Mitchell Hamline School of Law

MN · Private · West North Central

Acceptance rate: 51% (1,603 applicants)
Median LSAT: 154 (middle 50%: 151–158)
Median GPA: 3.29 (middle 50%: 2.96–3.60)
Tuition: $55,300 (per year)
Bar passage: 72.0% (-11.0 pts vs. state average)

Deadlines

Application deadline: July 15, 2027

Essays

Personal statement (2 to 3 pages, double-spaced)

What motivates you to study law? What experiences will you bring to your law school education and build on in your career after law school?

Supplemental topic A: resilience (Up to 2 pages)

Mitchell Hamline values perseverance, resilience, and self-awareness as traits necessary to succeed both at Mitchell Hamline and in the legal profession. Tell us about a challenge or adversity you have faced, and how your response demonstrates one or more of those traits.

Supplemental topic B: community (Up to 2 pages)

Mitchell Hamline students come from a broad range of backgrounds, with diverse views and perspectives. We aspire to be a community where students can learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive environment. Tell us something about yourself, and how it shapes the way you would learn from and contribute to our community.

Supplemental topic C: fit (Up to 2 pages)

What about Mitchell Hamline's vision, mission, values, community, academic offerings, and/or distinct programming make it a good fit for your educational, personal, and/or professional goals?

North Star Scholarship essay (1 page, double-spaced)

If you are applying to the blended-learning enrollment option and you intend to use your legal education to practice law in a rural area, reservation, or small city or town currently underserved by local lawyers, please explain in a one-page, double-spaced essay your ongoing experience with and commitment to practice in that community.

Native Justice Scholarship essay (1 page, double-spaced)

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must demonstrate an interest in Native American Law and Sovereignty in a one-page, double-spaced scholarship essay; and, in addition, provide sufficient documentation to establish that they are: an enrolled member of a federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native Tribal Nation; demonstrate an ongoing experience working in and with Native American communities and a commitment to using their legal education to continue to do so.

Editor's notes

Don't let the July 15 deadline set your pace. The school gives strong preference to files complete by June 1, decides six to eight weeks after completion, and awards merit money with the admission decision.
Choose your supplemental prompts for coverage. You need at least one of three, and a second is allowed. If your personal statement already covers a hardship, skip topic A and use B or C to show the committee something new.
If you want the blended program, say why in the file. The school says the format demands strong self-motivation to keep your own study schedule, so evidence that you've managed work, family or study on your own is worth including.
Retake math is different here. The committee sees all your LSAT scores and considers the average and trend, while scholarships use the highest score. A higher retake can raise your scholarship, but the committee still sees the earlier scores.