All applicants must have received or expect to receive a J.D. or LL.B. degree from an ABA-approved American law school or the foreign equivalent. Official final transcripts confirming conferral of all undergraduate, graduate, and law degrees must be received from the issuing school prior to matriculation. No transcript is necessary for work completed at NYLS.

All LL.M. applicants are required to submit a two-page, typed, double-spaced personal statement. The statement provides applicants with an opportunity to describe their reasons for pursuing an LL.M. and to elaborate on their abilities and experience.

All applicants must submit two letters of recommendation in support of their application. The letters should discuss the applicant’s analytic and writing skills and other factors relevant to the applicant’s ability to complete rigorous graduate-level legal training.

There is no fee to apply.

The LL.M. application form requires disclosure of all instances in which the applicant has been charged with, pleaded no contest to, pleaded guilty to, or been found guilty of a crime, offense, or violation (with the sole exception of a minor traffic offense) and of any such actions pending or expected against the applicant. Conviction of DUI (or any other alcohol or drug-related offense) is not a minor traffic offense. Failure to disclose this information on the application may result in dismissal from school or revocation of any degree awarded. Any failure to disclose this information will also be reported to the bar.

Applicants who completed their undergraduate and/or legal education outside the United States, with the exception of schools in Canada, must apply through the LSAC LL.M. Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and have their transcripts evaluated through the International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service. Applicants must arrange for official academic documents to be sent to LSAC for evaluation, authentication, and transmission to NYLS. First, create an LSAC LL.M. CAS account

English Requirement: LL.M. applicants for whom English is a second language and who have not studied law at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction are required to take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Official results of the TOEFL or IELTS must be submitted to the Admissions Office for review. The minimum score requirements are 100 for the TOEFL and 7 for the IELTS on the present scale.