Rural Law Opportunities Program

To be considered for RLOP, students must meet the following criteria:

• Be a rural Nebraska resident. (Students from the following cities and towns are not considered rural and therefore not eligible to apply to RLOP: Omaha, Ralston, Boys Town, Elkhorn, Lincoln, Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Chalco, and Offutt Air Force Base.)
• Have applied and been accepted to Wayne State College.
• Demonstrate strong academic potential.
• All materials must be sent to and received by WSC by Dec. 1, 2024, for application consideration for the 2025-26 school year.

We are looking for well-rounded students who are dedicated to the law profession and have demonstrated commitment to the rural areas of Nebraska. As a student in the program, you should be willing to work hard and have a demonstrated intellectual ability to complete the rigorous academic programs of WSC and the Nebraska College of Law. Numerous factors are always a part of the selection process, but special emphasis is placed on:

1. Academic potential as demonstrated by GPA, letters of recommendation, ACT/SAT scores, and program interview
2. Commitment to return to rural areas of Nebraska and practice law
3. Knowledge of the profession, community service and leadership activities, and knowledge of the RLOP program
4. A personal essay stating why you want to be in RLOP, as this becomes the foundation for the interview/selection process

Once accepted into the RLOP program, successful completion of the WSC portion of the program includes the following:

• To maintain status in the program, students must maintain a 3.5 or better GPA for program-specific and general academic courses.
• Alternates may also be chosen in the event that students with automatic positions do not successfully complete their studies at WSC; however, while an RLOP candidate has alternate status, they do not receive automatic admission.

Upon completion of his or her bachelor’s degree, a student receives presumptive admission to the Nebraska College of Law unless there is information concerning the applicant that reflects adversely on the applicant’s character and fitness, including but not limited to, violations of a college conduct code or honor code, criminal citations, pending criminal charges, or criminal convictions. In such cases, the application will be individually reviewed by the Nebraska College of Law Admissions Committee.

RLOP students must obtain an LSAT score of 154 (on a scale of 120 to 180). The LSAT score must be obtained by the last semester of their junior year at WSC.