Step 2: Register for the LSAC LL.M. Credential Assembly 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.