Remember how back in February the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law started allowing applicants to submit GRE scores instead of LSAT scores? And then remember how the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), the LSAT administrators, threatened to revoke the Tucson law school’s council membership?
Well as of this past Saturday, that threat is off the table…at least for now.
LSAC sent Arizona Law dean Marc Miller a letter stating that “for the time being” the law school will retain its membership status. The council determined in a meeting last week that the decision for the school to use the GRE in addition to the LSAT does not violate any rules. (See image of this letter below.)
This council’s decision comes after the board received a letter signed by 149 deans (leaders from three-quarters of the nation’s ABA-accredited law schools) against the move to revoke membership to Arizona.
Here’s a quote from the May 3rd appeal:
We write as law school deans to express our great concern over LSAC’s threat to expel the University of Arizona Law School because it experimented with using the GRE as a small part of its admissions process. Experimentation benefits all of us. We all expect to learn from the University of Arizona’s experiment and it should not be punished by LSAC.
Most importantly, we strongly urge that the Board of Trustees allow the University of Arizona to remain a member of the Council. Expelling it for this is unwarranted under the existing rules and sends a terrible message to law schools about experimentation in the admissions process. Also, as deans at ABA accredited law schools and members of the LSAC Council, we urge the LSAC Board of Trustees to modify the provision of LSAC Bylaws Article I, Section 1, which “requires that substantially all of its applicants for admission” take the LSAT. The rule should be changed to allow experimentation with alternative tests.
The beginning of this story is posted here. We’ll keep you updated as it unfolds.
Sources:
• Opposition to Arizona Law School’s Use of GRE Fizzles, National Law Journal
• Law School Deans Oppose the LSAT, but at What Cost?, FindLaw
• Law School Deans Fight Back Against the Tyranny of the LSAT, Above the Law
Related Resources:
• University of Arizona College of Law Will Accept GRE Instead of LSAT
• Five Ways Being a Real Lawyer Isn’t like Being on Television
• Should You Explain Your LSAT Score or Grades? 5 Things to Consider
