Admissions: Application Procedure

U.S. Eligibility

U.S. applicants to our LL.M. programs must possess a juris doctor (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school.

Admission to our LL.M. programs is competitive and is based primarily upon previous excellence in law studies
Admitted applicants have excellent academic credentials and may also have significant professional experience
Almost all of our admitted U.S. applicants are in the top half of their class of a nationally ranked law school
Applicants currently enrolled in U.S. law schools may apply for admission after completing two years of law school at an ABA-accredited institution

An applicant may apply to be either a full-time or a part-time student
The choice of full-time or part-time is not a factor used in the admissions process
Some evening courses are available in most programs, but the part-time option is not exclusively an evening program
All students (full-time or part-time) are responsible for completing all degree requirements within the time limit specific to each degree

With advance approval and depending on the degree program, students currently enrolled in an LL.M. program at another school may apply as transfer students
3 to 6 credits of non-USD law school work may be applied toward the LL.M.
Transfer grades do not count toward the degree candidate’s USD School of Law grade point average

Applicants enrolled in an LL.M. program at another ABA accredited law school may apply for admission as a visiting student
Visiting students are permitted to enroll for courses, but are not considered degree candidates at the School of Law
Credits earned by visiting students may be applied toward the degree requirements at their home school