LEAD Program Eligibility

LEAD Program Eligibility

To qualify presumptively for the KU LEAD Program as an in-coming, first-year KU undergraduate student, students must:

  • Gain admission to the program before their first in-residence year, or during the first semester of their first in-residence year, as an undergraduate at KU;
  • Enroll in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences seeking a B.A. degree; and
  • Earn a 3.5, or better, high school GPA and complete an essay.

To qualify discretionarily for the KU LEAD Program as an in-coming, first-year KU undergraduate student, students must:

  • Gain admission to the program before their first in-residence year, or during the first semester of their first in-residence year, as an undergraduate at KU;
  • Enroll in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences seeking a B.A. degree; and
  • Have a 3.35 high school GPA, or better, complete an essay, and submit a statement addressing the student’s interest in the program and/or the student’s preparedness for the program.

To gain admission to the KU Law School as part of the KU LEAD Program non-discretionarily, students must:

  • Satisfy state bar-mandated character and fitness requirements;
  • Take the LSAT exam and complete the KU Law application form, prior to KU Law School admission;
  • Have spent 3 academic years as an undergraduate student at KU or a combination of 3 academic years as an undergraduate student at KU and a prior, post-high-school, undergraduate institution, prior to KU Law School admission (For purposes of this paragraph, full-time enrollment, at least 12 credits, during a spring or fall semester shall constitute .5 academic years);
  • Score a 157* on the LSAT and earn a 3.5 undergraduate GPA for KU-only credits. 

*Students who are admitted to the program Fall 2025 and beyond must will be required to achieve a 160 LSAT.

To gain admission to the KU Law School as part of the KU LEAD Program on a discretionary application-by-application basis, students must:

  • Satisfy state bar-mandated character and fitness requirements;
  • Take the LSAT exam and complete the KU Law application form, prior to KU Law School admission;
  • Have spent 3 academic years as an undergraduate student at KU or a combination of 3 academic years as an undergraduate student at KU and a prior, post-high-school, undergraduate institution, prior to KU Law School admission (For purposes of this paragraph, full-time enrollment, at least 12 credits, during a spring or fall semester shall constitute .5 academic years);
  • Score less than a 157* on the LSAT and/or earn less than a 3.5 undergraduate GPA for KU-only credits. 

*Students who are admitted to the program Fall 2025 are subject to a 160 LSAT requirement.