Mitchell Hamline School of Law
St. Paul, Minnesota · Private · ABA-approved since 2015 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Mitchell Hamline School of Law is a private law school in St. Paul, Minnesota, approved by the American Bar Association since 2015. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 154, higher than 20% of ABA-approved schools, saw 72% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 60.1% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- 60.1% of 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs, fewer than at 94% of schools.
- First-time bar passage 11 points below the average for the states where its graduates sat.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Mitchell Hamline School of Law received 1,603 completed applications and made 824 offers, an acceptance rate of 51.4%. 364 students enrolled in the first-year class (137 full-time, 227 part-time). The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 151 | 154 | 158 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 2.96 | 3.29 | 3.60 |
A quarter of the class scored 151 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 158 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 154, is in the stronger half of this class; one below the 25th percentile is a long shot unless something else in the file stands out.
Where would your numbers fall in this class?
Enter an LSAT score and undergraduate GPA. We compare them with the class that entered in fall 2025. This shows where your numbers sit, not your chances: admissions offices read the whole file.
Tuition, living costs and scholarships
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $56,300 a year. That is more than 61% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $16,848 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $55,300 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $1,000 |
| Tuition, part-time, resident | $39,930 |
| Living costs, off campus | $16,848 |
| Living costs, at home | $16,848 |
In 2024-25, 102% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $34,730, and the middle half of awards ran from $21,372 to $42,744. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $21,570 a year in tuition and fees, before living costs. That is a rough guide, since awards vary.
| Size of grant, all students | Share of students |
|---|---|
| Less than half tuition | 57% |
| Half to full tuition | 39% |
| Full tuition | 5% |
| More than full tuition | 0% |
Scholarships that can be cut. The school reports that it does not award scholarships that are reduced or ended because of grades, other than for failing to stay in good academic standing.
Three years, roughly. At 2025-26 prices, three years of full-time tuition and fees plus off-campus living costs come to about $219,444. With the median scholarship every year, about $115,254. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 328 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 236 passed: 72%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 82.9%, so the school finished a full 11 points below that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 10 | 6 | 60% | 76.5% |
| California | 10 | 3 | 30% | 82.7% |
| Minnesota | 157 | 132 | 84.1% | 87% |
| Texas | 18 | 8 | 44.4% | 82.7% |
| Wisconsin | 12 | 12 | 100% | 86.7% |
| 38 other jurisdictions | 121 | 75 | 62% | 77.8% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 301 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 250 had passed one within two years: 83.1%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 326 2025 graduates, 196 (60.1%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 29 more (8.9%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 25 (7.7%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 326 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 5 (1.5%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Minnesota (136), followed by Wisconsin (13) and Texas (12).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 23 first-year students left Mitchell Hamline School of Law: 5 for academic reasons (1%) and 18 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (5%).
Transfers run both ways: 0 first-year students transferred out and 7 transferred in from other law schools. The students who transferred in had a median first-year law school GPA of 154.00.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Mitchell Hamline School of Law offered 210 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 73% had fewer than 25 students and 3% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 202 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 92 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 364 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 631 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 22 |
The school reports 53 full-time faculty and 110 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 1,144 J.D. students, that is about 22 students per full-time faculty member.
How Mitchell Hamline School of Law compares in Minnesota
Minnesota has 3 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Mitchell Hamline School of Law ranks 3rd in median LSAT, 3rd in first-time bar passage, 3rd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 3rd-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota | 171 | $54,118 | 95.3% | 91% |
| University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) | 159 | $51,632 | 85.1% | 82.6% |
| Mitchell Hamline School of Law | 154 | $56,300 | 72% | 60.1% |
More on each, and on the Minnesota bar exam: law schools in Minnesota.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Mitchell Hamline School of Law's, so an applicant who fits here is likely to be a similar fit there. Compare what each costs and how its graduates fare.
| School | Median LSAT | Median GPA | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Hamline School of Law | 154 | 3.29 | $56,300 | 72% | 60.1% |
| Western New England University Springfield, MA | 153 | 3.27 | $53,020 | 68% | 56% |
| Touro University Central Islip, NY | 153 | 3.35 | $62,150 | 67.9% | 75.2% |
| Vermont Law School South Royalton, VT | 152 | 3.25 | $56,457 | 67.9% | 69.2% |
| Widener University Delaware Law School Wilmington, DE | 152 | 3.33 | $59,150 | 75.9% | 83% |
| Ave Maria School of Law Naples, FL | 155 | 3.36 | $52,350 | 77.5% | 81.5% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Mitchell Hamline School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 154, with the middle half scoring 151 to 158. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.29. The school accepted 51.4% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Mitchell Hamline School of Law?
72% of Mitchell Hamline School of Law graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 82.9%. Within two years of graduating, 83.1% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Mitchell Hamline School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $56,300 a year. Most students pay less: 102% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $34,730.
Do Mitchell Hamline School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 60.1% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 8.9% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 7.7% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Mitchell Hamline School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Mitchell Hamline School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 2015, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.