Pre-Law Program
Program Details
At Xavier University, our Pre-Law program is tailored to support you as you consider applying to law school. We'll help guide your personal exploration of law as a potential career path through academic advising and hands-on experiences. Pre-Law equips you for success in law school and provides support from application to acceptance. If you seek a competitive advantage in your future law school applications, we strongly encourage you to get involved in Xavier University's Pre-Law program.
Pre-Law is not a designated major or minor.
Xavier University’s Pre-Law program serves as a guide for students of all majors who are considering and pursuing application to law school. It is not a designated major or minor.
Program Overview
The Pre-Law program serves as a guide for all students considering and pursuing application to law school. While any opportunity facilitated by the Pre-Law program or affiliated student-run clubs will help inform and guide your interest in law school, here’s a brief summary of notable opportunities that can put you on the right path towards law school and a career in law:
First and Second Year Students
- Sign up for Pre-Law Newsletter by joining the Pre-Law Society, or sending your request to: rhineys@xavier.edu
- Register for your free account with the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Use their free educational, vocational, and testing resources to learn more about the application process and careers in law.
- Shadow an attorney – You can sign up for a mentor through Career Planning or contact the Pre Law Advisor.
- Seek out professional internships and research opportunities through your academic programs, or career planning postings.
Juniors and Seniors
- Begin your law school search using LSAC and start attending law school open houses (in person and virtual).
- Ask 2-3 faculty members to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
- In the fall and spring, take advantage of virtual or in-person law school campus visits.
- Attend a law school class (coordinated through XU Pre-Law Program).
- Schedule and prepare for the LSAT after your junior year - take free tests and affordable LSAT prep opportunities available through LSAC and sign up for prep courses to supplement your efforts.
- Fall of senior year, begin your application process.
Law School Placement
In recent years, Xavier graduates have been admitted into a number of law schools. These institutions include:• Boston College
• Capital University
• Case Western Reserve
• The Catholic University of America
• Chicago Kent School of Law
• Georgetown University Law School
• George Washington University
• Harvard Law School
• Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington
• Indiana University Purdue University - Indianapolis
• Louisiana State University
• Loyola University Chicago
• Northeastern University
• Northern Kentucky University
• Notre Dame Law School
• Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
• Saint Louis University
• Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• UCLA School of Law
• University of Akron Law School
• University of Cincinnati College of Law
• University of Dayton
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota
• University of Oklahoma
• University of Oregon
• University of Louisville
• University of Virginia School of Law
• Vanderbilt University Law School
• Vermont Law School
• Villanova University
• Yale Law School
Student Clubs
Xavier has more than 90 student-led clubs and activities. Interested Pre-Law students should involve themselves in extra-curricular activities and job shadowing opportunities that will help enhance their vocational choices and support their interest in law. Here are a few student clubs that our program recommends you consider based on your interests:
- Criminal Justice Society- The mission of the Criminal Justice Society is to provide an opportunity for students to learn about those working in and impacted by the criminal justice system. The club emphasizes educational and hands on experiences to enhance the students' professional development.
- St. Thomas More Pre-Law Society- Pre-law students are strongly advised to join the St. Thomas More Pre-Law Society. This group meets several times a year to discuss the law school application process and careers in the legal profession.
- Xavier Mock Trial Club- Xavier’s Mock Trial Club participates in regional and national intercollegiate competitions. Club members—who consist of students interested in acting or Pre-Law--use legal cases to participate in trial simulations where they are assigned specific roles, such as attorneys, witnesses, etc. in order to improve their skills in public speaking, critical thinking, and legal reasoning. The advisors for this club are professional attorneys from the Cincinnati area.
- OIP-u- OIP-u is Ohio's collegiate network of innocence advocates. Their mission is to bring awareness to wrongful convictions, specifically in Ohio. The Xavier OIP-u chapter works to prevent wrongful conviction by promoting awareness on college campuses and to generate student and community support for the nonprofit Ohio Innocence Project.
Course Advice
Law schools do not require particular courses to admit students. Future law school applicants from Xavier University come from a diverse set of majors. Regardless of your major course of study, Pre-Law students are advised to take classes that will enhance reading comprehension, logical reasoning and research skills necessary for success in law school and legal practice. Students are encouraged to take classes that emphasize the following skills:
- critical thinking
- reading
- writing
- speaking
- problem-solving
- logical reasoning
When we seek something more, we become something greater.
Find more information about how you can become a Musketeer.
Request InformationGain a Breadth of Knowledge and Critical Thinking Skills Crucial for Success in Law School
Law schools value academic diversity and a broad liberal arts background in their student body. Through our core curriculum, you'll be exposed to a diverse range of disciplines, including literature, history, philosophy, social sciences and natural sciences.
Get Matched With a Practicing Lawyer in the Greater Cincinnati Area
In the pre-law program, you'll be paired with a seasoned mentor who is a practicing lawyer, bringing real-world expertise and insights from their experiences in prestigious private or government law offices situated within the greater Cincinnati area.
Actively Participate in Regional and National Mock Trial Competitions
In our pre-law program, you'll have exciting opportunities like joining our Mock Trial club, where you'll compete regionally and nationally, honing your courtroom skills. Pre-law students also participate in the St. Thomas More Pre-Law Society, which hosts discussions on law school applications and career paths in the legal field.
Graduate With Honors
Are you looking for an academic challenge? The University Scholars Honors Program offers incoming students a more challenging curriculum and close support from professors while completing their undergraduate degree. Acceptance into the program is highly selective and includes a $2000 travel grant.
Pre-Law Program Major at Xavier University
Many different majors can lead to a successful career in law. There is no particular course of study that is a prerequisite for admission to law school. At Xavier, students are instilled with strong communications skills, verbal and written, as they are both essential to a successful future in law. Courses requiring writing, research, and analytical thinking subjected to rigorous faculty criticism are tools used in the pre-law program to take students beyond mere preparation, to give them a competitive advantage in the field. Students also receive a solid understanding of human institutions and values. Xavier utilizes courses in political science, history, social psychology and sociology help to develop this discipline.
Xavier University’s College of Arts and Sciences challenges students to develop an integrated understanding of humanity, the world, and God by pursuing the questions raised in Xavier's core and departmental curricula. The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest college at Xavier University. The college provides an excellent liberal arts education in the Jesuit tradition that prepares students for careers, professional or graduate school, and life in a global society.
Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. Founded in 1831, the University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation. It has been ranked among the top 10 master's-level universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for the past two decades. The Princeton Review names it one of the "Best 385 Colleges in America."