Early Admittance Programs

Early Decision Program (binding)

The Early Decision Program is designed for those applicants who have already determined that MU is their top choice for law school. Admission standards to this program are the same as for those who apply during the regular decision review process. Applicants may apply binding early decision to only one law school and successful applicants must immediately withdraw all pending applications upon acceptance by the early decision law school. Early Decision applicants must take the LSAT no later than October of the year preceding the fall in which they plan to enroll. Early Decision applications will be accepted beginning September 1st and applications must be complete* no later than November 15th. Early decision applicants will be notified of the Committee's decision by the end of December. Early Decision applications are either accepted, denied or deferred for further review. Deferred applicants will be reconsidered during the regular decision cycle. Admitted Early Decision applicants will be considered for scholarship assistance at the time of their acceptance and without regard to their enrollment obligation.

* An application is complete when the Law School Admissions Office has received all items on the application checklist and all supporting documents from CAS. Once CAS has received and processed all of your ocumentation (transcripts, LSAT score(s), and letters of recommendation) a minimum of 5 business days are required for MU to receive these documents once requested by the Law School. A file will be reviewed by the committee only when it is complete. (Applications received on or slightly before the application deadline will not fulfill the complete application requirement.)

MU Law Scholars (Six year JD/Bachelors Degree Program)

To enroll as an MU Law Scholar (automatic admission to law school), you must have a 30 or above on the ACT or 1320 (math and verbal) on the SAT and be in the top 10% of your graduating high school class. (If your school does not use class rank your "core GPA" must be at least 3.71).

In addition, students must:

• complete at least 90 undergraduate semester hours of courses on the MU Campus; AND
• complete all general education and major requirements within the 90 hours and attain a GPA of 3.5 or higher; only "elective" hours remain; AND
• take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) no later than December of the third year and score in the 75th percentile or above (the actual score may vary from test to test, the 75th percentile is approximately a 157).

Note: The Committee reserves the ability to refuse admission based upon criminal matters, academic dishonesty, or other matters that would justify denial of an applicant in any event.

Benefits of the Program:

• Students may select any undergraduate major in the College of Arts & Sciences, or any other college or school with permission from that specific program.  
• Automatic admission to the MU Honors College (application to the Honors College required) which provides students access to small, selective classes with other high-ability students.
• The ability to transfer to the Law School up to two years of your Bright Flight scholarship and one year of your Curators scholarship or other University based scholarship, if applicable.
• An automatic law school scholarship (the amount of that scholarship will vary depending upon the strength of the student's overall application).
• Students will be entering law school before they finish their undergraduate degree and their undergraduate degree will be finished while in law school.

Note: Bright Flight scholarships are subject to Legislative change.

Course Suggestions:

Although the Law School requires no specific undergraduate major or academic prerequisites, courses such as "Writing about Literature," introductory logic or mathematical logic, and an introductory political science course may be beneficial for Law Scholars. In addition, students are encouraged to complete a service learning project, participate in undergraduate research, or complete an internship that is relevant to both an undergraduate education and to a career in law.

Click here for the MU Law Scholars Application

For additional information or questions contact:

The MU School of Law Admissions Office
103 Hulston Hall Columbia, MO 65211
573-882-6042 or 888-MULAW4U
mulawadmissions@missouri.edu

Judge Ross T. Roberts Scholar Program (Honors Admission)

The University of Missouri School of Law, in cooperation with undergraduate programs at the University of Missouri, Drury University, Truman State University, Westminster College and Lincoln University, has established an Honors Admission Program. This program was established by Judge Ross T. Roberts, and outstanding graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law and jurist who served with distinction on the United States Federal Court for the Western District of Missouri.

As a Roberts Scholar, a student who meets the following criteria will be guaranteed admission to the MU School of Law in the fall semester immediately following graduating from college:

Please Note: Because of changes to the Roberts Scholar Program, there are two separate eligibility/criteria differentiated by the year the student began their freshman year of undergraduate college.

Criteria for students who have graduated from high school and have started their first year of undergraduate college:

• Graduates from high school with an ACT composite score of 32 or higher or an SAT composite score of 1410 (math and verbal) or higher; AND
• Graduates from one of the above named schools with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher (as calculated by CAS); AND
• Scores at the 75th percentile or higher on the LSAT (the actual score may vary from test to test, the 75th percentile is approximately a 157); AND
• Applies and is accepted to the Roberts Scholar Program BEFORE taking the LSAT; AND
• Enters law school in the fall semester immediately upon graduation from college; AND
• Has a complete law school application by the Roberts Scholar application deadline. (The actual deadline date will vary depending on the year applying to law school, but is typically in January. Please see the law school application for the exact deadline. A complete application file requires receipt of ALL items on the application checklist by the MU School of Law Admissions Office. This includes all supporting documents and your CAS report)

Every student admitted as a Roberts Scholar will receive a merit scholarship. The amount of that scholarship will vary depending upon the strength of the student's overall application.

The GPA and LSAT score will establish academic admissibility only. The Committee will still reserve the right to refuse admission based on criminal matters, academic dishonesty, or other matters that would justify denial of an applicant.

If you did not attend MU as an undergraduate, you must provide us with an official copy of your ACT/SAT score for verification. This can be obtained from the high school you attended or from your undergraduate institution.

Roberts Scholars will be required to complete all admission requirements such as timely application, processing through CAS, submitting the necessary deposit, etc.. See Application Instructions for further details.

Students who do not meet the required levels of performance for the Roberts Scholar Program may still apply for regular admission to the MU School of Law.

For additional information and/or an application on this program, please contact:

The MU School of Law Admissions Office
103 Hulston Hall Columbia, MO 65211
573-882-6042 or 888-MULAW4U
mulawadmissions@missouri.edu

Click here for the Roberts Scholar Application

Click here for the Roberts Scholar criteria flier (for students who have graduated from high school and have started their first year of undergraduate college in fall 2007 or after)