Law School Early Admission 3+3 Program

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Hamline’s law school early admission 3-3 program allows highly talented and motivated students to complete their undergraduate degree and law degree in just six years.

The objectives of this special program are:

to provide exceptional, highly motivated undergraduates who demonstrate academic excellence, maturity, and professionalism with an opportunity to complete their bachelor’s and law degrees in six, instead of the usual seven, years;
to integrate the liberal arts education with professional legal training; and
to provide a program that will develop legal professionals who are committed to defining and strengthening the moral and ethical values of the legal profession through value-based education.

Students may seek law school early admission through a major in the Legal Studies Department, or through completion of a major in another department. There are specific course requirements, depending on a student’s chosen path.

Students interested in the 3-3 program should meet with an academic advisor in the Legal Studies Department early in their undergraduate career to discuss options. Students choosing a major outside the Legal Studies Department should also contact the chair of the department in which they plan to major for more information. Students deciding partway through their studies that the 3-3 track is no longer right for them can simply continue on with their studies and graduate in four years.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for early admission to Mitchell Hamline School of Law must:

Contact the Legal Studies Department to enroll in the 3+3 program
Complete the Undergraduate Declaration form to declare a major and the Law School Early Admission 3+3 program
Contact the Mitchell Hamline School of Law Admissions Office to discuss the profile recommended for admission
Register for and complete the LSAT during their junior year. Materials and scholarship applications are available online and at the law school
Apply to graduate by December of their junior year
Apply for admission to the Mitchell Hamline School of Law by March of their junior year and gain acceptance in the fall class

While at Hamline, students must complete 100 semester credits by the end of their junior year. These credits must include the following:

All Hamline Plan requirements
All major requirements
All additional 3+3 required courses

During the first year at Mitchell Hamline, students must complete 28 credits of first-year law school work, with grades of C- or better. These credits must be transferred to Hamline before a student will be awarded the Bachelor’s degree.

Required coursework for majors in Legal Studies:

Complete one of the following majors:

Complete one additional required course:

PHIL 1130 - Logic

Required coursework for majors in other departments:

Complete all required coursework in the chosen major.

Complete three additional required courses:

Notes:

Participation in the 3-3 program does not guarantee law school admission; students must take the LSAT and apply to and be accepted to the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Students who are not accepted into law school after three years can complete their undergraduate major and earn their bachelor’s degree in the usual four years. They may, of course, reapply to law school upon completion of their undergraduate degree.

Once students enroll at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, they are no longer eligible for financial aid as an undergraduate student, including the presidential fellowship. However, they are eligible to apply for financial aid and scholarships through the law school.

Transfer Students

Transfer students are eligible for the law school early admission 3-3 program. They must complete a minimum of 16 credits at Hamline toward their undergraduate major. In all other respects the 3+3 program is identical for transfer students. Transfer students are encouraged to consult with a transfer advisor, a Legal Studies professor, and a professor in the department in which they plan to major (if not legal studies) before beginning at Hamline.