3-3 Law Program - Early Admission

To participate in the 3+3 program, candidates for early admission to MHSOL must:

• Complete the Undergraduate Declaration form to declare a major and the Law School Early Admission 3+3 program
• Contact the Legal Studies Department to discuss course planning
• Contact the faculty member assigned as the student’s academic advisor, if choosing to major outside the Legal Studies Department
• Contact the MHSOL Admissions Office to discuss the profile recommended for admission

Students in the 3+3 program must complete all required coursework in their chosen major. In addition, students must complete three required courses:

• LGST 1110 - Legal Systems in American Society
• LGST 1300 - Legal Advocacy, Policy, and Practice
• PHIL 1130 - Logic

Legal Studies majors will complete the first two courses as part of their major.

In addition to completing an academic major and the required 3+3 courses, students in the 3+3 program must complete all Hamline Plan requirements, earn 100 semester credits, and apply to graduate by December the year before they intend to start law school.

Participation in the 3+3 program does not by itself guarantee law school admission. In addition to the 3+3 program, Hamline also partners with MHSOL to offer a Direct Admissions Program (DAP). The DAP is a separate program.

Students in the 3+3 program must still apply for and be accepted to the law school under the same criteria as all other applicants. Students in the 3+3 program must:

• Register and sit for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), typically during the fall of their junior year
• Apply for admission to the MHSOL by March of their junior year and gain acceptance in the fall class.
  • Materials and scholarship applications are available on the website of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and at the law school.
• Complete and transfer back to Hamline 28 credits of successful law school work with a grade of C- or better.

All students are also strongly encouraged to meet with a member of the law school admissions office by no later than the beginning of their junior year.

3+3 students earn their undergraduate degree after successful completion of 28 credits of law-school course work (C- or better grades). These credits must be transferred to Hamline before a student will be awarded the Bachelor’s degree.

If a student is not accepted to law school after their junior year, or if a student decides partway through their studies that the 3+3 track is no longer right for them for any reason, they can simply continue with their studies and graduate in four years. In that case students should notify the Registrar’s Office that they are no longer seeking early admission to law school.

Once students enroll at the MHSOL, they are no longer eligible for financial aid as an undergraduate student, including the presidential fellowship. However, they are eligible to apply for financial aid and scholarships through the law school, including scholarships available through the Direct Admissions Program with MHSOL.

In appropriate situations, transfer students may be eligible for the 3+3 program. In addition to the requirements set forth above, transfer students must take a minimum of sixteen (16) credits in their major while enrolled at Hamline University. Please meet with a Legal Studies professor for assistance in planning your coursework as soon as possible.

NOTE: *Hamline University, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), maintains an affiliation and collaborative relationship with Mitchell | Hamline School of Law, an autonomous law school created by the combination of Hamline University School of Law and William Mitchell College of Law and which is separately accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).