Law Early Admission

Nelson Wolff Law Early Admission Program

The Nelson Wolff Law Early Admission Program offers advantages to motivated, talented undergraduate students who plan to attend law school. The program allows qualified St. Mary’s undergraduate students in eligible degree programs to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from St. Mary’s School of Law in less time.

Eligible St. Mary’s students enter the St. Mary’s law school after completing 91 hours or more of undergraduate study. Students who complete the first year of law school will apply those credit hours to complete the requirements for a bachelor’s degree and can continue to earn a law degree with two additional years (61 credit hours) of study in the law school. In the event that the student does not successfully complete at least one year of law school, any law school credit hours earned will be applied to the remaining hours needed to obtain the bachelor’s degree.

To be eligible, a student must have:

  1. a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better
  2. earn at least a 154 on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
  3. complete a minimum of 91 or more hours, (including the requirements for the major and the St. Mary’s Core) before starting law classes.

A student who is interested should make the decision to participate in the Early Admission Program as early as possible in their academic career at St. Mary’s. It is preferable that the decision be made before or by the time a student has completed 30 hours at St. Mary’s. An early decision is important in order for the student to stay on track in completing their requirements for the major and the St. Mary’s Core.

Students desiring to enter the program may decide at any time of their undergraduate study, although making the decision early is likely to ensure more efficient course planning in the undergraduate degree. The student should work closely with their faculty adviser for their major and the Pre-Law Adviser. All students are also required to notify the Pre-Law Adviser in the semester when they apply to the St. Mary’s law school. 

If an applicant takes the LSAT more than one time, the LSAT score used for the Early Admission purposes shall be an average of all LSAT scores received by the applicant.

The student must meet the criteria stated above and make a timely application to the St. Mary’s Law School in the semester prior to or during when they anticipate completing all major and St. Mary’s Core requirements. Please consult the law school admissions page for more details about the St. Mary’s Law School admission procedures and requirements, including the character and fitness requirements for admission to the bar of the State of Texas. 

Students who do not qualify for early admission to the St. Mary’s School of Law may continue the regular course of study for their undergraduate degree and may be eligible for the St. Mary’s guaranteed admissions program or regular admissions to the St. Mary’s School of Law.

Sonia Garcia, Ph.D.

Professor
Phone: 210-431-2014
Email: sgarcia@stmarytx.edu