Law Schools in Indiana + LSAT Prep (2026 Guide)

Indiana has three ABA-accredited law schools, and their median LSATs span 155 to 170 according to each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure. That range means law schools in Indiana open to applicants from the mid-150s through the low 170s, so an Indiana applicant's target list depends on where in that range their LSAT falls.

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 admissions figure on this page comes from each Indiana school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class, with bar-exam status from the NCBE.

The three law schools in Indiana are the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer), and Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney), and they occupy three distinct positions. The University of Notre Dame is a national school with a 170 median LSAT and a 16.1% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) is the public flagship at a 164 median and a 35.8% acceptance rate. Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) is the accessible urban school at a 155 median and a 55.9% acceptance rate. What makes Indiana interesting is that its two public schools point in opposite directions on the map: the Indianapolis school keeps the vast majority of its graduates in Indiana, while the Bloomington flagship sends most of its class out of state, a contrast this guide returns to below.

What law schools are in Indiana?

Indiana has three ABA-accredited law schools: the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer), and Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney). The table below lists each Indiana school's median LSAT, acceptance rate, and full-time tuition from its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class.

SchoolMedian LSATAcceptance rateFull-time tuitionUniversity of Notre Dame17016.1%$73,430Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer)16435.8%$36,950Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney)15555.9%$32,083

Source: each figure in the table above is drawn from that Indiana school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class. Median LSATs, acceptance rates, and full-time tuition are reported by each school in that annual filing.

Read across the table and the shape of legal education in Indiana is clear. The University of Notre Dame is the selective, national-priced option at a 170 median and $73,430 in full-time tuition, more than double the price of either public school in Indiana. The two Indiana University campuses are the value engines of the state: Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) at a 164 median and $36,950, and Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) at a 155 median and just $32,083, the most affordable law school in Indiana. Selectivity and price move together here, with the most selective Indiana school also the most expensive and the most accessible the cheapest, all per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. For an Indiana resident, that alignment means the accessible options are also the budget-friendly ones, which is a favorable structure.

Grouping the three law schools in Indiana into tiers clarifies the choice further. The University of Notre Dame occupies a national tier of its own, with a 170 median LSAT, a 16.1% acceptance rate, and $73,430 tuition that reflect a private, nationally oriented program. Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) is the public-flagship tier, competitive at a 164 median and a 35.8% acceptance rate but priced at an in-state-friendly $36,950. Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) is the accessible tier, admitting 55.9% of applicants at a 155 median and the lowest tuition in the state at $32,083. The encouraging part of that structure for an Indiana applicant is that the two most reachable schools are also the two most affordable, so accessibility and cost point in the same direction, all per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures.

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

Across law schools in Indiana, median LSATs run 155 to 170, per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. In practice, a mid-150s score puts Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) in reach, the mid-160s make Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) competitive, and a score near 170 is what the University of Notre Dame expects.

Here is how a given score realistically plays across Indiana. The University of Notre Dame sits at a 170 median in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, so an applicant scoring in the high 160s to 170 is where a candidate becomes competitive there, though Notre Dame reads as reverse-splitter friendly and reaches somewhat below that median for a strong-GPA file. Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer), at a 164 median, is competitive for an applicant in the low-to-mid 160s, and it too reaches below its median for high-GPA applicants. Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney), with a 155 median and a 55.9% acceptance rate, is the Indiana school squarely in range for an applicant scoring in the mid-150s, and it is the most forgiving of the three on the numbers. A score at or above a school's median makes you competitive there; a lower score points naturally toward the more accessible Indiana schools, so a mid-150s scorer still has a real path in Indiana.

To put numbers to it, a 165 LSAT clears the medians of both Indiana University campuses and, with a strong GPA, puts the University of Notre Dame within reach given its reverse-splitter tendency, so that one score makes all three law schools in Indiana live targets. A 160 comfortably clears Maurer's reach and McKinney's median, and a 155 is McKinney's median and the clearest entry point into legal education in Indiana for an applicant whose LSAT sits in the mid-150s. Each of those reads follows from the 2025 ABA 509 medians for Indiana.

On the GPA side, this Indiana roll-up centers on each school's median LSAT from its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, and the clearest published signal of how far each Indiana school reaches below its GPA median is the splitter spread, detailed in the next section. For exact GPA medians at any Indiana school, confirm the figure in that school's own 2025 ABA 509 disclosure.

Which Indiana law schools are splitter friendly?

Among the three law schools in Indiana, Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) reads as splitter friendly, while the University of Notre Dame and Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) read as reverse-splitter friendly, based on Lovare's read of the 2025 ABA 509 spreads. A splitter is a high LSAT with a lower GPA; a reverse splitter is the opposite.

The pattern in Indiana is unusually clean. A splitter-friendly school forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high, and Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) shows a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.25 in Lovare's read of the 2025 ABA 509 spreads, meaning McKinney reaches well below its GPA median for applicants whose LSAT carries the file. If your LSAT is the stronger number and your GPA lags, McKinney is the most welcoming law school in Indiana for your profile.

The two other Indiana schools lean reverse-splitter friendly, forgiving a lower LSAT when the GPA is high. The University of Notre Dame shows an LSAT 25th-to-median spread of 4 points and Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) shows a wider 6-point spread in Lovare's read of the 2025 ABA 509 spreads, so both reach below their LSAT medians for applicants with strong transcripts. In practical terms, a high-GPA, slightly-lower-LSAT applicant is best pointed at Notre Dame or Maurer in Indiana, while a high-LSAT, lower-GPA applicant is best pointed at McKinney. Indiana's three schools between them cover both kinds of imbalance.

What is the legal job market like in Indiana?

The dominant legal market in Indiana is Indianapolis, the state capital and largest city, and the state's two public law schools show sharply different in-state retention. Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) keeps 82% of its class in Indiana, while Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) keeps just 33%, according to ABA Class of 2024 employment data.

That contrast is the defining feature of the Indiana job-market picture. Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney), located in the heart of the state's largest legal market, keeps 82% of its graduates in Indiana per the ABA Class of 2024 employment data, which makes it by far the strongest in-state pipeline among law schools in Indiana; if your goal is to practice in Indianapolis or elsewhere in the state, McKinney's concentration is a major asset. Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) keeps only 33% in Indiana, a minority of its class, which tells you the flagship's reputation pulls most of its graduates into regional and national markets outside the state. Neither number is a flaw; they describe two different missions, one local and one national, within the same university system.

For an applicant, the McKinney and Maurer split is a decision tool rather than a verdict on quality. If your plan is to practice in Indiana, and especially in Indianapolis, the 82% in-state retention at Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) signals a local network and an alumni base concentrated exactly where you want to work. If your plan is to leave Indiana or keep national options open, Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer)'s 33% in-state figure signals a program whose graduates routinely land in other states, per the ABA Class of 2024 employment data. Choosing between the two Indiana public schools is therefore as much about where you want to end up as about the 9-point gap in their median LSATs.

The University of Notre Dame does not have an in-state retention figure in this data, and as a national school its graduates disperse across many markets, so a smaller Indiana share there would reflect reach rather than weakness. This page does not publish salary figures for Indiana graduates, because those are not part of the primary data behind this roll-up. The dependable read is that if you want to build an Indiana career, especially in Indianapolis, Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) is the clearest in-state choice, while Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) and the University of Notre Dame are built to send graduates further afield.

Does Indiana use the NextGen bar exam?

Indiana has adopted the NextGen bar exam, with its first NextGen administration scheduled for July 2028, according to the NCBE. Until then Indiana remains a UBE jurisdiction, meaning it administers the Uniform Bar Examination and its scores are portable to other UBE states.

The transition follows the national timeline the NCBE has set: the legacy Uniform Bar Examination and the Multistate Bar Examination end after the February 2028 administration, and Indiana's first NextGen exam follows in July 2028. For an applicant entering an Indiana law school now, that means your graduating class may sit either the legacy UBE or the NextGen exam depending on when you finish, so it is worth confirming which format applies to your year in Indiana. Because Indiana is currently a UBE jurisdiction, it produces a portable score, which matters given how many Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) graduates practice outside the state and may want to transfer a score elsewhere.

The planning point for Indiana is straightforward. If you graduate and sit for the bar before the February 2028 cutoff, you take the legacy exam; if you sit in July 2028 or later, you take NextGen in Indiana. Indiana's adoption of NextGen is confirmed by the NCBE, so build your bar preparation around the format that matches your graduation year. Given that a majority of Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) graduates practice outside Indiana, the portability of a current Uniform Bar Exam score is a particular advantage for that school's students while it lasts, per the NCBE.

Where can you take the LSAT in Indiana?

LSAT test centers are available across Indiana's largest metros, including Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, and South Bend. Because the specific centers and their availability change each testing cycle, the reliable move is to check LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org rather than relying on a fixed address here.

The LSAT is also offered in a remotely proctored, at-home format alongside in-person test centers, which widens access for applicants in Indiana who do not live near one of the larger metros. Whether you test in person in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, or South Bend, or remotely from anywhere in Indiana, confirm the current dates, formats, and seat availability directly on LSAC's official list for your registration cycle, since Indiana's specific center roster is set by LSAC and updated each cycle.

Which Indiana universities feed law school?

Indiana's flagship and major universities are the most common pre-law feeders into law schools in Indiana and beyond. Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Notre Dame are the largest, and each sends a steady stream of undergraduates into law study.

Beyond those three, Indiana's other public and private institutions, including Ball State University, Indiana State University, and Butler University, all support pre-law students who go on to apply to the law schools in Indiana and nationally. This is general context rather than a placement statistic: this page does not attribute a specific number of admits from any single Indiana undergraduate program, because that figure is not part of the primary data behind this roll-up. The takeaway is that a strong undergraduate record from any accredited university, combined with a competitive LSAT in the mid-150s to 170 band, is what positions an applicant for the three Indiana law schools in the table above. Because Indiana spans a national school, a public flagship, and an accessible urban program, a single strong application file can be aimed at very different targets within the same state.

Frequently asked questions about law school in Indiana

How many law schools are in Indiana?

Indiana has three ABA-accredited law schools: the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer), and Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney). Their median LSATs run from 155 to 170 across the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures, giving Indiana a national school, a public flagship, and an accessible urban school, so the state covers a wide selectivity range with just three programs.

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

By acceptance rate, Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) is the most accessible law school in Indiana, admitting 55.9% of applicants with a 155 median LSAT, per its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) is next at 35.8% with a 164 median. McKinney is the Indiana school most likely to take applicants scoring in the mid-150s.

What is the best law school in Indiana?

By the admissions numbers, the University of Notre Dame is the strongest law school in Indiana, with a 170 median LSAT and a 16.1% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, and it is a nationally recognized program. Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer), the public flagship at a 164 median, is the leading in-state public option. Best depends on your goals and budget in Indiana.

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

It depends on the Indiana school. Medians run from 155 at Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) to 170 at the University of Notre Dame, per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. A mid-150s score reaches McKinney, the mid-160s make Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) competitive, and a score near 170 is what Notre Dame expects in Indiana.

What LSAT score do you need for Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer)?

Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) reports a 164 median LSAT and a 35.8% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, so a score in the low-to-mid 160s makes you competitive at this Indiana school. Because Maurer reads as reverse-splitter friendly, with a 6-point LSAT spread in Lovare's read of the 2025 ABA 509 spreads, a strong GPA can support a score a few points under 164.

How competitive is the University of Notre Dame?

Very. The University of Notre Dame reports a 170 median LSAT and a 16.1% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, admitting roughly one in six applicants, which makes it the most selective law school in Indiana and a nationally competitive program. An applicant aiming for Notre Dame should target a score at or near 170, though its reverse-splitter tendency gives strong-GPA files some room below that in Indiana.

What LSAT score do you need for Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney)?

Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) reports a 155 median LSAT and a 55.9% acceptance rate in its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure, so a mid-150s score makes you competitive at this Indiana school. Because McKinney reads as splitter friendly, with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.25 in Lovare's read of the 2025 ABA 509 spreads, a strong LSAT can offset a GPA below the school's median.

What is the cheapest law school in Indiana?

Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) is the most affordable law school in Indiana at $32,083 in full-time tuition, per its 2025 ABA 509 disclosure. Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) follows at $36,950. Both public schools cost far less than the University of Notre Dame's $73,430, and McKinney pairs the lowest price in Indiana with the strongest in-state retention at 82%.

How much does law school cost in Indiana?

Full-time tuition at law schools in Indiana ranges from $32,083 at Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) to $73,430 at the University of Notre Dame, per the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures. Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) charges $36,950. The two public Indiana schools are far more affordable than Notre Dame, with McKinney the cheapest law school in the state.

Is Indiana switching to the NextGen bar exam?

Yes. Indiana has adopted the NextGen bar exam, with its first administration set for July 2028, according to the NCBE. Until then Indiana remains a UBE jurisdiction with portable scores. The legacy Uniform Bar Examination and Multistate Bar Examination end after the February 2028 administration, so an Indiana graduate's format depends on when they sit for the bar.

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

Yes. Indiana admits graduates of any ABA-accredited law school to sit for its bar, so you do not have to attend an Indiana school to become an Indiana lawyer. As a current UBE jurisdiction transitioning to NextGen in July 2028, per the NCBE, Indiana participates in score portability, so a qualifying transferred UBE score can help with admission in Indiana.

Which Indiana law school has the best bar passage?

This Indiana roll-up is built on median LSAT, acceptance rate, and tuition from the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures and does not include school-level first-time bar passage rates, so naming a single leader here would mean inventing a figure. To compare bar passage across Indiana schools, read each school's current ABA bar-passage report, which publishes first-time and ultimate pass rates for that Indiana program.

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

The primary data behind this roll-up covers median LSAT, acceptance rate, and tuition for law schools in Indiana and does not break out part-time or evening enrollment, so this page will not claim a specific part-time offering. If you need an evening or part-time track in Indiana, confirm current program formats in each school's own 2025 ABA 509 disclosure and admissions pages before applying.

Where are the LSAT test centers in Indiana?

LSAT test centers operate in Indiana's largest metros, including Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, and South Bend, and the LSAT is also offered in a remote at-home format. Because Indiana's specific center roster and dates change each cycle, check LSAC's official test-center list at lsac.org for current availability rather than relying on a fixed address here.

Which Indiana law schools are best for splitters?

In Indiana, Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) reads as splitter friendly, with a GPA 25th-to-median spread of 0.25 in Lovare's read of the 2025 ABA 509 spreads, so it forgives a lower GPA when the LSAT is high. The University of Notre Dame and Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) read as reverse-splitter friendly, with LSAT spreads of 4 and 6 points, favoring strong-GPA applicants in Indiana.

Which Indiana law school keeps the most graduates in-state?

Indiana University Indianapolis (McKinney) keeps the largest share in Indiana at 82% of its class, according to ABA Class of 2024 employment data, while Indiana University Bloomington (Maurer) keeps just 33%. That gap reflects McKinney's role as an Indianapolis-based, in-state pipeline and Maurer's more national reach, so an applicant set on an Indiana career should weigh McKinney's concentration heavily.

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

No. You can practice in Indiana with a JD from any ABA-accredited law school once you are admitted to the Indiana bar. As a UBE jurisdiction moving to the NextGen exam in July 2028, per the NCBE, Indiana recognizes qualifying portable scores, so lawyers licensed elsewhere have established paths to add an Indiana license without repeating law school in Indiana.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from primary disclosures, listed here so readers can verify each one directly for Indiana.

ABA Required Disclosures portal, 2025 ABA Standard 509 Information Reports for each Indiana law school: https://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/

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

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