Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars Program
Please read to the end!
Thank you for your interest in the 2020 LSAC PLUS Program at Duke Law! The deadline to apply and submit essays and resumes will remain March 16th at 11:59 pm. This means that we will not receive any additional applications to the program after the deadline. We will, however, continue to receive transcripts and recommendations until March 23rd from those that have already applied and submitted the other materials by the deadline.
We are working diligently to download transcripts that were received via email.
Please note that all of this is where we are right now. This is uncharted territory for all of us, so please be patient with our staff. Updates will be posted as available.
The LSAC Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program at Duke Law School is a four-week residential program held on the campus of Duke University that aims to introduce talented rising college sophomores and juniors to the study of law and to the legal profession.
2020 PLUS Program May 31 – June 26, 2020
The LSAC PLUS Program enrolls 20 to 40 students per year with the ideal candidate being a strong student who is ready to work hard, engage in coursework, and is interested in the access this program provides toward preparing for a legal education.
The Duke Law program targets students from colleges and universities in the Southeast region of the United States with a focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. As a leading law school in the South, Duke considers the program a significant opportunity to encourage larger numbers of students in the region to not only consider law school but to be prepared to pursue it successfully. While the program is targeted primarily to first- and second-year students of color, we will also seek to include first-generation college students.
How to Apply
Eligible Students
The PLUS Program is open to students who have completed their freshman or sophomore years at four-year colleges and universities, technical colleges and community colleges. Eligible students will have completed between 24 and 60 credits by the start of the PLUS Program. The program focuses on attracting promising students from groups historically underrepresented in the legal profession, first generation college students and those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as students facing other significant barriers to entering the legal profession.
-
Completed 2020 PLUS application form
-
Résumé
-
Official undergraduate transcript
-
1-2 Letters of recommendation (At least 1 should be from a faculty member)
-
2 Original Short Essays – 2 statements limited to 500 words each
-
Essay 1 – Please share your interest in studying law and why you believe this program would be beneficial for you
-
Essay 2 – Perseverance is one of the keys to success in law school and ultimately life. Discuss a time when you faced an obstacle, setback or failure. How did it affect you? What lessons did you learn? What was the outcome?
-
Application Deadline
The application form and all required documentation listed above must be received by Monday, March 16, 2020.
Application Submission
Unless otherwise indicated, all materials should be submitted electronically via email to dlpp@law.duke.edu. Where possible, the official undergraduate transcript should be emailed directly from your institution to the Law School at dlpp@law.duke.edu or by mail to the following address.
Duke University School of Law
Office of Diversity Initiatives
210 Science Drive
Box 90393
Durham, NC 27708
Applicants will be notified once all application materials have been received. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed and will be removed from consideration. If you have questions regarding the status of your application or about the program, please contact us at 919-613-7002 or dlpp@law.duke.edu.
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed holistically by evaluating each student's academic promise, volunteer and/or work experience and commitment to the PLUS Program. The admissions team will carefully review all materials in each applicant’s file.
Finalists for the PLUS Program may be contacted for an interview. Interviews will be by invitation only, and may be conducted via Skype.
Program Costs
The PLUS Program is provided to participants free of charge. As a Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholar, you will receive complimentary on-campus housing and will have most of your meals covered for the duration of the program. You will also receive a stipend of $1,000 for your participation in the program and a fee waiver from the Law School Admissions Council for the LSAT and Credential Assembly Service.
All PLUS programming, including any mandatory outings or class trips, will be provided at no cost to participants. All books or course packets required for classroom work will also be provided free of charge.
"Oftentimes in minority communities, the access to resources, opportunities or information is not as readily available as it can be in other communities. There is a strong push to make sure that students of color and students from lower economic backgrounds are made aware of the opportunities that they can have and are made aware that law school is something they can do." (excerpt from LSAC Shifting the Dynamics of the Legal Profession)
Ebony Bryant, Director of Diversity Initiatives, works with students, student organizations, administrators, and faculty on efforts to enhance inclusivity and diversity at the Law School. She maintains connections with minority alumni to promote opportunities for engagement with Duke Law and facilitates connections that benefit current and prospective students.
The Duke PreLaw Fellowship program: Laying the groundwork for professional success
Twenty-two rising sophomores and juniors from colleges and universities across the South comprised Duke Law's PLUS program in 2018. Students took classes in criminal law, legal writing and analysis, and LSAT preparation, and gained insight and advice on applying for and succeeding in law school.
National HBCU Pre-Law Summit visits Duke Law
Aspiring law school students from Florida State University, Guilford College, NC A&T State University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro visited Duke Law on September 14, 2017 as part of a full-day bus tour of the N.C. law schools, sponsored by The National HBCU Pre-Law Summit.