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 or IELTS exam.
Students who are completing their first law degree may apply for admission. Provided that you will have completed your degree prior to the start of your LLM studies, you will be considered for conditional admission. You must submit academic records of all law coursework completed at the time you apply. If admitted, you will be required to submit final transcripts showing your degree was awarded before you begin the fall semester.
Admissions Decisions
The G&IP Admissions Committee carefully examines all parts of the application and strongly considers the applicant's academic performance, professional background (if any), English proficiency, and goals for obtaining an LL.M. degree. 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.
Applications are currently being accepted on a rolling basis; however we recommend that you submit your materials as soon as possible since your application will be considered upon a space available basis. Admissions decisions will be made between February and April. Enrollment is limited to the fall semester, which begins in August.
Even though our priority application deadline has passed, we recommend that applicants continue to apply via USC’s Electronic Application Form, which is available through LSAC, along with their LSAC Report issued by LSAC’s Document Assembly Service and International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service. The Admissions Committee will continue to consider and review all applications upon receipt of the Electronic Application Form and LSAC report.
Please contact the Graduate & International Programs Office by email at: gipadmissions@law.usc.edu if you have any questions about submitting your application.
LLM - JD Transfer Program
USC Law students enrolled in our LLM Program may apply to our JD Program as Transfer LLM students during the transfer application period in the spring semester.
USC Law will grant up to 30 units in advanced standing credit toward the JD degree for law classes taken during the LLM studies at USC Law.
The admissions process is very selective. Typically, two to four LLM students are admitted and enroll in the JD program each fall, out of eight to ten applicants. The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is not required.
Only students currently enrolled in USC Law’s LLM Program may apply as transfers to the JD Program. Those who have already been awarded an LLM at another U.S. law school apply as International applicants to our three-year JD program.
For More Information
To request more information about USC Law Graduate & International Programs, please complete our Contact Form.
For information on visiting USC Law or meeting us abroad, please visit our Admissions Visits & Events page.
