Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson Law in Carlisle and Pennsylvania State University, Penn State Law in University Park have been granted conditional approval to unify from the ABA council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.
The university previously operated two separately accredited law schools, Dickinson Law and Penn State Law.
Final approvals are needed from the regional accreditor, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and the national accreditor, the U.S. Department of Education.
The conditional approval by the ABA allows the singular school to enroll a unified J.D. class of 2028.
Prospective students who have already applied will see action on their applications, and others are welcome to apply.
The unified school will be called Penn State Dickinson Law, led by Danielle Conway, the current Dickinson Law dean, and Dickinson Law professor, Donald Farage.
The law school will have its primary location in Carlisle and an additional location at University Park.
Dean Conway said unifying Penn State’s two law schools will provide more robust opportunities to meet the University’s land-grant mission, which includes wisely investing resources to bolster the core values of teaching and learning, knowledge creation and dissemination, and civic engagement and responsibility.
The ABA council approved the applications approximately two years after president Neeli Bendapudi’s charge to study the structure and approach for legal education at Penn State.
Bendapudi said maintaining the focus on continued excellence in legal education reflects the school’s commitment to its law students.
“Uniting the best of both of our existing programs into a single law school allows Penn State to continue realizing this mission, empowering our law students and fostering continued greatness in the study and practice of law,” Bendapudi said.
The reunification furthers the university’s land-grant mission of excellence and access by inviting students from inside and outside of Pennsylvania to learn about and later serve the needs of people and communities within the commonwealth.
“The goal of a legal education at Penn State Dickinson Law is to prepare students from every walk of life to become the lawyers that the legal profession needs to serve society with integrity, humility and an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of equality and justice for all,” Conway said.
At 190 years old, Penn State Dickinson Law is the oldest law school in Pennsylvania and among the oldest in the nation.
For more about the schools’ reunification from the beginning, check out our past news:
Dickinson Law and Penn State Law seek final approval to unite
