Earn The National HBCU Pre-Law Honors Certificate

Purpose: To encourage excellence among pre-law students/aspiring lawyers who attended or graduated from an HBCU. We want to provide a special incentive for students to make themselves competitive admissions applicants.

How to Earn the Certificate: Any pre-law student who currently attends or graduated from a historically Black college or university (HBCU) can earn The National HBCU Pre-Law Honors Certificate if they complete a membership application and all of the requirements set forth below.

Certificate requirements include:

  • A short one-page statement explaining your serious interest in attending law school and reasons for wanting to become a lawyer.
  • Completion of at least two (2) years of undergraduate work.
  • Achievement of a minimum overall grade point average of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  • Active participation in at least two (2) activities that will strengthen the skills necessary to be successful in law school: pre-law clubs and societies, speech or debate clubs, moot court clubs or competitions, mock trial clubs or competitions, legal internships, etc.
  • At least one leadership role in a campus or community project, initiative, or organization. Please provide your title (president, vice president, chairperson, etc.) and explain how you served as a leader.
  • At least 100 documented volunteer community service hours completed. (Provide a log of service completed.)
  • Completion of at least five (5) books regarding law school and the legal profession. (Provide a list of the book titles and a short paragraph explaining what you learned, what was your favorite part, or what was your biggest takeaway from each book.)
  • Participation in at least two major pre-law conferences or events. Provide a copy of your registration ticket.).
  • Completion of at least 100 documented hours of LSAT or GRE self-study test prep (provide a log of dates and time spent studying), or proof of enrollment and steady progress in an LSAT or GRE prep course or program (Provide proof of enrollment.) Note that Khan Academy provides a free online prep course. Note that Kaplan recommends that students study at least 150 to 300 hours to prepare for the LSAT and 120 hours for the GRE.
  • Application to or participation in some type of Law School Prep Program – Live or Online (Sponsored by a law school, non-profit organization, or commercial/for-profit company) Note that Kaplan provides a free online law school prep course.

Once all of the requirements have been successfully met, you will be publicly honored at The National HBCU Pre-Law Summit and you will be celebrated as someone who has gone above and beyond to make yourself a competitive law school admissions candidate and can serve as a positive example to others in attendance on the path to becoming a lawyer.