LL.M. Students

• Accept offer of admission/pay your seat deposit
• Tuition/Scholarship/Student Loan Information

Visiting/Exchange Students

• Confirm your participation in the program by emailing the Office of Admissions at llm@yu.edu and paying your seat deposit.

Incoming international students who will require a student visa to study at Cardozo Law:

LL.M. Students

• Complete the Application for Form I-20 (F1 Graduate Students), available on the YU International Students Application Forms and Resources page
• Review Maintaining Your F1 Status

Visiting/Exchange Students

•  For information on the J visa and the DS-2019, please see https://www.yu.edu/international/prospective-students 
• Any questions about student visa or immigration matters should be directed to the Office of International Students & Scholars at 646-592-4203 or OISS@yu.edu

• Curriculum and Degree Program Requirements
• Practical and Clinical Opportunities at Cardozo for LL.M. Students
• Academic Calendar
• Registrar & Other Relevant Examples of Curriculum

International LL.M. students have special opportunities to learn at Cardozo.

Cardozo has several courses specifically designed for international LL.M. students who do not hold a first law degree from a U.S. law school.

Orientation (non-credit – skills & professional values)

The orientation for LLM students at Cardozo is designed to help you transition successfully into the complex and comprehensive legal studies in the U.S. If you have never studied in a law school in America, it is not easy to navigate the library resources, the Bar exam rules and regulations, as well as the curriculum and policies in place. Join Dean Myteberi and her team, in exploring and familiarizing yourself with all the tools you need to master before classes begin.

Introduction to U.S. Law (2/3 credits - skills)

This three-credit course gives students a basic introduction to the U.S. legal system, including the federal system and the use of precedent and methods of analyzing case law.  All international students take this course during their first semester of enrollment in the LL.M. program.

Advanced Workshop in Legal Research & Writing - International (2 credits - skills)

This two-credit course focuses on case reading and analysis, basic language structure and writing skills, manual and computer-assisted research skills, analysis and writing, and forms of writing, including letter and memorandum writing.  It is taught over two semesters, with one credit being awarded for each semester.

Contract drafting for LL.M. (3 credits - skills)

This three-credit course will examine the role that contracts play in transactional law and how to properly draft and analyze contract language. Students will learn the basic principles of contract drafting by working through drafting and interpretation exercises – in class, on their own, and in teams. The goal is to make students more practice-ready by teaching skills that will enable them to effectuate their clients’ needs through contractual language, and to anticipate and avoid potential legal disputes.  

Preliminary Registration for the Spring semester will be processed by manually by Registrar. The add/drop period for registration will begin on November 28th. Instructions and updated course offerings will be posted on the Registrar page.

Below are some registration materials that you need to master in order to register successfully for the Spring semester. To discuss your specific academic and professional goals, please contact Dean Val Myteberi, Office of Graduate and International Programs at myteberi@yu.edu or Senior Director, Pamela Serota, at pamela.serota@yu.edu.

Please send a Friend Request for the Cardozo LLM 2022-23 Facebook page. 

Housing Information

• Interested students who have submitted seat deposits may apply for dorm housing at The Benjamin. Please note that it may take up to 5 business days to access the housing portal after completing your deposit payment. Committed LL.M. students who have deposited as well as visiting/exchange students will receive priority housing status.
• For students looking for housing options outside of student housing should review the Housing Guide. 

Orientation Information

• Orientation activities and academic programming for LL.M. students entering Fall 2023 will begin on August 16, 2023.

University Health Insurance for LL.M. Students    

• To assist students in avoiding unanticipated medical costs, Cardozo requires all LL.M. students enrolled in six or more credits to maintain health insurance coverage that meets or exceeds the University’s criteria. Unless a waiver has been granted by the University health provider, Gallagher, students will be automatically enrolled in the student health insurance plan, and premium charges will be billed automatically to their Cardozo student account. 
• University health insurance will be provided by Gallagher Student Health (GSH).
• Information about coverage start date, costs, waiver requests, and policy enrollment instructions are available on their website. 
• Any questions about waivers, coverage, and enrollment should be directed to Gallagher Student Health at 617-769-1237 or Toll Free 844-333-1463.

Health Insurance for Visiting/Exchange Students 

• If you are traveling to the U.S. on a J-1 or J-2 visa, you will be required to carry medical health insurance for the full duration of your program. Students may elect to enroll in YU’s health insurance plan, or provide proof of coverage which meets the following required amounts:

       • Medical Benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness

       • Repatriation of Remains in the amount of $25,000

       • Expenses associated with the medical evacuation of the exchange visitor to his or her home country in the amount of $50,000

       • A deductible not to exceed $500 per accident or illness

       • A policy underwritten by an insurance carrier with:

  • an A.M. Best rating of ‘‘A-’’ or above;

  • a McGraw Hill Financial/Standard & Poor’s Claims paying Ability rating of ‘‘A-’’ or above;

  • a Weiss Research, Inc. rating of ‘‘B+’’ or above;

  • a Fitch Ratings, Inc. rating of ‘‘A-’’ or above;

  • a Moody’s Investor Services rating of ‘‘A3’’ or above;

  • A policy backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the exchange visitor's home country will also be accepted.

The Office of Career Services will help you prepare for your introduction to the NY legal market through resume revisions, mock interviews, career counseling, practical training opportunities, and access to Cardozo's jobs database. For more information, email llm@yu.edu.  

Many of our international LL.M. students choose to take the New York bar exam upon completion of their LL.M. studies at Cardozo. 

• If you are an international LL.M. applicant who intends to take the New York Bar exam, you should first submit an Online Request for Foreign Evaluation of Academic Credentials to the New York Board of Law Examiners.
• After submission of your Online Request for Foreign Evaluation of Academic Credentials, you MUST submit the supporting documentation listed at the New York Bar Exam website.   
• Supporting documentation must consist of originals submitted directly to the New York Board of Law Examiners by the issuing institution. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this requirement. Fax copies, photocopies certified by a notary public or like official, and photocopies certified by anyone other than an authorized official at the issuing institution will NOT be accepted.  

Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to obtain the necessary law transcript and translation to meet the New York bar requirement at the same time you obtain your official first law degree transcript for the LL.M. application. International students may find it extremely difficult and burdensome to obtain a transcript from their home countries once they are in the U.S. and studying in the LL.M. program. 

The evaluation of foreign academic credentials can take up to six (6) months so we recommend that you begin this process immediately.

Please complete and provide the Required Orientation Documents in sections (1) and (2) and submit them to the LLM Office of Admissions before or by January 9, 2023. 

(1) Print and sign the Spring 2023 Required Orientation Documents:

     • Proof of Immunizations 

     • Meningococcal Vaccination 

     • Emergency Contact 

     • Certification and Authorization Rider

     • Student Affirmation and Disciplinary Code 

(2) Official, original law school transcript stating the courses taken, the grades received, the degree earned, and the date conferred.

If you applied through LSAC, Cardozo will receive original transcripts directly from LSAC.

 

If you applied directly to Cardozo, the original official transcript of your law degree, stating all courses taken, grades earned, and date of law degree conferred, must be received by Cardozo in an unopened sealed envelope with the issuing administrator’s signature along the envelope seal. Transcripts may be submitted directly to Cardozo’s Admissions Office by you or the issuing institute. If your institution will only issue one original transcript, Cardozo will accept a photocopy of the transcript on which an official from the institution has affixed a new stamp or seal to certify that the copy complies with the original records. The certified copy must be submitted in an unopened, sealed and signed envelope.

Student copies of transcripts, PDF copies of transcripts, color copies, or scanned copies of transcripts will NOT be accepted. Failure to provide the required transcripts will result in a hold being placed on your student account. 

Transcripts must be in English. For transcripts not originally provided in English, a certified translation must be made by one of the following: a consulate, a professional agency, or the institution issuing the original document. If an English translation is required, and the issuing institution will NOT provide one, please submit your copy of the transcript to a translation service. Then send Cardozo the certified translation with the official original transcript in an unopened sealed envelope with the issuing administrator’s signature along the envelope seal. 

Translations by the applicant will not be accepted. Any application documents submitted without appropriate English translations will not be accepted.