Overview

Applicants
497
Acceptance Rate
69%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.49
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
113

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
151 - 157

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

Application Fee
$0

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
No

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Other Admission Factors

Academic

LSAT Score
Undergraduate GPA

Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
6:1
Total Faculty
84

6
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

Located in Des Moines, Drake University is a 鈥渟mall school鈥 where the professors are 鈥渒ind and patient鈥 but also 鈥渄emand a lot out of students.鈥 Drake offers 鈥渨orld-class caliber鈥 instruction and is known for its 鈥渓egal research and writing program鈥 that 鈥渘one of the other schools in the region seem to have,鈥 says one student. Drake鈥檚 Career Opportunity Program (COP) allows 鈥渇or qualified law students to pursue their law degree on a part-time basis.鈥 The research program at Drake Law 鈥渁llows students to experience a variety of research sources and methods,鈥 many of which 鈥渟tudents at other law schools don鈥檛 touch until after they graduate.鈥 For example, in their first year students 鈥渨atch the entirety of a trial,鈥 and are able 鈥渢o discuss various aspects of the trial with professors, the judge, jurors, and practicing attorneys鈥濃攁n invaluable learning experience. Students also praise Drake鈥檚 legal clinic, in which students give 鈥渓egal aid to people who couldn鈥檛 otherwise afford it,鈥 and cite it as a 鈥済reat opportunity for practical experience.鈥
Classes are 鈥渟mall enough鈥 that students feel they can 鈥渆ngage effectively, but large enough that there are always competing points of view.鈥 Though class sizes are small, physical 鈥渃lassrooms are large but feel comfortable鈥 and many have been 鈥渞ecently renovated.鈥 Students find Drake Law 鈥渢he perfect amount of challenging.鈥 They are 鈥渃ontinuously pushed鈥 to their 鈥渋ntellectual limits鈥 and their 鈥渁cademic skills have flourished under the pressure.鈥 Though some professors may be 鈥渋ntimidating鈥 in the classroom, they are 鈥渧ery open to meeting with students鈥 during their office hours, and will 鈥渇requently stop and talk with students in the halls.鈥 They 鈥渁lso attend social events so you can get to know them better.鈥 You definitely 鈥済et what you put in,鈥 notes one student, but 鈥減rofessors, peers, staff, and administrators always want to help each other.鈥 The school鈥檚 administration is 鈥渁bsolutely amazing.鈥 The 鈥渟taff learns your name right away,鈥 and 鈥渋t鈥檚 very easy to find answers to questions.鈥
Students also find the location and networking opportunities quite beneficial. Drake is 鈥渧ery in touch with the legal community鈥 and the 鈥渙pportunities for employment and networking are endless.鈥 Since 鈥淒rake Law is situated in a capitol city,鈥 students are 鈥渁ble to obtain internships with state-level governmental entities鈥 and in a 鈥渄iverse range of businesses and practice fields.鈥 The alumni network is also quite robust. As one student notes, 鈥渘early every lawyer and judge in the area went to Drake, so it has a very strong network.鈥

Career overview

Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
92%
Median Starting Salary
$70,000
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
94%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
59%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
80

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
State Public Defender, State of Iowa/County Attorneys, Brown Winick, Dentons Davis Brown, Ahlers & Cooney, Nationwide Insurance, Nyemaster Goode, Iowa Legal Aid, Faegre Baker Daniels, State of Iowa Judicial Branch

Graduates Employed by Area

59%
Private Practice
12%
Government
8%
Business/Industry
8%
Public Interes
7%
Judicial Clerkships
2%
Academic

Graduates Employed by Region

91%
MidWest
3%
South
3%
Mountain
2%
South West
1%
Mid-Atlantic

Prominent Alumni

Stephen Rapp
Former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice

Roxanne Barton Conlin
First female president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America

David Berdan
General Counsel, USPTO

Johnny C. Taylor
President, CEO of Society for Human Resource Management

Terry Branstad
President, World Food Prize; former United States Ambassador to China; former governor of Iowa

Dates


Financial Aid Statistics


Expenses per Academic Year

Tuition
$47,998
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$19,629
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$2,000
Fees
$412

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
322
Parent Institution Enrollement
4,884

% International
0%

Demographics

11.50%
% Under-represented Minorities


Campus Life

Students Say

The small class size 鈥渉elps the school feel like a family,鈥 and students have many opportunities to bond and network outside of the classroom. The city of Des Moines, 鈥渉as a plethora of cultural opportunities, festivals, activities, bars, and restaurants,鈥 for students to enjoy. The university also hosts several networking events each year for its students. 鈥淚f you show up to the networking events,鈥 notes one student, 鈥測ou will know many of the attorneys in the area and most of the Iowa Supreme Court by the time you have completed your 2L year.鈥 Many attorneys in the 鈥淒es Moines area graduated from Drake and love coming back to volunteer their time with the students.鈥 Drake also boasts 鈥渢wo student law review bodies,鈥 and practice teams are that are 鈥渘ationally ranked and frequently in the top five to ten.鈥
Drake University has also recently undergone some major renovations to their facilities to improve student learning and life including the addition of 鈥渓arge, multi-media classrooms, new furniture, podcasted lectures,鈥 and a 鈥渓arge communal area with floor-to-ceiling windows and microwaves and refrigerators to accommodate [students鈥橾 busy schedules.鈥 鈥淭he classrooms are all technologically modern,鈥 notes one student 鈥渁nd the students have easy access to the most recent research systems.鈥 What the library may lack 鈥渋n physical sources, it makes up for through online sources.鈥

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Kara Blanchard
Assistant Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

Address
2507 University Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311

Phone
515-271-2782

Email
law-admit@drake.edu


Articles & Advice