Graduate Admissions
Graduate (LL.M., E-LL.M., J.S.D., and Advanced Certificate) Applicants
Questions
- How do I request an application?
- May I apply for a fee waiver for the Graduate application fee?
- What are the Graduate application deadlines?
- Do I have to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the International English Testing System (IELTS)?
- What is the minimum TOEFL or IELTS score required?
- Will you accept any test of English language ability other than the TOEFL or IELTS?
- For how long are TOEFL and IELTS scores valid?
- How are applications evaluated? How competitive is admission to the Graduate programs? Do the admissions criteria vary from one Graduate program to another?
- May I request an interview as part of the application process?
- What courses does NYU School of Law offer beyond those needed to fulfill program requirements?
- My grading system is different from that of American schools. How will the Committee know how to evaluate my grades?
- What is the Law School Admission Council's Service?
- I am a foreign student; will I be given visa information?
- Can I apply to more than one NYU School of Law Graduate degree program simultaneously?
- Can I work while enrolled in a full-time Graduate program?
- How many credits may I take as a part-time student?
- If I enter a part-time LL.M. program may I transfer to full-time status?
- What Graduate programs are only offered on a full-time basis?
- How long from the time my application is complete may I expect to receive a decision by mail?
- Is the LSAT required for admission to an LL.M. program?
- I am currently enrolled in an LL.M. program at another law school; may I transfer credits to an NYU School of Law LL.M. program?
Answers
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How do I request an application?
All applicants must apply online. To receive an informational brochure please either fill out our online request form, or call us at (212) 998-6060. -
May I apply for a fee waiver for the Graduate application fee?
There are no fee waivers for graduate law applications. -
What are the Graduate application deadlines?
The Graduate application deadlines are as follows:
1. LL.M. and E-LL.M. Applicants with Foreign Education Credentials Programs in New York City, Singapore and online:
December 17, 2012
All prospective students who received their first law degree outside of the United States, whether interested in full-time or part-time study, must apply and submit all required materials by December 17 to begin studies in the Fall 2013 semester in New York, or in May 2013 in Singapore.
2. LL.M., E-LL.M. and A.P.C. in Taxation Applicants with Domestic Education Credentials (including Puerto Rico):
i. Full-time program in Singapore: December 17, 2012
Full-time programs in New York City
i. LL.M. in Legal Theory: February 1, 2013
ii. LL.M. in Taxation: February 1, 2013 (priority scholarship deadline); April 1, 2013 (final)
iii. All other programs: April 1, 2013
Part-time programs in New York City
i. Spring 2013 entry: November 1, 2012
ii. Fall 2013 entry: June 3, 2013
3. All J.S.D. Applicants
i. Full-time program in New York City: February 1, 2013
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Do I have to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)?
An English language proficiency test is required for all applicants whose first law degree program was not taught in English, or for applicants whose law degree program was taught in English but whose degree-granting institution is located in a country where English is not the primary language. Such applicants must submit an official score result from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
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What is the minimum TOEFL or IELTS score required?
The Committee requires that applicants who take the TOEFL achieve a minimum 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. For applicants who take the IELTS, the Committee requires a minimum overall band score of at least a 7. Because this is the first year in which NYU Law accepts IELTS, no subsection minimums will be established for this test. However, the Committee will look for applicants who achieve a score of at least 7 on most of the subsections (listening, reading, writing, and speaking). For both exams, J.S.D. applicants must present scores substantially higher than the minimum.
Applicants should request that the Educational Testing Service issue an official score report of their results from the TOEFL iBT directly to LSAC (institution code: 8395). For IELTS test-takers, contact the test center directly and request that your test scores be sent to LSAC electronically. An institutional code is not required. LSAC only accepts scores submitted electronically, and all IELTS test centers worldwide are able to send scores electronically to LSAC.
Under no circumstances may an applicant submit a score report directly to LSAC or to NYU Law; only official reports issued by the testing agencies are acceptable. Please do not send photocopies or examinee copies to NYU; they are not permitted, and will not expedite the review of your application.
Applicants whose primary language is not English must have strong English language proficiency in order to participate productively and successfully in all aspects of the graduate program. Simply meeting the minimum TOEFL or IELTS standards is not necessarily sufficient and will not ensure academic success. In addition to the English language exam, interviews for English proficiency may be required; any such interviews would be conducted in the applicant’s home country.
Applicants whose first law degree program was not taught in English, but who have completed an advanced degree taught in English in a country where English is the primary language are not required to take the TOEFL or the IELTS. These applicants must submit an official transcript to LSAC showing the advanced graded academic coursework and the conferral of the degree. Applicants who are currently enrolled in such an advanced degree program, but who have not been conferred the degree, must submit an official TOEFL or IELTS score.
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Will you accept any test of English language ability other than the TOEFL or IELTS?
No.
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For how long are TOEFL and IELTS scores valid?
The Educational Testing Service (ETS) and IELTS reports scores are valid for up to two years.
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How are applications evaluated? How competitive is admission to the Graduate programs? Do the admissions criteria vary from one Graduate program to another?
Admission to the Graduate Division for all LL.M. programs and the Executive LL.M. in Taxation is highly selective and is based primarily upon prior legal studies. Standards of admission are equal across all specializations and for study in New York City, in Singapore and online. Last year, the Law School received more than 2,700 full-time LL.M. applications for the various programs. The New York City class was about 425 students, and the Singapore class has averaged about 40 students annually for the last five years of the program. Though there are no inflexible rules about class rankings or grade point averages, those admitted have excellent law school records and strong academic and/or professional recommendations. Evidence of significant professional accomplishment is also taken into consideration.
Admission to the LL.M. or E-LL.M. program does not guarantee or assure admission to the J.S.D. program.
The J.S.D. is NYU School of Law’s most advanced law degree. Only a very small number of students who demonstrate outstanding academic promise are admitted to J.S.D. candidacy. A student is admitted to the program only if he or she meets the application requirements and shows potential for completing a dissertation of publishable quality that will make a significant scholarly contribution to the field in which it is written. While the J.S.D. Committee exercises some preference for those who complete the LL.M. degree at NYU, it fully considers all applicants on the basis of their application materials regardless of provenance when finalizing admissions decisions. Typically all NYU LL.M. graduates must have attained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50.
Academic admission criteria are comparable to those of the LL.M. and E-LL.M. in Taxation programs. Prospective students must demonstrate professional competence and career advancement.
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May I request an interview as part of the application process?
No. The Committee on Graduate Admissions does not interview applicants. The Committee encourages all applicants to submit all relevant information in writing with the application.
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What courses does NYU School of Law offer beyond those needed to fulfill program requirements?
Course listings and descriptions are posted on the Office of Academic Services' Web site.
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My grading system is different from that of American schools. How will the Committee know how to evaluate my grades?
The Committee on Graduate Admissions is comprised of faculty and admissions officers who have extensive experience evaluating grades from foreign law schools using different grading systems.
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What is the Law School Admission Council's Service?
All prospective students applying to the Graduate Division, whether interested in study in New York City, in Singapore, or online, are required to use the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) LL.M. Credential Assembly Service. To register, visit the LSAC website at www.lsac.org/llm. All applicants are strongly advised to register for the LL.M. Credential Assembly Service four to six weeks in advance of their first application deadline. It is recommended that application materials which must be mailed to LSAC be received at least two weeks before the NYU application deadline.
The LL.M. Credential Assembly Service simplifies the application process by centralizing the collection of application materials, and distributing them in an electronic report to all law schools to which an applicant applies. Applicants, particularly those applying to multiple law schools, benefit from using this service by submitting the required application materials only once to LSAC. NYU’s receipt of the required materials electronically from LSAC allows for quicker and more efficient processing for all applicants.
Applicants with domestic education credentials (those who hold, or are earning, a J.D. from a law school in the U.S. or Puerto Rico) must purchase the Document Assembly Service.
Applicants with foreign education credentials (those who earned their first law degree outside of the U.S.) must purchase both the Document Assembly Service and the International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service.
Petition Process to Waive the LSAC Service
The Committee on Graduate Admissions recognizes the benefits and convenience that the LL.M. Credential Assembly Service provides to applicants. Comparing the total costs of applying individually to multiple law schools (obtaining multiple sets of application materials) to the fees associated with the centralized LL.M. Credential Assembly Service (which involves sending only one set of the materials to LSAC), applicants may find the LSAC fees reasonable for the convenience the service provides.
Nevertheless, the Committee will review petitions to waive the LSAC service for individual applicants, provided the petition is received at least two weeks before the application deadline, and the applicant is not using the LSAC Service in connection with applications to other law schools. The petition may be sent via email to law.grad.moreinfo@nyu.edu, and must detail the reason(s) for the request. The Committee will consider each petition individually and will do its best to inform the applicant of a decision in a timely manner. If granted, instructions regarding the application process will be provided to the applicant, including information about payment of the NYU application fee.
The Committee is unable to guarantee timely decisions for petitions received within days of the deadline, and all applicants must submit their applications by the deadline. Therefore, applicants in this situation should follow the instructions for applying via LSAC in order to complete the application process in a timely manner. Applicants considering a petition should note the following:
• Given the additional processing required for applicants who obtain a waiver of the LSAC service, the application fee will increase to $95, and their applications may be reviewed at a later stage in the decision-making process.
• The requirements regarding application materials will not change. Importantly, the requirements regarding academic credentials are similar to LSAC’s requirements, and all records must be issued by the degree-granting institution in a sealed envelope with a signature or stamp across the seal. Copies certified by an entity other than the degree-granting institution are not considered official and will not be accepted.
• The cost of the LSAC service is marginal compared to the significant financial investment of a private legal education. All applicants should seek means of financing the LL.M. degree, especially because NYU does not consider an individual’s financial circumstances when making merit-based scholarship decisions. More information is located in Financing a Graduate Legal Education. -
I am a foreign student; will I be given visa information?
Yes. If you are admitted to a full-time Graduate program, your admission packet will include a flyer about how to locate and submit the I-20/DS-2019 Application to the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) at the University. The OISS will help you apply for your visa.
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Can I apply to more than one NYU School of Law Graduate degree program simultaneously?
Full-time programs in New York begin in the Fall 2013 semester only, and the dual-degree program in Singapore begins in May 2013. Applicants may apply to study in New York City, in Singapore, or in both locations. Scholarship opportunities are available in both New York City and Singapore. Applicants who apply to both locations must indicate their preference between the two locations. The Committee on Graduate Admissions will attempt to honor an applicant’s preference as to location of study and to place admitted LL.M. applicants in their preferred location. If an applicant is admitted to his or her preferred location, the Committee does not guarantee consideration for his or her second-choice location.
Applicants to New York City must choose either the traditional LL.M. or one of the other specializations:
Competition, Innovation and Information Law;
Corporation Law;
Environmental Law;
International Business Regulation, Litigation and Arbitration;
International Legal Studies;
International Taxation;
Legal Theory; or
Taxation.
Students enrolled in NYU@NUS complete two master’s degrees, the LL.M. in Global Business Law from NYU and another from the National University of Singapore. For the second LL.M. through NUS, applicants must choose whether they wish to pursue their master’s degree with or without a specialization. If they choose to pursue the degree with a specialization they may choose one of the following areas: Asian Legal Studies, Corporate & Financial Services Law, Intellectual Property & Technology Law, International & Comparative Law, or Maritime Law. Prospective dual-degree program students apply only to NYU in order to be considered for NYU@NUS.
Part-time LL.M., E-LL.M. and A.P.C. Programs
Prospective students applying for part-time study must indicate whether they want to be considered for Spring 2013 or Fall 2013 entry. Applicants choose the Executive LL.M. in Taxation, the A.P.C. in Taxation or one of the following on-campus LL.M. programs:
Traditional LL.M. ;
Competition, Innovation and Information Law ;
Environmental Law;
International Legal Studies; or
Taxation.
A.P.C. in Taxation applicants must additionally indicate whether they want to concentrate their coursework in Corporate Taxation, Estate Planning, or International Taxation.
Note: Not all classes are offered after regular working hours, and all final exams must be taken at the scheduled time. If a required class or a desired class does not meet in the evening, it is expected that part-time students adjust their work schedules to meet all regular class attendance requirements, and to take final examinations at the scheduled times. Students should not register for classes without clearing the examination schedule with employers.
J.S.D. Program
Applicants to the J.S.D. should indicate on the application if they wish to be considered for admission to the full-time LL.M. program in New York City in the event they are not admitted to the J.S.D. degree. Applicants should note that admission to the LL.M. program does not assure admission to J.S.D. candidacy.
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Can I work while enrolled in a full-time Graduate program?
No. -
How many credits may I take as a part-time student?
Part-time students may register for up to six credits per semester. Students who are working full-time, however, are strongly advised to limit their course load to four or five credits per semester. Some courses for specializations offered on a part-time basis take place during the day only, and certain required courses for some programs are not offered in the evening. Please make sure to review the course listings and schedules that are posted on the Office of Academic Services Web site for further information on course availability. -
If I enter a part-time LL.M. program may I transfer to full-time status?
After enrolling and spending at least one semester in a part-time program, LL.M. students may petition the Office of Academic Services for a change of status to full-time; such requests are considered on a case by case basis.
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What Graduate programs are only offered on a full-time basis?
The LL.M. in Corporation Law, International Taxation for Foreign Students, and Legal Theory offered in New York City, and the LL.M. in Global Business Law offered in Singapore are only available on a full-time basis. The J.S.D. program is also offered only on a full-time basis. Some courses for specializations offered on a part-time basis take place during the day only, and certain required courses for some programs are not offered in the evening.
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How long from the time my application is complete may I expect to receive a decision by mail?
Applications for all degree and certificate programs are not reviewed until all required materials and the application fee have been received. Applicants currently enrolled in non-U.S. law schools that use a final examination result (such as a final state examination) or a final degree classification as a measure of academic performance may not receive a decision until those results are received by the Committee on Graduate Admissions.
After filing an application and submitting materials, applicants are encouraged to check the status of their application periodically by visiting the Applicant Online Status Check.
In an effort to communicate in a timely fashion with applicants, all decisions regarding application to the Graduate Division will be released electronically. Applicants may expect an email notification from law.grad.moreinfo@nyu.edu when their decisions have been released. An official offer of admission to any degree or certificate program of the Graduate Division of NYU School of Law is a mailed letter sent to the address indicated on the application. Decisions other than admission will only be released electronically and will not be mailed.
Full-time LL.M. Program in New York City
Full-time programs begin in August. Decisions regarding the full-time LL.M. program in New York City will be communicated in mid-March to applicants with foreign education credentials who supply to LSAC all materials necessary to complete their files by the December 17 deadline. Those foreign applicants who do not supply materials to LSAC to complete their application by December 17 will receive decisions as they are made following completion of their file. All decisions for foreign applicants to the LL.M. program in New York City will be communicated by June.
Applicants with domestic education credentials who complete their application by the appropriate deadline (see page 4) will receive decisions regarding the full-time LL.M. program in New York City as they are made. Note that, while applications are sent to the Committee on Graduate Admissions in the order in which they are completed, decisions are not necessarily made in the order in which applications are first reviewed. All domestic applicants to full-time programs will receive a decision no later than late June.
Dual LL.M. Program in Singapore
NYU@NUS begins in May. Decisions regarding NYU@NUS will be communicated to applicants who complete their applications by the December 17 deadline as they are made through mid-February. Those applications to NYU@NUS not completed by the deadline will receive decisions as soon as possible following completion of their file. All decisions for NYU@NUS will be communicated by early March.
J.S.D. Program
Decisions for all J.S.D. applicants who supply all materials required to complete their files by the February 1 deadline will be released in late April.
Part-time LL.M., E-LL.M. and A.P.C. in Taxation Programs
Decisions for enrollment for Spring and Fall semester entry will be made as soon as possible following completion of an applicant’s file and typically no later than about 2 weeks before the start of each semester.
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Is the LSAT required for admission to an LL.M. program?
No.
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I am currently enrolled in an LL.M. program at another law school; may I transfer credits to an NYU School of Law LL.M. program in New York City?
Please visit the Office of Graduate Affairs Web site for an explanation of transfer credits.
If you are interested in the NYU School of Law and NUS Dual Degree Program (NYU@NUS), additional frequently asked questions are available on our Web site.