About the LSAC PLUS Program
Every summer for nearly two decades, LSAC has partnered with host law schools to provide aspiring law students with a unique immersive learning experience designed to prepare them for law school success. The LSAC PLUS Program specifically addresses the challenges faced by minoritized students on the path to law school and the legal profession, offering selected participants a window into what law school is really like while providing supportive insights about the law school enrollment journey.
The program would not be possible without our host law schools whose partnership and support helps nurture the next generation of lawyers and leaders — who will one day ensure our justice system mirrors the diversity of society.
2022 PLUS Program Grant Recipients
During the 2022 PLUS Program RFP process, LSAC sought innovative proposals designed with program requirements and learning outcomes intentionally centered on the student experience, while also expanding the traditional program model to include greater range in program structure, time frame, and target audience.
This year’s RFP was a very engaging and competitive process, with 37 proposed ideas submitted, representing 32 unique schools. LSAC ultimately received 20 full grant proposals. Through a rigorous review process, 4 new PLUS Program grantees were selected.
Applications for the 2022 PLUS Program will open in January 2022.
Boston University School of Law
BU Summer Pre-Law Academy
Participants in the program: students one year away from applying to law school
Format of the program: residential
Length of the program: an intensive four-week summer program
Size of the program: 20 advanced undergraduate students or individuals with a demonstrated interest in law who have already obtained a bachelor’s degree and are from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups
Focus of the program: The BU Summer Pre-Law Academy is focused on countering structural and environmental forces that unevenly tax students of color. To accomplish this end, the program will expose students to scholarship, including Critical Race Theory, produced by academics and activists of color that illuminate the racialized (and often overlooked) dimensions of law and legal education.
North Carolina Central University School of Law
Preparing Aspiring Law Students (P.A.L.S.) Program
Participants in the program: students one year away from applying to law school
Format of the program: hybrid
Length of the program: a one-week in-person summer workshop and a one-week virtual summer workshop
Size of the program: 30 first-generation college students and students who are economically disadvantaged. NCC will work closely with the state’s 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, a Native American-Serving Institution.
Focus of the program: P.A.L.S. intervention is grounded in Jacquelynne Eccles’s Expectancy Value Theory, which begins with an examination of the “culture milieu” or the understandings imposed by our broader society. The P.A.L.S. Program will acknowledge the existence of stereotypes regarding the performance and expectations of all applicants to law school. The first part of the program is designed to provide students with the tools they need to navigate the law school admission process. The second week of P.A.L.S. will be held virtually, and will provide participants with the tools they need to be financially, psychologically, and academically prepared for success.
Seattle University School of Law
WA Law Schools-Heritage University Collaborative Program
Participants in the program: diverse and first-generation rising sophomores and juniors at Heritage University and the surrounding area
Format of the program: hybrid
Length of the program: a three-week in-person summer program with a follow-up program in October
Size of the program: Seattle University will work closely with University of Washington School of Law, Gonzaga University School of Law, and Heritage University to recruit and serve 30 student participants.
Focus of the program: Heritage University’s goal is to provide Latinx and Native American students living in Central Washington with the encouragement, education, and support that will empower them to see a career in the legal field as a realistic and desirable professional option. The program aims to foster a strong sense of professional and personal belonging, community support, and purpose that will inspire participants to leave the Central Washington region and attend law school, then hopefully return to the area to practice law when they graduate.
Tulane University School of Law
LSAC PLUS Program at Tulane Law School
Participants in the program: students one year away from applying to law school
Format of the program: virtual and in-person
Length of the program: a nine-month hybrid (virtual and in-person) program
Size of the program: 30 diverse students in the New Orleans metro area that are one year away from applying to law school
Focus of the program: Tulane University School of Law plans to provide LSAC PLUS Program participants with the information, resources, support, and confidence they will need to be successful in the law school application process and the transition to law school. This includes a mentoring component with 2Ls and attorneys for each small focus group to support them over the nine-month duration of the program.
Welcome Back 2022 LSAC PLUS Programs
We appreciate the enduring partnership and support of our returning host law schools and look forward to the success of their 2022 LSAC PLUS Programs. A warm welcome back to:
University of Puerto Rico School of Law
Director: Hiram Meléndez-Juarbe
The University of Memphis
Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
Director: Demetria Frank
University of Oregon School of Law
Director: Sarah Keiski
We're here to answer your questions.
LSAC PLUS Program Support
We deeply value your interest in the LSAC PLUS Program. Please contact us with any questions you may have regarding the grant application process at diversityoffice@LSAC.org.
LSAC PLUS Program Branding Resource Guide
Welcome to the LSAC PLUS Program community! Use this guide as you prepare your PLUS Program marketing and communication materials.