Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University

What Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University does

Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University is an ABA-accredited graduate professional school founded in 1834 and the oldest law school in Pennsylvania. Following its 2000 integration into the Penn State University system, it operates a two-campus model with its historic campus in Carlisle and a secondary campus at University Park, offering the Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.), and Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degree programs.

The school delivers its curriculum through traditional faculty-led instruction, specialized research centers such as the Antiracist Development Institute (ADI), and an affiliated School of International Affairs that extends its graduate offerings into adjacent policy and international affairs verticals. It reports a 90%+ employment rate for its 2023 J.D. graduates and is supported by an 8,000+ law alumni community embedded within Penn State's broader 800,000+ global alumni network.

The school's revenue model is tuition- and fee-driven, supplemented by institutional grant aid including the $60,000 Keystone Scholars Grants program and central allocations from the Penn State system. Customer segments are prospective and enrolled J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. students, with a downstream placement network spanning law firms, government agencies, public interest organizations, and in-house roles. No external funding rounds, acquisitions, or commercial product revenue are associated with the institution.

Name

Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University

Legal name

Penn State Dickinson Law

Website

https://law.psu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1834

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University is an ABA-accredited law school founded in 1834, the oldest in Pennsylvania, offering J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. programs across its Carlisle and University Park campuses to graduate legal students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

LLM & Post-JD Graduate Law Programs (EDAHAIAC), SJD / JSD & Doctoral Law Programs (EDAHAIAD), Law & Legal Studies Research Universities (EDAHABAF)

Keywords

• Legal education
• Law degree programs
• Juris doctor
• Experiential legal training
• Antiracist legal education

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlisle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The law school generates revenue primarily through tuition and fees charged to J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. students. Additional revenue comes from application fees, with merit-based scholarships and the $60k Keystone Scholars Grants available to support student recruitment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Penn State Dickinson Law provides legal education through its J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degree programs, complemented by experiential learning via Legal Clinics, scholarly publication in Law Reviews and Journals, and specialized programming through the Antiracist Development Institute (ADI). The institution operates from two Pennsylvania campuses and prepares students for legal careers across private practice, public interest, government, and industry sectors.

Product overview

Penn State Dickinson Law offers a unified legal education portfolio centered on its three degree programs (J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D.) supported by experiential learning through Legal Clinics and scholarly publication via Law Reviews and Journals. The institution is distinguished by its Antiracist Development Institute (ADI), which encompasses a book series and operates on a three-pillar system of systems design, institutional antiracism, and critical pedagogy. The Keystone Scholars Grants provide $60,000 scholarships to J.D. students. The institution operates from two locations (Carlisle and University Park) as Pennsylvania's public law school.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Antiracist Development Institute (ADI): Institute created to dismantle structures that support systemic racial inequality and intersectional injustice using a three-pillar system based on systems design, institutional antiracism, and critical pedagogy.
• School of International Affairs

Products and services

• J.D. Program
• LL.M. Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of 2023 J.D. graduates employed within 10 months
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• University of Michigan Law School: Higher-ranked Big Ten public law school that anchors the same conference peer set; competes for the top end of the same applicant pool and provides a benchmark for ranking trajectory.

Direct peers

• University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School: Pennsylvania-based ABA-accredited law school and direct competitor for in-state applicants. While higher-ranked, it competes for the same Pennsylvania applicant pool, faculty talent, and legal employer placement partnerships.
• University of Pittsburgh School of Law: Pennsylvania's other major public law school and direct competitor for Pennsylvania-resident applicants, in-state tuition, and Pittsburgh/Harrisburg legal market placements.
• University of Wisconsin Law School: Big Ten public law school with comparable two-location (Madison) structure, public funding model, and regional placement focus.
• University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law: Public Big Ten-affiliated Mid-Atlantic law school comparable in scale, mission, and market positioning to Dickinson Law.
• Ohio State University Moritz College of Law: Large Big Ten public law school with comparable scale, public-university funding model, and similar applicant funnel dynamics.
• University of Minnesota Law School: Big Ten public law school directly comparable in mission, scale, and ranking tier to Dickinson Law.
• Indiana University Maurer School of Law: Big Ten public law school with a comparable regional positioning, tuition model, and applicant demographic profile.
• Rutgers Law School: Big Ten-affiliated public law school and a direct institutional peer as a state-university law school competing in the Mid-Atlantic applicant and employer market.
• Temple University Beasley School of Law: Pennsylvania-based ABA-accredited law school competing directly for applicants, with a similar mid-tier positioning and Philadelphia legal market focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pennstatelaw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PennStateDickinsonLaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/182216047480
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/dickinson-law
• Instagraminstagram.com/pennstatedickinsonlaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University