Northwestern University School of Law

International Programs Office, Current Students, Our Community, School of Law, Northwestern University
http://www.law.northwestern.edu/graduate/

LLM Programs

The nine-month general LLM program offers outstanding graduates of foreign law schools an opportunity to expand their knowledge of American law and legal processes, continue their studies in international law, and engage in comparative legal research.

Graduates of the program represent more than 50 countries and hold prominent positions in many areas of practice. They include attorneys, professors, judges, corporate counsel, consultants, human rights workers, bankers, and civil servants.

Curriculum
Students must take at least 20 law credit hours to earn the LLM degree. LLM students may take up to two co-listed Kellogg courses if space is available. Co-listed courses are Kellogg courses taught by Kellogg faculty and offered through the Law School .

LLM students are free to design their own program of study from the Law School's many upper-level courses and seminars, including commercial and corporate, international, constitutional, and human rights law.

A written thesis is not required, but students with well-defined topics may pursue individual research projects.

During their first semester in residence, students enroll in two mandatory courses. The Common Law Reasoning course, which focuses on the fundamental research, analysis, and drafting skills expected of U.S. trained lawyers, and American Legal History course, introducing students to the history and principal characteristics of the American public and private law systems. With the exception of these two courses, LLM students are completely integrated with American JD students.

For further information on planning your curriculum, see Plan Your Academic Career.

Program Admission
Applicants to the LLM degree program must hold a first degree in law from a university or college whose law degree requirements are comparable to Northwestern's. Students must also have a high level of English profiency. Foreign applicants whose native language is not English must submit an official copy of their TOEFL score report. Applications to the LLM degree program are due February 1. Refer to the links below for more information about applying.

Apply

Download Applications (entering class year 2008-09):

International LLM and Two-Year JD

Instructions (pdf) | Application (pdf) | Apply Online

Required Items

LLM and LLM/Kellogg Applicants

• A personal statement
• One letter of recommendation
• Official transcripts (translated into English)
  Official transcripts should be from all undergraduate, graduate, and law schools attended. You may follow one of two procedures for submitting your transcript for review, neither of which gives an advantage or a disadvantage with our Admissions Committee. You may enclose your translated transcript with your application, or you may submit it directly to the Law School Admissions Council LLM Credential Assembly Service for International Applicants.

• An official copy of the applicant's TOEFL score report
  Foreign applicants who are not native speakers of English should take the TOEFL examination and have an official copy of the score sent to Northwestern. When indicating where the TOEFL report should be sent, the institution code for Northwestern University School of Law is 1565 and the department code is 03. Since it may take up to two months or more for the score report to reach the Law School, an applicant should take the TOEFL no later than December of the year prior to enrollment. An application will not be complete and ready for review until the Law School receives the official score report.
• Curriculum vitae/resume written in English
  LLM/Kellogg applicants should have a minimum of one year of full-time legal or business-related work experience. A description of that employment should be included in a one- to two-page curriculum vitae or resume written in English. Applicants to the LLM program are also required to submit a CV or resume.
• A nonrefundable application fee payable by check or money order to Northwestern University

Personal Statement

The personal statement is an opportunity for you to introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee. You may discuss, among other topics, personal or professional goals and personal, academic, or career history.

The committee looks beyond test scores and grade point averages in selecting an applicant for admission. The personal statement gives the committee a means to look at a variety of factors in distinguishing among many capable applicants.

Recommendations

Letters of recommendation helps the Admissions Committee appraise your character, maturity, motivation, and scholarly ability. The most useful recommendations are from those who can offer sound judgments about your qualifications for the study and practice of law. Applicants often believe that their prospects for admission are greater if they solicit letters of recommendation from judges or well-known public figures. But if these recommenders have only a passing knowledge of you, their recommendations are of little value.

You may submit your letter of recommendation by enclosing it with your application, or you may submit it directly to the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) at 661 Penn Street, P.O. Box 8508, Newtown, PA 18940-8508

The Law School Admission Council will serve as a clearinghouse if you choose to send your recommendation there. For information on how to submit letters of recommendation through Law Services, refer to their LSAT/LSDAS Registration and Information Book.

If you choose to include your recommendation with your application, your recommender should insert the letter of recommendation in an envelope, seal it, sign the envelope across the sealed flap to ensure confidentiality, and return the envelope to the applicant. You should send the unopened recommendation envelopes with the application to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, Northwestern University School of Law, 357 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-0064. Recommenders may submit the recommendation directly to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

You are welcome to submit more than one letter of recommendation. However, although multiple letters of recommendation are welcome, application review is initiated once the first letter is received.

Application Fee

The nonrefundable application fee is $80 for JD applications and $85 for LLM, LLM/Kellogg, and Two-Year JD applicants.

Although the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid attempts to keep the applicant informed of progress on the application and the receipt of documents, it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all parts of the application reach the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid by the deadline. The Admissions Committee does not review applications that are incomplete.

The various parts of the completed application may be sent to the Law School before the application form itself. Any supplementary materials submitted with the application must have the applicant's name clearly noted on each page. In several places in the application materials, the applicant's Social Security number is requested. This request is made to assist in accurate assembly of each file. It is not mandatory to supply that number.

Applicants may complete this application on a Windows or Macintosh Computer by using our online application or through the LSDAS. Use of this software is entirely optional and is for the convenience of the applicant. No preference or advantage will be given to applicants who use it.

Foreign Educated Applicants

Applicants to the JD and the Two-Year JD Programs with undergraduate degrees conferred by institutions outside the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada are required to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and to consult with Law Services regarding registration for the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). Foreign-educated applicants who cannot subscribe to LSDAS must provide an official translated copy of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts. A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is not required.

Filing Period

LLM, LLM/Kellogg, and Two-Year JD Applications

Applications for admission to the degree programs for international students are accepted from October 1 to January 17 for the LLM/Kellogg Program and to February 1 for the LLM and Two-Year JD Programs. The Law School may exclude from consideration any application submitted after the deadline or any application that is incomplete by that date. LLM/Kellogg applicants whose files are complete by the deadline will be notified of admissions decisions by the end of March; LLM and Two-Year JD applicants will be notified by the end of May.

Dates to Remember

September 1, 2006
Online request period begins for off-campus interviews.

October 1, 2006
Application for Admission filing period begins.
On-campus interviewing begins.

November 15, 2006
Deadline for completion of mandatory on-campus interviews for Early Decision candidates.

December 1, 2006
Deadline for receipt of completed Early Decision application.
Deadline for submitting application for Early Application period.
Deadline for requesting off-campus interviews.

December 15, 2006
Deadline for completing application for Early Application period (including interview, if applicable).

December 31, 2006
Early Decision candidates notified of decisions.

January 17, 2007
Deadline for receipt of completed LLM / Kellogg Application.

February 1, 2007
Deadline for receipt of completed LLM and Two-Year JD Application.

February 28, 2007
On-campus interviewing period ends.

Request an Interview

Northwestern University School of Law is the only law school in the country that strongly encourages all applicants to interview as a part of the admissions process. Interviews provide the Admissions Committee with additional information about your interpersonal and communication skills, maturity, and motivation. Interviews also help us preserve the strong sense of community and cooperative culture for which we are known. Finally, interviews provide you an opportunity to learn more about Northwestern Law.

Depending on the program to which you are applying, you may have several interview options. The Admissions Committee weights equally all interviews, regardless of where they take place or with whom. Click below on the program to which you are applying for additional instructions:

LLM/Kellogg and LLM (international) Applicants

LLM/Kellogg and LLM (international) Applicants

LLM/Kellogg and general LLM applicants may interview on campus with an Admissions staff member, off campus with an alumnus/alumnae, or over the telephone.

To interview on campus, schedule your appointment through the On-Campus Interview Request site.

Off-campus interviews with an alum must be conducted in person. To determine whether there are alumni interviewers in your area and to submit an off-campus interview request, use the LLM (international) and LLM/K Off-Campus Interview Request site.

To schedule a telephone interview, use the On-Campus Interview Request site. When asked to "Please select a location," choose "LLM and 2YJD Only Telephone Interview." The times provided for telephone interviews are Chicago time.