IU McKinney Mission Statement

The Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law resides on Indiana's urban research and health sciences campus. As the only law school in our vibrant capital city, we are committed to accessibility, affordability, and excellence in public legal education.

The IU McKinney School of Law serves its students and society as a center of legal education and scholarly inquiry. Our students pursue a rigorous course of study immersed in an environment of public service and community engagement. By fostering a mature sense of integrity and an awareness of an ever-evolving legal profession, we empower students to succeed as citizens, professionals, and leaders.

Numerical indicators (LSAT score, UGPA, etc.) are not dispositive of an applicant?s ability to succeed at the study and practice of law. Other factors are important in assessing an applicant?s potential to distinguish themselves and engage in the educational process and the legal profession.

The following questions aim to add context to your numerical indicators and aid us in matriculating students who will assist us in fulfilling our mission.

Prompts

Please answer the following questions. Each response should be 450 words or less, Times New Roman, 10- or 12-font size.

1. Identify an issue that you feel strongly about. Explain why this issue matters to you personally or socially, and discuss your beliefs and perspectives on it.
2. Why do you want to go to law school and why do you want to attend IU McKinney in particular?

This section is optional.

You may include up to three (3) optional statements of up to 500 words each as attachments to your application if there is additional information that you would like the admissions committee to consider. The optional statements are limited to the following topics: Statement of Academic Record, Statement of Responsibilities, or Statement of Interest Area.

These statements are optional. Failure to complete an optional statement will not negatively impact consideration of your application.

• Statement of Academic Record: If you think standardized tests, or your undergraduate transcript, serve as inaccurate or incomplete predictors of your actual classroom or professional performance, please tell us why.
• Statement of Responsibilities: Have you had experiences that shaped you into the person you are today (i.e., familial, educational, community) and how might those experiences inform your approach to law school and the legal profession?
• Statement of Interest Area: Are you interested in any particular area of law? Briefly explain why.

Attach your resume.

Answering YES to any of the Character and Fitness questions will not automatically preclude you from being offered admission.

IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ANY OF THE CHARACTER AND FITNESS QUESTIONS, you must attach a statement of explanation for each question you answered yes to, giving full details, including the facts and the disposition of the case. You must divulge all arrests, citations, tickets, and charges either as an adult or juvenile, regardless of the final disposition. You must disclose all incidents where you were formally or informally taken into custody, detained, arrested, restrained, cited, summoned into court, accused, charged, convicted, placed on probation, or supervision in connection with any offense against the law or ordinance.

Pursuant to Indiana Code §35-38-9, you are under no obligation to disclose expunged offenses to the law school as part of your application for admission. However, you are strongly encouraged to do so. Many states bars, including Indiana, require disclosure of expunged and/or sealed records for assessing character and fitness for admission to the bar. As such, admission to law school and completion of JD requirements does not guarantee that you will be able to sit for or be admitted to the Indiana bar (or another state's bar). Please note that expungements and dismissal are distinct. All offenses that have been dismissed, but not expunged, must be disclosed. Please be advised that you will have a continuing obligation to maintain the accuracy of these statements throughout the admissions cycle. If you are offered admission, your obligation will continue after your admission and during your enrollment as a student of our school.

ABA Standard 504. QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE BAR: ?In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.?

Please be advised that a condition for admission to the Bar is proof of good moral character. Prior to being certified to sit for the Bar, Bar Examiners may review the information that is contained in your application during their character and fitness investigation. You are advised to check with the board of examiners or supreme court in the state(s) in which you intend to practice law to determine whether any incidents you may have had will preclude your admission to the Bar. Failure to disclose character and fitness issues may also result in the rescission of your admission, dismissal from law school and/or revocation of your law degree.

1. Are you, or have you ever been, the subject of any disciplinary proceedings, academic probation, expulsions, warnings, sanctions, or suspensions from any law school, college, university, or other post-high school educational program?

2. As a juvenile or adult, have you ever been arrested for, convicted of or accused of any violation of law? Include ALL criminal offenses, e.g., felonies, misdemeanors, infractions, speeding tickets and other traffic offenses, regardless of the final disposition. You must disclose all incidents where you were formally or informally taken into custody, detained, restrained, cited, summoned into court, arrested, accused, charged, convicted, placed on probation or suspension in connection with any offence against the law or ordinance.

Pursuant to Indiana Code §35-38-9, you are under no obligation to disclose expunged offenses to the law school as part of your application for admission. However, you are strongly encouraged to do so. Many state bars, including Indiana, require disclosure of expunged and/or sealed records for assessing character and fitness for admission to the bar. As such, admission to law school and completion of JD requirements does not guarantee that you will be able to sit for or be admitted to the Indiana bar (or another state's bar). Please note that expungement and dismissal are distinct. All offenses that have been dismissed but not expunged must be disclosed.

3. Have you ever been a party to a civil court case or proceeding, including, but not limited to, all protective orders, small claims, divorce, landlord/tenant, bankruptcy, or guardianship?

4. Have you ever been discharged or asked to resign from any employment for reasons reflecting on your character, honesty, and/or integrity?

5. Have you ever been dishonorably discharged from military service?

6. Are you or have you ever been the subject of any disciplinary proceedings, suspensions, explusions, or warnings by any professional organizations?

Thank you for your interest in Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law! To apply to join our law school community, please complete our application through the Law School Admission Council's (LSAC) Credential Assembly Service (CAS) at www.LSAC.org. If you have not previously met with or spoken to an advisor, please contact us at lawadmit@iu.edu to schedule an advising appointment.

Early Decision

If we are your first choice school and you plan to participate in our Early Decision Program, please mark "Yes" under the question, "Applying to the Early Decision Program?" as well as the confirmation box at the end of the Early Decision Agreement under the following question. By checking the Early Decision Agreement box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the terms stated in the Early Decision Agreement. Early decision is applicable only for candidates who submit complete applications by November 15, 2025.

International Applicants

If you are an international applicant, you must prove English language proficiency by submitting a TOEFL or IELTS score less than 2 years old. You must have ETS or IELTS send your score electronically to LSAC. An international applicant is defined as an applicant who is a citizen of a country other than the United States or is in the United States, but is not a U.S. citizen or a U.S. permanent resident. If you graduated with a degree from a college or university in the U.S. or other English-speaking country, you may be exempt from submitting a TOEFL or IELTS. Please visit Indiana University Indianapolis' Office of International Affairs, for a list of English-speaking countries that may satisfy this requirement: https://international.indianapolis.iu.edu/admissions/english-speaking-countries-grad.html. In order to give the Office of International Affairs ample time to process the necessary paperwork for the international applicants, international applicants are required to submit a complete application by March 1 and upon admission, complete the IU Graduate CAS application by May 1.

Application Fee

There is no application fee for the 2026 application cycle.

LSAT and GRE Information

An LSAT score or GRE score is required of all applicants.* To register for the LSAT, please visit www.LSAC.org. To register for the GRE, please visit www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/register.html. For admission purposes, we will use your highest LSAT or GRE score from the past 5 years. Please note, if an LSAT and GRE are taken, the review committee will refer to the LSAT score for admissions consideration. (*Exceptions may apply. See https://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/admissions/jd/prepare-application/direct-admission.html for more information.)

Credential Assembly Service (CAS)

In order to apply, you must also register with the LSAC?s Credential Assembly Service to generate a CAS report. Your CAS report will consist of undergraduate transcripts from all institutions attended, graduate and law/professional transcripts (if applicable), TOEFL or IELTS score (if applicable), your LSAT score(s), and letters of recommendation.

Transcripts

All transcripts must be sent from the institution directly to LSAC. Transcript request forms should be printed from the LSAC website and sent to the registrar(s) of any higher education institution where you earned college credits. Upon graduation, applicants will need to request the degree granting institution to send the final transcript showing the conferral of your degree directly to LSAC. Transcripts sent directly to the law school will not fulfill this requirement.

Letters of Recommendation

Two letters of recommendation are required, but we will accept three. Letters of recommendation should be from people familiar with your work habits, leadership, academic performance, writing skills, character and analytical ability and should not be more than 2 years old. Examples of a recommender are: professor, employer, internship supervisor, college coach, academic advisor. Letters should be requested through LSAC and will be sent directly to LSAC by your recommender upon completion.

Attachments

Artificial Intelligence Policy Statement

At Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, we value academic integrity and the authentic expression of each applicant's abilities. While generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly used in various professional and academic settings, their use is not encouraged during the law school application process.

Applicants are expected to submit original work that reflects their own reasoning, writing, and personal voice. During the admission process, all written components of the application--including personal statements, addenda, and other optional statements--may be reviewed in conjunction with the LSAT writing sample, which is completed without the use of AI or other external assistance.

It is important to note that during law school, students are not permitted to use generative AI tools during in-class or take-home examinations. To ensure a strong foundation for success in this environment, we encourage applicants to rely solely on their own skills and judgement when preparing their application materials.

Statements of Motivations & Goals

Numerical indicators (LSAT score, UGPA, etc.) are partially but not completely predictive of an applicant?s ability to succeed at the study and practice of law. Other factors are important in assessing an applicant?s potential to distinguish themselves and engage in the educational process and the legal profession.

The following questions aim to add context to your numerical indicators and aid us in matriculating students who will assist us in fulfilling our mission.

1. Identify an issue that you feel strongly about. Explain why this issue matters to you personally or socially, and discuss your beliefs and perspectives on it.

2. Why do you want to go to law school and why do you want to attend IU McKinney in particular?

Requirements: For each statement, please limit your response to 450-words. 10-12 point font, single or double-spaced, 1 inch margins. Upload in any non-PDF format as an attachment to the application.

Resume

Your resume should include your employment history, extracurricular activities, leadership experience, volunteer activities/community involvement, and honors/awards. Upload as an attachment to this application in a non-PDF format.

Character and Fitness

If you respond "yes" to any Character and Fitness questions, you must provide a detailed explanation in a separate document (non-PDF) outlining the situation and the resolution and submit it as an attachment to this application. You have an ongoing obligation to maintain the accuracy of these statements and must update the Office of Enrollment Management in writing of any changes.

Items that must be explained include, but are not limited to: disciplinary action by academic institutions and/or professional associations, discharge from employment, and all criminal and civil matters (juvenile and adult). Criminal and civil matters that you must explain include felonies, misdemeanors, infractions, speeding tickets, DUIs, reckless driving, moving violations, small claims, bankruptcy, divorce, landlord/tenant, protective orders, etc.

Under Indiana law, you are under no obligation to disclose expunged offenses to the law school as part of your application for admission. However, you are strongly encouraged to do so. Many state bars, including Indiana, require disclosure of expunged and/or sealed records for assessing character and fitness for admission to the bar. As such, admission to law school and completion of JD requirements does not guarantee that you will be able to sit for or be admitted to the Indiana bar (or another state?s bar). Please note that expungement is distinct from dismissal. All offenses that have been dismissed must be disclosed.

Optional Statements

An Optional Statement may be included as an attachment to your application if you wish the admissions committee to know any unique skills, experiences, hardships overcome, educational or socioeconomic disadvantages, or any other aspects that have not already been addressed in your application. Examples of optional statements are Statement of Academic Record, Statement of Responsibilities, and/or Statement of Interest Area. The attachment should be no more than two pages in a non-PDF format.

What Happens After Submission?

Online Status Checker

You may check the status of your application online with the Applicant Online Status Checker. Your user ID and password, as well as a link for this feature, will be included in your acknowledgment e-mail once you submit the online application. If you have questions or concerns about your application, you may call our office at 317-274-2459 or email lawadmit@iu.edu.

Review Process

Your application will be ready for review after all required documents have been received. These include the application, statement of motivations & goals, character and fitness explanations (if applicable), LSAT writing sample, and CAS Report (LSAT score, 2 letters of recommendation, and transcripts).

We strongly recommend reviewing your application and supporting documents prior to their submission. In the event that you realize you have omitted something or want to make changes, you should submit the changes in writing to our office by e-mail attachment. We will add the new documents to your file as soon as possible, but we cannot guarantee the new information will make it into the file before file review.

Please keep a copy of the application for your records. Notify the law school immediately in writing if there are any changes in the information reported, including, but not limited to, character and fitness and contact information. Please be aware that this is a continuing obligation throughout the admission process. If offered admission, this obligation continues after admission to the law school and during enrollment as a student in the law school. Information contained in this application may be considered by the bar examination authorities during their investigation of character and fitness for the practice of law. Any intentional or inadvertent misstatement may result in the revocation of your admission and/or law degree.

During our admissions committee review process, we do not conduct individual interviews of applicants. We encourage you to make a strong case for admission in the written materials you include in your file.

Files are reviewed on an ongoing basis and decision letters are also sent out on an ongoing basis. Although we encourage applicants to submit their application materials as early as possible, decisions take on average 4-6 weeks after a file becomes complete. All decision notifications should be made by the first of May, if the application is completed by March 1. We do not give decisions out over the phone.

If offered admission, entering students must arrange for their undergraduate school to submit an official transcript showing the conferral of a baccalaureate degree by the first day of the Fall semester. The official transcript is a required part of each law student's permanent file.

If offered admission, entering students must secure their seat with a $500 deposit. Deposit due date information will be included in your decision notification as well as displayed in your Online Status Fees section of the application status checker. The seat deposit will be applied as a credit to your Bursar account for the fall term.

If admitted, incoming students must complete the online IU Graduate CAS Application to be considered for financial aid and to register for fall classes. There are no fees to submit this application.

Your residence classification for fee-paying purposes will be determined after submitting the IU Graduate CAS Application. To receive residency status you must be living in Indiana for at least 12 months prior to the start of the Fall 2026 semester for purposes other than attending college. Non-resident students who feel that they should be classified as an Indiana resident for fee-paying purposes should contact the Registrar?s Office to submit an appeal.

Scholarships

Scholarships are funded either by institutional sources (merit aid), donor-funded awards, or a combination of both. To be considered for scholarship aid, you must complete the Additional Information for Scholarship Purposes section in the application. Scholarship notifications will be sent out in the spring. In order to have full consideration of scholarship aid, applicants must submit their application by March 1st. After this date, the law school can not guarantee an institutional award.

Financial Aid

U.S. citizen and permanent resident applicants interested in pursuing federal student loans and/or scholarships must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

• Online application should be completed at Studentaid.gov. Online Link (https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa)
• Parent information is not required
• Select ?College graduate/professional degree? when asked on your education level.
• Include the Indiana University Indianapolis school code (001813).

If you need information regarding loan programs, visit the university Loan Information Page (online link: https://indianapolis.iu.edu/cost-aid/loans/) or contact the law school's financial aid advisor by e-mailing lawaid@iu.edu.

Housing

Limited student housing may be available for law students. Contact reslife@iu.edu or call 317-274-7200 for more information. Further housing resources can be found on our website: https://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/admissions/jd/admitted/housing.html

Questions?

Please visit FAQ's on our website, http://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/admissions/jd/faq.html, or contact the Office of Enrollment Management at 317-274-2459 or lawadmit@iu.edu.

This section is optional.

Permanent residents of the US must attach a copy of the front and back of their permanent resident card with their online application.