UAA and University of Washington School of Law partner to offer accelerated admission program

University of Alaska Anchorage and University of Washington School of Law have reached an agreement to collaborate in providing qualified UAA students the opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree and law degree on an accelerated schedule, typically in six years rather than the usual seven.

UAA Chancellor Tom Case and University of Washington School of Law Dean Kellye Testy will sign a Memorandum of Understanding Thursday, Nov. 13, at 9 a.m. on the UAA campus to formalize the UAA-Washington Law Accelerated Admission Program.

The agreement will allow students from any major to enter law school once they have completed the course requirements in their discipline and the university's general education requirements, and finished 90 credits or completed what would otherwise be their junior year. Notably, students do not need to have completed their undergraduate degree before entering law school. Their first year of law school may be transferred back to UAA as elective credit, and students will graduate with their baccalaureate degree after their first year of law school.

This partnership will allow students to reduce the costs of their undergraduate education, lower their overall level of student loans and lessen the opportunity costs of being in school by allowing them to enter the workforce one year earlier than they otherwise could. These programs are often referred to as 3+3 programs because qualified students spend three years as undergraduates and three years in law school. Such programs are attractive to any student seeking to reduce educational costs, but they may be especially useful for veterans separating from the military.

Following successful completion of the first-year curriculum but before receiving their degree from UW, students in the program must complete an externship or clerkship in Alaska.

Earlier this year, UAA and Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Ore., established a similar agreement for a 3+3 program.

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