Legal Education Accelerated Program

Administered by the Department of Political Science

Professor Perrotti, Chairperson

Legal Education Accelerated Program (LEAP) is a six-year dual-degree 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 in junior year that is no lower than the median LSAT score for the prior year’s entering class at Hofstra’s Law School. 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.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, including English 1 & 2, the Writing Proficiency Exam, and the Math Proficiency Exam;
3. 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.
4. Students who have met the above requirements for the B.A. will normally be permitted to enroll in the Hofstra University School of Law after their junior year, if they have achieved an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 and received a score of at least 156 on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).

A joint committee, made up of representatives from Hofstra College, the Hofstra University School of Law, and the Office of Admissions, will select the students to be admitted to the Legal Education Acceleration Program. Administration of the program will be by the Department of Political Science, under the supervision of the dean of Hofstra College.