Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Direct Admission Program
The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) has partnered with the Mitchell Hamline School of Law (MHSL) to offer a Direct Admission Program. This pathway provides guaranteed admission and substantial financial support to qualifying UAS students and alumni pursuing a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.
Key Benefits
- Guaranteed Admission: Students who meet the established academic eligibility criteria are assured admission to MHSL.
- 50% Tuition Scholarship: All UAS students and alumni admitted through this program are guaranteed a minimum 50% tuition scholarship that is renewable based on MHSL’s retention criteria.
- Flexible Enrollment Options: Applicants can apply this direct admission benefit to MHSL’s full-time, part-time, or Blended Learning J.D. programs.
What is Blended Learning? It is an ABA-approved enrollment option that combines flexible online coursework with intensive, in-person "Capstone" weeks on the MHSL campus, allowing students to balance a legal education with their professional and personal lives.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for guaranteed admission and the 50% tuition scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria before matriculating at MHSL:
- Degree Completion: Complete all requirements for a UAS Bachelor’s degree.
- GPA Benchmarks: Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in courses taken at UAS, and maintain a cumulative GPA of no lower than 3.0 on all transferred courses.
- LSAT Score: Earn an LSAT score at or above the 50th percentile of the most recent class to matriculate at MHSL.
- Character & Fitness: Meet MHSL's character and fitness requirements and comply with general admissions policies.
Application Deadline
- Applicants must submit their application to MHSL no later than May 1 in the academic year before they intend to begin their J.D. studies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the program is explicitly open to both current undergraduate students and UAS alumni.
3+3 Program
The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) has partnered with the Mitchell Hamline School of Law (MHSL) to offer a 3+3 Program. This accelerated pathway allows full-time undergraduate students the opportunity to finish both their bachelor’s and law (J.D.) degrees in six years instead of seven, saving them a full year of undergraduate tuition costs.
Under this arrangement, qualified students complete their first three years of undergraduate study at UAS and their final undergraduate year at MHSL as first-year law students. They then transfer those first-year law credits back to UAS to complete their baccalaureate degree.
Key Benefits
- Accelerated Timeline: Applicants can fast-track their legal careers and enter the professional world a year early.
- Reverse-Transfer Credits: UAS accepts up to thirty (30) credits from MHSL's first-year law curriculum to satisfy remaining undergraduate degree requirements.
- Flexible Course Integration: Transferred law courses can satisfy elective requirements or substitute for major/minor requirements within the School of Arts & Sciences—such as the Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences (BASS) or Bachelor of Liberal Arts (BLA).
Eligibility & Academic Requirements
To participate in the 3+3 program, students must meet the following criteria before starting classes at MHSL:
- Credit Accumulation: Successful completion of at least ninety (90) undergraduate semester hours.
- General Education: Completion of all UAS general education requirements.
- Major Requirements: Declaration of an undergraduate major, including at least eighteen (18) semester hours completed toward that major with a grade of C or better. At least six (6) of those major semester hours must be at the 300–400 level.
- Grade Transfer Standards: To successfully transfer courses back to UAS, students must earn a grade of C- or better from MHSL. Transferred credits do not count toward the calculation of the student's undergraduate GPA or count as resident credits.
Application & Advising Procedures
- Mandatory Advising: Prior to law school admission, students must meet with their faculty advisor to ensure their degree plan accommodates the transferred credits. A credit transfer form must be signed by the faculty advisor and the registrar's office before the student begins classes at MHSL. It is recommended that they start this process as early as possible to facilitate degree competition.
- Application Process: Students must apply through MHSL's established admissions process, which includes a holistic review of academic performance, LSAT scores, and character and fitness qualifications. MHSL retains sole discretion over all admissions decisions, and a spot is not guaranteed.
- Application Deadline: Complete applications must be submitted to MHSL no later than July 15 of the student's third year at UAS.
Tuition and Financial Aid
- UAS Phase (Years 1–3): While enrolled at UAS, students are responsible for undergraduate tuition, fees, and related costs, working with the UAS Financial Aid Office to receive undergraduate aid.
- MHSL Phase (Years 4–6): Once enrolled at MHSL, students work directly with the MHSL Financial Aid Office and pay MHSL’s standard tuition and fees.
Note: Students enrolled at MHSL are no longer eligible for undergraduate financial aid.
Frequently Asked Questions
If a student's education at MHSL is discontinued for any reason before completing their law degree, the student may return to UAS to finish their undergraduate degree in a traditional style. Any eligible MHSL courses completed up to that point can still be transferred back to UAS.