Master of Laws Admissions Information
Eligibility
To qualify for admission to the LL.M. program, applicants must have earned their first law degree (LL.B. or the equivalent) outside of the United States. Admission is highly selective and those admitted will have excellent law school records, strong letters of recommendation, proficiency in English and leadership potential. Although not required, some work or research experience following completion of the first law degree is preferred. Our program does not require the LSAT exam; however, we do require the TOEFL exam. The Admissions Committee carefully examines all parts of the application. Interviews will be conducted at our discretion. We will contact the applicant if the Admissions Committee feels that a telephone or an in-person interview is necessary. All committee decisions are final.
Admissions Decisions
The Admissions Committee normally begins to mail and email admissions decisions in March which continues through May. Applications that are completed prior to the February 1 deadline will receive priority review.
LL.M.-J.D. Transfer Program
Law students who are enrolled in our LL.M. program may apply to our J.D. Program as Transfer LL.M. students during the transfer application period.
The admissions process is very selective for LL.M./J.D. transfer applicants. The applicant's LL.M. and LL.B. grades, LL.M. class standing and the difficulty of coursework taken in the LL.M. Program will be considered. Strong applicants will likely be in the top 25% of their LL.M. class, having earned a GPA of at least 3.50, and must be in good academic standing. Applicants will be required to provide two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a USC Law faculty member. The LSAT is not required. Advanced standing may be granted upon review of the student's LL.M. transcript. Admitted students may not defer their enrollment. With roughly 200 spaces to fill in each year's entering class, admission is very highly selective. Transfer applications should be requested from the G&IP Office.
Only students currently enrolled in USC Law's LL.M. Program may apply to this program. Those who have already been awarded an LL.M. at USC or another U.S. law school may apply as International J.D. applicants to our three-year program. International J.D. application documents must be submitted through LSAC and JD-CAS. This will require the submission of a valid LSAT score. Advanced standing will not be granted.
International J.D. applications and application instructions may be obtained at our J.D. Admissions website.