Ave Maria School of Law vs Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Where graduates end up, what each school really costs, and who gets in, side by side from each school's official ABA data. Add your LSAT and GPA to see your chances and scholarship estimates at both.
VS
Add your numbersSee your admission chances and scholarship estimates at both schools.
The short version
- =About the same placement. 1.2% of Ave Maria's Class of 2025 and 1.2% of Mitchell Hamline's went to BigLaw or federal clerkships.
- Mitchell Hamline costs about $70K less over three years after the average scholarship: $124K against $194K, and more of its students get a scholarship (100% vs 73%).
- Ave Maria is harder to get into: a 155 median LSAT and a 46.9% acceptance rate, against 154 and 51.4% at Mitchell Hamline.
- Ave Maria has the higher first time bar pass rate: 77.5% against 72.0%.
Ave Maria
vs
Mitchell Hamline
Where graduates go
Ave Maria leads 3 of 5
✓1.2%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
1.2%
✓1.2%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
0.6%
0.0%
Federal clerkships
✓0.6%
86.4%
Graduates employed
✓88.0%
✓77.5%
First time bar passage
72.0%
What it costs
Mitchell Hamline leads 4 of 4
$194K
Three year net cost
✓$124K
73%
Students receiving a scholarship
✓100%
$30,000/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
✓$34,730/yr
$20,328/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
✓$31,749/yr
Who gets in
Acceptance rate: Ave Maria 46.9% · Mitchell Hamline 51.4%
LSAT
Bars run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with the median marked.
Ave Maria
152155158
Mitchell Hamline
151154158
148150152154156158160
GPA
Undergraduate GPA of the entering class, same scale for both schools.
Ave Maria
3.073.363.66
Mitchell Hamline
2.963.293.60
2.903.003.103.203.303.403.503.603.70
Ave Maria School of Law
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
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Frequently asked questions
Is Ave Maria or Mitchell Hamline better for BigLaw?
Ave Maria placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 1.2% against 1.2%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), Ave Maria placed 1.2% and Mitchell Hamline placed 0.6%. Federal clerkships were 0.0% at Ave Maria and 0.6% at Mitchell Hamline.
Which is harder to get into, Ave Maria or Mitchell Hamline?
Ave Maria's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 155 and a median GPA of 3.36, with a 46.9% acceptance rate. Mitchell Hamline's had 154 and 3.29, with 51.4%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, Ave Maria or Mitchell Hamline?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $194K at Ave Maria and $124K at Mitchell Hamline, including living costs. Public schools are shown at out of state tuition. Your own scholarship can move these numbers a lot, so add your numbers above for an estimate.
Which gives more scholarship money, Ave Maria or Mitchell Hamline?
73% of Ave Maria students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $30,000 a year among recipients. 100% of Mitchell Hamline students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $34,730 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
77.5% of Ave Maria's first time takers passed in 2025, against 72.0% at Mitchell Hamline. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose Ave Maria or Mitchell Hamline?
It depends on your goals, your odds and your offers. Compare where each school's graduates end up, then add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances and scholarships at both. Your scholarship offer usually changes the cost more than anything else.
What a higher LSAT changes
Move the LSAT slider in the admissions calculator to watch your odds and scholarship estimates change at every school.
Figures come from each school’s official ABA disclosures. Admission chances and scholarship estimates are modeled from that data and are not predictions of any individual decision. Our data and methodology