Aspen publishing acquires full ownership of JD-Next Law School Preparation Program

The following is an excerpt from a story published by Aspen Publishing on Nov. 19, 2024. Read the complete news release at this link. 

Aspen Publishing has announced the acquisition of JD-Next, the groundbreaking law school preparation course and admissions test, one year after it first secured an exclusive license from the University of Arizona to administer the program. JD-Next serves as an alternative admissions exam and was developed in 2019 by a team of U of A researchers, including Marc Miller, Dean of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, then Associate Dean Christopher Robertson, Director of Academic and Bar Success Jessica Findley, and Professor Rob Williams, former Director of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program. Tech Launch Arizona worked with the team to negotiate and execute the license in 2023.  

JD-Next was created with multi-year funding from the AccessLex Foundation and the ETS Foundation. It has gained notable traction among law schools, admissions officers and prospective students, as it offers a test that significantly reduces or eliminates the racial disparities recognized in legacy exams. To date, 56 ABA-accredited law schools have received variances from the American Bar Association to accept JD-Next scores in lieu of other standardized tests for admissions. Additionally, any law school can accept JD-Next scores alongside other admissions test scores. The next ABA Council deadline for additional law schools to request a variance to use JD-Next as an independent basis for JD admission is December 20, 2024.

Read the original TLA story about the original 2023 JD-Next license.