The FlexJD Community Update

When this issue was published, the July 2026 UBE registration window had closed and February 2027 was identified as the next opportunity. The issue also flagged early narrative and host-organization outreach for post-graduate public interest fellowships. These dates are archival; verify current deadlines with the relevant authority.

Primary source: Northeastern Registrar’s current academic calendar. This table is an archived planning snapshot; use the Registrar’s live calendar for any action.

⚠️ The July 2026 UBE is July 28–29, 2026. As of June 2026, ALL bar exam application windows for July 2026 are now CLOSED — including California (June 1) and Florida (June 15 absolute final). If you missed your state, the next opportunity identified when this issue was published is February 2027. This issue advised readers to begin planning then.

August 2026 MPRE registration is closed; the next administration is November 12–13, 2026 (registration deadline September 17, 2026). State-specific minimum passing scores you'll need to hit:

Archived score snapshot: the values above match NCBE’s official 2025 jurisdiction table and were rechecked against NCBE’s live jurisdiction records on August 20, 2026. Passing standards and alternatives remain jurisdiction-controlled. Use the official NCBE MPRE page to reach your jurisdiction record, then confirm directly with that jurisdiction’s licensing authority before relying on a score.

Class of 2029 (current 1Ls): Confirmed via the Federal Law Clerk Hiring Plan: Class of 2029 OSCAR access opens January 19, 2027 at 8:00 a.m. ET; judges cannot accept formal or informal applications (or recommendations) before 12:00 p.m. ET on June 14, 2027. Source: oscar.uscourts.gov/federal_law_clerk_hiring_pilot. Use this summer to identify target judges and chambers. Contact NU Law Careers for clerkship advising: nulawcareers.sites.northeastern.edu

Skadden Fellowship — deadline 11:59 p.m. PT, August 31, 2026. Open to students in the fall of their final year, LLM candidates, clerks, or graduates within the prior two years. Fully funds two years of public-interest legal work at a host organization you help identify. Source: skaddenfellowships.org/applicant.

Equal Justice Works Fellowship — deadline September 17, 2026 (Design-Your-Own track). Same model: you propose a project and partner organization. Source: equaljusticeworks.org/fellowships-opportunities.

Do this over the summer, not in August: both fellowships are won on the strength of a specific, well-scoped project proposal and a host organization willing to sponsor you. Start those conversations now — a rushed proposal in the final weeks rarely beats one built over a full summer. NUSL's Public Interest Law Support office and CPIAC can help you shape a proposal: law.northeastern.edu/academics/centers/cpiac.

Summer is prime writing season. Several competitions have deadlines in the June–July window, though most 2026 deadlines have already passed by mid-July — use these to plan for next cycle:

These deadlines are unverified for the current cycle — confirm directly with each competition's sponsoring organization before relying on any date here.

Current public FlexJD materials describe a typical load of eight to nine credits per term within the 83-credit, four-year curriculum. Course availability and any enrollment exception are controlled by current registration materials and Academic and Student Affairs—not this archived issue. Primary sources: NUSL FlexJD academics and the Northeastern Registrar.

At publication, this issue summarized then-announced federal student-loan changes. That numeric summary has been withdrawn because loan availability, limits, rates, repayment options, and transition rules depend on current law, loan type, disbursement date, program continuity, and individual enrollment facts.

For current guidance, verify directly at StudentAid.gov, review Northeastern Student Financial Services federal updates, and contact NUSL Financial Aid before borrowing. This archived issue is not financial advice and does not state your current eligibility or terms.

For the authoritative disposition, opinion, order, and docket materials from the 2025–26 term, use the Supreme Court’s official slip-opinion page, orders page, and docket search. Commentary sites can help explain a case but are not the verification source for its legal status.

We are a remote and disconnected community by design — and that means reaching each other takes more intention than it does for students who see each other in hallways. My job as SBA Chair of FlexJD Interests is to bridge that gap, and I cannot do it without hearing from you.

If something is on your mind — your classes, co-op, bar planning, the program, your professors, a deadline, or anything else — please reach out directly. You do not need to wait for a newsletter or a formal channel. You do not need to be in my cohort. You do not need a fully formed question. You can just email me.

RN Collins (she/they) — collins.ra@northeastern.edu — SBA Chair of FlexJD Interests, Class of 2029, Northeastern University School of Law.

— RN Collins | SBA Chair of FlexJD Interests | Northeastern University School of Law '29

The MPRE state passing-score table, writing-competition deadlines, federal loan rate changes, and SCOTUS case tracker have moved into their own numbered sections above (see Sections 9 and 10) so they live with their full context instead of being duplicated here.

Questions on career strategy? Contact Hanna Kim in NUSL Career Placement or email the SBA Chair at collins.ra@northeastern.edu.

Cross-cohort: if you're interested in transactional, corporate, or securities law, take Corporations as soon as you're eligible — don't wait. Separately, the big law DEI recruiting landscape has shifted materially over the past year; talk to career advising for current, practice-specific guidance rather than relying on last year's assumptions.