Penn State Dickinson Law
Carlisle, Pennsylvania · Public · ABA-approved since 1931 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Penn State Dickinson Law is a public law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, approved by the American Bar Association since 1931. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 159, higher than 49% of ABA-approved schools, saw 87.6% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 83.4% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- A median scholarship of $36,000, larger than at 87% of schools.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Penn State Dickinson Law received 1,912 completed applications and made 822 offers, an acceptance rate of 43%. 215 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 157 | 159 | 161 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.50 | 3.71 | 3.86 |
A quarter of the class scored 157 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 161 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 159, 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.
2 of the entering students were admitted on a GRE score instead of the LSAT.
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 $60,479 a year. That is more than 71% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $28,094 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $60,048 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $431 |
| Living costs, on campus | $28,902 |
| Living costs, off campus | $28,094 |
| Living costs, at home | $22,734 |
In 2024-25, 100% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $36,000, and the middle half of awards ran from $26,000 to $56,928. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $24,479 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 | 22% |
| Half to full tuition | 72% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 7% |
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 $265,719. With the median scholarship every year, about $157,719. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 217 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 190 passed: 87.6%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 80.2%, so the school finished 7.4 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 other jurisdictions | 73 | 59 | 80.8% | 79.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 103 | 95 | 92.2% | 79.7% |
| New York | 29 | 25 | 86.2% | 87.3% |
| New Jersey | 12 | 11 | 91.7% | 71.1% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 183 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 170 had passed one within two years: 92.9%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 223 2025 graduates, 186 (83.4%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 7 more (3.1%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 13 (5.8%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 223 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 19 (8.5%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Pennsylvania (84), followed by New York (19) and New Jersey (16).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 2 first-year students left Penn State Dickinson Law: 1 for academic reasons (0%) and 1 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (0%).
Transfers run both ways: 11 first-year students transferred out and 0 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Penn State Dickinson Law offered 174 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 66% had fewer than 25 students and 1% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 181 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 181 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 263 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 638 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 39 |
The school reports 72 full-time faculty and 54 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 665 J.D. students, that is about 9 students per full-time faculty member.
How Penn State Dickinson Law compares in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has 8 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Penn State Dickinson Law ranks 6th in median LSAT, 6th in first-time bar passage, 6th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 6th-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | 173 | $84,492 | 94.4% | 97.2% |
| Temple University | 165 | $34,137 | 89% | 88.2% |
| Villanova University | 164 | $60,750 | 90% | 90.8% |
| Drexel University | 160 | $58,850 | 84.2% | 85.7% |
| University of Pittsburgh | 160 | $41,633 | 93% | 82% |
| Penn State Dickinson Law | 159 | $60,479 | 87.6% | 83.4% |
| Duquesne University | 157 | $60,118 | 89.7% | 86.8% |
| Widener University Commonwealth Law School | 150 | $56,900 | 68.9% | 77.1% |
More on each, and on the Pennsylvania bar exam: law schools in Pennsylvania.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Penn State Dickinson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State Dickinson Law | 159 | 3.71 | $60,479 | 87.6% | 83.4% |
| University of Kentucky Lexington, KY | 159 | 3.72 | $27,301 | 79.8% | 89.6% |
| University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Minneapolis, MN | 159 | 3.72 | $51,632 | 85.1% | 82.6% |
| Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | 159 | 3.69 | $27,532 | 95.5% | 91.9% |
| University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR | 158 | 3.71 | $18,773 | 80% | 73.1% |
| Marquette University Milwaukee, WI | 158 | 3.70 | $51,970 | — | 88.6% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Penn State Dickinson Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 159, with the middle half scoring 157 to 161. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.71. The school accepted 43% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Penn State Dickinson Law?
87.6% of Penn State Dickinson Law graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 80.2%. Within two years of graduating, 92.9% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Penn State Dickinson Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $60,479 a year. Most students pay less: 100% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $36,000.
Do Penn State Dickinson Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 83.4% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 3.1% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 5.8% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Penn State Dickinson Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Penn State Dickinson Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1931, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.