Pre-Law – Accelerated 3+3
Double Your Degree. Cut the Time. Jumpstart Your Law Career
In this accelerated program, you’ll bypass your final year at UMF and enroll directly in the Maine School of Law in Portland. After you complete your first year of law school, you’ll automatically receive 32 credits worth of General Electives that will be counted towards your Bachelor’s degree (in whatever major you had chosen) at UMF.
This program allows you to save a year’s worth of UMF tuition and fees, and you’ll be able to enter the legal profession a year earlier than students not enrolled in the program. This is especially valuable given the shortage of attorneys in many parts of Maine.
3+3 Accelerated Pre-Law Program
The University of Maine School of Law’s hands-on, practical approach perfectly complements UMF’s Pre-Law program, giving UMF students a seamless path to advanced legal education and career readiness. Together, they prepare you to become a skilled, ethical, and confident legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Transfer students are eligible, but you must meet all the program requirements listed above. Because all the undergraduate program requirements must be completed in only three years, some transfer students will find it very difficult to complete the Accelerated Pre-Law program without enrolling in several May Term, Summer Session, or Winter Term courses.
UMF and Maine Law generally administer their scholarships and financial aid packages separately.
While you shouldn’t expect your UMF financial aid will carry over, talk with a UMF Financial Aid Advisor to evaluate your individual situation. Maine Law has an assortment of scholarship opportunities.
Some UMF majors with specific course sequencing or senior-year requirements are less compatible with the Accelerated Pre-Law program than others.
You should consult with your academic advisor as well as the 3+3 program coordinator to assess the compatibility of your particular major as early in your academic career as possible.
While it’s possible, it’ll be very difficult, depending on your majors and minor, to complete all the requirements for multiple programs in just three years at UMF.
If you enroll in Summer Session, Winter Term, and May Term courses you’re more likely to complete a double-major or minor in three years.
No worries. If you’re not granted admission into Maine Law after your junior year you’ll remain enrolled at UMF for your senior year.
Then, during your senior year, you can improve your GPA, retake the LSAT, and enhance your law school application.
You will take required coursework within your UMF major. Then, in your first year at Maine Law, you’ll take courses that will count toward your UMF degree, such as:
- Law and the Legal System
- Constitutional Law
- Civil Liberties
- Business Law
- Public Policy
- Legal Research and Writing
You will also take courses in the Arts, Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences.
Complete all but 32 credit hours of an approved Bachelor’s degree program (including all major requirements and all General Education requirements) by the end of your third year
- Maintain a GPA of 3.5
- Complete all required Law School application materials by April 1 of your junior year
- Be in good academic standing at UMF upon completion of your junior year
- Meet the standards for the character and fitness portion of the UMaine Law School application
- Submit a letter of recommendation from the UMF Accelerated Pre-Law Program Coordinator with your Law School application
- Achieve an LSAT score that is no lower than the current median LSAT score, as posted on the Maine Law website
In your first year at Maine Law, you’ll take the following courses that will count toward your UMF degree:
- Civil Procedure
- Criminal Law
- Property
- Torts
- Constitutional Law
- Contracts
- Legal Research and Writing
To complete your J.D. degree, you’ll take all of the other required coursework at Maine Law in years five and six.