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 qualify discretionarily for the KU LEAD program as an undergraduate student transferring to KU from another undergraduate institution, students must:

  • Have an exemplary, college-level academic record;
  • Have a 3.5, or better, high school GPA and complete an essay;
  • Enroll in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences seeking a B.A. degree; and
  • Demonstrate the ability to satisfy all relevant degree requirements through transferred credits and their prospective credits at KU. 

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. 
  • *For students who matriculated into the undergraduate LEAD Program in 2019 or before, a 156 LSAT / 3.5 GPA standard applies.

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. 
  • *For students who matriculated into the undergraduate LEAD Program in 2019 or before, a 156 LSAT / 3.5 GPA standard applies.