Coverage of law school partnerships with the University of Alaska so that Alaskan residents don’t need to leave the state to attend law school.

The University of Alaska Southeast is partnering with Minnesota-based Mitchell Hamline School of Law to allow Alaska students to get a law degree without needing to leave the state. Normally, students pursuing law move out of state, said UAS Chancellor Aparna Palmer on KTOO’s Juneau Afternoon.

“We don’t have a law school in Alaska, and so most people have to basically go out of Alaska, go to law school,” she said. “And then if they want to come and practice in Alaska, then they return to Alaska.”

The university already has a partnership with Willamette University that allows qualifying UAS students to enroll directly in the Oregon law school. The new partnership is the campus’ first that allows students to complete most of their coursework in Alaska.

University of Alaska Anchorage and Fairbanks both have their own partnerships with law schools as well.

Jamie Diep, New UAS partnerships Allow Students to Pursue Law Degrees in Juneau, KTOO, July 24, 2026.