Pre-Law

What Do Pre-Law Students Major In?

Law schools do not favor any particular major, but rather, look for students with analytical reading comprehension, argumentative writing skills and critical thinking skills. All departments and programs in the College of Liberal Arts excel in teaching these competencies, which are integral to getting a good score on the LSAT exam—the most crucial factor in law school admissions. Select any of our 35 majors and enhance it with extracurriculars, legal internships and study abroad programs for an undergraduate résumé that stands out to the best law schools. While traditional pre-law majors include English, economics, history, philosophy and political science, students from all our majors have been very successful in law school admissions.

Undergraduate

Preparing for Law School

There are many free resources available to support you as you consider applying to law school:

Law School Transparency provides information on the law school profession, financial investment, statistics on law school rankings, employment rates, enrollment, etc.
AccessLex Institute provides financial education and a variety of pre-law services.
Law School Admission Council (LSAC) administers the LSAT and provides clear steps for applying to law school.
Free Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Prep

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Internships & Professional Development

Law schools desire applicants who have the proven ability to work in the high-paced professional environment of law and understand the realities of legal practice. The College of Liberal Arts Center for Advising and Professional Development, as well as individual departments, organize internships for Pre-Law students. Recently, our students have secured coveted internships with

The ACLU
Countless Philadelphia law firms, both large and small
Harrisburg and Washington, D.C.
Philadelphia Defenders Office
Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
Temple Law’s Innocence Project
The Criminal Justice Department’s renowned Inside-Out program
The Office of the Attorney General of Pennsylvania
The Political Science Department’s Capital Semester program in washington D.C.
The US Attorney’s Office
The Women’s Law Project

Pre-Law Advising

A very important part of success in law school admissions is exceptional advising and mentoring. While there are many paths to prepare for law school, you need good advisors and mentors to help you build your own personal academic and experiential path, and to know how to present your achievements to law schools in the best light. To find out more about Pre-Law in the College of Liberal Arts, you can contact CLA academic advising or the Director of Pre-Law in the College of Liberal Arts, Professor Paul Crowe.

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Undergraduate Resources

Financial Aid and Scholarships

At Temple, we believe that students from all walks of life should have access to an outstanding college education. If you need help paying for your education, you aren’t alone. Most students receive some form of financial aid to fund their education. About 60% of first-year Temple students receive need-based financial aid, and the average first-year financial aid package is about $15,000. Eligible students receive financial assistance from federal, private, state and university sources. Explore your financial aid options and apply early to make your education an affordable experience.

Student Financial Services

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Tuition and Fees

For more than 130 years, we have focused on providing a world-class education at an affordable price. Just compare Temple to other universities and see what we mean. Temple tuition rates vary by college or school, residency status, student level and more. Use the Temple Tuition Calculator to estimate your tuition rate.

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Resources

Pre-Law Fact Sheet

Temple Admission Deadlines

Organizations

Pre-Law Student Organizations

The College offers a range of student-run activities of interest to pre-law students, including

Temple University Pre-Law Society

Pre-Law Society meets regularly throughout the semester and is open to all majors. Apart from social events, the society hosts speakers such as CLA alumni lawyers and law students, law school admissions officers and LSAT prep organizations. The Society also organizes visits to law schools and law school fairs in the area, as well as LSAT practice exams and study-groups. Pre-law Society is a great way to meet other Pre-Law students at Temple.

Temple University Mock Trial Team

The College of Liberal Arts has supported a successful mock trial for many years. Every year, two teams from Temple enter the national American Mock Trial Association Competition and compete against teams from the region. Temple Mock Trial teams regularly compete against (and defeat) teams from NYU, Princeton, University of Maryland, Villanova, Yale and others. The team’s two coaches are both practicing lawyers and alums of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law’s nationally ranked Trial Advocacy Program.

Temple University Debate Team

The Temple Debate Society competes on the most popular circuit inthe United States, the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA), but we encourage all types of public discourse, both competitive and non-competitive. The purpose of this organization is to develop debate and speech skills both among its members and the local community. The team provides access for its members to compete and/or participate in debate, forensics and speech tournaments, including those held on a national and international level.

Temple University Black Law Students Association

The Black Law Student Association - Pre-Law Division (BLSA) is a student organization dedicated to making pre-law students more competitive law school applicants. The organization confronts the high racial disparity in the legal field by preparing pre-law students to attend law school.

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Beasley School of Law

The James E. Beasley School of Law (also known as Temple Law School or Temple Law) offers both full-time and part-time law programs in Philadelphia, the birthplace of American democracy. Ranked 2nd best for trial advocacy training by US News & World Report , Temple’s Law School also offers well-regarded public interest law and legal writing programs. Dedicated to making law school accessible to all talented students, our longstanding tradition of accessibility and diversity increases excellence in higher education and equal justice under the law. Admission is highly competitive.

Top Law Schools

Undergraduates from the College of Liberal Arts who don’t attend our top-ranked Temple Law School continue on Ivy League law schools and other excellent law programs that include

Drexel University
Georgetown University
Harvard University
New York University
Northwestern University
Rutgers University
University of Pennsylvania
University of Chicago
Villanova University
Yale University

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Transfer

Almost half of incoming Temple students transfer from other colleges and universities. If you’ve taken 15 or more college-level credits after high school graduation, you can apply for admission as a transfer student. If you’re thinking about transferring, consider speaking directly with our CLA Enrollment Management team.

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Philosophy

Pre-Law

What Do Pre-Law Students Major In?

Undergraduate

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Fly in Four

Tuition and Fees

Apply to Temple

Resources

Organizations

Pre-Law Student Organizations

Temple University Pre-Law Society

Temple University Mock Trial Team

Temple University Debate Team

Temple University Black Law Students Association

Next Stops

Beasley School of Law

Top Law Schools

Go back to Academics More in Undergraduate

Philosophy

What Do Pre-Law Students Major In?

Undergraduate

Organizations

Pre-Law Student Organizations

Temple University Pre-Law Society

Temple University Mock Trial Team

Temple University Debate Team

Temple University Black Law Students Association

Next Stops

Beasley School of Law

Top Law Schools

Go back to AcademicsMore in Undergraduate

Go back to Academics More in Undergraduate