Willamette University College of Law is excited to announce that it will immediately begin accepting the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for applicants who have not taken or are unable to take the LSAT for entry to the 2020 JD entering class. “We are committed to continuing to expand access to education while attracting a diverse student body with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds,” said College of Law Dean Curtis Bridgeman. “We also hope to create flexible options for our prospective students during this period of uncertainty.”
This change to the Willamette Law application process comes at a time when some prospective law students are unable to take the LSAT for the first time amid LSAT administration cancellations and uncertainties due to COVID-19. The GRE offers frequent testing dates at over 1,000 testing centers worldwide and recently, because of COVID-19, announced a move to a home-based exam monitored by an online proctor.
Before 2016, when the first law school began to accept a GRE score in lieu of an LSAT score, law school hopefuls had to take the LSAT to apply to law school. Willamette Law joins the significant handful of other law schools to accept the GRE as a reliable admission test to assess an applicant’s ability for success in law school. “When the dust settles from COVID-19, lawyers will be a critical piece of restoring basic function to society,” said Assistant Dean of Recruitment Leah Straley. “Our graduates will be on the front end of that and we hope to provide our applicants with flexible admission options to support their entry into the legal profession.” According to Straley, GRE scores only will be assessed in cases where an applicant has not and will not take the LSAT.
About Willamette University College of Law
The College of Law is a private law school located in Salem, Oregon at Willamette University, the oldest university in the western United States. Willamette Law boasts an innovative program designed to prepare leaders in government, private practice, and business with the lawyering skills needed in the 21st Century. In recent years, outside industry watchers such as Moody’s and The National Jurist Magazine have recognized Willamette Law for its positive job placement results. Willamette lawyers are the best dealmakers, problem solvers, community leaders, and change-makers in the most innovative and exciting region in the country. Our location — nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley and across the street from the Oregon State Capitol, Supreme Court and many state agencies — is an advantage that cannot be matched anywhere in the region.