UGPA 3.61–3.95 (By the Numbers). Third-party aggregators place the medians at LSAT 171 / GPA 3.88 (ILRG, LSATLab; consistent across both).

Interpreting the numbers

Minnesota's acceptance rate is materially higher than its rank-siblings' — roughly 27% per ILRG/LSATLab (LSD.Law's 34.9% figure uses a different base year/method) — because the applicant pool is smaller and heavily regional. The yield is correspondingly strong among Minnesota and Upper Midwest applicants, for whom the school offers flagship placement plus a famously supportive culture. Out-of-state applicants from coastal markets typically treat it as a value play: public tuition with 97% state bar passage.

Application timing

The J.D. application for the 2026–27 cycle opens in September with a traditional winter deadline and rolling review; the application fee, exact 2027 dates and early-decision availability were not publicly confirmed in the sources reviewed (the admissions page was not retrievable this cycle) — check the application portal directly: How to Apply

Cost, Scholarships, and Debt

Tuition

2026–27 professional tuition (school-published): $54,024 for Minnesota residents, $64,944 for non-residents, plus University and Law School fees of $2,766 (identical for both). FAFSA school code: 003969.

Cost of attendance

School-published 2026–27 nine-month budgets:

Resident: $86,788 — Tuition $54,024 · Fees $2,766 · Loan Fees $838 · Books & Supplies $1,700 · Housing & Food $20,510 · Transportation $2,950 · Personal $4,000
Non-resident: $97,708 — same components with tuition of $64,944

The student health plan ($3,590) is excluded from these totals because it is waived for students with their own coverage.

Financial aid

A majority of Minnesota Law students receive financial aid, including scholarships and loans, per the school's Office of Student Finance; the exact percentage of students receiving grants and the median grant amount were not publicly confirmed in the sources reviewed. Admitted students receive an estimated aid package at admission and a final package in early August.

Debt perspective

Minnesota's cost structure is one of its strongest selling points: at $54,024 resident tuition and sub-$100,000 total COA, an in-state education here runs roughly $50,000–$70,000 less over three years than a typical private T25 — and the state's bar-passage and placement data support the investment. Non-residents pay $10,920 more in tuition but still land below most private peers.

Employment Outcomes

Employment (Class of 2025)

Official school data (222 graduates, all with known status): 213 employed (95.95%) · 203 in bar-required/judicial-clerk positions (202 full-time) · 39 at law firms of 501+ attorneys · 7 federal judicial clerkships · 23 public interest · 20 government · 15 business & industry. Median starting law-firm salary $200,000 (75th percentile $225,000); median public-sector salary $71,154 (75th $80,000). Class-of-2025 employment categories: law firms 45%, judicial clerkships 27%, public interest 11%, government 9%, business & industry 7%.

What these numbers mean

National context: across all 36,206 ABA graduates in the Class of 2025, 82.7% landed long-term, full-time legal jobs. Minnesota's 95.95% overall employment and ~91% bar-required rate (203/222) run well above both baselines, and its 27% judicial-clerkship share — including 7 federal clerkships from a 222-person class — is among the highest at any public law school. The 45% law-firm share with a $200,000 median salary reflects concentrated placement into Twin Cities and Chicago large firms plus national hiring.

Bar passage

97% of first-time takers passed the July 2025 Minnesota bar — the highest passage rate of any law school in the state that cycle (school news release and By the Numbers; the statewide July 2025 first-time rate was 89.89% per the Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners). ILRG computes 94.1% first-time across all jurisdictions, #19 nationally**, **+10.7 points** above the Minnesota average.

Where graduates go

The Twin Cities market dominates — Minnesota's firms, courts and agencies recruit this class first — with steady Chicago and national placement, a robust federal clerkship pipeline (7 in the Class of 2025), and a deep public-interest/government cohort (43 combined). 98% of law students held summer positions across the U.S. in 2025 (school data).

Academics and Programs

Curriculum and special strengths

Minnesota's curriculum is anchored by one of the nation's most respected clinical programs and strong offerings in criminal law, corporate and business law, and public policy. The school's inventive first-year curriculum, small sections and emphasis on hands-on learning are central to its identity, and its faculty includes leading scholars across constitutional, criminal and corporate law.

Clinics and experiential learning

The Minnesota Law Clinics are a flagship asset, offering deep real-client practice across criminal defense, civil rights, immigration and more, alongside externships and a strong law-student culture of summer positions (98% of students held legal summer jobs in 2025). Degrees: full-time J.D., LL.M. (including a specialized LL.M. in Patent Law), M.S.P.L. and S.J.D.; Minnesota offers no part-time or evening J.D.

Student Life and Location

Living in Minneapolis–Saint Paul

The Twin Cities are regularly ranked among the most livable, literate and energetic metros in the country, and Minnesota Law's location gives students direct access to the state courts, the legislature, Fortune 500 headquarters and a remarkably stable legal market. The campus sits on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, with Saint Paul's government and court corridor minutes away; the region's affordability is a quiet advantage (COA housing & food: $20,510).

Student body

The Class of 2028 is 50% women, 23% students of color (including international), 37% LGBTQ+, and 58% of 1Ls identify as students of color, LGBTQ+ and/or first-generation college graduates — one of the most diverse profiles among top-25 publics. With 35+ student organizations, 10+ professional affinity groups and a widely cited collegial, non-cutthroat culture, Minnesota is often described by students as the friendliest school in its ranking band.

How Minnesota Compares

Choose Minnesota if

You want a top-25 public school with flagship placement in the Upper Midwest; you value one of the nation's best clinical programs and a famously collegial culture; you want public tuition with private-school outcomes (97% state bar passage, $200,000 median firm salary); or you want a high-clerkship-share program (27% of the Class of 2025).

Consider alternatives if

You want the largest East Coast BigLaw percentages or New York/D.C. pipelines of T14 peers (Minnesota is ranked 44th nationally on a combined BigLaw-plus-federal-clerkship metric per HeyFutureLawyer, a recurring forum critique); you need a part-time program (none exists); or you need larger merit aid — Minnesota's median grant was not confirmable. For non-residents, private peers like BU or Vanderbilt may offer comparable outcomes in stronger national markets.

The TLS Verdict

Minnesota Law is the classic "great school in a cold place" — and the data largely back the reputation. A 97% state bar passage rate (best in Minnesota), 95.95% employment, a 27% clerkship share, a $200,000 median firm salary and public-school tuition make it one of the strongest value propositions in the top 25. The counterpoints are real: its #22 U.S. News position has slipped from #16, its BigLaw-plus-clerkship share trails the T14, and its pull is concentrated in the Upper Midwest. For applicants committed to Minnesota, the Plains or a clinical-heavy, collegial education, it is close to the optimal choice in its band.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is it to get into Minnesota Law?

Moderately selective: approximately 27% of applicants were admitted for Fall 2025 (per ILRG/LSATLab; LSD.Law reports 34.9% on a different base). The school itself reports 3,405 applications and 228 enrolled.

What LSAT score is competitive for Minnesota?

The Fall 2025 entering class had a 25th–75th LSAT range of 166–173; third-party aggregators put the median at 171.

What GPA do Minnesota applicants typically have?

The Fall 2025 entering class had a 25th–75th UGPA range of 3.61–3.95; the median is estimated at 3.88 (ILRG/LSATLab).

Does Minnesota give scholarships?

Yes — a majority of students receive financial aid including scholarships and loans; the exact grant percentage and median grant amount were not confirmed in the sources reviewed.

What is Minnesota's bar passage rate?

97% of first-time takers passed the July 2025 Minnesota bar — the highest rate in the state — and 94.1% passed across all jurisdictions per ILRG (#19 nationally).

Is Minnesota good for BigLaw?

Yes, regionally strong: 39 of the Class of 2025's 222 graduates entered 501+ attorney firms at a $200,000 median salary, with Twin Cities and Chicago markets anchoring placement; its national BigLaw share trails the T14.

Does Minnesota offer a part-time J.D.?

No. The J.D. is full-time only; there is no part-time or evening division.

What is Minnesota Law best known for?

The Upper Midwest's flagship law school: a top-ranked clinical program, a collegial culture, the state's highest bar passage rate (97%), and the region's deepest placement network.

Contact and Key Links

Official links

TLS Forum Links

Sources

University of Minnesota Law School

Contents

University of Minnesota Law School