Though a traditional law school program spans at least three years, or four if the student attends part-time, an accelerated law school program offers the same legal education on a two-year schedule. Law schools began considering two-year programs in response to interest from prospective students. The article "Fast-Tracking Law School" in Time Magazine indicates that opponents of the traditional law school format have argued that students often spend their third year of law school taking electives or socializing when they could be starting their legal careers or building their professional skills.
Students have little time off during two years of condensed study. To cover the traditional law school schedule in a shorter period of time, students in accelerated law school programs often attend mandatory summer sessions in addition to regularly scheduled fall and spring semesters. An accelerated law school might also divide each calendar year into a greater number of academic periods, so students can start and complete courses more frequently and take more courses. The logistical adjustments allow accelerated law schools to cover the same standard curricula as other law schools, while moving at a faster pace.
Prospective law students may believe that an accelerated law school program reduces tuition costs. Unfortunately, that is not always true. For example, Northwestern University Law School charges the same total tuition cost for the two-year program as it does for its standard three-year juris doctor program. Northwestern explains that the law school charges a set amount for the juris doctor degree, which all students pay regardless of how long they take to complete their studies. Though tuition costs are not cheaper for accelerated law schools, students might still gain financially because they only lose two years from the work force and can begin earning income as law school grads at an earlier date.
A student can also get a juris doctor more quickly by entering a combined degree program to earn both a bachelor's degree and law degree on a faster schedule. Combined programs often allow for a "3+3" schedule, during which a student spends three years on undergraduate studies and three years on juris doctor studies. While a combined program does not shorten the amount of time spent in law school, the student does complete her higher education at an accelerated pace. The requirements and logistics of combined programs vary from school to school.