3+3 Law Program - Early Admission

Accelerated JD pathway

Complete your undergraduate and law degrees in six years

Hamline University's 3-3 program, in partnership with Mitchell Hamline School of Law, allows highly talented and motivated students to pursue a variety of paths to law school, including majors in:

Students wishing to pursue any 3-3 track will major in one of the above areas and complete the LSEA minor. Legal Studies majors will minor in any department.

If students pursue the legal studies major, then their academic minor may be in any other program.

LSEA minor requirements

  • LGST 1110 Legal Systems in American Society
  • PHIL 1130 Logic
  • LGST 1300 Legal Advocacy, Policy, and Practice
  • LGST 5900 Legal Studies Practicum or LGST 5800 Senior Seminar

Students interested in the 3-3 program should meet with a Legal Studies professor upon entrance to Hamline for assistance in planning their coursework.

Download the declaration of early admission to law school/3-3 legal studies major/minor form

Hamline plan requirements

In addition to completing an academic major and minor, 3-3 students 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.

Admission to law school

Participation in the 3-3 program does not guarantee law-school admission. 3-3 students must still apply for and be accepted to the law school under the same criteria as all other applicants. 3-3 students must:

  • Sit for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and complete the application process to Mitchell Hamline School of Law through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) during their junior year. Materials and scholarship applications are also available on the LSAC website and at the law school.
  • Complete and transfer back to the College of Liberal Arts or School of Business 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.

Continuation after the junior year

3-3 students earn their undergraduate degree after successful completion of 28 credits of law-school course work (C- or better grades).

If a student is not accepted to law school after their junior year, the student may complete their undergraduate degree in the College of Liberal Arts or School of Business, possibly converting their minor to a second major.

Transfer students

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.

*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).