University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law
Kansas City, Missouri · Public · ABA-approved since 1936 · Data updated November 2, 2026
University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law is a public law school in Kansas City, Missouri, approved by the American Bar Association since 1936. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 156, higher than 33% of ABA-approved schools, saw 82.3% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 81.2% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, the University of Missouri, Kansas City received 714 completed applications and made 328 offers, an acceptance rate of 45.9%. 143 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 154 | 156 | 159 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.33 | 3.65 | 3.80 |
A quarter of the class scored 154 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 159 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 156, 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
The University of Missouri, Kansas City charges tuition by the credit hour: $786 a credit for Missouri residents and $986 for everyone else, plus $2,350 in annual fees. The degree takes 91 credits, so a full-time year of about 30 credits comes to roughly $26,192 ($32,259 out of state). That is less than 81% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $23,924 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, resident | $786 |
| Annual fees, resident | $2,350 |
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, nonresident | $986 |
| Annual fees, nonresident | $2,350 |
| Living costs, on campus | $23,962 |
| Living costs, off campus | $23,924 |
| Living costs, at home | $15,578 |
In 2024-25, 85% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $7,270, and the middle half of awards ran from $4,000 to $11,250. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $18,922 a year in tuition and fees, before living costs. That is a rough guide, since awards vary and some students get nothing.
| Size of grant, all students | Share of students |
|---|---|
| Less than half tuition | 69% |
| Half to full tuition | 12% |
| Full tuition | 0% |
| More than full tuition | 4% |
Three years, roughly. At 2025-26 prices, three years of full-time tuition and fees at the in-state rate plus off-campus living costs come to about $150,348. With the median scholarship every year, about $128,538. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 124 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 102 passed: 82.3%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 85.7%, so the school finished 3.4 points below that average.
1 more graduates were admitted to practice through an alternative pathway without a bar exam; counting them, the rate is 82.4%.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 other jurisdictions | 10 | 6 | 60% | 79.9% |
| Kansas | 12 | 9 | 75% | 84.1% |
| Missouri | 102 | 87 | 85.3% | 86.4% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 149 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 135 had passed one within two years: 90.6%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 128 2025 graduates, 104 (81.2%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 5 more (3.9%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 5 (3.9%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 128 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 12 (9.4%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Missouri (70), followed by Kansas (29) and Texas (4).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 4 first-year students left the University of Missouri, Kansas City: 2 for academic reasons (1%) and 2 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 2 first-year students transferred out and 0 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
The University of Missouri, Kansas City offered 149 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 86% had fewer than 25 students and 2% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 159 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 47 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 122 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 214 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 18 |
The school reports 36 full-time faculty and 57 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 405 J.D. students, that is about 11 students per full-time faculty member.
How the University of Missouri, Kansas City compares in Missouri
Missouri has 4 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, the University of Missouri, Kansas City ranks 4th in median LSAT, 4th in first-time bar passage, 4th in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 2nd-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington University (St. Louis) | 175 | $73,684 | 89.6% | 94.1% |
| University of Missouri | 161 | $25,503 | 86.2% | 86.4% |
| Saint Louis University | 157 | $56,190 | 89.1% | 87.6% |
| University of Missouri, Kansas City | 156 | $26,192 | 82.3% | 81.2% |
More on each, and on the Missouri bar exam: law schools in Missouri.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to the University of Missouri, Kansas City'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Missouri, Kansas City | 156 | 3.65 | $26,192 | 82.3% | 81.2% |
| University of Montana Missoula, MT | 156 | 3.64 | $27,512 | 82.5% | 80.2% |
| Drake University Des Moines, IA | 156 | 3.67 | $51,390 | 77.2% | 86% |
| Howard University Washington, DC | 156 | 3.63 | $41,412 | 78% | 71% |
| Samford University Birmingham, AL | 156 | 3.63 | $47,334 | 90.4% | 80.6% |
| Hofstra University Hempstead, NY | 157 | 3.65 | $74,860 | 79.2% | 86.3% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 156, with the middle half scoring 154 to 159. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.65. The school accepted 45.9% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law?
82.3% of University of Missouri, Kansas City graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 85.7%. Within two years of graduating, 90.6% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are about $26,192 a year for Missouri residents and $32,259 for nonresidents. The school charges by the credit hour, so that figure assumes a full-time load of 30 credits a year. Most students pay less: 85% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $7,270.
Do University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 81.2% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 3.9% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 3.9% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1936, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.