The decision to study abroad is a complicated one.  

As the practice of law becomes increasingly international, study abroad during law school offers a competitive edge.  

Past participants have regarded their semesters abroad as one of the highlights of their law school education. But studying abroad requires trade-offs. Any semester abroad means forsaking a semester of study at Cardozo.  

Credits earned through study abroad do not count in a student’s grade point average.  

Job search activities are limited from abroad.  Certain clinical opportunities, moot-court competitions and editorial positions on a journal are not available to students who are not in residence at Cardozo for a full academic year.  

Interested students should meet with the Senior Director for Graduate and International Programs to discuss options.

Students may apply to spend their fourth, fifth or sixth semester of law school abroad, although in the case of over-subscription, 3Ls will be given preference.  

When and whether to study abroad depends on a student’s curricular plans and professional goals. Students interested in studying abroad for a semester are urged to meet with a counselor in the Office of Career Services to discuss the consequences of missing a particular semester with regard to the job search.   

The most popular semester for students to study abroad is the Fall of their 3L year. We discourage students from waiting until their final semester, because exams abroad may not finish in time for students to return for Commencement and foreign transcripts may not arrive in time for students to be certified for the July Bar.

We offer many choices of exchange programs abroad, so your first step should be to review these options as they are the most straight forward choice. When you participate in an exchange program, you stay enrolled at Cardozo, pay your regular tuition and fees, and your grants and scholarships remain. You apply through the Graduate and International Programs Office, and if you are selected, we nominate you to one of our partner law schools. 

If you have a particular country where you want to study abroad and we do not have a program in that location, you may consider applying for Independent Study Abroad. This process entails more work on the student’s part and requires taking a Leave of Absence from Cardozo, therefore you would not receive any grants or scholarships for that semester. Also with this option, the student must apply directly on their own to the program for admission. If you are trying to decide between these two options, we recommend that you make an appointment with the Senior Director of Graduate and International Programs to discuss.

The application for study abroad for both the semester exchange programs and for independent study abroad are available on the website. This should be completed and must be accompanied by a statement of purpose, a current resume or CV, and a letter of recommendation from a Cardozo professor. There is an additional form required for Independent Study Abroad. 

The letter of recommendation should be from a professor who knows you and can attest to your performance in class and, if possible, to your aptitude for a semester abroad.  Please alert your recommender that recommendations are often forwarded to the foreign exchange partner. 

Applications to study abroad during the fall semester are due by March 15; for the spring semester, applications are due by Oct. 1.  

Students are notified if they are approved for study abroad two to four weeks later.

Transfer students are permitted to study abroad for a semester.  

However, they may not meet the requirements for residency to graduate summa cum laude, (which requires five upper-level semesters of graded coursework) and Order of the Coif (top 10%), which requires 75% of law studies in graded courses.

A maximum of 12 credits may be transferred from semester study abroad. Each exchange program has a different credit system and credit load requirement to equal the equivalent of those 12 ABA credits at Cardozo. You must consult with the Senior Director of the Graduate and International Programs to find out the number of credits you must take for your particular program abroad. 

The dual degree JD/LLM program at La Sorbonne is a 60-credit program for the year. 

Credit will be awarded only for courses with a grade of “C” (or the equivalent) or better, although grades are not transferred and do not count in a grade point average.

A semester of study abroad may be used in place of the Comparative Law course requirement in the J.D. core course list, provided law courses are taken that pertain to the country or region of study abroad.  Students must fulfill the additional core course requirements at Cardozo.

Cardozo students studying abroad in one of our exchange programs stay enrolled at Cardozo, pay tuition and fees to Cardozo, and receive all scholarship and grants as awarded to them in other semesters. Students do not pay tuition to the host institution, although there may be nominal student fees required. All visa, airfare, and living expenses are the responsibility of the student but students may speak with the Office of Student Finance to see if there is additional Federal financial aid available to cover some of these additional travel costs for study abroad.

For students who select an independent study abroad, they must take a leave of absence, so any Cardozo scholarships or grants do not apply during that semester abroad. Students pay the host institution directly rather than Cardozo for tuition and fees for that semester abroad.

For exchange programs, because you pay tuition to Cardozo, your financial aid will be applied in the same way as it would if you were spending the semester at home.  

For independent study abroad, no Cardozo grants or scholarships may apply. Before applying to any semester-abroad opportunity, please consult the Office of Student Finance with specific questions about your aid package. You can also inquire about procedures for getting any loan refund to you while you are abroad.

In addition to your academic performance (minimum grade point average of 3.0), your progress toward meeting Cardozo graduation requirements), and the strength of your letter of recommendation, Cardozo will consider your reasons for wishing to study abroad. In writing your essay, you should indicate how your study-abroad experience will fit into your academic and professional plans. Personal reasons for studying abroad will be considered, although they will not be as heavily weighted as academic/career reasons.

Cardozo students are first evaluated by the Graduate and International Programs Office. If selected for one of the exchange programs, you will then be nominated to the host institution. Once nominated, the host institution will require an additional application from the student. Typically, the host institution will honor the nominations that we send them. 

The Cardozo selection process depends in part on the number of available slots for the program and the number and caliber of the other students applying.   

Generally speaking, we have been able to grant applicants their first or second choices.

Each country has its own regulations regarding visas, including the type of visa required and procedures for securing it.  

Please see program information for visa requirement details and be aware that the visa application process can take several weeks to months. Students should inquire about and begin making arrangements to secure the proper visa as early as possible.

In most cases, students abroad will live off-campus. A few of the exchange partners offer on-campus housing. The amount of assistance afforded students by the host institution regarding housing varies. Please see the program information for details on housing.

Although most programs offer courses in English, students who have a working knowledge of the language of the host country will generally receive greater benefit from their experience. Students may also find it useful to take language classes while in residence in the host country. Many of our programs offer optional language classes at an additional cost. No law school credit will be awarded for language study.

Students should be sure they are fully covered with health insurance for the duration of their program abroad. Check with your insurance carrier regarding overseas benefits. You can also look for international insurance through companies which provide coverage for students abroad. 

Some of the exchange programs require purchasing health insurance in their country as part of the residency requirement there. In addition to regular health insurance coverage, YU provides travel insurance for emergency medical care, evacuation and repatriation needs while abroad. Students studying abroad are required to have this coverage and the cost is applied to your student account for the semester abroad.