EWU, Gonzaga program puts students on fast track to law degrees

A new program puts Eastern Washington University students on a fast track to earning law degrees.

EWU has teamed with Gonzaga University School of Law to develop the 3+3 program, which allows students to earn their bachelor’s and law degrees in six years rather than the usual seven.

Students in the program apply to Gonzaga’s law school during their junior year at EWU, and their first-year law courses count toward some remaining requirements of their undergraduate degrees.

The program is open to students of all majors who maintain grade-point averages of 3.3 or higher, EWU and Gonzaga said in an announcement Wednesday. The schools first announced they were collaborating on the program in March 2019.

Law schools across the country offer similar accelerated programs, including the University of Idaho College of Law. Gonzaga’s law school also has a 3+3 program for students transferring from Whitworth University’s political science department.

“This public-private collaboration between Eastern and Gonzaga is a wonderful achievement that will give students more opportunities to excel and also the financial support to do so,” EWU Provost David May said in a statement.

The schools said they are working on a “reciprocal agreement” that would allow Gonzaga students to apply to EWU graduate programs during their junior year.