[blindlaw] Univ. of Alabama Accepts its Honors Undergrads Sans LSAT, ABA Journal, April 8, 2009

[Nightingale, Noel]

Blindlaw listers:

This article describes an interesting development and a potential way for some to avoid the pain of the LSAT and obtaining accommodations for it.

Link:
http://www.abajournal.com/weekly/univ._of_alabama_admits_honors_undergrads_sans_lsat

Text:
Univ. of Alabama Accepts its Honors Undergrads Sans LSAT
Posted Apr 8, 2009
By Sarah Randag

As a part of a pilot program, the University of Alabama School of Law has admitted seniors from the University of Alabama's Honors College without LSAT scores, the Tuscaloosa News reported.

"The decade-old Law-UA Honors partnership, which is a select but important part of our recruitment effort, is experimenting this year with ways to keep top local students on campus for their legal education," law school spokesman Aaron Latham said in a statement.

Through a public information request, the Tuscaloosa News obtained a letter that Claude Reeves, associate dean for admissions at the law school, sent to Honors College students in the fall. The letter stated that for Honors College students with a minimum 3.75 GPA, applications would not require LSAT scores, essays or recommendation letters, and that their admission decisions would be made within 24 hours.

The University of Michigan announced a similar program in September that goes so far as to not consider applicants who had taken the LSAT. The MoneyLaw blog, among others, suggested at the time that one aim of the program may be to improve the school's ranking in U.S. News & World Report.

"After all, the law school can hardly report LSAT scores for its 1L Wolverine Scholars if no such scores exist. Yet those same students offer the school a chance to greatly improve the mean GPA of its 1L class," according to the blog.

The Tuscaloosa News also noted that the University of Illinois College of Law announced a similar program in October, as the National Law Journal detailed at the time. This program allows University of Illinois undergrads to apply during their junior year, and the LSAT is optional.