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Graduate Affairs
   For LL.M. and Exchange Students

LL.M. General Degree Requirements & Policies

General LL.M. degree requirements can be found in the following sections. You will not find here the LL.M. Specialization Requirements specific to each LL.M. specialization or the requirements for Advanced Professional Certificates.

On this page you will find the following general degree requirements, policies and academic progress information:

General Requirements

LL.M. students must complete at least 24 credits, as well as meet their specific program requirements, to receive the LL.M. degree.

All students are required to attend classes regularly, satisfactorily complete all requirements for their courses, and take examinations at the scheduled times. Violation of these rules may result in a failing grade in the course in question.

Examinations are required in all courses, except in seminars or other courses where the preparation of a paper based on independent research may be counted for part or all of the requirements.

Please note that you are responsible for applying for graduation (via Torchtone) and making sure that you fulfill all requirements prior to graduation. Neither the Records Office nor the Office of Graduate Affairs is able to monitor the transcripts or curricular choices of every student. Prior to registration for your final term, it is your responsibility to review these requirements to ensure that you will have satisfied all of them. It is of course highly advisable to have the requirements in mind as you make your course selections each term. If you have questions about the requirements, you should consult the Office of Graduate Affairs.

LL.M. Full-time
The typical credit load for full-time LL.M. students is 12 credits per semester. It is highly advisable to take no more than 12-13 credits during the Fall semester, as you become acclimated to the Law School environment.

To register for (or drop below) fewer than 12 credits, or for more than 15 credits, students must obtain approval from the Office of Graduate Affairs via a Credit Load Permission form.

Please note that full-time LL.M. students who register for more than 30 credits will incur charges in addition to the flat rate charged each semester.

The Law School requires all full-time students to register for a minimum of 10 credits per semester to maintain full-time student status. There are no exceptions to this minimum. If a student is approved for fewer than 12 credits in a semester, a full-time equivalency will be placed on the student’s record, and the student will be responsible for full-time tuition. It is especially important for international students to note that in accordance with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), all international students must be registered for the full-time program within two weeks of the start of Intro to U.S. Law, or if they have waived out of Intro to U.S. Law, within two weeks of the first day of classes of the Fall semester. For the Spring semester, students must be registered full-time within two weeks of the start of classes.

LL.M. Part-time
Part-time students may register for a maximum of six credits per semester. Students who are working full-time are strongly advised to limit their course load to four or five credits per semester. Regardless of credit load (i.e., whether one is enrolled for two credits or six credits in a given semester), all part-time students are required to take their examinations as scheduled; rescheduling is not permitted. Therefore, part-time students should clear their exam schedules with their employers before finalizing course schedules.

Please also review the Schedule of Classes carefully, as certain required courses for some programs are not offered in the evening.

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Attendance Requirement

Rules of the American Bar Association, the New York State Court of Appeals, other state high courts, and the Law School itself all require regular classroom attendance. Students are advised that excessive absenteeism can result without warning in: (1) grade lowering, (2) denial of permission to complete course work and/or sit for the exam, or (3) receipt of a grade of WD (withdrawn) or FAB (failed for absence). Missing more than one-fifth of classes is presumptively excessive. Any student who finds himself or herself at risk of missing more than one fifth of classes for any course should immediately speak with the instructor and/or Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Please note that these rules supercede the policy that a student may drop a course up until the last day of the class without receiving a WD on his or her transcript.

Faculty members may establish a higher standard of regular attendance than that described above, and may also take this higher standard of attendance, class participation, and the quality of class performance into account in determining the student’s grade as long as the faculty member has, during the first week of class, announced an intention to do so or has included that intention in the syllabus or other class materials distributed in the first week of class. The student’s obligation to be in regular attendance derives from both faculty rule and the rule of state bar examiners. As a prerequisite to a student’s admission to the bar, the Dean must certify to state boards of law examiners that the student has been in regular attendance.

The Law School must be the student’s principal commitment during each semester. Extensive employment is disfavored because of its tendency to interfere with the student’s academic life at the Law School. In no event may a full-time student devote more than 20 hours in any week to such employment during the semester.

Students who plan to qualify to take the New York Bar based on the LL.M. degree, are required to attend courses scheduled principally between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. at least three days a week. Classes beginning prior to 6:00 p.m. qualify. Regular class attendance is required by ABA and Court of Appeals rules.

Students will not be registered for courses with overlapping times. This is against the attendance policies of the ABA and the Court of Appeals.

Certification of attendance and graduation is a prerequisite for admission to the bar examination.

Students who have to miss a class because of a religious observance can arrange, with the permission of the instructor, to audiotape the class. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements for taping by asking a classmate to tape the class or requesting that the instructor ask for a volunteer. Students may check out audiotape recorders, subject to availability, in the Media Center in the Law Library or may use their own recorders.

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Time Allowed for Completing Degree

Candidates who devote full-time to their studies can complete the 24 credit hours required for the LL.M. degree in one academic year.  A candidate, full-time or part-time, must complete the requirements within five years of initial registration at the Law School unless extended or modified by the Vice Dean or vote of the Executive Committee. This requirement is a prerequisite to receipt of the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree. 

International students should keep in mind their visa requirements when considering the time allowed for completing degree requirements.  Please refer to the Office for International Students and Scholars for additional information.

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Requirement of Continuous Registration / Leave of Absence
Every candidate for the LL.M. degree must be in continuous attendance by successfully completing at least one course each semester (excluding the summer session), unless a leave of absence is granted before the start of the semester by the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.  Leaves of absence are granted only for adequate reason and only to students who are in good academic standing. Students who have not completed their first term at the School of Law are not eligible for a leave of absence. Such students may request withdrawal only, and will be required to reapply to the School of Law in the event they wish to return. A maintenance of matriculation and services fee is charged for each semester a student is on leave of absence. 

A leave of absence does not extend the five-year period allotted for obtaining the LL.M. degree. Please contact the Office of Student Affairs for detailed information.

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Change of Status

In rare cases, LL.M. students may change their status from full-time to part-time or part-time to full-time.  Newly accepted students must petition the Office of Graduate Admissions; continuing students must petition the Office of Graduate Affairs. For part-time students, tuition rates will be assesed on a per credit basis, and students should consult the Office of Financial Services for information on the financial implications of a change. 

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Change of Program

If you wish to change your program, you must submit a petition via e-mail to the Office of Graduate Affairs to initiate this process. You may only transfer from the program to which you have been admitted into another program with the approval of the Director of the program into which you want to transfer. Following the end of the add/drop period for the Spring semester, requests for a change of program by full-time students will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and with the consent of the Faculty Director and the Vice Dean. Requests for change of program by part-time students who have already completed 12 credits will also only be considered in exceptional circumstances and with the consent of the program Director and Vice Dean.

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Grading

To a great degree, a student’s final grade in many of the courses offered at NYU School of Law is dependent upon the grade received on the final examination. As a result, adequate preparation for the examination cannot be recommended too highly. Please refer to the LL.M. Student Handbook for a comprehensive discussion of grading. Below are several key points:

Grading System
The grading system for J.D.’s and LL.M.’s effective Fall 2008 is A+, 4.33; A, 4.0; A-, 3.67; B+, 3.33; B, 3.0; B-, 2.67; C, 2.0; D, 1.0; F, 0.

Changing Grades
After a professor has submitted a grade to the Office of Records and Registration, the professor may not change the grade unless he or she certifies in writing that it was incorrect as a result of a mechanical computation or transcription error. If a grade is changed as a result of a mechanical computation or transcription error the professor must send a memo to the student explaining the reason for the grade change with a copy to the Office of Records and Registration. A grade may not be changed as a result of a reevaluation of a student’s work. Under University rule grades may not be changed for any reason after the student has graduated.

Papers Handed In Late and IP (In Progress)
In the following situations, students received an INC prior to Fall 2009; beginning Fall 2009 students receive a grade of IP. This symbol is used in seminar courses, Directed Research, or similar study when the student has made prior arrangements with the instructor to submit work later than the end of the semester in which the course is given. Students who have grades of In Progress in courses from prior semesters must complete and submit all work required for the course no later than May 1 of their last semester or at such earlier date as the faculty member requires. The May 1 deadline is necessary to enable faculty sufficient time to evaluate the student’s work and submit a grade and for the School to be able to certify the student for graduation and to sit for the July bar exam.

It is the student’s responsibility to arrange a submission schedule with the instructor. An extension may only be granted by the Vice Dean’s office in consultation with the faculty member.

January graduates must submit all work required for the course by January 5, and September graduates by September 1. Part-time LL.M. students must adhere to the work submission deadline of the term in which they are graduating.

If the work remains incomplete at the end of this period, students will not be certified to graduate nor certified to sit for the bar UNLESS they have sufficient credits to graduate without the credit for the incomplete course. If the student has sufficient credits to graduate, the “IP” will be replaced by “WD.” The course work cannot be completed after the student has been certified to graduate.

If the work remains incomplete at the end of this period, and the student does not have sufficient credits to graduate, the “IP” will remain on the transcript for two years at which time the “IP” will be replaced by “FAB.”

Because the faculty member who will be grading the student’s work may not be in residence at the School during the student’s final semester, students are advised to ascertain the expected whereabouts of any faculty member for whom they have yet to complete work and make arrangements for timely submission of their work so that it can be graded in time for graduation and bar certification. This is the student’s responsibility. Students are advised that faculty members may be absent from the school for many reasons. For example, the faculty member may be on sabbatical or leave; or he or she may have been a visitor to the school or a Global Faculty Member who teaches intermittently and resides in a
foreign country.

Credit/Fail
LL.M. students are not permitted to take courses on a credit/fail basis. Graduate students are not permitted to receive academic credit for participation on journals or moot courts.  Students will receive a notation on their transcripts instead.

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Academic Progress

Students in the LL.M. program are expected to make satisfactory academic progress as determined by the faculty director of their program and the Vice Dean.  If a student’s grades in the first semester of the program (for full-time students) or the first year of the program (for part-time students) show a lack of such progress, the faculty director and Vice Dean may impose appropriate requirements, including limitation on the number of credits the student may take in any one semester, a leave of absence, or withdrawal of the student from the school, depending on the student’s record and the reasons for the student’s failure to make satisfactory progress.

A student whose grade point average is less than 2.3 after the completion of the equivalent of one semester of work may register for additional courses only with the permission of the Vice Dean.

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Required Grade Point Average

Under present academic regulations the LL.M. degree is awarded only if a student has a grade point average of 2.67 or greater for (1) all 24 credit hours required for the degree, and (2) all credit hours in the candidate's program (if he or she is a candidate for a degree other than the Traditional LL.M.).  All grades, with the exception of substituted courses, or courses taken at another institution or other divisions of NYU, are used in computing the average.  The grade point average is computed as follows: A+, 4.33; A, 4.0; A-, 3.67; B+, 3.33; B, 3.0; B-, 2.67; C, 2.0; D, 1.0; F,0. The GPA is figured by dividing the grade points earned by the number of credits attempted. 

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Re-registration and Substitution

A student who receives an F in a course earns no credit towards the LL.M. degree for that course. If the F is in a required course, the student must re-register for, and successfully complete, that course in the next semester the course is offered to qualify for the LL.M. degree. If the F is not in a required course, the student may reregister for that course or take another course to earn the required credits.

An LL.M. student who has a GPA below 2.67 after one year of study (or the equivalent in the case of part-time students) may take up to six additional credits (in any combination of courses but not exceeding six credits) in an effort to raise the student’s GPA. Any additional credits may be taken in new courses, directed research, or in courses in which the student’s grade was C or lower. The substituted-for grades will remain on the student’s transcript but will not be counted in the student’s GPA. Tuition will be charged for additional credits according to University and Law School rules.

Re-registrations and substitutions must be paid for on a per credit basis, unless these elections are made during a semester in which the student is registered as a fulltime student, and does not exceed the cap on credits per semester.

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Auditing

With the permission of the instructor and subject to such conditions as the instructor may impose, a student may audit a course.

For any advanced Taxation course with an online component, such as “combined,” “parallel,” or “online-only” courses, students who wish to audit must officially register for the course on an audit basis. Please note: part-time, certificate and Executive LL.M. in Taxation students who register for any such course on an audit basis will be charged tuition and fees for each course.

Courses that are closed (filled) may not be audited. Auditing courses is considered “unofficial,” and students: 1) do not enroll in those courses, 2) do not take examinations in those courses, and 3) do not write papers for those courses. Audited courses do not appear on the student’s transcript. Please note that graduate students may not audit J.D.-only courses.

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Transfer Credit

At the discretion of the Vice Dean, a candidate for the LL.M. degree may be allowed to transfer credit for courses taken at another insitution if: (1) the courses were taken as graduate courses at a law school accredited by the Section of Legal Education of the American Bar Association or an equivalent non-U.S. school; (2) the courses were taken after the candidate received his or her first degree in law; (3) the courses were completed with a grade point avereage of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale); and (4) the candidate received no credit for these courses toward any other degree. Grades from courses taken at another institution or other divisions of NYU are not used in computing grade point averages.

University regulations require every candidate to complete 16 credit hours in residence at the NYU School of Law in order to qualify for the LL.M. degree. In addition, Law School regulations require a student to successfully complete the minimum number of in-field credits required for such student's degree program.

Subject to the foregoing limitations, transfer credit can be obtained for work done either before or after a student's initial matriculation at the Law School. If a presently enrolled student plans to take a course at another school for transfer credit, the course must be directly related to the study of law in order for credit to be applied towards the LL.M. degree. Few courses in other disciplines can meet this standard. The student should consult with the Office of Graduate Affairs about his or her plans before registering for the course.

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Corporate and Tax Law Courses (for Students in Other Specializations)

International LL.M. students in the Corporation Law program who have not taken a course in corporation law in a common law country must register for Corporations (LW.10644) for either four or five credits.* Corporation Law students may not register for U.S. Corporate Law and Theory (LW.10344) since this course is intended for students in other LL.M. programs.

International LL.M. students in programs other than Corporation Law may register for U.S. Corporate Law and Theory (LW.10344). During the Fall semester they may not register for Corporations (LW.10644); if that course is offered in spring, LL.M. students in all programs may register for it. Students in International Regulation, Litigation and Arbitration may register for Corporations (LW.10644) in either the Fall or Spring semesters.

Please note that both Corporations (LW.10644) and U.S. Corporate Law and Theory (LW.10344) serve as corequisites for any course requiring Corporations as a prerequisite.

An LL.M. student who is not enrolled in the Graduate Tax program may not register for more than a total of eight credits of courses in Taxation. Full-time LL.M. students may not register for online courses offered as part of the Law School’s Executive LL.M. in Taxation Program except in exigent circumstances. Part-time students may register for a limited number of credits of online courses; foreign-educated students should be aware that online classes are not considered professional law courses for purposes of qualifying to sit for the New York Bar and that they may cause visa issues.

*Corporations Law and International Regulation, Litigation and Arbitration students: Please register for the sections of LW.10644 designated “Corporations for LL.M.s.” This designation is used for registration purposes only; the course is composed of both J.D. and LL.M. students.

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Graduation Eligibility

Please note that you are responsible for applying for graduation and making sure that you fulfill all requirements prior to graduation.

Neither the Records Office nor the Office of Graduate Affairs is able to monitor the transcripts or curricular choices of every student. Prior to registration for your final term, it is your responsibility to review these requirements to ensure that you will have satisfied all of them. It is highly adviseable to have the requirements in mind as you make your course selections each term. If you have questions about the requirements, you should consult the Office of Graduate Affairs.

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Certification for Bar Examination

It is the student’s responsibility to complete all work and meet all graduation requirements. Unless an extension is granted by the Vice Dean’s office in consultation with the faculty member, students must complete incomplete work from prior semesters no later than May 1 of their final semester. Students must complete all work from their final semester by the last day of the exam period. All grades must be entered by the University Registrar’s Office before a student can be certified to take the bar examination.

It is the student’s responsibility until the date of the bar examination to update all contact information on Albert (e.g., address, phone number, etc.). We must be able to contact you if questions arise.

A student who, at the time of graduation, is financially obligated to the University for tuition, housing (including summer housing after the final semester), library (fines of $100.00 or more or lost books), or other services, or who is not in compliance with University Health Center immunization requirements, will have a “HOLD” placed on his or her account, will not be cleared for graduation, will not be certified for state bar examinations, will not have official transcripts issued, nor have a diploma issued until all arrears have been paid. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure all accounts are cleared and all Stops/Holds are removed.

For specific inquiries on the bar examination, please contact the Office of Records and Registration, and review the information online.

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