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Erin Reilly
The University of Missouri, Kansas City (UMKC) law school announced their new study path for their law program that allows students to graduate with both an undergraduate and a law degree in six years, instead of eight.
“The key difference is the way the School of Law faculty assess and implements the entry requirements for this particular cohort,” UMKC law professor June Carbone said. Carbone was at the head of the effort to implement these changes to the program, which was passed by the law school faculty and the university at the beginning of winter break.
Interested students do not have to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) to be admitted, but do need to have a score of 28 or higher on the ACT or 1240 on the 1600 SAT without writing. They must complete an online application and have a GPA demonstrating success in a demanding curriculum, as well as two letters of recommendation. Prospective students must also complete an interview conducted by the School of Law Admissions Committee.
“The idea behind the program is to allow high school students who know that they want to go law school to take a year off of their studies and tailor their undergraduate program to support the area of law in which they want to practice,” Carbone said.
This six-year study model would allow students to complete the program with one less year of tuition. To make sure that they meet all the graduation requirements within their three years of undergraduate study, the “six-year law scholars” will regularly meet with an assigned counselor. This counselor will also advise the student to help them maintain their 3.3 GPA to be automatically admitted into the UMKC Law School for graduate study.
Students accepted to the program will also be eligible for the same undergraduate and law school scholarships available to the rest of the university’s applicants. The application for the program is expected to be available this week on the UMKC website. Appointments to meet with a representative from the Law School can be set up in the counseling office.
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