The Indiana University Maurer School of Law is located on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The school is named after Michael S. "Mickey" Maurer, an Indianapolis businessman and 1967 alumnus who donated $35 million in 2008. From its founding in 1842 until Maurer's donation, the school was known as the Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington.
The law school is one of two law schools operated by Indiana University, the other being the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) in Indianapolis. Although both law schools are part of Indiana University, each law school is wholly independent of the other.
History and background
Founded in 1842, the Indiana University Maurer School of Law is one of the oldest law schools in the United States. The school is located on the southwest corner of the Indiana University Bloomington campus, which puts it in the center of Bloomington. The school maintains significant alumni bases in Indianapolis, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York.
Since its founding, the law school has produced many notable alumni, including an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the current Chief Justice of Indiana, numerous state supreme court justices, and federal appellate and district court judges. The school's library, named for the American legal scholar and Indiana University law professor Jerome Hall, is one of the largest academic law libraries in the United States with more than 450,000 volumes. The library is primarily for the use of law school faculty and students, but members of the public who need to use the collection are also welcome. Recent enhancements to the library include increased seating and study space, improved "green" lighting systems, and an online institutional repository.
Employment
According to the school's ABA-required disclosures, 83.5% of the Class of 2019 had obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment 10 months after graduation.
Costs
The total cost of attendance (including tuition, fees, and living expenses) at the Maurer School of Law for the 2020-2021 academic year is $50,331 for an in-state resident, and $71,006 for a non-Indiana resident. Most students receive some form of financial aid.
Academics
Academic reputation
In its 2022 rankings report released in March 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked the IU Maurer School of Law 43rd among the nation's "Top 100 Law Schools". The school's programs in tax, intellectual property, business and commercial law, and international law, ranked 17th, 20th, 21st, and 28th, respectively, according to U.S. News.
Admissions
More than 1,500 people applied to join the 2020 fall entering class, with 178 matriculating. The median LSAT and GPA for the entering class were 164 and 3.78. Sixty percent of the incoming class was from outside Indiana, 46% were women, and 20% were minorities. The school has no part-time or evening program; all students are full-time.
Degrees offered
The Juris Doctor (JD) degree is offered, along with 11 joint and dual degrees, including a JD/MBA with the Kelley School of Business and a JD/MPA with the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. A master's in cybersecurity law and policy is also available in partnership with the Kelley School and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. The school also partners with various schools around the world to offer exchange programs. Graduate degrees are also offered: LLM with or without thesis, SJD, MCL, and a PhD in law and democracy. The LLM course of study provides six areas of specialization.
Experiential education
The Maurer School of Law offers a wide range of experiential education opportunities, including five clinics (community law, conservation, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and mediation); externships both in the US and abroad, and noncredit pro bono advocacy projects in areas such as immigration, protective orders, inmate assistance, will preparation, and LGBT matters. Students are asked to commit 60 hours of pro bono service during their three years of law school.