The Santa Monica College Law Pathway program offers SMC students who come from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds opportunities for access, engagement and advancement in the legal profession. Preference for program admission will be given to applicants who are representative of these populations and committed to intellectual endeavors with intentional focus on equity and inclusion in the legal profession.
Law Pathway Program Benefits
- Exposure to careers in the legal profession
- Networking, leadership and mentoring opportunities
- Priority registration for SMC courses
- Membership to the SMC Pre-Law Society
- Access to Law Pathway scholarships
- LSAT Test prep resources
- Future priority admissions review at participating law schools:
- UC, Berkeley
- UC, Los Angeles
- UC, Irvine
- UC, Davis
- UC, San Francisco
- University of San Diego
- University of Southern California
- Loyola Marymount University
- Santa Clara University
- Pepperdine University
- University of the Pacific
- University of San Francisco
- Southwestern Law School
- Chapman University
- Western State College of Law
Program Requirements
Students accepted into the Law Pathway program will be required to complete an orientation, attend program activities and complete the following course requirements:
- ENGL 1: Reading and Composition - 3 units
- ENGL 2: Critical Analysis and Intermediate Composition - 3 units
- MATH 54, Elementary Statistics - 4 units
- POL SC 1: National and California Government - 3 units
- HIST 11: United States History through Reconstruction - 3 units OR HIST 12: United States History Since Reconstruction - 3 units
- COM ST 21: Argumentation - 3 units
- POL SC 24: Intro to Law - 3 units OR BUS 5: Business Law and the Legal Environment - 3 units
**Advanced Placement credit may be used to fulfill some course requirements.
Program Admission Priorities
When Law Pathway applications are reviewed, priority consideration will be given to applicants with the following:
- Less than 24 units of college credits completed
- 3.00 or higher cumulative GPA
- Eligible to enroll in English 1
- Come from an underrepresented student background
- Willing to complete all academic and activity requirements for the program
- Designated by the SMC Office of Admissions as a California resident
Unfortunately, students who already have an associate degree or higher are not eligible to apply for the program.
Law Pathway Program Application
The application for the 2024-25 academic year is now closed. The application for the 2025-2026 academic year will open in May 2025. To receive notification of Information Sessions and application dates, please join our Interest List.
Questions? Contact: LawPathway@smc.edu.