Law Schools in Iowa + LSAT Prep (2026 Guide)

Iowa has two ABA-approved law schools: the University of Iowa and Drake University. Their median LSAT scores span 156 to 164 in the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, so a competitive Iowa applicant is generally aiming for the mid-150s at the more accessible end and the mid-160s at the top, depending on which Iowa school you target.

By Ali Unar, Georgetown Law, Founder of Lovare Institut. Ali Unar is a Georgetown Law student and the founder of Lovare Institut, an admissions and LSAT-prep practice built on primary-source law school data. Verified August 2026. Every school-level figure on this page comes from each Iowa school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class, with in-state retention from the ABA Class of 2024 employment data and bar-exam status from the NCBE.

Iowa is a small state for legal education, and that is worth saying plainly at the top. Two ABA law schools serve the entire state, one public flagship in Iowa City and one private university in Des Moines. That compact field actually makes Iowa easier to reason about than a crowded market: the University of Iowa anchors the high end of the score range, Drake University anchors the accessible end, and between them they cover most of the LSAT band an Iowa applicant is likely to carry. This guide works through what score you need in Iowa, which schools forgive an imbalanced file, where Iowa graduates end up working, and how the Iowa bar exam is changing.

What law schools are in Iowa?

Iowa has exactly two ABA-approved law schools. The University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City is the public flagship and posts the state's highest median LSAT at 164. Drake University Law School in Des Moines is the private option and sits at a 156 median, with the more open admissions profile of the two. There is no third ABA law school in Iowa, so these two define the in-state field.

SchoolMedian LSATAcceptance rateFull-time tuitionUniversity of Iowa16444.3%$30,944Drake University15654.8%$50,920

Source: each figure in the table is drawn from that school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class, published through the ABA required disclosures portal. The median LSAT is the fiftieth percentile of each Iowa school's enrolled class, the acceptance rate is offers divided by applications, and the tuition figure is the full-time annual rate each Iowa school reports in its 509.

The two schools sit at genuinely different points. The University of Iowa is a research flagship whose 164 median is competitive well beyond the state line, and its full-time tuition of $30,944 reflects a public institution. Drake University, at a 156 median and $50,920 in full-time tuition, is a private school whose sticker runs higher but whose admissions band is wider, which is a familiar public-flagship-versus-private-regional split. For an Iowa applicant, the practical takeaway is that you are choosing between one reach-leaning public school and one more accessible private school, not sorting through a dozen near-identical options.

What LSAT and GPA do you need for law school in Iowa?

In-state median LSATs in Iowa run 156 to 164, per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. The University of Iowa sits at the top of the state at a 164 median, and Drake University is the most accessible at a 156 median with a 54.8% acceptance rate. A score in the mid-160s is competitive across the whole state; a score in the mid-150s is squarely in range at Drake and still worth an Iowa application.

Start with what a median means. The University of Iowa's 164 median is the fiftieth percentile of its fall 2025 class in the 2025 ABA 509, which means half of enrolled Iowa students scored above 164 and half below. A median is a target, not a cutoff. A 164 puts you right at the center of the admitted class at the University of Iowa, a score a few points higher strengthens the file, and a score a few points lower is not an automatic rejection so much as a file that leans on the rest of the application. The same logic applies at Drake University, where the 156 median marks the middle of the enrolled class rather than a floor.

Now map your own score onto the Iowa field. If you carry a 164 or higher, you are competitive at the top of the state and comfortably in range at Drake University, so both Iowa schools are realistic. If you sit in the high 150s to low 160s, you are below the University of Iowa median but well within Drake's range and still a plausible University of Iowa applicant, especially with a strong GPA. If your score is in the mid-150s, Drake University is the school where applicants at that number are routinely admitted, given its 156 median and 54.8% acceptance rate in the 2025 ABA 509, so a mid-150s scorer has a real Iowa option rather than none.

The honest framing for a lower scorer is important. Because Iowa has only two ABA schools, it can look like a score below the University of Iowa median closes the state. It does not. Drake University exists precisely in that band, and its more open acceptance rate is where mid-150s applicants land. The GPA side matters too: the University of Iowa and Drake both report GPA ranges in their 509 disclosures, and a transcript at or above a school's median can offset an LSAT that sits a little under it. The reverse also holds, which is the subject of the next section on splitter-friendly schools in Iowa.

Which Iowa law schools are splitter friendly?

Both Iowa law schools read as splitter friendly in the 2025 ABA 509 spreads. The University of Iowa shows a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.16, and Drake University shows a wider 0.29, which means each school enrolls a meaningful share of students whose GPA sits below the median. In plain terms, a strong LSAT paired with a lower GPA has a genuine path at both Iowa schools, and Drake is the more forgiving of the two on GPA.

A quick definition, because the term gets used loosely. A splitter is an applicant with a high LSAT and a lower GPA. A splitter-friendly school forgives the lower GPA when the LSAT is strong, because the LSAT is doing the heavy lifting in the file. A reverse-splitter-friendly school does the opposite, forgiving a lower LSAT when the GPA is high. The width of a school's GPA band from the 25th percentile up to the median is a good tell: a wider spread means the school is comfortable enrolling students whose transcripts sit under the middle of the class.

By that measure, Drake University is the more splitter-friendly of the two Iowa schools, with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.29 in the 2025 ABA 509. That width says a Drake applicant with an LSAT at or above the 156 median and a GPA below the class midpoint is a familiar, admissible profile at Drake. The University of Iowa is splitter friendly too, but more mildly, with a 0.16 GPA spread: a high-LSAT, lower-GPA file works there, but the tighter band means the University of Iowa enrolls fewer students far under its GPA median than Drake does.

What Iowa does not clearly offer, on this data, is a reverse-splitter haven. The 2025 ABA 509 spreads flag both Iowa schools as GPA-forgiving rather than LSAT-forgiving, so an applicant whose strength is a high GPA and whose weakness is a lower LSAT should not assume either Iowa school will wave the LSAT through. If your LSAT is your strength, Iowa is friendly territory; if your GPA is your strength and your LSAT lags, you will want to lift the LSAT before applying, because neither Iowa school reads as a place where a low LSAT is easily excused.

What is the legal job market like in Iowa?

The two Iowa schools point their graduates in very different directions, per the ABA Class of 2024 employment data. Drake University keeps 72% of its class in Iowa, one of the more concentrated in-state shares you will find, while the University of Iowa keeps 32% in Iowa and sends the majority of its graduates elsewhere. Des Moines is the dominant legal market in the state, home to state government, insurance, and financial-services employers.

Read those two retention numbers as a strategic signal rather than a ranking. Drake University's 72% in-state share in the ABA Class of 2024 data tells you Drake is a Des Moines-anchored school whose network runs deep in Iowa: if your plan is to practice in Iowa, and especially in the Des Moines metro, Drake places you directly into that market. The University of Iowa's 32% in-state share tells the opposite story. As a national-leaning flagship, the University of Iowa sends roughly two-thirds of its class out of state, so its degree travels farther but concentrates less tightly in Iowa itself.

For an applicant, the choice is partly about geography. If you want to build a career in Iowa, the retention data favor Drake University for pure in-state placement, while the University of Iowa remains a strong choice for Iowa work and adds real optionality if you might leave the state. Des Moines is the center of gravity for Iowa legal employment, with Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and the Quad Cities region rounding out the smaller in-state markets. This page does not publish salary figures, because the packet behind it does not include verified Iowa salary data, and inventing one would defeat the purpose of a primary-source guide.

One more honest note on scope. The retention figures here come specifically from the ABA Class of 2024 employment data for each school, and they measure where graduates took their first jobs, not lifetime career location. They are the best available in-state signal, but an applicant weighing Iowa should still read each school's full ABA Employment Summary for the detail behind the headline share, including firm size and public-sector breakdowns that a single retention percentage cannot capture.

Does Iowa use the NextGen bar exam?

Iowa has adopted the NextGen bar exam, and its first NextGen administration is scheduled for July 2027, according to the NCBE. Iowa currently administers the Uniform Bar Exam, so applicants sitting before the transition take the UBE, and those sitting from July 2027 onward take NextGen. The legacy UBE and the current Multistate Bar Exam end nationally after the February 2028 administration.

Here is what that timeline means in practice for an Iowa candidate. If you are in law school now and expect to sit for the bar before July 2027, you will take the UBE that Iowa currently administers, a portable score you can transfer to other UBE jurisdictions within their rules. If you will graduate into the July 2027 cycle or later, you will sit for the NextGen exam that Iowa is adopting, a redesigned test that the NCBE has built to emphasize integrated legal skills alongside doctrine. Because Iowa has committed to the transition, incoming Iowa students should plan on NextGen as the exam they will actually face.

The national backdrop matters too. The NCBE has said the legacy UBE and MBE end after the February 2028 administration, so the whole system is moving to NextGen on a fixed runway, and Iowa's July 2027 start places it among the earlier adopters rather than a straggler. For anyone mapping a study plan, the safe reading is that Iowa bar-takers from July 2027 forward prepare for NextGen, and the small window before that still runs on the UBE. Confirm your specific sitting with the Iowa Board of Law Examiners, since exam-format transitions are administered at the state level even when the format itself is national.

Where can you take the LSAT in Iowa?

LSAT test centers are available in Iowa's major metros, including the Des Moines area, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and the Davenport and Quad Cities region. Specific test-center locations and the balance of in-person and remote seats change every testing cycle, so the reliable move is to check LSAC's official test-center list on lsac.org rather than rely on any fixed address, which can quietly go out of date between cycles.

A few practical notes for Iowa test-takers. The LSAT is offered both at physical test centers and as a remotely proctored exam you can take from home, so an Iowa applicant in a smaller town outside the main metros is not locked out simply because the nearest center is a drive away. Des Moines, as the state's largest metro, is the most reliable place to find in-person Iowa seats, with Cedar Rapids and Iowa City serving the eastern part of the state. Because seat availability fills as a registration deadline approaches, registering early for an Iowa test date is the single best way to secure the location and format you want.

Whichever format you choose in Iowa, the score is the same instrument that the University of Iowa and Drake University report in their 2025 ABA 509 medians, so there is no in-state versus out-of-state version of the test. Plan your Iowa test date around your application timeline, leave room for a possible retake, and treat LSAC's official list as the single source of truth for where and how you can sit in Iowa this cycle.

Which Iowa universities feed law school?

Iowa's flagship undergraduate feeders into law school are the state's largest public and private universities. The University of Iowa in Iowa City is the state flagship and a natural pipeline into legal study, and Iowa State University in Ames and the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls round out the public universities that commonly send pre-law students forward. Drake University in Des Moines, which houses one of the state's two law schools, is itself a well-known undergraduate feeder in Iowa.

Those institutions are named here as common pre-law feeders based on their size and standing in Iowa, not on a specific placement statistic, because the packet behind this guide does not attribute a verified feeder-to-law-school number and this page will not invent one. In practice, a strong pre-law preparation in Iowa is less about the specific undergraduate name and more about a rigorous major, a high GPA, and a disciplined LSAT preparation plan, since the University of Iowa and Drake University both admit primarily on the LSAT and GPA numbers they report in their 2025 ABA 509 disclosures.

If you are an Iowa undergraduate aiming at either in-state law school, the useful mindset is that your major and your LSAT do more work than your college's brand. A political science, history, philosophy, or economics track builds the reading and reasoning the LSAT rewards, but so does any demanding program, and Iowa admissions officers are reading for the numbers and the writing far more than the name of the feeder school.

Frequently asked questions about law school in Iowa

How many law schools are in Iowa?

Iowa has two ABA-approved law schools: the University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City and Drake University Law School in Des Moines. That makes Iowa a small state for legal education, with one public flagship and one private option covering the entire state, per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures that report both schools' admissions figures.

What is the easiest law school to get into in Iowa?

By the numbers, Drake University is the more accessible of the two Iowa schools. Drake reports a 54.8% acceptance rate and a 156 median LSAT in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, compared with the University of Iowa's 44.3% acceptance rate and 164 median. Drake is where a mid-150s Iowa applicant is most likely to be admitted.

What is the best law school in Iowa?

On admissions selectivity, the University of Iowa leads the state, with the highest median LSAT in Iowa at 164 and a 44.3% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. Best depends on your goal, though: Drake University keeps far more graduates in Iowa, so for pure in-state placement Drake is the stronger fit despite the University of Iowa's higher entering numbers.

What LSAT score do you need for law school in Iowa?

Iowa's in-state medians run 156 to 164 in the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. A mid-160s LSAT is competitive across the whole state, including the University of Iowa at its 164 median. A mid-150s score is squarely in range at Drake University, which posts a 156 median, so an Iowa applicant does not need a 164 to have a real in-state option.

How much does law school cost in Iowa?

Full-time tuition in Iowa runs from $30,944 at the University of Iowa to $50,920 at Drake University, per each school's 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. The University of Iowa is the lower-cost public option and Drake is the private school, so the in-state cost gap between Iowa's two law schools is substantial before any scholarship aid is applied.

Does Iowa use the NextGen bar exam?

Iowa has adopted the NextGen bar exam, with a first administration scheduled for July 2027, according to the NCBE. Iowa currently administers the Uniform Bar Exam, so candidates before that date take the UBE and those from July 2027 onward take NextGen. The legacy UBE and MBE end nationally after the February 2028 administration.

Can you take the bar in Iowa with an out-of-state degree?

Yes. A graduate of any ABA-approved law school may sit for the Iowa bar, not just graduates of the University of Iowa or Drake University. Iowa currently administers the Uniform Bar Exam and transitions to NextGen in July 2027, per the NCBE, so an out-of-state graduate takes the same Iowa exam as an in-state one. Confirm eligibility details with the Iowa Board of Law Examiners.

Which Iowa law school has the best bar passage?

The packet behind this guide does not include school-level bar-passage rates for the University of Iowa or Drake University, so this page will not state one it cannot verify. Each Iowa school's ABA bar-passage report is the authoritative source for its first-time and ultimate pass rates, and an applicant comparing the two Iowa schools should read those reports directly.

Are there part-time or evening law programs in Iowa?

The packet behind this guide does not confirm part-time or evening program formats at the University of Iowa or Drake University, so this page will not assert one. Program formats change and are best verified on each Iowa school's admissions pages, which state whether a part-time, evening, or flexible track is offered for the current cycle.

Where can you take the LSAT in Iowa?

LSAT test centers are available in Iowa's major metros, including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and the Quad Cities region, and the test is also offered as a remotely proctored exam. Because specific center locations change each cycle, check LSAC's official test-center list on lsac.org for the current Iowa options rather than relying on a fixed address.

Which Iowa law schools are splitter friendly?

Both Iowa schools read as splitter friendly in the 2025 ABA 509 spreads. Drake University is the more forgiving, with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.29, and the University of Iowa follows at 0.16. That means a high LSAT can offset a lower GPA at both Iowa schools, with Drake the more comfortable home for a GPA that sits below the class median.

Do you have to go to law school in Iowa to practice there?

No. To practice in Iowa you must be admitted to the Iowa bar, which requires an ABA-approved law degree and a passing bar score, but that degree can come from any ABA-approved school in any state. Iowa currently uses the Uniform Bar Exam and moves to NextGen in July 2027, per the NCBE, so out-of-state graduates can and do qualify for Iowa practice.

Is the University of Iowa or Drake better for staying in Iowa?

Drake University, on the retention data. The ABA Class of 2024 employment data show Drake keeping 72% of its class in Iowa versus 32% for the University of Iowa. If your goal is to practice in Iowa, and particularly in the Des Moines metro, Drake places a much larger share of its graduates directly into the state's legal market.

How selective is the University of Iowa?

The University of Iowa is the more selective of Iowa's two law schools, reporting a 44.3% acceptance rate and a 164 median LSAT in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. That 164 median is the highest in Iowa and competitive well beyond the state, so an applicant targeting the University of Iowa should aim to reach or exceed that median to be safely in range.

Does Iowa have a public and a private law school option?

Yes. Iowa offers one of each: the University of Iowa is the public flagship, with full-time tuition of $30,944 in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, and Drake University is the private option, at $50,920. That gives Iowa applicants a clear cost-and-selectivity choice, the lower-priced, higher-median public school against the more accessible, higher-priced private school.

Sources

Every figure on this page is drawn from primary disclosures, listed here so Iowa readers can verify each one directly.

ABA required disclosures portal, 2025 Standard 509 Information Reports for the University of Iowa and Drake University (fall 2025 entering class): https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

National Conference of Bar Examiners, NextGen bar exam adoption and jurisdiction status for Iowa: https://www.ncbex.org/

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