Law School Reunification

During the 2024-2025 Academic Year, Penn State Dickinson Law obtained all necessary approvals to operate as a single law school with two locations. Reunification has been realized both internally and externally. Internally, our faculty have adopted unified bylaws and have been engaging in their shared governance as a single body. Our administrative offices have harmonized operations across both locations. Law students in Carlisle and University Park are considered Penn State Dickinson Law in all University systems. As well, the Career Services Office is counseling students to identify their law school affiliation with Penn State Dickinson Law. Externally, our accreditor, the American Bar Association, reports our career, admissions, and bar data as a unified law school without distinguishing between locations.

Responses to frequently asked questions about reunification can be found below. If you have additional questions about the reunification process or how it may impact you, please reach out to the following individuals:

Current students: contact Bekah Saidman-Krauss, at ras1075@psu.edu.

Prospective or admitted students: contact Amanda DiPolvere at ajd7@psu.edu.

Alumni or friends: contact Josh Trego at jst143@psu.edu.

Press or media inquiries: contact Devan Drabik-Frey at dfd5456@psu.edu.

: Yes, all current law school students are now part of Penn State Dickinson Law, where we will honor your experience and guarantee that your diploma has durability.
: The diplomas from the formerly separate law schools always contained the original, historic law school name, The Dickinson School of Law. All diplomas will continue to read “The Pennsylvania State University” and include “The Dickinson School of Law.” Please note when referencing the law school, the proper name is Penn State Dickinson Law. The “School of Law” terminology should only be referenced for historical purposes.

“Penn State Dickinson Law” is the current default for diplomas. The law school administration worked with Greg Heider, SBA President in University Park, and determined that J.D. students in University Park in the Classes of 2026 and 2027 will have the option to opt out of the default diploma and instead receive a “Penn State Law” diploma. A Microsoft form will be circulated later this year to collect the names of students in the Class of 2026 who wish to opt out of the Penn State Dickinson law diploma. A similar form will be sent next Academic Year for the Class of 2027. The opt-out option is only for J.D. candidates in University Park graduating in 2026 and 2027 and is not available for degrees awarded after May 2027.

Please be advised that, due to University policy, all replacement diplomas will be issued from Penn State Dickinson Law using the default diploma template.
: The Law School administration has not made any official decisions regarding details of the Spring 2026 commencement. When planning for that commencement exercise begins, students from the Class of 2026 will be involved in the process.
: You only need to submit a single application to Penn State Dickinson Law but may (although not required) indicate a location preference of Carlisle or University Park in your application materials. Learn more about our application process here.
: Yes, the dean, along with members of the newly constituted Penn State Dickinson Law leadership team, will be physically present at both the Carlisle and University Park law school locations.
: Tuition for Penn State Dickinson Law will be the same across both locations; however, the cost of attendance may differ due to cost of living differences at each location.
: Yes! You are a part of Penn State Dickinson Law’s rich history and will always be a vital part of our alumni network. We encourage all alumni and current students to update their résumés and LinkedIn profiles to reflect the school’s proper name, Penn State Dickinson Law.
: In response to a changing landscape in higher education, generally, and legal education, in particular, the University applied for conditional approval from the ABA to reunify its two law schools. Reuniting the two schools allowed the University to advance legal education at Penn State and offer law students a more robust law school experience. With an extremely competitive marketplace for legal education and nine law schools in Pennsylvania, the University’s previous two-law-school model was not the best approach for achieving excellence in legal education. Ultimately, concentrating the best of both existing programs into a single school allows the University to build a stronger law school. Additionally, over time, the University expects to see budget savings from combining the schools’ programs.

Law School Reunification

Legal Statements