Following a competitive admission cycle, Mitchell Hamline School of Law welcomed 378 students to campus on Aug. 18 to start their law school journey.
The incoming class of 2025 is spread across Mitchell Hamline’s enrollment options, with 124 daytime on-campus students, 40 evening on-campus students, and 214 blended-learning students earning their J.D. partially online and partially on-campus. Sixty-four percent of the class is attending law school part time, taking advantage of the largest part-time program of any law school in the country.
“We are committed to providing access to legal education as we provide full time, part time, and blended enrollment options that meet the demands and challenges of our student body, which includes working adults, career changers, first-generation law students, and students from underrepresented backgrounds,” said President and Dean Camille Davidson.
Mitchell Hamline’s flexible enrollment options allow students to attend law school who otherwise might not be able to do so, due to work or family obligations, geographic location, or life circumstances.
The incoming class showcases how there is not one pathway to the law, but many. Students come to law school with undergraduate and graduate degrees or after serving in the military. They have worked in education, health care, and on farms, and they’ve started their own nonprofits, businesses, and led faith organizations. They’ve gained experience with the legal system as police, paralegals, patent agents, and guardians ad litem.
In addition to reflecting diverse backgrounds, students also come to the St. Paul–based law school from a range of locations. They are alumni of 197 domestic and international institutions, studying more than 94 majors. In addition to Minnesota, the class hails from 42 states and D.C., as well as Alberta and Ontario in Canada. They also represent 16 Native American Tribes, and Mitchell Hamline continues to have the largest number of Tribal Nation members and Indigenous law students of any law school.
The students’ ages range from 16 to 65, welcoming the youngest incoming student in Mitchell Hamline’s history. Thirty-four percent of the incoming class are first-generation college students, while 84% are first-generation law students—the first in their families to attend law school.
“I am so proud to be part of this community,” said Vice President of Enrollment Annie Gemmell ’12. “Throughout their application process and when they get here, our students experience Mitchell Hamline as a student-centered and committed educational community.”
Faculty and staff are invested in meeting students where they are and helping them to be successful in law school and the many ways they will use their J.D. after graduating, from providing academic support and bar prep to wellness resources and a culture of mutual care.
The first week of the term frontloaded the course Legal Methods, to acclimate students to the rigors of law school, and provided opportunities to learn from Mitchell Hamline’s alumni network and engage with student organizations.
Interested in being part of the Mitchell Hamline incoming class of 2026? Connect with our Admissions team to learn more about the process of applying to law school.
