The Legal Education Alternate Admission Program (LEAAP)
The Legal Education Alternate Admission Program (LEAAP) is Suffolk Law’s performance-based admission program for applicants who show potential for law school academic success but whose standardized test scores are below the median LSAT for the entering class. LEAAP participants who satisfactorily demonstrate that they are capable of succeeding in law school and on the bar exam are offered admission to the traditional JD program beginning in August.
Why was LEAAP created?
LEAAP was created to provide a path to law school for people whose applications are strong except for their standardized test scores. We know that such scores can predict future success in law school and on the bar exam. But we also know that some students with low scores – particularly those from groups that are historically underrepresented in law school and in the legal profession – defy the odds and excel. Suffolk Law launched LEAAP to provide an alternate method for assessing applicants’ ability to succeed in law school and on the bar exam. In short, we want to find those applicants whose low standardized test scores do not capture their true potential.
LEAAP Eligibility
There is not a separate LEAAP application. Applicants to Suffolk Law’s JD program are considered for LEAAP based on their applications to Suffolk Law School.
To be considered, applicants must submit completed applications by Feb. 1.
LEAAP includes a competitive admission process, with fewer than 20 participants selected to participate each program year. An invitation to LEAAP is not acceptance to the Law School. Rather, acceptance into LEAPP is an offer to participate in a three-night program of legal instruction that concludes with an assessment. Applicants who achieve a high enough score on the assessment are admitted into the Law School. (Candidates cannot participate in LEAAP if they participated in the program in the previous two years.)
The Admission Committee selects participants from among applicants whose standardized test scores may not accurately reflect their capacity to succeed in law school and law practice. The Committee considers a variety of factors, such as the applicant’s:
- undergraduate academic record
- professional experiences
- letters of recommendation
- stated reasons for pursuing a law degree and
- evidence of overcoming obstacles, such as socio-economic disadvantages
Details
LEAAP consists of three nights of live instruction and evaluation by Suffolk Law faculty. All programming is held live online after 6 p.m. ET. The program is held in March. The decision to admit a LEAAP participant to the Law School is based on performance in the three-night program when viewed in the context of the participant’s application.
LEAAP is free to participants. Instruction is not for credit.
Students admitted via LEAAP are eligible for various scholarships, such as the HBCU Scholarship and First-Generation College Student Scholarship.