Pepperdine Caruso Law School And Tuskegee University Launch 3+3 Accelerated BA|BS-JD Degree Program

Today is a special day at Pepperdine Caruso Law School:  we are signing a Memorandum of Understanding for a new accelerated 3+3 degree program with Tuskegee University, one of the 104 accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States. This 3+3 degree program allows for Tuskegee students to attend their first year of law school after finishing their junior year at Tuskegee, thereby earning a bachelor’s degree followed by a juris doctor in six years instead of seven. Caruso Law has also guaranteed a 50 percent tuition scholarship to all HBCU students from underrepresented communities who are admitted to and attend Caruso Law, and up to five of those students will be named Caruso Excellence Scholars with full tuition scholarships.

Update:  Law.com, 'Pathway to the Legal Profession': Pepperdine Caruso Law Partners With Tuskegee University for New 3+3 Law Degree Program:

The Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Monday for a new accelerated 3+3 degree program with Tuskegee University, one of the 104 accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States.

This 3+3 degree program allows for Tuskegee students to attend their first year of law school after finishing their junior year at Tuskegee, thereby earning a bachelor’s degree, followed by a juris doctor in six years instead of seven, Paul L. Caron, the Duane and Kelly Roberts dean and professor of law at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, wrote in his Tax Prof Blog on Monday.

Under the terms of the agreement, qualified students from Tuskegee may apply to Caruso Law at the start of their junior year instead of their senior year. If they are accepted, they would begin attending law school during what would have been their senior year, and those first-year law credits would also apply to the undergraduate record, according to the law school’s announcement.

“We are honored to partner with Tuskegee University and its students,” Caron said in a statement. “Our great hope is that degree pathways of this nature will open up new opportunities to the bright students who would not otherwise consider law school, while at the same time easing the burden of the typically high cost of an advanced degree.”

“In addition to providing a pathway to law school for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds,” Chalak Richards, dean of students, diversity and belonging at Caruso Law, said in a statement. “This accelerated program represents a significant tuition savings for these students” since these candidates are also automatically considered for the Caruso Law HBCU scholarships.

Students from underrepresented communities at any of the 106 historically black colleges or universities (HBCU), who are admitted to and attend Caruso Law, are guaranteed a 50% tuition scholarship, Caron announced during a speech at the school’s Law School Admissions Conference, co-sponsored by For People of Color, in 2020, according to Caron’s Tax Prof blog.