Honors Program
What is the Honors Program?
An academic Honors Program providing select students who are entering law school or have performed at the top of their law school class with exclusive academic and community experiences in areas integral to becoming Christian lawyers and Christian leaders.
What does it look like in practice?
In terms of curricula: Honors students will take selected courses in sections open only to them. Currently, this includes:
- In the first semester of the first year, Honors students participate in a special section of Christian Foundations of Law taught by Dean Brauch.
- Honors students enjoy a special honors section of one of the other first-year common law doctrinal courses; e.g., Torts, Contracts, or Property.
- Honors students take part in a "milestone" course/experience during their 2L year and a "capstone" course/experience during their final (3rd year for full time/4th year for part time) year.
In terms of community: Honors students are invited to participate in events open only to them.
- For example, first-year Honors Program participants recently enjoyed a special breakfast meeting with General Ashcroft as part of the Christian Foundations of Law special course section.
How does the program compare to Top-Tier law schools in the U.S. News rankings?
Regent University School of Law Honors Student Profile
Mean LSAT: 162.1, Mean UGPA: 3.64
Profile equivalent to schools ranked in U.S. News & World Report Top 25
| Comparison of Objective Admissions Statistics of Top-Tier Schools in VA |
||||
| School1 | LSAT (25%) | LSAT (75%) | UGPA (25%) | UGPA (75%) |
| U of Virginia (7) | 165 | 171 | 3.49 | 3.94 |
| William & Mary (35) | 161 | 167 | 3.46 | 3.82 |
| Regent U Honors | 160 | 164 | 3.39 | 3.9 |
| Washington & Lee (24) | 159 | 165 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| George Mason (39) | 157 | 165 | 3.24 | 3.78 |
| U of Richmond (58) | 158 | 164 | 3.13 | 3.66 |
1Class entering 2011 -- current U.S. News ranking in parentheses.
How does it benefit participants?
- Participants take classes with other high-performing students and enjoy a high level of in-class intellectual engagement.
- Participants benefit from smaller class sizes than is typical at most schools, including those in the top tier. This means faculty are able to engage Honors students at an enhanced level.
- Participants do not have as many required courses to take during the second and third year. This means they enjoy a greater measure of curricular flexibility.
How do I get into and stay in the program?
- Incoming students who have achieved an average LSAT score of 158 or higher and who have an overall cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.5 or higher are considered for admission into the Honors Program.
- Students who are not admitted into the program in their first year can earn placement in the program by finishing in the top 15% of their class at the end of the first year.
- All students must maintain a law school GPA of 3.0 to continue in the program.
What do Honors Program students say about the program?
The Honors Program at Regent has been a wonderful way to connect with students from a wide variety of backgrounds who have similar goals and academic ambitions. It's an ideal way to create study groups and a learning environment that fosters the Christian academic prowess needed in the legal field today. - Rebecca Knight
With smaller class sizes, the Honors Program has helped me to connect with my classmates to a greater degree than I ever thought possible. The more in depth class discussion provided through the Honors Program, along with the opportunity to meet great leaders such as General John Ashcroft and learn from Dean Brauch, has both enriched and empowered my 1L experience here at Regent University School of Law. – Nicole Tutrani
The Law Honors Program has given me the opportunity to study subjects in a small classroom setting that really facilitates student/professor interaction and general camaraderie throughout the class. I was privileged to study Christian Foundations of Law and Property with an engaging and intellectually challenging group of people who have become some of my closest friends at Regent. One situation that really demonstrated this support and friendship was found right after our Christian Foundations of Law final last semester. It was the last final in a grueling two weeks of exams and many people were planning on heading home for Christmas in the next few hours. Despite this desire to get home, every student in the class, upon completing the exam, waited in the hall for the rest of their classmates to finish and welcomed those emerging from the room with hugs and emphatic words of encouragement. – Ethan Stowell
