Law Scholars Program

Yes. Law Scholars who successfully complete the program’s requirements and maintain the required GPA for the duration of their undergraduate studies are guaranteed admittance to SLU LAW. Although Law Scholars must formally apply to the law school and submit letters of recommendation to complete their application for admission, their application fee is waived.

Yes. All Law Scholars must take the LSAT at the appropriate time.

Yes. Law Scholars are welcome to submit applications to other law schools without jeopardizing their guaranteed admission to SLU LAW. There is no penalty for applying to other institutions, and Law Scholars are allowed to make their law school decision according to the same timeline as traditional applicants.

No. When a Law Scholar obtains guaranteed admission to SLU LAW, that guarantee is contingent upon successful completion of a bachelor’s degree from SLU.

In keeping with their high level of academic achievement, students who wish to become Law Scholars are encouraged to take Advanced Placement and/or advanced credit courses in high school whenever possible. Students are encouraged to investigate the grades or scores required for specific subject areas in order to receive advanced placement credit at SLU.

Yes. During your freshman year, you can apply to the Law Scholars Program to become a scholar in your sophomore year. You will share the same benefits as first-year Law Scholars. 

Students pursuing any undergraduate program of study at SLU are eligible for consideration. 

Many students continue on as Law Scholars even though they have chosen a new major. Some withdraw from the program to explore completely new interests, while others remain on their original path but pursue a graduate opportunity other than law school. Remember that there is no penalty for withdrawing from the program, but applying to become a Law Scholar is an opportunity that you only have as an incoming freshman.

Once accepted as Law Scholars, students are expected to maintain full-time enrollment at SLU and to meet the following requirements:

Freshman Year 

• Attend a Law Scholar orientation at the start of the fall semester, including a case discussion with the SLU Law dean of admission
• Present a cumulative GPA of at least 3.65 at the end of the freshman year
• Attend and submit a summary and reflection of at least one pre-law program during the academic year
• Follow appropriate curriculum requirements

Sophomore Year through Senior Year 

• Present a cumulative GPA of at least 3.7 at the end of the fall semester of junior year and at the end of the senior year.  
• Follow appropriate curriculum requirements
• Attend at submit summaries and reflections of at least two pre-law programs during the academic year
• Formally apply to SLU LAW during senior year
• Take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)

Required Coursework 

• Regardless of their major, students must take and complete the following courses: 
  • PLS 1000: Introduction to Law
  • PLS 2000: Introduction to Legal Research and Writing
  • PLS 4965: Foundations of Law (Junior year)
  • PLS 4910: Legal Internship

Yes. Law Scholars are welcome to study abroad at any time, with the exception of spring semester of their junior year. This is the only semester that the required “Foundations of Law” course is offered to Law Scholars.

Law Scholars enjoy numerous other benefits, including:

• One-on-one advising through the Pre-Law Department, which includes academic counseling and assistance with the law school application process.
• Mentorship and interactions with Law School faculty and practicing lawyers.
• Strong sense of community and experiential learning outside of the classroom.
• Receipt of important pre-law announcements, including LSAT registration deadlines, notice of practice LSATs being administered on-campus and invitations to other pre-law events.
• Student-sponsored programming and organizations, including SLU’s own chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, the national pre-law fraternity, and the mock trial team.
• Pre-Law sponsored events, including guest lectures, moot court competitions and workshops.
• One dedicated SLU LAW 1843 full tuition scholarship will be offered to a Law Scholar who successfully completes the program during the application process to SLU LAW.

If you have not yet chosen which law school you would like to attend, do not worry – neither have most of our Law Scholars. It’s more important that you find a program that prepares you for that next step – and a university where you can stay and continue your law school education after completing your undergraduate career. 

As a pre-law student at SLU, you will receive the instruction and experience necessary to pursue any number of options for law school. But you will also spend four years making connections with faculty and staff at SLU LAW, as well as networking with the many legal professionals to whom you will be introduced along the way. 

Becoming a Law Scholar is not about choosing a law school before you’ve even graduated from high school. It’s about providing yourself with the best possible opportunities for your future as a law student. We are confident that you will be interested in continuing your studies at SLU when you see what the University has to offer.