Legal Education Accelerated Program (LEAP) FAQ

LEAP Main Page

What is LEAP?
The Legal Education Accelerated Program (LEAP) is Hofstra University's 3+3 program that allows students to complete requirements for both the bachelor of arts and the juris doctor in just six years. After completing the third year of college (in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences), LEAP students who meet the admission requirements for the law school will enroll in Hofstra University School of Law. The first year of law school will therefore also count as the fourth year of college.

How do I apply to LEAP?
If you have indicated an interest in LEAP, meet general LEAP admission criteria, and are admitted to Hofstra University, a supplemental LEAP application will be mailed to you.  Once we receive your completed LEAP application, a decision will be rendered.  Students already enrolled at Hofstra cannot apply to LEAP.

When will students know whether they have been accepted to LEAP?
A committee made up of representatives from the Admissions Office, Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Hofstra University School of Law meets in early April to review the records of applicants to LEAP. Those accepted to the program will receive letters of acceptance later that month.

What are the advantages of participating in LEAP?
Completing both college and law school in just six years will prove a challenging intellectual experience. Students particularly eager to begin their professional careers will be able to do so one year earlier. In addition, because LEAP students will complete both college and law school in just six years, they will save one year’s college tuition costs.

What are the requirements for admission to LEAP?
Normally, students admitted to LEAP have combined SAT scores of 1220 (or an ACT score of 27) and an overall GPA of 3.5 (or be in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating class.) However, there is some flexibility with regard to these criteria, so students who fall slightly short of meeting them should nonetheless feel free to apply.

Do LEAP students take courses different from those taken by other students in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences?
There are no special courses associated with the LEAP program and students are free to select any of the majors available in the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, so long as they lead to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Students with majors in the Frank G. Zarb School of Business, the School of Communication and the School of Education, Health and Human Services are not eligible to participate in LEAP.

What courses must LEAP students take during their three years in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences?
LEAP students must complete all requirements for the B.A. degree in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This includes the College’s requirements in English composition and foreign language, and distribution courses in the College’s three divisions. In addition, every student must complete a Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences major. Careful planning in conjunction with an academic advisor is needed from the outset of students’ careers to assure that they will be able to complete all of these requirements within the allotted three year period.

When do LEAP students receive their B.A. degree?
LEAP students receive their B.A. degree upon successful completion of the first year of Hofstra University School of Law (29 semester hours).
Together with the 95 semester hours previously completed  (94 of them in liberal arts) at Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, these 29
semester hours will add up to the 124 semester hours required for the B.A. degree. Upon successful completion of the first year of law school,
LEAP students will be invited to participate in the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences commencement exercises and to receive their
college diplomas.

What are the requirements for admission to Hofstra Law School after three years in LEAP?
LEAP students will normally be permitted to enroll in the Hofstra University Law School after completing their junior year, if they have earned a total of 95 semester hours (94 of them in liberal arts), meeting all requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree, achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.4 in course work toward the B.A., and achieving an LSAT score in their junior year that is no lower than the median LSAT score for the prior year¹s full-time entering class at Hofstra University School of Law. Matriculation at Hofstra University School of Law takes place at the end of junior year; the B.A. is then granted after satisfactory completion of the first 29 semester hours of law school course work.

Can LEAP students be admitted to Hofstra University School of Law in fewer than three years if they have entered Hofstra University as first-year students with college and/or AP credits received while enrolled in high school?
No. It is our expectation that students will complete three years of undergraduate work at Hofstra University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences prior to enrolling in Hofstra University School of Law.
Students may use college and/or AP credits to lighten their workload in any given semester, but students will not be admitted to the law school without having completed three years of undergraduate work at Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This is to assure that students entering the Hofstra University School of Law possess the requisite intellectual and emotional maturity deemed necessary for success in the study of the law.

What is the admissions process for LEAP students making the transition from Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to Hofstra University School of Law?
In order to make the transition from Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to Hofstra University School of Law, LEAP students must:

• Register for and take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC Web site: LSAC.org).
• Register for the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) through LSAC
• Submit all undergraduate transcripts to LSDAS
• Submit one letter of recommendation to LSDAS
• Complete the Hofstra J.D. application including the personal statement
• Comply with all applicable deadlines as stated on the Hofstra Law School Admissions Web site (law.hofstra.edu).