Pre-Law BA
Johnstown, USA
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
USD 25,534 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* full-time, two terms | for out-of-state residents
Key Summary
Introduction
Pitt-Johnstown has a solid record for placing graduates in law school. Pre-law – while not a major, minor, or series of courses – refers to anyone who wants to explore, prepare, and apply to law school. Law school requires no prerequisite courses and has no preferred majors.
At Pitt-Johnstown, our pre-law advisor will guide you from course selection to LSAT preparation and the application process.
Pitt-Johnstown offers a complete pre-law advising process, including access to all information and catalogs students should need, and a pre-law advisor experienced in the application/matriculation process. The advising process usually begins during the junior year. At that time, application forms, catalogs, information packages, materials on law careers, and full information on Law Board examinations, will be available to students.
Admissions
Gallery
Scholarships and Funding
Pitt-Johnstown Financial Aid
Scholarship eligibility for incoming first-year or new students to Pitt-Johnstown will be assessed by the Admissions Office upon acceptance.
Process For Continuing Students
Each year, the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s Financial Aid Office awards numerous Gift and Endowed (G&E) scholarships, made available to deserving students through the generosity of many individuals, clubs, organizations, industries, businesses, and foundations.
The selection of scholarship recipients is based on specific criteria defined by the donor. A student’s academic performance and financial need may also be considered when deciding upon qualified candidates. Most G&E scholarships are geared toward continuing students; Pitt-Johnstown may require students to complete a scholarship application for consideration.
Completing the scholarship application does not guarantee selection, however, by completing the application, students are automatically considered for each scholarship that Pitt-Johnstown offers as well as several outside scholarships.
General Requirements
For consideration, students must:
- be enrolled for at least 6 credits in a degree-seeking program at Pitt-Johnstown.
- have successfully completed 12 credits as a degree-seeking student at Pitt-Johnstown.
- have earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
- complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 1 to be considered for need-based scholarships.
- be registered for the upcoming fall term by May 15.
- comply with Pitt-Johnstown's satisfactory academic progress standards for financial aid.
- not be in default on an educational loan or not owe repayment on a federal grant.
- not have earned a Bachelor’s Degree.
Scholarship Exclusions/Adjustments
Limited G&E funds are available to full scholarship recipients. Scholarship awards may be adjusted if Financial Aid determines a student is the recipient of a full tuition scholarship or tuition remission.
Any student who receives a scholarship and/or grant awards that total more than Pitt-Johnstown’s annual cost of attendance, as defined by the Financial Aid Office, will have one or more awards reduced or cancelled.
The Financial Aid Office awards G&E scholarships based upon the information available at the time of the award, including intended major or cumulative GPA, as well as any other possible variables. In the event that this information is inaccurate or changes, the Financial Aid Office has the right to reduce, change, or cancel the award.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
‘Prelaw’ is not an academic major
First of all, we need to clarify our terminology - ‘prelaw’ is not a field of academic study or discipline or an undergraduate major but rather signals a direction or an aspiration, such as “I want to be a lawyer” or “I plan to go to law school.” In broad terms, the American Bar Association (ABA) does not recognise specific courses or a specific undergraduate major as peculiarly appropriate as preparation for law school and actually encourages a diversity of academic interests at the undergraduate level. Surveys indicate that law school applicants come generally from social science fields, such as political science (20%), criminal justice (6%), psychology and history (5%). However, since many colleges and universities and most high school guidance counsellors continue to use the term ‘prelaw’ when discussing various academic and career directions with students, more clarification is needed.