Apr 16, 2024  
2011-2012 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
2011-2012 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Legal Education Acceleration Program (LEAP)


Legal Education Accelerated Program (LEAP) is a six-year combined B.A./J.D. degree program. Students admitted into this program pursue a bachelor of arts (B.A.) at Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for three years and then have the opportunity to complete a juris doctor (J.D.) at Hofstra Law School in three additional years. Admission to Hofstra Law School is predicated on LEAP students maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.4 in course work toward the B.A., and achieving an LSAT score that is no lower than the median LSAT score for students entering the Hofstra University School of Law during the student’s junior year in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The combined degree (B.A./J.D.) takes a total of six years to complete, which is one year less than the typical law school graduate. Admission to this program is open only to freshmen and is highly selective. Applicants must have combined SAT scores of 1220 (or an ACT score of 27) and an overall GPA of 3.5 (or be in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating class) in order to be considered for admission. A joint committee, made up of representatives from Hofstra College, the Hofstra University School of Law, and the Office of Undergraduate Admission, will select the students to be admitted to the Legal Education Acceleration Program. The program is administered by the Department of Political Science, under the supervision of the dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Matriculation in the Hofstra University School of Law takes place at the end of the junior year, and the B.A. degree is granted upon satisfactory completion of 29 semester hours during the first year of law school. To maintain eligibility for law school matriculation at the end of the junior year, students admitted to this program must complete:

  1. a minimum of 95 semester hours in HCLAS (at least 94 of them in liberal arts courses);
  2. all University requirements, and all requirements for the B.A., including WSC 1  & 2 , all HCLAS distribution course requirements and language requirements, and all requirements for the specific academic major chosen by the student. Students may select any undergraduate major that leads to the B.A. degree.

In order to make the transition from Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to Hofstra University School of Law, LEAP students must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), submit undergraduate transcripts and letters of recommendation to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), complete the Hofstra J.D. application including the personal statement, and comply with all applicable deadlines and requirements as stated on the Hofstra Law School Admissions website.