Part-Time Law School Programs for Working Professionals

Part-time law school programs for working professionals are offered at roughly 75 ABA-accredited law schools, and they lead to the same Juris Doctor degree, cover the same core curriculum, and qualify graduates for the same bar exams as full-time programs.¹ What changes is the schedule, the pace, and the total time to graduation, which usually stretches from three years to four.

When Classes Actually Meet

Most part-time programs run in the evening. First-year classes at many schools begin around 5:45 or 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and end by 9:00 or 10:00 p.m.² The number of nights varies. Some schools require three or four evenings a week; others condense the week into two.³ Upper-level students often gain flexibility to mix in daytime courses.

A smaller group of schools runs weekend formats, with longer Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) sessions that cover the same instructional hours as weeknight classes. Weekend programs are often paired with some evening coursework or online components.

Hybrid programs are increasingly common. The ABA now allows law schools to deliver up to half of the credits required for the JD through distance education, and the previous ban on online courses during the first year has been lifted. In practice, most schools still require core first-year courses in person, but upper-level electives can often be taken remotely. That matters when work travel or family schedules get unpredictable.

How Long It Takes

The standard part-time timeline is four years. Part-time students generally carry eight to eleven credits per semester, while full-time students carry twelve to sixteen. Some programs encourage or require summer enrollment to keep students on pace to finish in four.⁴ Others let students accelerate by stacking summer courses, externships, and online electives after the first year.⁵

Every JD candidate must complete at least 83 credit hours, with at least 64 of those from courses involving scheduled classroom sessions or direct faculty instruction.⁶ Many schools set higher minimums in the 86 to 90 credit range.

There is also a ceiling. ABA standards require the JD to be completed within 84 months (seven years) of starting law school, with exceptions granted only in extraordinary circumstances like serious illness, family emergencies, or military service.⁶ For a part-time student, that leaves room to slow down when life intervenes, but not unlimited room. If you take a leave of absence or drop to a lighter load, map the remaining semesters carefully.

Can You Keep Working Full-Time?

The ABA used to cap law student employment at 20 hours per week, but that rule was eliminated in 2014.⁷ There is no national accreditation rule limiting your hours now. Individual schools can still set their own policies, so check your program’s student handbook before assuming a full workweek is fine.

Most part-time students do work full-time. That is the whole point of the program. The real constraint is the reading. First-year courses like Contracts, Civil Procedure, and Torts assign dense casebook material, and the Socratic method requires you to show up prepared. A lighter course load helps, but “lighter” is relative, and students who try to pile overtime or heavy side commitments onto a day job often find the first semester brutal.

What You Need to Apply

Part-time programs use the same admissions process as full-time programs at the same school. The application materials and evaluation standards are identical. You will need:

LSAT or GRE scores. Most ABA-accredited schools now accept either, though the LSAT is still more common and some schools require it. LSAT registration costs $248.⁸⁹
Official transcripts from every college you attended, even if you didn’t earn a degree there. These flow through LSAC, which calculates a standardized GPA.
A personal statement. Part-time applicants often use this space to explain how their work experience connects to law.
A detailed professional resume. Admissions committees treat substantial career experience as a genuine asset.
Two or three letters of recommendation from academic or professional supervisors who can speak to your analytical ability and work ethic.
Character and fitness disclosures covering criminal history, academic discipline, and professional discipline. Be accurate: state bar examiners run their own background investigation when you apply to sit for the bar, and inconsistencies between your law school application and your bar application create problems.

Everything is compiled through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) portal, the central platform for applications to ABA-accredited schools.⁸

Application Costs and Timing

Once your documents are uploaded, you use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) to send your file to each school. CAS costs $215.¹⁰ On top of that, each school charges an application fee, generally from $0 to $85, with most in the $75 to $85 range. Applying to ten schools quickly runs into several hundred dollars before you add CAS and LSAT costs.

LSAC offers a fee waiver program tied to federal poverty guidelines, using a two-tiered benefit structure. Eligibility depends on whether you file taxes independently or as a dependent, your household income, and your assets.¹¹ Meeting the income threshold does not guarantee approval, but the waiver can meaningfully cut your upfront costs.

Some part-time programs set later deadlines than their full-time counterparts at the same school, sometimes by months. Rolling admissions is common, meaning schools decide as applications arrive rather than at a single cutoff. Applying earlier in the cycle generally helps, particularly for scholarship consideration. Decisions typically arrive within two to three months.

Tuition and Paying for It

Tuition varies widely. Per-credit rates can range from roughly $750 to nearly $3,000, and total program cost over four years can run from under $70,000 to well over $200,000. Some schools charge a flat semester rate instead of per-credit. Because you are enrolled for an extra year, the total bill is not always lower than the full-time track, even though each semester costs less.

Part-time students are generally eligible for federal student loans, including Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Grad PLUS Loans, as long as they are enrolled at least half-time. Institutional merit scholarships exist at most schools, but part-time students sometimes have access to a smaller pool than full-time students. Ask the financial aid office directly about part-time scholarship availability rather than relying on the general numbers on a school’s website.

Employer tuition assistance is a real advantage for part-time students. If your employer runs an educational assistance program under Section 127 of the tax code, up to $5,250 per year in tuition reimbursement is tax-free to you, and that benefit covers tuition, fees, books, and supplies.¹² Across four years, that’s up to $21,000 tax-free. Many large employers include graduate education in their programs. Some require you to stay employed for a set period afterward or repay part of the benefit.

How Recruiting Works for Part-Time Students

The biggest structural difference in hiring is timing. Large firms recruit full-time students through On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) after the first year, offering summer associate positions that often convert to full-time offers. Part-time students usually enter this process a year later in their program, after completing the equivalent of a second year of coursework. The delay tracks credit completion, not calendar time.

Firms generally do not view part-time status negatively, and prior professional experience is often an asset. The practical hurdle is the summer associate program itself, which expects roughly ten weeks of full-time work. That means arranging extended leave from your current employer or negotiating the absence in advance. If that isn’t possible, networking through bar associations, alumni events, and the school’s career office matters more.

Part-time students often arrive with a clearer sense of what kind of law they want to practice, because many have spent years in a specific industry. That focus can land well in interviews. The career services office at any school you are considering should be able to tell you how their part-time graduates have placed, since ABA-required disclosures track employment outcomes for all JD recipients regardless of enrollment status.

1
American Bar Association. Council-Approved Law Schools With Approved Part-Time Programs
2
Georgetown Law. Evening Program
3
University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. Part-Time Evening Requirements and Schedule
4
Seton Hall Law School. Part-time Law Degree – Weekend Program
5
University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Part-Time JD Program
6
American Bar Association. ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools – Chapter 3
7
American Bar Association. Legal Ed Frequently Asked Questions
8
ETS. GRE vs. LSAT: The Complete Guide for Pre-Law Students
9
Law School Admission Council. LSAT Inbox – June 11, 2025
10
Law School Admission Council. Credential Assembly Service – CAS
11
Law School Admission Council. Apply for an LSAC Fee Waiver
12
Internal Revenue Service. Employer-Offered Educational Assistance Programs Can Help Pay for College