Law’s not hard; it’s just hard to get into: A study of alternative entry students to law school

Evers, M; Olliffe, B; Dwyer, A

Law’s not hard; it’s just hard to get into: A study of alternative entry students to law school

Evers, M

Olliffe, B

Dwyer, A

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Law Teacher, 2017, 51 (2), pp. 151 - 169
Issue Date:: 2017-04-03

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Evers, M https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7736-8979	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Olliffe, B https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1081-8204	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Dwyer, A	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017-04-03	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Law Teacher, 2017, 51 (2), pp. 151 - 169	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0306-9400	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/41504
dc.description.abstract	© 2016 The Association of Law Teachers. Widening access to higher education is a challenge currently under discussion in Australia and the United Kingdom. The increasing number of alternative entry programs offered by universities has made tertiary study, including law study, more accessible. One concern with widening access to legal education is the ability of students entering law school through means other than very high academic scores to undertake a law degree successfully. Students who enter law school are generally referred to as “high achievers”, having qualified through an admission policy based on competitive rankings. The implementation of equitable access programs in some Australian universities has resulted in a number of places being made available to final year high school students who meet the eligibility criteria. Lowering the entry requirements to some courses provides opportunities for students whose circumstances have affected their ability to attain competitive ranking scores. The Principals’ Recommendation Scheme (PRS) is one of these programs. The University of Technology Sydney in New South Wales, Australia commenced the PRS in 2012. UTS:Law was one of the first Faculties to develop a strategy to support these students. The Faculty is committed to resourcing all students in their study and, as a result, is engaged in the ongoing evaluation of the academic and co-curricular programs provided to students. This paper explains the implementation of the PRS and the relevant support infrastructure available to students. It also considers the research into student retention and academic success and makes a preliminary assessment that, to date, the PRS students are succeeding in the transition from secondary education to law school, and that the existing infrastructure is accommodating the needs of these students. The PRS is an alternative entry scheme that provides a model for consideration by other law schools, committed to widening access to legal education.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Law Teacher	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/03069400.2015.1126445	en_US
dc.title	Law’s not hard; it’s just hard to get into: A study of alternative entry students to law school	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	51	en_US
utslib.for	1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy	en_US
utslib.for	1801 Law	en_US
utslib.for	1899 Other Law and Legal Studies	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Law
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	51	en_US

Abstract:

© 2016 The Association of Law Teachers. Widening access to higher education is a challenge currently under discussion in Australia and the United Kingdom. The increasing number of alternative entry programs offered by universities has made tertiary study, including law study, more accessible. One concern with widening access to legal education is the ability of students entering law school through means other than very high academic scores to undertake a law degree successfully. Students who enter law school are generally referred to as “high achievers”, having qualified through an admission policy based on competitive rankings. The implementation of equitable access programs in some Australian universities has resulted in a number of places being made available to final year high school students who meet the eligibility criteria. Lowering the entry requirements to some courses provides opportunities for students whose circumstances have affected their ability to attain competitive ranking scores. The Principals’ Recommendation Scheme (PRS) is one of these programs. The University of Technology Sydney in New South Wales, Australia commenced the PRS in 2012. UTS:Law was one of the first Faculties to develop a strategy to support these students. The Faculty is committed to resourcing all students in their study and, as a result, is engaged in the ongoing evaluation of the academic and co-curricular programs provided to students. This paper explains the implementation of the PRS and the relevant support infrastructure available to students. It also considers the research into student retention and academic success and makes a preliminary assessment that, to date, the PRS students are succeeding in the transition from secondary education to law school, and that the existing infrastructure is accommodating the needs of these students. The PRS is an alternative entry scheme that provides a model for consideration by other law schools, committed to widening access to legal education.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/41504