Michigan State University College of Law

Michigan State University College of Law
Parent schoolMichigan State University
Established1891; 133 years ago (1891)
School typePublic law school
Parent endowmentUS $4.4 billion (2021)[1]
DeanMichael Sant’Ambrogio (acting)
LocationEast Lansing, Michigan, United States
Enrollment784[2]
Faculty51 full time, 73 part time[2]
USNWR ranking108th (tie) (2024)[3]
Bar pass rate77.46% (2022 first-time takers)[4]
Websitewww.law.msu.edu
ABA profilewww.abarequireddisclosures.org
Michigan State University College of Law Logo

The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the first law school in the Detroit, Michigan area and the second in the state of Michigan. In October 2018, the college began a process to fully integrate into Michigan State University, changing from a private to a public law school. The integration with Michigan State University was finalized on August 17, 2020.

The college is nationally ranked #108 by U.S. News & World Report out of 196 ABA approved schools.[5][3] By counting flagship journals not separately ranked by Washington & Lee School of Law (W&L Law) in its Law Journal Rankings, Michigan State Law Review was the 63rd highest-ranked flagship print journal in 2022 with a score of 14.55 out of 100 and, per W&L Law, the 99th overall law journal.[6]

For the class entering in 2023, the school had a 39.37% acceptance rate, 35.37% of those accepted enrolled, and entering students had a median LSAT score of 159 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.55.[7]

For the 2022 graduating class, 72.25% of graduates obtained full-time, long-term bar-passage-required employment (i.e., employment as attorneys), and 11.45% were not employed part- or full-time in any capacity, within 10 months after graduation.[8]

Notable alumni include current Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer, current Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth T. Clement, former Michigan Supreme Court Justice and mayor of Detroit Dennis Archer, former Michigan Supreme Court Justice and United States federal judge George Clifton Edwards Jr., former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Geoffrey Fieger, former Michigan Senate majority leader and former U.S. Representative Mike Bishop, and former mayor of East Lansing Mark Meadows.[citation needed]

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2021. MSU Common Investment fund (cif) Report and Comparative Endowment Performance (Report). MSU Common Investment fund. June 30, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Michigan State University Standard 509 Information Report to ABA 08-24-2019". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Michigan State University Law School Overview". U.S. News & World Report.
  4. ^ "Michigan State University - 2021 First Time Bar Passage". abarequireddisclosures.com. American Bar Association. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Best Law Schools Ranked in 2023". usnews.com. U.S. News & World Report LP. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "W&L Law Journal Rankings 2022". managementtools4.wlu.edu. Washington and Lee University School of Law. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference abadisc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY FOR 2022 GRADUATES". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved March 10, 2024.