If you want to go to law school in the land of corn and hawkeyes, then you are looking at Iowa. Two ABA-accredited law schools operate in Iowa — Drake University Law School and the University of Iowa College of Law.
This article provides an overview of both Iowa law schools.
Drake University Law School
Founded in 1865, Drake University Law School ("DU Law") in Des Moines, Iowa, is one of the oldest law schools in the country. DU Law boasts that it has the only First-Year Trial Practicum, where first-year classes shift to a courtroom for a week to enable students to view an actual trial. This special program fits in with the desires of the Iowa Supreme Court justices who founded the school near the courts so that the students could see the law in action.
This focus on experiential learning extends to the school's many clinics, where students can gain hands-on experience in:
- Children's Rights
- Criminal Defense
- General Civil Practice
- Entrepreneurial/Transactional Law
- Refugee Advocacy
- Wrongful Convictions
DU Law is a private school with a tuition of about $46,000 a year.
University of Iowa College of Law
The University of Iowa College of Law ("Iowa Law") is located in Iowa City, which is really a collection of communities that includes Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty. This area is known for its contributions to literature, including the world-famous University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, which included such prolific writers as Kurt Vonnegut, Flannery O'Connor, and Robert Frost. Given this history, it's no surprise the University of Iowa calls itself the "Writing Law School."
Iowa Law is ranked among the top 30 law schools in the nation and often ranks among the top ten public law schools. And with resident tuition of about $28,000 per year, it has also earned the title of Best Value Law School for nearly a decade.
Graduates from Iowa law achieved higher than average bar passage rates, with 85% of first-time test takers passing in 2021. Nearly 95% pass the bar within two years of graduation.
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