New 3+3 partnerships expand pathways for SUNY students
The School of Law is extending its reach into the pool of talented undergraduates in New York State by forging new agreements with two more SUNY schools for 3+3 accelerated degree programs.
Students at the State University of New York at Geneseo and those at SUNY Old Westbury will now have the option to declare their law school ambitions early and reduce the amount of time it takes to achieve their educational goals. Under the 3+3 partnerships, students complete three years at their undergraduate school, then receive their bachelor’s degree after completing their first year at UB Law. They then complete law school in the standard time, compressing their overall education into six years, thus saving on tuition and living expenses.
With the two new agreements, UB Law now has 3+3 arrangements with a dozen undergraduate schools, all in New York State.
“As the State of New York’s law school, we are pleased to partner with two additional SUNY schools to expand pathways to the legal profession,” says UB Law Dean S. Todd Brown. “Many of our law alumni received their undergraduate degree from the SUNY system and now serve as leaders in our legal community. We expect that these new partnerships will facilitate even more.”
The new partnerships solidify UB Law’s statewide reach, and with SUNY Old Westbury, located on Long Island, bolster the law school’s presence in the important downstate market.
The 3+3 programs have become an important pipeline for law school admission for academically strong and career-focused students from the partner institutions. Students in these programs must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 through their undergraduate years, and score highly on the LSAT or GRE, to be admitted to UB Law.
3+3 students come from a variety of academic interests. At Old Westbury, for instance, eligible majors include Politics, Economics and Law; English; Philosophy and Religion; and American Studies. The eligible majors at Geneseo include American Studies, Economics, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Philosophy and Sustainability Studies.
Assistant Director Benjamin Rogers
Beyond the time and cost savings, students in these programs benefit from the outset from the support of UB Law’s Office of Admissions, where Assistant Director Benjamin Rogers is responsible for administering the 3+3 program.
Rogers maintains contact at the partner schools with student pre-law groups, Phi Alpha Delta professional fraternity chapters and undergraduate pre-law advisers, and is UB Law’s point of contact for all the students involved—he talks one-one-one to about 100 individuals every year.
“It’s just a fantastic opportunity to build strong partnerships with these institutions and students,” Rogers says. “The program allows students to get engaged with the law school early in in their undergraduate studies, and it’s built to provide them with benefits that extend beyond the 3+3 structure. I think it’s especially impactful for first-generation and historically underrepresented students because it gives them a really clear idea of what law school is like and the path to get there.”
For example, students in the program are offered free LSAT test prep, including workshops and practice tests. Other benefits include the opportunity to get to know members of the UB Law community—faculty and staff; alumni who graduated from the 3+3 program and are now successfully launched in their careers; and current law students in 3+3 program cohorts. Much of that happens at a regular spring networking session on campus. “It’s a great way to meet students in the same program,” Rogers says, “and gain a nuanced understanding of where you’re going within the law.”
And careful preparation pays off: To date, Rogers says, 100 percent of UB Law students admitted through 3+3 partnerships have passed the bar and are working in the legal field.