What to Weigh About Accelerated B.A.-J.D. Programs

Dave_Berry
Mon, 09 Nov 2020 22:51:09 +0000

"IF YOU HAVE YOUR HEART set on law school from an early age and want to save money and time, consider a 3+3 program. These accelerated programs, offered by select universities, allow high-performing students to earn both B.A. and J.D. degrees in six years total rather than seven.

Accelerated J.D. programs fall into three broad categories.

First, some law schools offer an accelerated path to students within the same university system. This is most common among state universities with an interest in training local lawyers, like the University of Georgia, the University of Iowa and the University of Kansas. However, several private universities offer this option as well, like DePaul University in Illinois and Willamette University in Oregon.

Second, a smaller number of law schools have accelerated J.D. partnerships with unaffiliated colleges. Typically, such partnerships tie together nearby schools, but not always. For example, the University of Central Florida has a 3+3 program with both the Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law at Barry University in Orlando, Florida, and the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center at Touro College in Central Islip, New York – not exactly across town!" …