The application for the LL.M. class of 2012-13 is now available.You may apply in one of two ways: by printing out the PDF version of the application and submitting it to the LL.M. Office on paper, or by submitting an electronic application through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) website. 

Guidelines for completing the application are detailed on the relevant application form and instructions.  Key requirements follow:

Application Deadline

If you are applying for enrollment in Fall 2012, the application deadline will be April 1, 2012.  We will consider applications received after this date, but only on a space-available basis.  We will begin making admissions decisions in January 2012, so we strongly encourage you to submit your application well before the stated deadline.  We expect to have made most admissions decisions by May 15, 2012.

Eligibility requirements

There is one fixed eligibility requirement:  applicants must have either (a) graduated from a U.S. law school that is approved by the American Bar Association, (b) obtained a full degree in law from a non-U.S. university or (c) be admitted to practice law in a country other than the U.S.  Apart from this, we seek applicants from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of legal and career interests.  We are most interested in applicants from other countries who have completed their prior legal studies with high rank and who intend to return to their home countries to contribute to the legal profession.

English Language Skills

Boston College Law School course work and related academic activities require written and spoken fluency in English. Students must be able to express themselves in both spoken and written English and must read the language with ease.  Consequently, if your native language is not English, you must submit your scores on the standardized Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  We require a minimum score of 100 using the Internet-based test. This exam is administered worldwide.

Application Components

The complete application is to include:

• Application form
• Resume or c.v.
• Statement of Purpose
• Two signed letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts with a certified English translation from all of your colleges, universities and graduate and professional schools
• TOEFL results
• Application Fee $75

Which application to use

There are two possible ways to the LL.M. program:  on paper, or electronically through the LSAC web site.  We encourage you to submit the paper version of the application, as long as (a) you plan to submit original paper recommendations and transcripts directly to us, and (b) you are asking the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to send your TOEFL score report (if required) directly to us.  Further information on these conditions appears below.

If either of these conditions does not apply to you, please submit your application electronically through the LSAC web site.  If you use the e-app, you must also use the LSAC LL.M. Credential Assembly Service, including the International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Feature.  This enables you to provide all of your application documents to the LSAC, which will in turn forward the relevant documents to each school to which you apply.  The LSAC charges applicants $200 for this service, plus $15 for each school to which you wish to send an application. These charges are in addition to Boston College Law School’s $75 application fee.

Note: if you are applying electronically, you must pay the $75 application fee by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover). If you are applying on paper, you may pay the application fee by a check, travelers checks, or a postal money order. If none of these forms of payment is available to you, please contact the LL.M. Office. For further information, see the relevant application instructions.

Financial matters

The estimated cost of study for a single student during the 2011-12 academic year is $59,790. This figure consists of tuition and fees of $41,690 and estimated living expenses of $18,100. It does not include the expenses of travel between the student’s home country and the Boston area. The comparable figures for the 2012-13 are likely to be higher.

Applicants requiring financial assistance should investigate funding sources in their home countries well in advance. Examples of such sources include employers, government agencies and foundations. A partial list of organizations that offer scholarship funding for U.S. graduate study follows:

•    American Association of University Women
•    American-Scandavian Foundation
•    Australian Federation of University Women Fellowship Fund
•    DAAD Scholarships for German citizens
•    Ford Foundation
•    Fulbright Scholarships
•    Golden Key International Honour Society
•    International Federation of University Women
•    Kosciuszko Foundation Scholarships for Polish citizens
•    Mackenzie King Scholarships for Canadians
•    Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund
•    Organization of American States
•    P.E.O. International Peace Scholarships for Women
•    Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships
•    World Bank Scholarships Program

The United States embassy or consulate in your home country may have additional information on Fulbright Scholarships and other fellowship opportunities.  Finally, loan funding may be available from organizations such as Sallie Mae, or Citibank.  If you are not a United States citizen or permanent resident, however, these lenders generally require a United States citizen or permanent resident to guarantee the loan.

In addition, Boston College Law School has a limited amount of scholarship funding available to LL.M. students. The scholarship application form is available in pdf form.  You may submit your completed scholarship application either with your application for admission, or after you receive an offer of admission.  We review your application for admission without regard to your financial situation, so submitting a scholarship application will have no effect on whether or not we offer you admission to the LL.M. program.  Scholarship awards are made primarily on the basis of financial need.

Further information

If you have questions about the application process, please contact the LL.M. Office by email at bcllm@bc.edu, by telephone at (1-617) 552-1002, or at the following address:

LL.M. Office
Boston College Law School
885 Centre Street
Newton, Massachusetts 02459
U.S.A.