Accelerated Honors students will obtain their law licenses and be eligible to start practicing while their peers are preparing for the bar exam and therefore will begin working as attorneys or policy makers six months ahead of their peers in traditional three-year full-time programs.
Because McGeorge covers the tuition for the summer externships for AHP students who stay in the program, students in McGeorge's unique program save thousands of dollars.
The most accurate way to compare the cost of attending McGeorge's Accelerated Honors Program is to discount the total cost of attendance by the free summer externship and the six months of income students will earn while their peers are studying for and taking the bar exam and waiting for their results.
How to Apply
Acceptance into the full-time Accelerated Honors JD degree program is competitive and requires completion of the McGeorge JD admissions application submitted through LSAC as well as an interview (in-person, phone, or Skype). Competitive students will have excellent academic credentials and distinctive life experiences to support successful completion of an accelerated JD degree. Students with a 157 LSAT score and a 3.3 or better undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) or a 156 and 3.5 or better UGPA presumptively will qualify for an interview. Students whose entrance credentials do not meet these prerequisites may qualify for an interview if their LSAT score and UGPAs are similar to these requirements and other aspects of their application justify further evaluation of their candidacy for the program.
Make a Difference Sooner
Full-time students complete the JD degree in two and one-half years. The typical curriculum includes a 10-week honors externship during the summer and a heavier load of 17 credits each semester after the first year. Program graduates may enter the job market six months sooner than those in a three-year program and save a semester of expenses.
Financial Aid
Accelerated Honors JD students are eligible for all financial aid and merit scholarships available to students in the regular full-time program. McGeorge offers Yellow Ribbon full-tuition benefits to U.S. Veterans.
Academic Opportunities
Accelerated JD students may pursue Certificates of Concentration, Law Review, Mock Trial, Moot Court and similar academic opportunities.
Summer Externship
Many of McGeorge's regularly approved externship placements are available to students in the accelerated honors program during the first summer after they commence law school. Externships would be full time for 10 weeks and students would earn seven (7) units of credit. Examples of externship placements include:
- Trial and Appellate Judges (state and federal)
- California Attorney General's Office (various divisions)
- Fair Political Practice Commission
- Franchise Tax Board
- District Attorney's Office
- Public Defender's Office
- California Environmental Protection Agency - State Water Resources Control Board
- California Department of Human Resources
- Children's Law Center
- California Department of Managed Health Care
Other externship placements at non-profit and governmental agencies and organizations are also available and each student will be individually placed with consideration given to area of interest.
"McGeorge is a community that values learning, embraces diversity, and welcomes innovation. I invite you to discover what a 21st century, student-centered, community-engaged legal education can be." — Dean Michael Hunter Schwartz, National Jurist Magazine's Ninth Most Influential Person in Legal Education
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information on the Accelerated Honors Program, please review our Frequently Asked Questions.
