The University of Arizona’s law school has licensed the administration of its alternative law school admission program to Aspen Publishing.
Aspen, a company best known for producing legal textbooks and study aids, said on Friday that it has acquired an exclusive five-year license to run JD-Next, an 8-week series of online legal courses that culminates in an exam. Aspen spokesperson Gregg Chalk and Arizona Law dean Marc Miller declined to provide financial details of the deal.
Representatives from both parties said this week that the deal will help JD-Next expand and run more frequently.
The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law developed JD-Next as a way to increase law student diversity by assessing an applicant’s law school aptitude without relying on standardized tests that produce racial score disparities, Miller said. A 2019 study of the LSAT found the average score for Black test-takers was 142 out of a possible 180, compared with 153 for white and Asian test-takers. Experts attribute those disparities to inequitable schools and racial bias on standardized tests, among other factors.
“The more we can predict success in prospective law students, the better off everybody is,” Chalk said. “That increases graduation rates and ultimate bar examination pass rates.”
JD-Next got a boost in June when the American Bar Association gave law schools permission to use the program in admissions, just as they use the LSAT or the GRE. The U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision banning race-conscious admissions at colleges and universities has also prompted law schools to look for ways to enroll diverse classes without running afoul of that ruling.
During eight weeks of online courses, JD-Next participants spend about half their time learning to read legal cases and the other half learning about contracts. An exam at the end of the program tests the participant’s grasp of the material. Law schools can use those results to make admissions decisions or to help prepare admitted students for the rigors of law school, Miller said. Arizona Law’s deal with Aspen that enables the school to step back from administering the program should make competitor law schools more comfortable using JD-Next, Miller added.
Nonprofit organizations AccessLex Institute and Educational Testing Service gave $1.25 million to fund the program, which until now has been free to participants. But JD-Next will now cost $250 for individuals. The LSAT costs $222.
