Academically successful University of Iowa students, who meet requirements set forth by the American Bar Association, are now eligible to apply for admission into the UI College of Law without taking the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).
To qualify for the Kinnick Law Scholars program, undergraduate or graduate students must be current UI students and have at least a 3.5 grade point average through six semesters of academic work, or be in the top 10 percent of the class and score in the top 85th percentile of the ACT, SAT, GMAT or GRE.
The program is the result of new accreditation rules adopted by the American Bar Association in August of 2014. The rules allow law schools to admit up to 10 percent of their class without taking the LSAT, so long as those students meet the strict academic requirements outlined above.
"In full compliance with the new standards promulgated by our accrediting agency, the American Bar Association, this program allows us to apply a narrow exception to the admissions process for a small group of highly qualified students from our own institution," says Iowa Law Dean Gail Agrawal. "A small number of talented UI students are entitled to apply at the College of Law without having taken the LSAT if they meet stringent requirements. They are not guaranteed admission, but must compete with the entire applicant pool for a place in the class."
This program is the result of the recent change in Standard 503, Interpretation 503-3, cited below. The change permits all law schools to do what a number of other law schools, not including Iowa, have been doing for a period of years with special approval by the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.
Based on that experience, the ABA concluded that outstanding undergraduate achievement and high scores on other standardized tests were adequate predictors of success in law school. The College of Law therefore believes it is appropriate to consider the applications of this select group of Iowa applicants who, for any number of reasons, may not have taken the LSAT and hope to attend law school at Iowa.
"We are confident the rigor of Iowa's graduate and undergraduate programs prepares students to pursue a legal education," says Agrawal. "The new Kinnick Law Scholars program will provide an opportunity for Iowa's most elite students to apply to stay at Iowa for law school."
Though students meeting these academic requirements would be eligible to become Kinnick Law Scholars, simply meeting the requirements does not guarantee admission. Their applications will be considered with all other applications in the applicant pool.
Students interested in pursuing a legal education at Iowa are encouraged to attend Iowa Law's upcoming Explore Iowa event on Saturday, April 18. Registration for this program is available here.
Editor’s note: As of fall 2016, the Kinnick Law Scholars Program has been reinstated in alignment with ABA admissions standards. The program was suspended in Aug. 2015 after the ABA temporarily reversed its decision on the LSAT exemption.