Arts and Sciences and Law Accelerated Program

Through a collaborative program with the College of Law, selected students at the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences can complete their undergraduate degree and a J.D. in six years. Upon completion of all degree requirements for the bachelors’ degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), or Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree will be awarded. For students in the accelerated degree program, this generally occurs at the end of the second semester in law school. Students in the College of Arts and Sciences are eligible to apply for admission to the accelerated law program in the last fall semester before starting law school at The University of Tulsa.

Students selected for the program need not complete either a disciplinal minor or a senior project course.

The accelerated law program is open to all students from all College majors. Admission to the program is highly selective. Students with AP or IB transfer credit hours will more easily satisfy program requirements. Summer coursework may also be necessary for students in certain majors to complete Arts and Sciences college requirements in three years.

Applicants to this program must apply a year in advance of when they hope to begin law school (if admitted). In other words, applicants should complete the application steps during the fall semester of their third or junior year in undergraduate school. Students who have AP, IB or transfer credits allowing them to reach junior year standing in less than three years could potentially apply in the fall of their sophomore year, as long as all undergraduate coursework requirements are met prior to beginning law school JD coursework.

For purposes of brevity, this application time period is referred to as “last fall semester before starting law school” in the information below.

Application Process

1. Schedule an appointment with an Arts and Sciences academic adviser during the first year (freshman year). Thereafter, it is important to have periodic meetings with your undergraduate academic advisor to ensure that you remain on track with undergraduate credits and coursework in order to meet accelerated law program eligibility. 
2. Schedule an appointment with College of Law’s Office of Admissions (918-631-2406 / lawadmissions@utulsa.edu) at any time during the first two years of college to obtain information about the Accelerated Law Program and receive counseling on application requirements for the program.
3. Take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) no later than October of the last fall semester before starting law school or sooner. To register for the LSAT, go to LSAC.org. The LSAT is administered multiple times each year by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC).
4. Submit an Application for Admission to the College of Law (by September but no earlier than August 1 during the last fall semester before starting law school). A personal statement MUST accompany the law school application.

*Please note: The personal statement should reflect clear goals and seriousness of purpose regarding law school and the ability to progress at an accelerated pace (why you are a good candidate for the accelerated law program).

The College of Law application is available at LSAC.org. Applicants to the College of Law are required to apply via the LSAC website. Application fee waivers are available at the TU Law website. 

5. Arrange for THREE letters of recommendation in support of your candidacy. PLEASE NOTE that one of the three recommendation letters must come from the applicant’s undergraduate study department chair. Letters may be submitted to the College of Law in one of two ways:

• Submitted directly to the College of Law by the recommender in a sealed envelope with signature across the back flap of the envelope.
• Submitted to the College of Law via the CAS report.

6. Register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) between August 1 and November 1 during the last fall semester before starting law school. To register, go to LSAC.org.
7. Arrange for a copy of your transcript reflecting all coursework completed to be mailed to LSAC so that the transcript may be placed into your CAS report by LSAC. This requirement cannot be waived.

Requirements

• A minimum 3.2 undergraduate cumulative grade point average at the time of review
• Comportment in a manner consistent with the expectations of the legal profession
• Achievement of an LSAT score which is equal to, or greater than, the Law School’s 25th percentile LSAT score of the most recent entering class in the College of Law
• Thorough completion of application forms and submission of all supporting documentation in a timely manner
• Mandatory completion of an interview with the College of Law
• An applicant should demonstrate the potential to be a successful law student through their level of achievement in a rigorous curriculum.  Applicants should have clear goals and be motivated to progress at an accelerated pace.
• Attend an open house at the College of Law designed to help them prepare for legal study and acclimate to the law school environment.
• At the conclusion of spring semester before starting law school, the accepted candidate must arrange for one copy of the final transcript reflecting cumulative GPA to be sent to the Law School Admissions Council so that it may appear in the completed version of the CAS report. Additionally, the candidate must arrange for a second “official” copy of the undergraduate transcript reflecting all academic coursework to be sent to the College of Law’s Office of Admissions.

Applicants to the Accelerated Law Program will be notified regarding an admission decision, given that all required documentation has been received, by December 1.

On-going Obligation of Candidate

The accepted candidate must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2 at conclusion of undergraduate coursework and prior to matriculation in the College of Law. 

The accepted candidate must maintain comportment in a manner consistent with the expectations of the legal profession.

The accepted candidate must remain in good standing with The University of Tulsa.

The accepted candidate must arrange for updated transcripts (see above) to be sent to LSAC and the College of Law prior to law school matriculation.

Note: Failure to comply with any of the above requirements and conditions will result in the revocation of admission to the accelerated law program.

For more information about this program, contact April Fox, Associate Dean and Director of Admissions, College of Law, at april-fox@utulsa.edu, or the Teresa Reed, Associate Dean of the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences, at teresa-reed@utulsa.edu.