​LLM Application and Deadlines - International Students

The University of San Diego School of Law has a longstanding practice of welcoming attorneys, judges and government officials from around the world to enroll in one of our graduate law programs. Please see the following description of the LLM in Comparative Law designed specifically for international attorneys.

Entrance Requirements

Applicants to the LLM in Comparative Law program or an alternate LLM program (as approved) must have the equivalent of a U.S. law degree from an accredited institution outside the United States. Candidates must have also graduated in the upper half of their law school class or otherwise establish qualifications indicating their ability to complete graduate law work successfully. Applicants to the LLM in Comparative Law program may begin their studies in either the fall or spring semester.

The University of San Diego School of Law requires that all LLM applicants establish competency in English through successful completion of an English language test in the event that: [1] the applicant's native language is not English, or [2] the applicant graduated from an international law school.

An applicant may establish competency in English through successful completion of either the TOEFL or the IELTS. For the TOEFL, the minimum suggested score is 583 points for the paper-based test or 93 points for the Internet-based test. For the IELTS, the minimum suggested score is 7.0 for the academic IELTS. Applicants who do not meet the minimum score requirements should consider additional English study, specifically in the area of legal English skills. One such program to consider is the Intensive Legal English program offered by UCSD-Extension in San Diego. USD also has an English Language Academy which offers programs such as Intensive English and Business English.

Completed applications are reviewed on a "rolling" basis throughout the year, and many applicants will receive a decision within three weeks from the date their application becomes complete.

Deadlines

Priority deadlines are as follows:

  • Fall Admission: File complete by June 1
  • Spring Admission: File complete by November 1

Applications for admission will be considered on a space-available basis after the priority deadlines.

Application Instructions

We prefer application packages prepared by the Law School Admissions Council's (LSAC) credential evaluation and reporting service. This service allows you to use your computer to fill out your application and submit required supporting documents. Visit the University of San Diego School of Law's LSAC site to complete the application. LSAC will then send the electronic version of your application to our office.

We believe that this service offers a distinct advantage to all applicants, since it eliminates the need to authenticate official documents multiple times and it facilitates a speedy and accurate processing of the application.

Application Fee

There is no application fee.

Personal Statement

Please submit a brief personal statement to LSAC addressing:

  1. the nature and extent of your legal background
  2. other related professional experience
  3. how you plan to make use of your graduate degree
  4. additional information you deem important

Résumé

Please submit a current resume or curriculum vitae to LSAC.

Letter of Recommendation

Please submit at least one (1) letter of recommendation to LSAC from a law professor, attorney or other legal professional who is familiar with your work.

Official Law School Transcripts

An official transcript from each law school attended is required and must be sent directly to LSAC from your school's registrar. Please include a description of your university's grading policies with your application. In countries where an official transcript is not provided by the university, but is instead given to the students, the applicant must certify that the photocopy is a true and correct copy of the original document.

Official TOEFL or IELTS English Language Exam Score

  • LLM applicants are required to establish competency in English through successful completion of an English language test (TOEFL or IELTS) in the event that: [1] the applicant's native language is not English, or [2] the applicant graduated from an international law school.
  • Minimum suggested TOEFL score:
    • 93 points on Internet-based TOEFL
    • 583 points on paper-based TOEFL
  • Minimum suggested IELTS score:
    • 7.0 points on academic IELTS
  • Please request that the test administrator submit your official TOEFL/IELTS score directly to LSAC, or to our office if not using LSAC (our TOEFL institutional code is 4849, and department code is 03).
  • Institutional TOEFL/IELTS scores are not accepted.

Notice Regarding Submission of Application Materials

Applicants should keep a copy of all materials submitted to LSAC or LLM/MSLS Admissions. Once original transcripts and documents are submitted as part of an applicant's admission materials, they cannot be returned or photocopied by LLM/MSLS Admissions for any reason.