University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Law
The information on this page was provided by the law school.
Official Guide to ABA-Approved JD Programs
The University of Missouri—Kansas City (UMKC) School of Law is the urban law school of the University of Missouri System, located in downtown Kansas City. Founded in 1895, the school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. With its proximity to a state line, UMKC offers its students the opportunity to collaborate with the legal community in two major metropolitan areas of Missouri and Kansas, home to 150 federal agencies; federal, state, and local judicial systems; and a vibrant legal community. Students, faculty, and alumni actively lead and participate in professional activities with area bar associations, lawyers, and law firms, as well as government agencies and the judiciary.
UMKC School of Law is recognized as a top 100 law school in 2025 by U.S. News and World Report for the first time in over two decades. Students’ education extends beyond campus and into the heart of Kansas City, providing them with rich hands-on learning experiences, bar preparation and direct access to a thriving legal community. As an early leader in practical training, its mission is “to prepare students to practice law with the competencies needed to integrate academic theory and practical skills to become expert problem-solvers and trusted advisors who serve their clients and their communities in the interests of justice, to provide expertise to benefit our many constituencies through scholarship and engagement, and to increase access to justice through research and service to our community.”
UMKC School of Law prides itself in preparing graduates who are truly ready to practice law. Our graduates hold important positions in legal arenas across the country, distinguishing themselves in private practice, government service, and corporate roles. We are one of only seven law schools to have educated both a president of the United States and a justice of the US Supreme Court. Many other UMKC alumni currently serve in politics and as judges at the federal, state, and local levels.
The JD Program
At UMKC School of Law, our Juris Doctor (J.D.) program is designed to prepare well-rounded lawyers who appreciate the relationships among legal, social and political aspects of the human experience. Our curriculum and teaching methods are designed to prepare you for a lifetime of both practicing and learning law. We live by our motto of being powered by experience, and we ensure that not only will you learn about the law from faculty with a wealth of professional experience, but you also will have hands-on experiences.
We offer many opportunities to put your knowledge into practice through classes such as lawyering skills, mediation or law practice management, as well as our specialty clinics, competition teams, and solo and small firm incubator. You also may focus your education through one of our emphasis areas: international law; intellectual property law; urban, land use and environmental law; advocacy, business and entrepreneurial law; child and family law; estate planning law.
Curriculum and Special Programs
The curriculum is designed to integrate theory with practical skills. Courses are taught in a variety of formats. Many of the substantive courses include problem solving, simulations, service learning, and the development of skills components essential to the practice of law. The first-year JD program offers a two-semester intensive Lawyering Skills course. The upper-level program includes a combination of required courses, as well as a broad selection of elective courses, including those in emerging areas such as legal technology and health law.
First-year course enrollment is typically 50–60 students, and first-year legal research and writing classes are generally 20–25 students. Among the over 150 upper-division courses offered, over 75 percent have an enrollment of fewer than 25 students, and 93 percent have an enrollment of fewer than 50 students.
UMKC offers both a summer and fall start program designed to provide students with a flexible scheduling option that will permit an earlier graduation or a more relaxed pace for the program, depending on how students schedule the remainder of their education.
Areas of Emphasis
Students seeking more focused study can pursue one of our seven emphasis areas:
- Business and Entrepreneurial Law
- Child and Family Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- International Law
- Advocacy
- Urban, Land Use, and Environmental Law
- Estate Planning Law
These emphases build on our long-standing tradition of excellence in these areas and prepare students to enter the job market with specialized knowledge and skills.
Experiential Learning
At UMKC School of Law, experiential learning is at the forefront of our curriculum, preparing you for the real-world practice of law. Through our live practice courses, including clinics and field placements, you will engage directly with legal professionals, cases and clients.
With a minimum requirement of six credits in experiential coursework, UMKC ensures that every student has amble opportunity to engage in practical learning experiences. Our robust selection of experiential courses ensures that you can tailor your education to your interests and career goals while meeting or exceeding this requirement.
Whether through clinics or field placements, UMKC School of Law equips you with the skills, knowlege and confidence needed to succeed in your future legal career, making a positive impact on individuals, institutions and communities alike.
Clinics and Field Placement
In clinics, you will dive into hands-on legal work under the guidance of experienced faculty, tackling real issues facing individuals and communities. You will have the opportunity to put your law education to work while representing actual clients with pressing legal needs.
- Abandoned Housing
- Access to Justice
- Child and Family Services
- Entrepreneurial Legal Services
- Intellectual Property
- Tax
Field placements offer another avenue for practical experience. By immersing yourself into diverse legal environments, from law offices to private companies, you'll gain invaluable insights into your chosen profession. Field placements are like other legal internships, except you can earn JD credit for hours worked in a public interest or government agency. There are more than 100 approved field placement host offices and mentor attorneys in the following categories: courts, criminial, estate planning, government, health, immigration law, labor and employment, public interest, sports, and veterans.
Journals
UMKC offers its students an opportunity to participate on two nationally prominent law journals:
- UMKC Law Review
- Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
The Law Review is a scholarly legal publication that is managed, edited, and produced by UMKC students.
The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers has chosen the school to assume editorial responsibility for its twice-yearly publication, the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. A faculty member edits the journal with student editorial assistance.
Dual-Degree Programs
Our JD/MBA and JD/MPA programs are offered in collaboration with the Henry E. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration. These programs allow students to earn a JD degree and a Master of Business Administration or Master of Public Administration degree on an accelerated basis through cross-acceptance of credit hours. Applicants must satisfy the admission requirements of each school.
Student Life
International Study-Abroad Programs
UMKC offers study-abroad programs in The United Kingdom, Balkans, The Netherlands, Rome and Mexico. Students can spend a week to over a semester immersed in the study of law in a foreign culture. Students can also take advantage of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs broad in Oxford, England and Milan, Italy.
Student Activities
At UMKC, the law school experience extends beyond the classroom. We offer opportunities for students to get involved through organizations matching a variety of interests within the law school and the larger university community. We have over 30 student organizations in the law school including the Student Bar Association, Black Law Students Association, Latinx Law Students Association, Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association, and Association for Women Law Students. LGBTQIA+ students and their supporters and nontraditional law students are also represented in Outlaws and Older Wiser Law Students (OWLS). Additional student organizations, such as the ACLU, Animal Law Society, Health Law Society, Public Interest Law Association, and the Midwest Innocence Project Student Organization, provide our students with a variety of ways to get involved at the school and in the community.
Academic Support
The skill sets that make students successful in their undergraduate career may not directly translate to law school without some effort. Most UMKC Law courses are taught in the Socratic Method, where professors and students interact in a question-and-answer format to expose the takeaway rule of law from a given case. This encourages students to be active participants in class, rather than passive observers such as in a lecture-based class.
Law school exams are very different from undergraduate exams. In law school, your class grade is often solely determined by your performance on the final. Most exams are comprised of given fact patterns with essay responses, though some also include multiple choice sections.
The Law School offers a number of programs, which set our students up with the skills and strategies needed to succeed in their classes and careers.
Orientation
The Law School provides a mandatory intensive orientation program before the start of a student’s 1L year. Each day focuses on a stage of law school learning: orientation, preparing for class, class time, after-class review, preparing for exams and taking exams.
The skills of reading, writing and thinking in the context of law are addressed through simulated classes, direct teaching of study skills, written and oral exercises and individual meetings with faculty. At the conclusion of the five-day program, students take an exam, which is reviewed by the program faculty. Students then have an opportunity to meet individually with the faculty members to review their exam, discuss their progress, identify their strengths and weaknesses and develop personal learning plans.
Study Groups
There are two formal study group programs available for first-year students. In the Structured Study Group program, a second- or third-year student attends one of the first-year courses and then leads several study groups of about 12 students each week.
These are not tutoring sessions — the experienced student models and facilitates effective approaches to studying course materials. In Comprehensive Study Groups, second- and third-year students focus on academic skills, helping first-year students master notetaking, outlining, using study guides and preparing for exams.
Strategy Workshops
A faculty member provides direct instruction of academic skills such as how to approach the study of law or effective essay writing. These workshops are open to all students but are especially helpful for first-year students.
Individual Academic Assistance
Professor Brad Desnoyer, Director of Academic Support, is available for individual assistance about academic concerns. Additionally, UMKC Law faculty are readily accessible and helpful to students in their individual coursework.
Personal Assistance
The Student Services office is available to help students find a balance between life and law school.
Career Placement and Bar Passage
Tuition and Aid
| Expense | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition |
$23,587.50
|
$29,587.50
|
| Fees |
$2,350.20
|
$2,350.20
|
| Expected Cost of Attendance |
$49,861.70
|
$55,861.70
|
At UMKC, we are committed to providing students a quality legal education at an affordable price. All non-Missouri resident applicants receive non-resident tuition scholarships, which serve to make the tuition a student pays equivalent to in-state tuition. In addition, all admitted students are considered for our merit-based scholarships. Over 98% of incoming students receive scholarships. Financial assistance is also available in the form of federal loans and research assistantships.
Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers
Admission to the School of law is competitive and seats are limited; therefore, applicants are encouraged to submit their materials in a timely manner.
Substantial weight is given to each applicant’s LSAT score and undergraduate GPA, although UMKC Law and its faculty also consider other factors in shaping an entering class. These factors include:
- Advanced or specialized educational achievement demonstrating the potential for academic excellence in the study of law
- An individual's unique history of overcoming challenges and barriers based on socio-economic disadvantage
- Demonstrated leadership qualities
- A significant and sustained commitment to public or community service
- Other accomplishments or qualities that indicate the applicant will contribute to the School of Law’s academic and service missions.
Through a holistic application review process, the Admissions Committee not only values your academic performance and LSAT score, but also carefully considers your whole application, including your personal statement, letters of recommendation, and personal experiences and accomplishments.
Moreover, we are one of only a few law schools in the country that offers interviews as part of the admission process in order to meet the “you” behind the numbers. Qualified candidates are invited for an admission interview, and the Admissions Committee personally interviews applicants before an offer of admission is made. The personal interview process provides the opportunity for applicants to learn more about our law school and to decide for themselves if UMKC is the right fit. Every member of the faculty, administration, and staff believes in our goal of making the law school a genuine community with real, personal connections to every student.
Admitted Applicant Profile
