PURPOSE: To complete within six years both a bachelor's and a law degree. This is a cooperative program with CUA's Columbus School of Law.

WHEN: By the middle of the sophomore year the student must begin developing a plan to satisfy all non-waivable courses for the B.A. during the junior year. The student must be accepted into the Columbus School of Law by the end of the junior year.

REQUIREMENTS: Students must meet the admissions standards of the Law School. By the middle of the junior year they must achieve a score above the 66th percentile on the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT). Students with less than a 3.6 at the end of their sophomore year may not apply. To be admitted to the Law School, the students must also complete by the end of their junior year all non-waivable requirements (including the comprehensive examination) and a minimum of 30 courses.

IMPORTANT NOTE: During the fourth year of study (which is the senior year of the B.A. program and the first year of the J.D. program at the Law School), students are fully matriculated in the Law School and are required to pay the full tuition and fees charged for the J.D. program, less any financial aid or scholarship awarded. Students will be considered for financial aid and competitive scholarships at the Law School, but eligibility under this program does not guarantee an award.

FORM: No specific form.

PROCEDURE: The student should arrange an interview with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the Undergraduate Office no later than the beginning of the second semester of the sophomore year. After this interview, the student arranges an interview with the Law School Admissions office, and consults with departmental advisers about scheduling courses to complete non-waivable requirements (see above) by the end of the junior year. The student should take the LSAT in June following the sophomore year and apply to the Law School between October and December of the junior year. During the first semester of the junior year, an agreement is drawn up with the Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, indicating precisely which senior year courses will be replaced by the law program. This agreement goes into effect when the student enters law school; when the student completes the first year program of the law school, he or she will be awarded the B.A. degree. If for any reason, the student does not complete the first year of law school, the ten courses that have been replaced will once again be required.

FURTHER INFORMATION: Email the Undergraduate Office at as-ugprogramsoffice@cua.edu.

Reviewed August 9, 2021