Law School Affiliation Agreements
The University of Scranton has 3+3 agreements with each of the law schools listed below. These agreements allow pre-law students to complete their bachelor’s and law school degrees in six rather than seven years. This is done by having up to 30 credits of law school coursework count toward the undergraduate degree; this occurs during the student's senior year, which is also the student's first year of law school. By counting these (up to) 30 credits toward both degrees, a student completes 30 fewer credits--roughly equivalent to one year of coursework--over the entirety of the two degrees.
In pursuing these degrees, students should take classes from the start that fulfill either major or general education requirements. The idea is to save as many free electives for the senior year as possible. It is important to note that the 3+3 program is not compatible with "credit-heavy" majors, i.e., majors that require a large number of credits to complete. All majors in KSOM are credit heavy and thus not compatible with the 3+3 program (although the economics degree in CAS is). Compatible majors are: Communication majors, Criminal Justice, English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Theology. If you are interested in a major not listed here, please contact Dr. Matthew Meyer to inquire about its compatibility with the 3+3 program.
Students interested in taking advantage of any of these agreements should contact the Director of the Pre-Law Advisory Program, Dr. Matthew Meyer (matthew.meyer@scranton.edu), for more information. All enrolled students intending to apply for a 3+3 program must read and sign a “statement of understanding” with The University of Scranton before the beginning of the junior year. The purpose of the statement is to ensure that an interested student has read and understood the terms of each agreement. This can be done by contacting Dr. Matthew Meyer at the email address above.
Direct Entry Affiliation Agreement with Villanova University School of Law
The University of Scranton has established an affiliation with the Villanova University School of Law. The most unique feature of the agreement is a “3+3 program” in which eligible students will be able to enroll at Villanova Law after three years of study at The University of Scranton.
All students enrolled at the University of Scranton can take advantage of the following agreement. To be eligible, students must (1) have a 3.6 GPA and a LSAT score equal to or greater than the LSAT score of the 75th percentile of the most recent entering class at Villanova Law. Students must also have (2) completed at least 90 undergraduate credits (and at least 63 credits at The University of Scranton) prior to enrolling at Villanova; (3) obtained a strong letter of recommendation from Scranton’s pre-law advisor; (4) interviewed successfully with Villanova Law; (5) remained in good academic and disciplinary standing; (6) met fitness, character, and other requirements of the law school. Admitted students will receive a guaranteed full-tuition scholarship for all three years of law school. Interested students must apply by February 1. Students who do not meet the criteria in (1) can still petition to apply for admission to the 3+3; however, such students will not be guaranteed the full-tuition scholarship.
Another important feature of this agreement is that graduating seniors can apply for direct admission to Villanova Law School. To do this, seniors must have a GPA and an LSAT score at or above the median of the most recent matriculating class at Villanova Law. Such students must also meet criteria (2-6) above. Admitted seniors will receive a minimum half-tuition scholarship for all three years of law school.
Students who entered the University of Scranton prior to the fall of 2020 also have the opportunity to take advantage of a prior agreement with Villanova Law (thus, students who enrolled prior to the fall of 2020 can take advantage of one of two agreements). To be eligible for this 3+3 agreement, students must have a 3.6 GPA and a LSAT score of 158 and meet all of the other criteria (2-6) outlined above. Such a student will receive a minimum scholarship of $25,000 for the three years of law school. Under this agreement, graduating seniors will also be eligible for automatic admission to Villanova University School of Law. To be eligible, seniors must have a 3.6 GPA and an LSAT score of 154, and to gain admission, students must meet criteria (2-6) above. Admitted seniors will receive a minimum scholarship of $5,000 per year.
Early Admission Agreement with Duquesne University School of Law
The University of Scranton has an early admission agreement with Duquesne University School of Law. According to this agreement, third-year students (juniors) at The University of Scranton who meet minimum GPA (3.5) and LSAT (154) requirements as well as other character and fitness criteria—this includes an interview with the pre-law advisor at the University of Scranton--will be admitted into the 3+3 program. Admitted students will receive a guaranteed scholarship of $25,000 per year. Students must have completed at least 90 undergraduate credits prior to enrolling at Duquesne Law, at least 63 of which must have been completed at The University of Scranton.
Early Admission Agreement with Boston College Law School
The University of Scranton has an early admission agreement with Boston College Law School. According to this agreement, third-year students (juniors) at The University of Scranton who have a GPA and LSAT score that is equal to or greater than the medians of the previous entering law school class at Boston College will be eligible for direct admission to the Law School after completing three years (90 credits) of undergraduate coursework (63 credits of which must be at The University of Scranton). To gain admission, eligible students must interview successfully with the pre-law advisor at The University of Scranton and an admissions officer at Boston College Law School. Students must also remain in good academic and disciplinary standing and meet all the fitness and character criteria required by the Law School. Applications must be submitted by January 15.
Early Admission Agreement with Penn State Law
The University of Scranton has an early admission agreement with Penn State Law in University Park, PA. According to this agreement, all third-year students (juniors) at The University of Scranton who have earned at least 60 credits and will have completed at least 90 credits (63 of which must be at The University of Scranton) by the end of their junior year can apply for admission to the 3+3 program. There are no minimum LSAT and GPA requirements for application, but there is no guarantee that applicants will be accepted. Penn State Law will treat each application on a case by case basis. Interested students must apply by March 31.
Plus Program for Direct Admission with Seton Hall University
The University of Scranton has an articulation agreement with Seton Hall University in Newark, NJ. The agreement has two parts. The first part is a 3-3 program similar to our other agreements. According to this agreement, all third-year students (juniors) at The University of Scranton who have a GPA of 3.63 or above and a LSAT score of 161 or above will be eligible for direct admission to the Law School after completing three years of undergraduate coursework (63 credits of which much be completed at The University of Scranton). Students will complete the remaining (up to) 30 credits of the bachelor degree as a first-year law student at Seton Hall Law School. Thus, students in this program will only need six—rather than seven—years to complete both the bachelor degree and the JD. Students interested in this 3-3 arrangement should contact the Director of the Pre-Law Advisory Program, Dr. Matthew Meyer, for more information. Students must apply by January 15.
The second part of this agreement is a pathway toward a Masters of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) degree. Under this agreement, students can begin work on this degree after completing 3.5 years of full-time coursework at The University of Scranton. The final semester of the senior year is completed as the first semester of the M.L.S. program. Students must have a minimum 3.00 GPA at the time of application to the M.L.S. program and maintain this minimum GPA at the time of matriculation. Applications are due by November 1 of the senior year for enrollment in the spring semester. Students interested in this part of the agreement should contact the Director of the Pre-Law Advisory Program, Dr. Matthew Meyer, for more information.