U of I and Lewis-Clark State College collaborate on accelerated law degree program

The University of Idaho College of Law has signed a transfer articulation agreement with Lewis-Clark State College to give the college’s students a quicker path to earn a U of I law degree.

LCSC students will have an opportunity to take part in the U of I College of Law’s 3+3 Program under the new agreement, which allows undergraduate students to earn a bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctor in six years instead of seven. Upon completion of an LCSC student’s third year of undergraduate study in the pre-law interdisciplinary degree program, that student can begin their first year of the law degree program at the U of I College of Law — simultaneously fulfilling their last year of undergraduate studies and completing their first year of law school.

The agreement, which went into effect Jan. 7, 2019, includes a course-to-course transfer equivalency guide, allowing a seamless transfer of credits from the U of I College of Law to LCSC.

“We at LCSC are very excited about partnering with the University of Idaho to provide this opportunity for students interested in attending law school,” said Christopher Riggs, chair of the Division of Social Sciences at LCSC.

Students must be in good academic standing and meet other requirements before transferring from LCSC to U of I’s College of Law, including having at least the median GPA and LSAT score of the most recent first year law class, earning at least 90 undergraduate credits, and completing all general education core requirements and all program-specific requirements.

LCSC pre-law students will be invited to participate in some of the College of Law’s student programming, including mock trial competitions. The College of Law will also be available to visit LCSC’s campus and make presentations to pre-law students.

“We’re honored to provide this opportunity for students in northern Idaho and look forward to welcoming LCSC undergraduates to law school,” said Jerrold Long, dean of the U of I College of Law. “In addition to our existing partnerships with the largest universities across the state, the new LCSC partnership extends our 3+3 Program to almost all of the bachelor degree-granting institutions in Idaho.”

The LCSC agreement complements other 3+3 pacts the College of Law has with the College of Idaho, Boise State University and Brigham Young University-Idaho. LCSC and U of I officials will review the agreement annually.