Qualified University of Denver (DU) students can accelerate their legal education through our bachelor/JD Program. DU offers a Six-Year Bachelor/JD Program that allows qualified students to complete their Bachelor and JD degrees in six years instead of the regular seven. Students can apply for admission to this program in two ways:
- Highly qualified high school seniors can apply for conditional admission to the program after being admitted to the University of Denver for their undergraduate studies, and
- DU Undergraduate students can apply to this program in their junior year.
Academic Program
Students in the Six-Year Bachelor/JD Program spend their first three years at DU fulfilling the requirements of their undergraduate major and their undergraduate distributional requirements and their final three years fulfilling the requirements of the JD degree.
Students in the program will generally fulfill the requirements of their BA or BS and receive that degree at the end of their fourth year at DU. Students accomplish this by applying their first year of legal studies (30 semester hours, or 45 quarter hours) to their undergraduate elective courses. They will generally fulfill the requirements of their JD and receive that degree at the end of their sixth year at DU.
Not all undergraduate programs at DU can be completed in 3 years. For this reason, engineering students are not eligible for this program. Other undergraduate units with specific academic requirements that cannot be completed in three years can also opt out of this program. Please check with your academic department to see if your intended program of study is eligible.
Conditional Admission Requirements
High achieving high school students, who have been admitted to the DU undergraduate program, can apply for conditional admission to the six-year program.
To be considered for admission to the program, students must have a very strong academic background. In addition to the undergraduate application, students also need to:
Applicants admitted conditionally will be guaranteed admission to the law school provided that they meet the following criteria:
- Achieve an undergraduate GPA that is 0.1 point above the median GPA for the law class the year of their admission,
- Achieve an LSAT score one point above the median LSAT for the law class the year of their admission,
- Complete all of the requirements for the DU Common Curriculum and their undergraduate major (and minors if applicable) by the end of their junior year,
- Be in good academic standing with the University, and
- Have no criminal arrests or convictions since the time of their conditional admission to the program.
Students who do not meet the conditional criteria will not be guaranteed admission to the JD program but can still apply through the Junior Year Admission process.
Conditional Admission Timeline
Students interested in applying for Conditional Admission to the Six-Year Bachelor/JD Program should keep this timeline in mind:
- Follow all the deadlines published by the Undergraduate Admission Office for undergraduate admission
- Submit a Six-Year Program application by April 1
- Complete an academic audit at the end of your sophomore year to ensure that you are on track to fulfill your undergraduate requirements
- Take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) no later than December of your junior year
- Submit your official transcripts to the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) so that a Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report can be sent to Denver Law
Junior Year Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission to the program in the junior year, students must:
- Complete all of the requirements for the DU Common Curriculum and their undergraduate major (and minors if applicable) by the end of their junior year,
- Be in good academic standing at the University,
- Submit a Six-Year JD application on the LSAC website by January 10,
- Take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), and
- Complete an interview with the Dean of Admissions at Denver Law
Students who qualify and apply for Junior Year Admission will be evaluated based on the Denver Law admissions policy in effect during that year. Students who are denied admission to the dual program may still apply for regular admission to Denver Law during/after their senior year.
Junior Year Admission Timeline
Students interested in applying for Junior Year Admission should keep this timeline in mind:
- Complete an academic audit at the end of your sophomore year to ensure that you are on track to complete all your undergraduate requirements by the end of your junior year
- Take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), no later than December of your junior year
- Complete your application to Denver Law by January 10
- The Faculty Admissions Committee will send out decisions to students by the end of January
Questions?
Contact May Peterson (mpeterson@law.du.edu | (303) 871-6126) or schedule an appointment online.
