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Iowa Law

Iowa City, Iowa

Rank #29 (USNWR 2021)

163
LSAT
3.69
GPA
60.0%
Admit Rate
25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles

JD Admissions & Requirements

Data from 2021 admissions cycle

163
LSAT
3.69
GPA
60.0%
Admit Rate

Iowa Law is a prestigious JD program located in Iowa City, Iowa. In the competitive 2021 law school rankings, Iowa Law was ranked 29 by US News & World Report, making it a strong option for prospective law students in the current application cycle. For the 2021 admissions cycle, Iowa Law has an entering 1L class size of approximately 160 with an acceptance rate of 60.0%, positioning it among the competitive law schools for JD applicants.

Also known as
IOWA, UNIVERSITY OF UofI
Law School Applications
1461
JD application volume in 2021 cycle
JD Acceptance Rate
60.0%
46th percentile
JD Program Size
160
38th percentile
JD Tuition Cost
$93k

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Iowa Law Law School Admissions Data & Statistics
2021-2022 Cycle Overview
290 applicants
Accepted
9 / 88
Waitlisted
45
Rejected
22
-
Withdrawn
97
-

Admissions Graphs

25th, 50th, 75th lines show admitted class %iles

LSAT Score: Law School Admission Test score (120-180 scale)

GPA: Undergraduate Grade Point Average (0.0-4.3+ scale)

This chart shows when decisions were made throughout the application cycle. Use the filters above to refine the data.

How to Use These Graphs
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  • Toggle series: Click on any legend item to show/hide that category (accepted, waitlisted, rejected, unknown)
Advanced Features:
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  • Cycle selection: Use the dropdown in the controls above to view data from different application cycles
  • Demographic filters: Filter by International, URM, Military, or Early Decision status to compare specific groups
  • Custom axes: On the LSAT vs. GPA graph, select different metrics to compare (dates, scholarships, etc.)
  • Compare your stats: Your own stats will appear as a blue diamond when viewing these graphs

Selectivity & Competitiveness Trends

How to interpret this chart:

  • LSAT (blue): Shows the 25th/50th/75th percentiles as a shaded band with median line. Hover to see exact values in format: 165/170/175
  • GPA (green): Shows the 25th/50th/75th percentiles as a shaded band with median line. Hover to see exact values in format: 3.45/3.65/3.85
  • Acceptance Rate (orange): Percentage of applicants who received offers (lower = more selective)
  • Applications (purple dashed): Total number of applications received each year

Rising LSAT/GPA medians, narrowing bands, or falling acceptance rates indicate increasing competitiveness. Click legend items to show/hide metrics.

For law school applicants interested in the 2021 admissions cycle at Iowa Law, 1461 candidates submitted JD applications and 621 received acceptance letters. The law school application process here is moderately selective for prospective students with an acceptance rate of 60.0%.

The JD program at Iowa Law enrolls a first-year class of 160 law students each year, with an admissions yield rate of 24.64%. This means that of the 621 applicants who received law school acceptance letters, 153 chose to enroll. Understanding these law school admission statistics can help prospective JD applicants evaluate their chances and plan their application strategy.

For a competitive law school application to Iowa Law, students should aim to meet or exceed the median statistics shown below. Meeting these GPA and LSAT targets significantly improves your chances of admission.

JD Admission Requirements & Application Statistics

Admissions Metrics (ABA 509)
Metric Value
Applications
1461
47th percentile
Admission Offers 621
Class Size
160
38th percentile
Acceptance Rate
60.0%
46th percentile
Yield Rate
24.64%
20th percentile
Average Statistics by Decision (LSD)
Metric Rejected All Accepted
LSAT 155.79 163.06 165.67
GPA 3.3 3.53 3.6
Softs T3.18 T3.28 T3.3
Avg Scholarship - - $94,363
* Softs are self-reported ratings (T1-T4) representing non-numeric application factors
LSAT & GPA Statistics (ABA 509)
25th 50th 75th
LSAT
73rd percentile
160 163 164
GPA
72nd percentile
3.50 3.69 3.83
LSD User Stats
Metric 25th 50th 75th
LSAT 159.0 (-1.0) 163.0 (0.0) 167.0 (+3.0)
GPA 3.32 (-0.18) 3.58 (-0.11) 3.81 (-0.02)
* Based on 290 self-reported applications
* Green/Red values show difference from ABA 509 data
Application Process Statistics
Avg Days: Sent to Decision 60 days
Avg Days: UR to Decision 41 days
Interview Invite Rate 3.8%
Interview → Acceptance Rate 100.0%

The above statistics show that Iowa Law typically admits students with LSAT scores ranging from 160 (25th percentile) to 164 (75th percentile), with a median of 163.

For GPA, admitted students typically have undergraduate GPAs ranging from 3.50 to 3.83, with a median of 3.69.

With an acceptance rate of 60.0%, Iowa Law is considered a moderately selective law school in terms of admissions.

What these numbers mean
  • Percentiles: The 25th/50th/75th percentiles show the distribution of scores among admitted students.
  • Applications: Total number of people who applied to this law school.
  • Acceptance Rate: Percentage of applicants who received offers (lower = more selective).
  • Yield Rate: Percentage of admitted students who enrolled (higher = more desirable).

Application Status Data

Iowa Law Application Status Data

Application statuses submitted by LSData users

Showing 290 apps

Iowa Law Law School Employment Outcomes

Overview

JD Employment Rate

97.8%
100th percentile

First-Time Bar Pass

93.6%
84th percentile

Median Starting Salary

$100,000
Private Sector
72nd percentile

Employment Quality

JD Required

85.4%
85th percentile

BigLaw Placement

14.6%
76th percentile

Federal Clerkships

6.6%
90th percentile

School-Funded Positions

0.7%

Employment Quality Distribution

Law Firm Employment by Size

Employment Quality Matrix

Employment Type Full-Time
Long-Term
Full-Time
Short-Term
Part-Time
Long-Term
Part-Time
Short-Term
Total % of Grads
Bar Required 117 2 119 86.9%
JD Advantage 10 5 15 10.9%
Professional 0 0.0%
Other 0 0.0%
School-Funded 0 1 1 0.7%
Total Employed 127 8 0 0 135 98.5%
School-Funded: May inflate stats

Generally, if you attend law school, you want to secure a bar-required position. However, at prestigious institutions, students may target specific JD advantage positions such as private equity or elite consulting roles.

Employment by Sector

Distribution

Sector Details

Employment Sector % of Graduates National Percentile
Law Firms 45.3%
35th percentile
Judicial Clerkships 24.8%
93rd percentile
Government 10.9%
50th percentile
Public Interest 6.6%
47th percentile
Business 8.0%
29th percentile
Academia 2.9%
84th percentile

Judicial Clerkships

Clerkships by Type

Clerkship Type Graduates % of Class National Rank
Federal 9 6.6%
90th percentile
State/Local 25 18.2%

Federal clerkships are highly prestigious positions that significantly enhance career prospects in litigation and academia.

Bar Examination Performance

First-Time Pass Rate
93.6%
84th percentile
Takers: 125
Passed: 117
vs State Avg +12.8%
Ultimate Pass Rate
89.92%
45th percentile
Takers: 129
Passed: 116
Within 2 years
Jurisdiction Weighted
80.85%
State average for jurisdictions where graduates took the bar
Understanding bar passage metrics

First-time: Immediate readiness indicator

Ultimate: Long-term success within 2 years

vs State: Performance relative to state average

Bar Passage Rates Comparison

Salary Outcomes

Private Sector
Median Salary $100,000
72nd percentile
25th Percentile $76,700
75th percentile
Public Sector
Median Salary $54,797
30th percentile

Career Outcomes Summary

Law school tuition at Iowa Law is $93k annually (calculated from semester costs). Prospective law students should budget approximately $35k for the total annual cost of attending (including tuition, fees, books, and living expenses).

After completing their JD program at Iowa Law, graduates entering private law firms earn a median starting salary of $100,000. JD graduates pursuing public sector legal careers start at approximately $54,797. These post-law school employment outcomes are important factors for evaluating the return on investment for your legal education.

For law school applicants interested in specific legal career paths, it's worth noting that 45.3% of Iowa Law JD graduates secure positions at law firms after graduation. Additionally, 24.8% of graduates obtain prestigious judicial clerkships, and 6.6% pursue public interest law careers. Overall, 97.8% of JD graduates were employed at jobs that required a JD within 10 months of graduation.

For JD graduates from Iowa Law, the first-time bar exam pass rate is 93.6%. Within two years, 89.92% of graduates ultimately pass the bar exam. The school's first-time pass rate is +12.8% compared to the weighted state average. These bar passage metrics are important indicators of how well the law school prepares its students for this crucial professional licensing examination.

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