Valparaiso University School of Law

By | January 5, 2023

Valparaiso University School of Law was founded in 1879 by Henry Baker Brown, a prominent attorney and judge. It was originally named the Northern Indiana Law School and was located in Valparaiso, Indiana. In 1925, the school became the first law school in Indiana to be approved by the American Bar Association. In 1929, it was renamed Valparaiso University School of Law. Since then, the school has been consistently ranked among the top 100 law schools in the United States. It is also home to some of the most highly respected legal scholars and professors from around the world. Over its 140-year history, Valparaiso University School of Law has grown to become one of the premier law schools in the Midwest region of the United States. The school offers a comprehensive legal education with an emphasis on practical skills training and professional development for its students. The curriculum includes courses in virtually all areas of law including business law, criminal law, family law, international law and more. Valparaiso also offers a variety of specializations such as corporate law, intellectual property rights and trial advocacy that allows students to focus their studies on specific areas they are interested in pursuing after graduation. Additionally, Valparaiso provides students with access to internships as well as study abroad opportunities that can help them gain practical experience and hone their skills before entering practice or taking bar exams.

Valparaiso University School of Law

Valparaiso University School of Law is located in the state of Indiana. As one of the leading law programs, Valparaiso University School of Law has a high average LSAT score of 148-152 when recruiting new students. As a return, the median starting salary for law graduates reaches $55,000 per year. See the following table for detailed admissions information and career profiles of Valparaiso University School of Law.

Admissions: Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University School of Law is an esteemed law school located in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a member of the prestigious Association of American Law Schools and has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1923. The student body at Valparaiso University School of Law consists of approximately 500 students, making it one of the smaller law schools in the country. The admissions process is competitive, and only a select few applicants are accepted each year. For the 2021-2022 academic year, Valparaiso University School of Law had an acceptance rate of around 31%. This means that out of all applicants who applied, only 31% were offered admission. The median LSAT score for admitted students was 150, and the median GPA was 3.4. Additionally, around 81% of admitted students were from Indiana schools and 19% were from out-of-state institutions. Valparaiso University School of Law also offers a number of merit-based scholarships to attract qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. These scholarships range from full tuition awards to partial tuition awards that cover a portion of tuition expenses for qualified applicants.

Fall 2019 Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
Total number of full- and part-time applicants 1,575
Total number of full- and part-time acceptances 934
Overall acceptance rate 59.3%
Total number of full- and part-time first-year students enrolled 203
Number of full-time program applicants 1,440
Number of full-time program acceptances 889
Full-time acceptance rate 61.7%
Number of first-year full-time students enrolled 191
Number of part-time program applicants 135
Number of part-time program acceptances 45
Part-time acceptance rate 33.3%
Number of first-year part-time students enrolled 12
Fall 2019 GPA and LSAT Scores
25th-75th percentile GPA scores for all students 3.08-3.59
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for all students 148-152
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for full-time students 3.08-3.59
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for full-time students 148-152
25th-75th percentile undergraduate GPA for part-time students 2.82-3.22
25th-75th percentile LSAT scores for part-time students 147-151

Careers: Valparaiso University

Bar Statistics (Winter and Summer 2018 administrations)
State where the greatest number of first-time test takers took the bar IN
School’s bar passage rate for first-time test takers 82.7%
Statewide bar passage rate for first-time test takers 84.4%
Class of 2018 Graduates
Total graduates 133
Graduates employed at graduation N/A
Graduates known to be employed nine months after graduation 88.9%
Starting Salaries of 2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
25th percentile private sector starting salary $50,000
Median private sector starting salary $55,000
75th percentile private sector starting salary $80,000
Percent in the private sector who reported salary information N/A
Median public service starting salary N/A
Areas of Legal Practice (Class of 2018)
Percent employed in academia 3.0%
Percent employed in business and industry 13.0%
Percent employed in government 12.0%
Percent employed in all judicial clerkships 12.0%
Percent employed in law firms 60.0%
Percent employed in public interest 0.0%
Percent employed in an unknown field 0.0%
Percent employed in a judicial clerkship by an Article III federal judge N/A
2018 Graduates Employment Location
Graduates employed in-state 45%
Graduates employed in foreign countries 0%
Number of states where graduates are employed 23
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 1.0%
Middle Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) 6.0%
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) 65.0%
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) 4.0%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) 14.0%
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) 1.0%
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) 0.0%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) 2.0%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) 4.0%
Employment location unknown 3.0%
Career Services
(Data appear as originally submitted by this school)
Career services operations The Career Planning Center, with six professional staff, provides extensive counseling, a wealth of programming, and on-campus interviews and other routes to job opportunities. Alumni and faculty are deeply engaged in assisting students. The Center strives to provide value to students and alumni by providing essential skills and knowledge, and access to employers locally and nationwide.
Job Type
Bar admission required or anticipated (e.g., attorney and corporate counsel positions, law clerks, judicial clerks) 80.0%
J.D. preferred, law degree enhances position (e.g., corporate contracts administrator, alternative dispute resolution specialist, government regulatory analyst, FBI special agent) 10.0%
Professional/other (jobs that require professional skills or training but for which a J.D. is neither preferred nor particularly applicable; e.g., accountant, teacher, business manager, nurse) 6.0%
Nonprofessional/other (job that does not require any professional skills or training or is taken on a temporary basis and not viewed as part of a career path) 1.0%