JD Law Abroad and Exchange

Incoming Exchange Students

General Information

 NYU School of Law's exchange partner institutions are:

  • University of Amsterdam
  • Bucerius Law School
  • University of Buenos Aires School of Law
  • Catholic University of Leuven
  • University of Copenhagen
  • Direito Getúlio Vargas - São Paolo
  • European University Institute 
  • National University Singapore
  • Peking University
  • Sciences Po Law School

Students attending one of the above law faculties are eligible to apply for an exchange with NYU School of Law for one semester, although certain restrictions may apply. Check with your home law faculty exchange coordinator for eligibility requirements.

Students attending the University of Buenos Aires are also eligible to apply to participate in the NYU Law in Buenos Aires program, which is held in Buenos Aires each spring. For more information about the program, please contact the UBA exchange coordinator.

In order to apply for an exchange semester, all prospective students must apply through their home institution first. If you are selected to study at NYU by your home institution, your exchange coordinator will notify NYU School of Law directly. You may then proceed with the NYU School of Law online application. When the Office of Graduate Admissions at NYU School of Law has received your online application and required documents, it will review your application and make an admissions decision. You will then be notified. Admission is granted from the Office of Graduate Admissions because of the office's expertise in considering international applications.


Registration & Tuition

Prospective international exchange students who are selected to participate in a one-semester exchange will be expected to take a full-time NYU Law course load (12 credits) as a non-matriculant exchange student. Students can register for as few as 10 credits if they obtain permission from their home university. If permission is granted, coordinators must email the Office of Global Programs at law.globalstudents@nyu.edu to inform us of their permission and request that NYU School of Law register the student in 10 credits. Please note students must register for a minimum of 10 credits to satisfy their U.S. students visa requirement.

Exchange students will have the same opportunities as our LL.M. students when registering for classes; demand for courses may exceed their availability so they cannot be guaranteed. Instructions for course registration will be sent along with the letter of admission.

Tuition and fees for the semester of exchange are paid to the student's home institution; at no time does an exchange student pay any tuition or registration fees to NYU School of Law.


Additional Course Requirements for Foreign Exchange Students

Fall semester exchange students whose legal training is not based upon the common law are strongly recommended to enroll in "Introduction to U.S. Law" which is held during the week prior to the start of the fall semester. This course is designed to introduce foreign-trained lawyers to American Law, the American legal system, and American legal education. Students participating in the exchange program in the spring semester (January to May), do not need to enroll in any introductory course, though they are encouraged to enroll in a section of "Graduate Lawyering" for 1 credit.


Office of Global Programs and Office of Graduate Affairs

The Office of Global Programs (OGP) and the Office of Graduate Affairs (OGA) function as a home away from home for all international exchange students at the Law School. As a liaison to New York University for all exchange students, OGP should be the point of contact for any questions or issues that may arise while attending the Law School. Administrators can be contacted by email at law.globalstudents@nyu.edu.


Application & Required Documents

Online Application

After being nominated by their home university, all prospective exchange students must apply using the online application.

View Application Instructions.

Application Deadline

The NYU online application is due on April 1 for Fall 2024 enrollment and October 1 for Spring 2025 enrollment. 

Transcripts

Official hard-copy transcripts, and English translations if the transcript is not in English, are required from each university at which you have studied law and/or received a law degree. The transcript must be provided directly to NYU School of Law from your law school registrar or exchange program coordinator. Please be sure that any prior name that appears on the transcript is indicated on the exchange student application.

Personal Statement

Please submit a statement of not more than 250 words. You may wish to describe your professional interests and goals, as well as the merit of exchange studies. If available, please include a curriculum vitae along with the statement.

Nomination Letter

Please request a letter authorizing your participation in the exchange program at NYU from the coordinator of your home university's exchange program.

English Language Proficiency Test

Applicants whose academic legal training has not been in English, or whose legal training was located in a country where English is not a primary language, must take either the TOEFL or the IELTS English proficiency tests.

Applicants should request that the Educational Testing Service issue an official score report of their results from the TOEFL iBT to NYU Law (institution code: 2599). For IELTS test-takers, contact the test center directly and request that your test scores be sent to New York University School of Law electronically. An institutional code is not required. NYU Law only accepts scores submitted electronically, and all IELTS test centers worldwide are able to send scores electronically to NYU. A photocopy of an official TOEFL or IELTS score report (an Examinee Report is not acceptable) sent directly from the law school registrar or exchange program coordinator will be accepted provided that the score has not expired and the photocopy is an attested true copy by the registrar or the coordinator.

IMPORTANT: Students should plan to take the TOEFL or IELTS exam at least one to two months prior to the application deadline.  Students should indicate when applying for the TOEFL exam or IELTS that they wish a copy of the exam results to be sent to New York University School of Law. Please also note that for both language proficiency tests the scores have a validity of 2 years.

TOEFL and IELTS Requirements:
Information regarding the TOEFL is available from www.toefl.org; applicants must register for the internet-based TOEFL (iBT) only. Information regarding the IELTS is available at www.ielts.org; applicants must register for the academic version only.

A TOEFL total score of at least 100, a minimum score of 26 on the reading and listening subsections, and a minimum score of 22 on the writing and speaking subsections are required. For applicants who take the IELTS, the requirements are a minimum overall band score of at least 7, a minimum score of 7.5 on the reading and listening subsections, and a minimum score of 7 on the writing and speaking subsections.

Mailing Documents

Because application materials are time-sensitive and may be traveling great distances, we highly recommend applicants use an international courier service, such as UPS, FedEx, or DHL, in lieu of national postal services. All materials sent for application should be addressed as follows:

Office of Global Programs
New York University School of Law
245 Sullivan Street, Suite 340
New York, NY 10012
USA
Tel: 1-212-992-8639
Email: law.globalstudents@nyu.edu