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US LLM Application Deadlines

USA LLM applicationsThe application cycle of LLM programs can require considerable time, so it is important to start the application process as soon as possible. Many LLM programs have a different submission timeframe than the regular law school deadlines, so it is very important not to assume LLM deadlines are the same as the law schools that house them.

Completing timely US LLM applications is not only important for getting a timely acceptance, but it can also affect the classes that are available for enrolment. Some LLM programs that focus their concentrations on foreign-trained students allow LLM candidates to take classes alongside JD (Juris Doctor) candidates. If USA law school deadlines precede LLM deadlines, it becomes vitally important to apply early.

Some universities accept US LLM applications twice a year, usually for spring or autumn (fall) entry. This ensures a shorter wait for those who may become interested in applying mid-decision cycle. Although many programs have rolling admissions, foreign students often have law school deadlines that are much earlier than those for US applicants. Many of the top-ranked traditional law schools offer fixed deadlines, but research-based or online programs are more likely to offer rolling deadlines. Law schools do try to give ample time for visa approvals.

In this article, the LLM deadlines for foreign-trained applicants have been specified wherever the information is available. If a listing does not indicate that a program caters to lawyers trained outside the country, USA law school deadlines apply. It is important to contact the admissions office directly to ensure deadlines are the same as those listed on the university website LLM landing page.

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US Law School Application Deadlines

Here we tell you the LLM application deadlines for the different US law schools.

University of Alabama

Please contact the admissions office, as deadlines are not specified. Concentrations in Taxation and Business Transactions are offered online. The International LLM is a residential program.

American University, Washington College of Law

You can request more information on their website. 

Arizona State University

Fall/summer: 31 July (1 June for students requiring a visa)
Spring: 30 November (1 November for students requiring a visa)

Atlanta's John Marshall Law School

The LLM program application for the fall/autumn 2024 opens from 1 September, 2023, until 22 July, 2024.

Boston University

The spring 2024 application deadline has been extended for international applicants to 10 November 2023.

The summer 2024 application deadline for all participants is 1 May 2024.

The fall/autumn 2024 application deadline for on-campus international applicants is 15 April 2024.

The fall/autumn 2024 application deadline for on-campus domestic applicants is 31 July 2024. 

The fall/autumn 2024 application deadline for online applicants is 31 July 2024. 

Brooklyn Law School (for foreign-trained lawyers)

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

University of California, Berkeley

The application deadline for the 2024 start date is 18 December 2023.   

University of California, Los Angeles

The application for admission to the 2024-2025 program is now open. The deadline to apply is the 1 February 2024. 

Case Western University (for foreign graduates)

Rolling admissions policy with students notified as decisions are made.

University of Chicago Law School

Fall/autumn 2024 LLM applications priority deadline: 15 December 2023 (documents such as application, personal statement, and resume must be submitted by this date). The priority application completion deadline is 1 February 2024.

University of Colorado Boulder

Master of Studies in Law (MSL) & LLM  priority applications close on 15 March 2024. Applications completed after that date will be considered subject to class size allowances.

Columbia Law School

You can request more information on their website.

University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law)

Spring semester: 15 November 2023 for non-US residents; 15 December 2023 for US residents.
Fall/autumn 2024: LLM deadline for non-US residents: 15 June 2024.
Deadline for US residents: 15 July 2024.

Cornell University Law School

All 2024 applications deadline: 15 December 2023.

Duke Law School

LLM application deadline: 1 February 2024.

Emory University

Fall/autumn semsester deadline: 15 April.

Spring semester deadline: 1 November.

Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

Master of Laws in International Law (LLM)        
10 November – early notification; non-binding.

10 January – scholarship priority.  

Florida State University (for foreign-trained lawyers)

LLM application deadline: 15 March 2024

Final deadline: 31 July 2024. 

Fordham University School of Law

Fall/autumn LLM application deadline: September to 1 March. 

George Mason University School of Law

The fall/autumn deadline for international students who need to apply for a student visa is 15 May 2024.
The fall/autumn deadline for students who do not need a visa is 1 August 2024.

George Washington University

Applications for the fall and spring semesters are accepted on a rolling basis. For priority review, especially for scholarship consideration, applications for fall/autumn admission should be received by 15 March, but will continue to be accepted on a space-available basis until 1 June.

Georgetown University Law School

Fall/autumn 2024 admissions opened on 10 October 2023.  

University of Georgia

Merit-based deadline: 31 January. 

Final application deadline: 20 March.

Admission is on a rolling basis until the class is full. 1 May is the final deadline to submit a complete application for August 2024 enrollment. 

The School of Law's LLM degree program is a full-time program that follows the academic calendar. Enrollment takes place in the fall/autumn semester (August) only. 

Golden Gate University

Non-Tax LLM Application Deadline

Spring 2024: 15 October 2023. 

Fall/autumn 2023: 15 April 2024.

Tax LLM Application Deadline

Spring 2024: 1 December 2023.

Fall/autumn 2023: 1 August 2024. 

Harvard Law School

The application for the LLM program beginning in mid-August 2023 is now closed. The application for the LLM class beginning in August 2024 is open from September 2023 to December 2023.

University of Houston

Fall/autumn 2024 deadlines: Applicants with a non-US law degree: 15 April 2024 (priority), 1 May 2024 (regular); applicants with a US law degree: 1 June 2024 (priority), 1 August 2024 (late).

Indiana University, Indianapolis

Rolling admissions, which means there are no deadlines for you to worry about. You can start in either the fall (mid to late-August) or the spring (early January) term. If you are applying late in the process, we will do our best to get your application processed, although if you are coming from outside the US and need a visa, it is critical that you apply in enough time for us to make a decision and still have time to apply for a visa. The turn-around time on a completed application is typically in the range of three to four weeks, although that can vary somewhat as many of the faculty on the admissions committee travel frequently around the world.

University of Iowa

Fall/autumn semester — 1 April 2024. 

Loyola University Chicago School of Law

An online option is available to attorneys who have a minimum of three years of legal and/or health care experience. Deadlines vary and are subject to change. Contact admissions for the latest deadlines.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

LLM admission: 15 January 2024. 

University of Minnesota

To apply for the 2024 LLM programs:
Application available from: 1 October 2023.
Final application due date: 1 May 2024.

Northeastern University

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. You should receive a decision letter within four weeks of receipt of your complete application materials.

Northwestern University Law School

1 September 

The application filling period begins for all degree programs. 

1 November 

JD Early Decision (ED) applicants. We highly recommend you complete the required online interview by this date. This will provide the Admissions Team adequate time to process your interview report and to include it with your ED application file before the 15 November completion deadline.

Deadline (Round2/final) for MSL Online spring start only. 

15 November 

Deadline for receipt of completed JD Early Decision application. 

1 December 

Deadline for receipt of completed Visiting Student application for the spring semester. 

15 January 

Deadline for receipt of completed LLM and LLM-IHR applications.

1 February 

Deadline (round 1) for receipt of completed MSL application, all fall/autumn cohorts.

15 February

Deadline for receipt of completed JD, JD/LLM Tax, and JD/LLM-IHR applications.

Deadline for receipt of completed Two-Year JD for International Lawyers applications. 

28 February 

Deadline to complete online video interviews fpr the JD program. 

1 April

Deadline (round 2) for receipt of completed MSL application, all fall/autumn cohorts (final deadline for international applicants)

15 May 

Application filling period begins for JD Transfer candidates. 

1 June 

Deadline for receipt of completed LLM-Taxation applications 

Deadline (round 3)  for receipt of completed MSL application (final deadline for domestic applicants). 

26 June

Deadline for receipt of completed JD Transfer applications. 

1 August

Deadline for receipt of completed Visiting Student application for the fall/autumn semester. 

New York University Law School

Full-time LLM Program

Check out more information on their application page. 

The Ohio State University Moritz School of Law

Spring application deadline: 15 December 2023 (US); 15 October 2023 (International)
Fall/autumn application deadline: 15 July 2024 (US); 1June 2024 (International)

The University of Oklahoma College of Law

Online LLM students may start their program in the fall/autumn, spring, or summer semesters. The Admissions Committee will carefully examine all parts of the application and will inform the applicant via email of their decision. Late applications will be accepted and admissions may continue until the start of classes.

On-Campus LLM students may start their program in the fall/autumn semester of an academic year. The Admissions Committee will carefully examine all parts of the application and will inform the applicant via email of their decision. International students must file a completed application and all related materials by 1 June for a fall/autumn semester start, to allow sufficient time to secure a student visa.

University of Pennsylvania

15 November 2023: Early Deadline.
15 December 2023: Regular Deadline.

Pennsylvania State (for foreign trained lawyers)

Dickinson School of Law
Contact admissions as applications reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Pepperdine University School of Law

Summer 2024: 1 March 2024

Fall/autumn 2024: 15 June 2024

Spring 2025: 15 October 2024

St John's University School of Law

For fall/autumn entry, submit application before 15 April 2023 to receive priority consideration. Applications received after the 15 April priority date will be considered and decisions rendered on a space-available basis.

University of San Diego

Fall/autumn: 1 June  
Spring: 1 November

University of Southern California, Gould School of Law

Fall/autumn 2024: Priority Deadline 1 February 2024 – Final Application Deadline 1 June 2022.
Spring 2024: Priority Deadline 1 September 2023 – Final Application Deadline 1 November 2023.

Stanford University 

The application deadline for the fall/autumn 2024 program is 1 December 2023.

Suffolk University

Fall/autumn semester applications are due 15 May 2024.   
Spring semester applications are due 1 October 2024.    

Syracuse University

Applications for 2024 are now open. 

Temple University (for foreign-trained lawyers)

Fall/autumn admission: 15 April–1 October. 

University of Texas at Austin Law School

The application to join the LLM Class of 2024–2025 is currently open and will close 15 April 2024.

Tulane University 

Deadline for LLM applicants: 1 June. 

University of Tulsa

Please contact the admissions office, as deadlines are not specified.

Vanderbilt University (for foreign-trained lawyers)

Applications for the LLM may be submitted from 1 September through 30 April of year the LLM program starts.

Vermont Law School

LLM applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

University of Virginia

See the applications page for more details. 

Wake Forest University (for foreign-trained lawyers)

See the applications page for more details. 

Washington University in St Louis

The deadline is not stated, please contact admissions for more information.

University of Washington, Seattle

International applicants must submit a full application no later than 15 February of the year in which they plan to commence study at the University of Washington. As the processing of international applications requires extra time, we appreciate early submission of application materials.
The 15 February deadline is for those students who need to obtain a visa. Applicants who reside in the US or are concurrent JD/LLM students at UW can use the deadlines for US-based applicants.
US-based applicants
Asian & Comparative Law: Fall Entry: 1 May         
Global Business Law: Fall Entry: 1 May         
General Law: Fall Entry: 1 May        
Sustainable International Development: Fall Entry: 1 May         
Health Law: Fall Entry: 1 July        
Intellectual Property Law & Policy: Fall Entry: 1 July         
Taxation: Fall Entry: 1 July Winter Entry: 1 November Spring Entry: 1 February 
Applicants for Asian & Comparative Law, Global Business Law, General Law and Sustainable International Development Law must submit a full application no later than 1 May of the year in which they plan to commence study at the UW.
Applicants for Health Law, Intellectual Property Law and Taxation must submit a full application no later than 1 July of the year in which they plan to commence study at the UW.
We recommend US-based applicants submit a full application by 15 February for consideration at the same time as international applicants, so as to maximise their chances of admission. Domestic students may also begin the winter or spring quarter, but may be limited in their choice of classes, as many prerequisites are only offered during the fall/autumn quarter.

College of William and Mary (for foreign-trained lawyers)

Applications for spring admission will be accepted between 1 July and 1 November, with later applications accepted based on space availability. Decisions will be sent by early December. 

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spring 2024 application deadline: 15 October 2023.
Fall/autumn 2024 application deadline: 1 May 2024. 

Yale Law School

Applications are accepted for the 2024–2025 academic year from 15 August to 1 December 2023.

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