FSU College of Law Now Offering a 3+3 Program

Florida State University’s College of Law is now offering an approved 3+3 program for FSU students interested in earning both their bachelor’s degree and a law degree in a total of 6 years instead of 7 years.

The basics of the program are outlined below.  The application for the fall 2014 entering class is currently available online at law.fsu.edu and current juniors, who meet the requirements below, are eligible to apply for entry to the fall 2014 class.

Undergraduate students who gain admission into the J.D. program through the 3+3 program will follow the usual prescribed course of study for full-time, first-year law students.  Upon successful completion of the first year of law school, the 30 credits earned will be counted toward the undergraduate degree, sufficient to complete university requirements for the bachelor’s degree. The Juris Doctor degree will be awarded upon successful completion of the required minimum 88 total course credits in the law school (including the 30 hours earned during the first year as part of the 3+3 program) and of all other J.D. graduation requirements.

Admission to the law program is highly competitive.  Students participating in the 3+3 program generally will be required to:

• Take the LSAT during (or prior to) their junior year
• Earn at least 90 undergraduate credits prior to matriculation at the law school. Participants must complete at least 45 units of lower-division credit at FSU, and all upper-division courses must be taken at FSU.
• Fulfill all major and graduation competencies by the end of their junior year.
• Apply for admission to the law school by April of their junior year.
• Pay the same tuition and fees to the law school as do other first-year students.

The various colleges may impose other requirements upon their students who choose to participate, so long as they fall within the general parameters of the 3+3 program.

The College of Law does not guarantee admission; each student must meet the admission standards in place at the time of their application.  A denial of admission under the 3+3 program will not foreclose opportunities for the student to apply to the College of Law (as well as other law schools) in the future upon completion of the bachelor’s degree.  Further, students who fail to complete successfully the first year of law school, or who elect for other reasons to withdraw, may return the next semester to the university without applying for readmission as bachelor’s degree candidates. Any successfully completed course work at the law school will be treated by the University in the same manner as other transfer credit.

Contact Jennifer Kessinger with any questions or for additional information at 644-3787 or at jkessing@law.fsu.edu.