Kansas high school students seriously considering a law career can get a year’s head start close to home. Wichita State has entered an agreement with the University of Kansas School of Law to offer the Legal Education Accelerated Degree program, with an anticipated launch of fall 2021.
LEAD students will begin and end their educational journeys together, completing the program with a bachelor’s degree from Wichita State and a juris doctorate from KU.
Dr. Jeffrey Hershfield, LEAD program director and associate professor of philosophy, is excited to work with program participants.
The goal of the LEAD program is to develop a student’s interest in law as a profession, provide opportunities to learn about legal practice, and prepare the student for the KU School of Law.
Wichita State students interested in the LEAD program will major in one of five liberal arts and sciences areas: criminal justice, English, history, philosophy and political science. This strong liberal arts and sciences preparation will help students succeed at KU Law.
LEAD students will complete three years of work at Wichita State in an approved major. After the first year of law school at KU, 29 hours will transfer back to Wichita State as general elective credits to complete the bachelor’s degree.
LEAD students will benefit from preparatory experiences before they attend KU. Enrollment in Career Paths in the Legal Profession, a one-credit hour course which will feature local attorneys and judges as invited speakers, will expose Wichita State students to different areas of law, current issues and what to expect in law school.
As sophomores, LEAD students will be encouraged to volunteer with local law-affiliated organizations such as CASA and Kansas Legal Services. There will also be opportunities for internships with area law firms. Through these experiences and interaction with attorneys, students will learn about the practice of law and law school.
As juniors, LEAD students will be encouraged to begin meeting with practicing attorneys, attending community events connected to the legal field, visiting KU and speaking with current KU law students.
Students must first apply to Wichita State for undergraduate admission. Click on the link that best describes your academic background.
Freshman:
Transfer:
The deadline for applications is October 18, 2024.
To apply to the LEAD program at WSU, please send an email with the following information to lead3plus3@wichita.edu:
- First and last name
- Your MyWSU number
- A brief statement indicating your interest in applying to LEAD
- Your essay included as an attachment to the email (see below for instructions)
- A copy of your high school transcript and of any college credits earned (unofficial copies are acceptable)
Essay Prompts for Incoming Applicants
Please respond to one of the following essay questions. Your essay will be evaluated for the quality of your writing and your ability to provide a focused response to the question you choose. Your response should demonstrate intellectual curiosity and academic rigor, and should be thoughtful, well-organized and free of grammatical and spelling errors. Please limit your response to 500 words. You may submit either a PDF or Microsoft Word document.
If you are applying to the Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College, you may, if you wish, use the essay you submit with that application in place of the essay questions listed below.
- The Kansas state motto “Ad Astra per Aspera” is Latin for “To the Stars through Difficulties.” What stars are you aiming for, and how have you learned/prepared to face challenges along the way?
- There are many questions to ask and problems to explore. If you were to choose a question, problem, idea, or issue (personal, systemic, local, or global) to explore during your undergraduate years at WSU, what would it be and why? How do you hope to engage with it during your studies?
Catergories of Admission
When LEAD students have met all program requirements for KU Law School, which includes qualifying LSAT scores and a character and fitness test mandated by the state bar association, they are guaranteed a place in the first year of law school at KU. Requirements may change between this date and the time of application to the Law School.
Incoming Undergraduate Students Presumptive Admission
To qualify presumptively for the WSU LEAD Program as an in-coming, first-year WSU undergraduate student, students must:
- Gain admission to the Program before their first in-residence year, or during the first semester of their first in-residence year, as an undergraduate at WSU;
- Enroll in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences seeking a B.A. or B.S. degree; and
- Have a minimum 3.5 high school GPA, and complete an essay.
Incoming Undergraduate Students Discretionary Admission
To qualify discretionarily for the WSU LEAD Program as an in-coming, first-year WSU undergraduate student, students must:
- Gain admission to the program before their first in-residence year, or during the first semester of their first in-residence year, as an undergraduate at WSU;
- Enroll in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences seeking a B.A. or B.S. degree; and
- Have a 3.35 high school GPA or better, complete an essay, and submit a statement addressing the student’s interest in the program and/or the student’s preparedness for the program.
Transfer Undergraduate Students Discretionary Admission
To qualify discretionarily for the WSU LEAD Program as an undergraduate student transferring to WSU from another undergraduate institution, students must:
- Have an exemplary, college-level academic record;
- Have a minimum 3.5 high school GPA, and complete an essay;
- Enroll in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences seeking a B.A. or B.S. degree; and
- Demonstrate the ability to satisfy all relevant degree requirements through transferred credits and their prospective credits at WSU.
Law School Admission
To gain admission to the KU Law School as part of the WSU LEAD Program non-discretionarily, students must:
- Satisfy state bar-mandated character and fitness requirements;
- Take the LSAT exam and complete the KU Law application form, prior to KU Law School admission;
- Have spent 3 academic years as an undergraduate student at WSU or a combination of 3 academic years as an undergraduate student at WSU and a prior, post-high-school, undergraduate institution, prior to KU Law School admission (For purposes of this paragraph, full-time enrollment, at least 12 credits, during a spring or fall semester shall constitute .5 academic years);
- Score a 157 on the LSAT and earn a 3.5 undergraduate GPA for WSU-only credits.
Discretionary Law School Admission
To gain admission to the KU Law School as part of the WSU LEAD Program on a discretionary application-by-application basis, students must:
- Satisfy state bar-mandated character and fitness requirements;
- Take the LSAT exam and complete the KU Law application form, prior to KU Law School admission;
- Have spent 3 academic years as an undergraduate student at WSU or a combination of 3 academic years as an undergraduate student at WSU and a prior, post-high-school, undergraduate institution, prior to KU Law School admission (For purposes of this paragraph, full-time enrollment, at least 12 credits, during a spring or fall semester shall constitute .5 academic years);
- Score less than a 157 on the LSAT and/or earn less than a 3.5 undergraduate GPA for WSU-only credits.
Students should apply for financial aid as soon as possible. December 1 is WSU's priority date. Students can file after this date, but the opportunity to receive some types of aid programs will be greatly reduced. Eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Direct Loans are not affected by this priority deadline. A list of final deadlines is available here.
The elimination of one year of study will save in-state Wichita State students $17,973 (living with parent) to $25,431 (living on campus) and will allow them to enter the law profession a year earlier than those outside of the LEAD program. Non-resident students will save between $26,843 and $34,301.
https://www.wichita.edu/administration/financial_aid/coa_undergrad.php