The School of Law at University of Missouri

Law School Admissions

Application

Director of admissions Michelle Heck
Application deadline March 1
Full-time program application fee $60
Part-time program application fee N/A
Besides the fall semester, can enter in N/A

The School of Law at University of Missouri

Admissions & Enrollment (Overall)

Acceptance rate 40.9% – Medium
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.49
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 158

Admissions & Enrollment (Full-time)

Acceptance rate 40.9%
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 156-161
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.18-3.7
Median undergraduate GPA for full-time program entrants 3.49
Median LSAT score for full-time program entrants 158

Admissions & Enrollment (Part-time)

Applicants N/A
Acceptance rate N/A
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Undergraduate GPA (25th-75th percentile) N/A
Median undergraduate GPA for part-time program entrants N/A
Median LSAT score for part-time program entrants N/A

Law School Academics

Academic Program Details

Academic calendar Semester
Joint degrees offered
JD/MBA JD/PhD- Jounalism
JD/MPA JD/MA- Educational Leadership & Policy A
JD/MHA JD/MLS
JD/MA/MS- Human Development & Family Stu JD/MS- Consumer & Family Economics
JD/MA- Economics MS/Personal Finance
JD/MA- Journalism
Special programs offered to J.D. students (as provided by the school)
The Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution attracts students worldwide. Law students can extern in the MO Supreme Court, MO & US Attorney’s Offices, and the Compliance Office of MU Athletics, study abroad in S. Africa or London, and gain representation and mediation experience in the Criminal Prosecution, Family Violence, Child Protection, Mediation Clinics, and the MO Innocence Project.
Programs/courses offered in
appellate advocacy intellectual property law
clinical training international law
dispute resolution tax law
environmental law trial advocacy
health care law

Curricular Offerings (Overall)

Classroom course titles, beyond the first-year curriculum, offered last year 129
Seminars 2
Positions available in seminars 42
Positions available in simulation courses 218
Positions available in faculty-supervised clinical courses 47
Student activities (as provided by the school)
Societies: American Const; Christian Legal, Federalist, Intl Law, Sports Law; MO Assoc of Trial Atty. Organizations: ACLU; Alliance for Tolerance/Diversity; Pub. Int. Law Assoc; Student Bar Assoc; Black, Hispanic, Jewish, Non-Trad, and Women’s Law Assoc. Law Journals: MO Law Rev; Journal of Dispute Res; MO Environmental Law & Policy Rev. Honorary Groups: Order of Barristers; Order of Coif;

Curricular Offerings (Full-time)

Typical first-year full-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) 75
Is there typically a full-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? Yes
Typical size of first-year “small section” 35
Positions filled in full-time program seminars 39
Positions filled in full-time program simulation courses 118
Positions filled in faculty-supervised full-time program clinical courses 46
Full-time students involved in field placements 60
Full-time students involved in law journals 94
Full-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 170
Full-time students enrolled in independent study 20

Curricular Offerings (Part-time)

Typical first-year part-time section size taught by full-time faculty (excludes small sections) N/A
Is there typically a part-time “small section” of the first-year class taught by full-time faculty (excluding Legal Writing)? No
Positions filled in part-time program seminars 0
Positions filled in part-time program simulation courses 0
Positions filled in faculty-supervised part-time program clinical courses 0
Part-time students involved in field placements 0
Part-time students involved in law journals 0
Part-time students involved in advanced moot court or trial competitions 0
Part-time students enrolled in independent study 0

Faculty Profile (Fall 2011)

Student-faculty ratio 12.7:1 – Medium
Full- and part-time faculty 39
Full-time minority faculty 7.1%
Part-time minority faculty 0.0%
Total faculty 49
Total faculty (men) 65.3%
Total faculty (women) 34.7%
Total faculty (minorities) 8.2%

Class Size

Law School Ranking

#79 Best Law Schools

(2) Ranking by Specialties

#3 in Dispute Resolution
#58 in Law Firms Rank Schools

Law Ranking Scores

Score 46
Peer assessment score (out of 5) 2.7
Assessment score by lawyers/judges (out of 5) 3.1
GPA (25th-75th percentile) 3.18-3.7
Median undergraduate GPA for all program entrants 3.49
LSAT scores (25th-75th percentile) 156-161
Median LSAT score for all program entrants 158
Acceptance rate 40.9% – Medium
Student-faculty ratio 12.7:1 – Medium
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 36.6% – Low
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 81.7% – Medium
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 95.1% – High
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar MO
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 90.0%

Law School Student Body

Student Body (Overall)

Total Enrolled 433

Student Body (Full-time)

Enrollment (full-time) 425

Student Body (Part-time)

Enrollment (part-time) 8

Attrition Rates for Full- and Part-time Students (2010-2011)

First-year students discontinuing law school 12.6%
Second-year students discontinuing law school 1.3%
Third-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Fourth-year students discontinuing law school N/A
Male students discontinuing law school 5.0%
Female students discontinuing law school 4.2%

Law School Cost

Financial Aid Contact Information

Financial aid director Michelle Heck
Financial aid phone (573) 882-6643
Financial aid application deadline March 1

Expenses

Tuition and fees
Full-time: $17,784 per year (in-state)
Full-time: $34,000 per year (out-of-state)
Room and board $8,932
Books $1,624
Miscellaneous expenses $5,986
Is the tuition the same for first-, second-, and third-year students? No
Does the university offer housing restricted to law students? No
Does the university offer graduate student housing for which law students are eligible? Yes
Does the university offer a public-interest scholarship program to current J.D. students? No

Grants (Full-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition 52.0%
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full 4.9%
Students receiving grants of full tuition 0.0%
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition 1.9%
Median grant amount $5,000
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) $3,066–$7,000
Full-time students receiving grants 58.8%

Grants (Part-time students)

Students receiving grants of less than one-half tuition N/A
Students receiving grants of one-half tuition or more but less than full N/A
Students receiving grants of full tuition N/A
Students receiving grants of more than full tuition N/A
Median grant amount N/A
Grant range (25th–75th percentile) N/A
Part-time students receiving grants N/A

Indebtedness

Average indebtedness of 2011 graduates who incurred law school debt $72,089
Proportion who borrowed 83.7%
Does the school offer a loan repayment assistance program for 2011 J.D. graduates? No

Law School Library

Library Information Resources

Print titles (excluding nonbook titles) 88,057
Microform titles 130,240
Electronic titles 28,817
Other non-book titles 1,624
Total titles 248,738
Volumes (excluding microforms) 308,287
Volume equivalent microforms 112,921
Total volumes and volume equivalents 421,208
Number of volumes in the collection that are stored off site and are systematically retrievable 56,625
Library’s online catalog or website includes links to electronic titles or databases made available by another campus library or consortia Yes

Library Schedule of Operation

Number of hours per week library is open on a regular schedule 73
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty on a regular schedule 45
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on a regular schedule 12
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on a regular schedule 16
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on a regular schedule 44
Number of weeks per year library operates on an abbreviated schedule 10
Number of hours per week library is open on an abbreviated schedule 49
Number of hours per week professional staff are on duty are on an abbreviated schedule 45
Number of hours per week only full-time support staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 0
Number of hours per week only students or other part-time staff are on duty on an abbreviated schedule 5
Number of hours of reference service provided per week on an abbreviated schedule 40
Number of weeks per year library operates on expanded schedule 0

Information Technology

Department(s) responsible for the law school information technology operations law school information technology department, law school library, university information technology department
Approximate number of full-time-equivalent information technology staff (excluding hourly students and other temporary staff) 5
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in the law library (excluding computer labs) 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in classrooms 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students in computer labs 0
Number of open, wired network connections available to students elsewhere in the law school 0
Does the law school have a wireless network? Yes
Wireless network is available in the law library, in classrooms, in computer labs, in administrative/faculty offices and work areas, elsewhere in the law school
Does the school require entering students to own a computer? No

Physical Library Facilities

Net square feet of space assigned for library purposes 61,851
Total seats available for library users 502
Details about the library and other facilities (as provided by the school) Open spaces, skylights, and windows dominate Hulston Hall. Faculty and students have 24-hour access to the library’s extensive collection of legal resources and electronic resources can be accessed off-campus. Experienced librarians provide classroom instruction in legal research methods. Support specialists provide assistance with computer labs and numerous workstations throughout the library.

Law School Careers

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2010 administrations)

State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar MO
Bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 95.1% – High
Statewide bar passage rate (first-time test takers) 90.0%

Class of 2010 Graduates

Total graduates 142
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 36.6%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 81.7%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Graduation

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 25.4%
Graduates whose employment status is known 74.6%
Graduates known to be employed at graduation 36.6%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 4.2%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 31.7%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 2.1%

Class of 2010 Graduates-Class Breakdown at Nine Months

Graduates whose employment status is unknown 0.7%
Graduates whose employment status is known 99.3%
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 81.7%
Graduates known to be enrolled in a full-time degree program 5.6%
Graduates known to be unemployed and seeking work 6.3%
Graduates known to be unemployed and not seeking work 5.6%

Starting Salaries of Graduates Employed Full-time (Class of 2010)

25th percentile private sector starting salary $45,000
Median private sector starting salary $58,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $85,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information 39%
Median public service starting salary $43,000

Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2010)

Percent employed in academia 2.6%
Percent employed in business and industry 19.0%
Percent employed in government 14.7%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 5.2%
Percent employed in law firms 50.0%
Percent employed in public interest 6.9%
Percent employed in an unknown field 1.7%

Employment Location (Class of 2010)

Graduates employed in-state 89%
Graduates employed out-of-state 11.0%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 0%
Number of states where graduates are employed 10
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 0.9%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 1.7%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 4.3%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 89.6%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 2.6%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 0.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 0.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 0.9%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 0.0%
Employment location unknown 0.0%

Career Services

(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)

Career services operations Through individual coaching and extensive programming, the Professional Development Office teaches law students how to use interpersonal and lawyering skills to define and obtain career goals. The office has an ongoing legal employer outreach in-state and nationally.

Job Type

Bar admission required/anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 61.7%
Bar admission required/anticipated – percent employed in full-time positions 97.7%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 9.9%
J.D. preferred – percent employed in full-time positions 100.0%
Professional other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse) 6.4%
Professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 100.0%
Non-professional other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path) 3.5%
Non-professional other – percent employed in full-time positions 80.0%