SUNY Old Westbury has announced the signing of an agreement with the University at Buffalo School of Law for a 3+3 joint degree program that will give Old Westbury students the opportunity to earn an undergraduate degree and a law degree in six rather than seven years.
In this accelerated degree program, Old Westbury students earn credits to complete the final year of their undergraduate degree during their first year of law school at UB School of Law, saving a year of tuition and expenses associated with the traditional seven-year pathway to a Juris Doctorate.
“We’re excited to collaborate with UB Law to offer SUNY Old Westbury students the ability to earn both bachelor’s and juris doctor degrees in just six years,” said SUNY Old Westbury Provost David J. Lanoue. “This is an opportunity for academically strong students to maximize their educational opportunities while benefitting from the support and expertise of outstanding faculty and staff on both campuses.”
“As the State of New York’s law school, we are pleased to partner with another SUNY school to expand pathways to the legal profession,” says S. Todd Brown, dean and professor at the University at Buffalo School of Law. “Many of our law alumni received their undergraduate degree from Old Westbury and now serve as leaders in our legal community. We expect that this partnership will facilitate even more.”
The 3+3 pathway is open to students majoring in four undergraduate programs at SUNY Old Westbury: Politics, Economics and Law, English, Philosophy and Religion, and American Studies.
Admission into the combined pathway is highly selective, requiring a cumulative GPA at Old Westbury of 3.50 or above. Additionally, applicants must have either an LSAT score at or above the median LSAT score for UB School of Law’s previous year’s enrolled class, or a GRE score at or above the 70th percentile on Verbal Reasoning and at or above the 40th percentile on Quantitative Reasoning.
The School of Law’s Class of 2027 entered this year posting a median score of 152 on the LSAT and medians of 161 (Verbal Reasoning) and 149 (Quantitative Reasoning) on the GRE. Students must complete the approved 3+3 course plan for their respective undergraduate degree by the end of their third year of enrollment at SUNY Old Westbury and apply to the School of Law during their junior year.
In their fourth year, accepted 3+3 students are admitted as full-time students at the School of Law and will follow the course of study for full-time, first-year law students. Upon successful completion of the first year of law school, the credits earned will be transferred back to SUNY Old Westbury in satisfaction of remaining undergraduate graduation requirements.
