Candidates must present an LSAT score from a test administered no more than five years prior to planned enrollment.
Most candidates for admission will hold a baccalaureate degree from an institution that is a member of its regional accrediting association by the time they will enroll in the JD program. However, some exceptional students may be admitted on the basis of having completed three-quarters of the work toward a four-year baccalaureate degree. (At least 90 percent of this work must be in courses of substantial intellectual content.) In other words, Tulane Law School is willing to consider for admission exceptional candidates who will have completed only three-quarters of the work required for a bachelor's degree.
Candidates must subscribe to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) of LSAC and arrange for LSDAS to receive official transcripts from all colleges and universities at which the candidate has enrolled for any length of time, whether or not a degree was conferred.
There is no ideal undergraduate major and no magic set of courses that will best prepare a student for law school. Undergraduate students are well advised to enroll in courses that interest them and to pursue undergraduate education for its own sake, not as a means to getting into law school. Because the law touches every aspect of our society, prospective lawyers should attempt to gain exposure to a wide variety of disciplines and methodologies. Law study will be more valuable to those who can draw on the broadest possible range of ideas and experiences.
Students should develop analytical and communication skills. Because law study and practice demand the articulation of ideas in persuasive and precise terms, proficiency in writing is essential. These skills can be obtained from the study of any number of disciplines. Every law student brings to the classroom, and to his or her own legal education, unique perspectives and expertise. What is important is having pursued some area well and in depth-be it math, history, accounting, or literature-rather than the particular area studied.
To summarize, Tulane is interested not so much in what a candidate has studied, but in demonstrations of the benefit of such study, the seriousness with which it was undertaken, and the quality of the student's performance.
3/3 Program for Tulane Undergraduates
With the permission of the appropriate undergraduate dean, students at Newcomb-Tulane College may apply for admission to Tulane Law School during the junior year. If admitted, students enroll as full-time law students during what would otherwise be the senior year. At the successful conclusion of that year, the BA or BS is awarded by Newcomb-Tulane College. After two more years of full-time law study, the JD is awarded by Tulane Law School. This program enables students to receive the BA or BS and the JD in six years.
Students wishing to apply to Tulane Law School under the 3/3 Program should take the LSAT during the summer between the sophomore and junior years, or during the fall semester of the junior year. Application to Tulane Law School should be made between September 1st and January 1st of the junior year.