Students may apply to spend a semester abroad during their fourth, fifth or sixth semesters of law school. Students should make every effort to have completed distribution requirements prior to the semester abroad. Before submitting the application for study abroad, students must schedule a meeting with the Dean of Students for verification that all graduation requirements will be met. 

Students must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in order to be eligible to study abroad.

3Ls planning to study abroad during their final semester of law school are advised to verify that their proposed program will ensure return home in time for graduation and bar certification, which is generally on or around June 1.

The application for study abroad for both the semester exchange programs and for independent study abroad should be completed through the Graduate and International Programs Office.

For exchange programs, the application must be accompanied by a statement of purpose, a current resume or CV, and a letter of recommendation from a Cardozo professor. 

For independent study abroad,  the application must be accompanied by the Independent Study Abroad Addendum, a current resume or CV, and a letter of recommendation from a Cardozo professor. 

Applications to study abroad during a fall semester are due by March 1st; for a spring semester, applications are due by October 1st.

Students should submit complete application materials to the Senior Program Director, Pamela Serota via e-mail pamela.serota@yu.edu. Students are notified if they are approved for study abroad approximately one month later.

Note about Accommodations/Disabilities

Any student who receives accommodations at Cardozo should discuss their needs with the Senior Director of Graduate and International Programs before applying to study abroad. Some programs abroad are able to provide similar accommodations to Cardozo, but not all countries have the same disability laws and not all universities are equipped to provide the accommodations a student may need.  The Senior Director will work with the student and partner institutions to identify which programs would fit best based on the student's needs. 

Once students return from studying abroad, whether from an exchange program or an independent study abroad, they need to make sure that the foreign program sends an official transcript to Cardozo's Office of the Registrar so their credits can be transferred over from all classes they earned an equivalent of a "C" or better.  These study abroad credits come over to their Cardozo transcript as Pass/Fail and do not factor into their Cardozo GPA. 

In addition, students returning from study abroad must complete an evaluation form and submit to the Office of Graduate and International Programs and they must meet with the Senior Director of this office to review their educational objectives and whether these were attained. 

In some cases, students may receive permission to study abroad at other institutions through an independent study abroad program.  Students must make a compelling case that their educational objectives may be met at the other institution but not at Cardozo. Students who choose independent study abroad must take a Leave of Absence from Cardozo. They will not pay Cardozo tuition for the semester they are away and will not receive Cardozo grants or scholarships. 

Students interested in studying abroad in a program not covered by a Cardozo exchange have two options:

• Direct enrollment into the foreign university law school: Students selecting this option must provide certification that the foreign law school is officially recognized in that country as legal education and must seek admission into the foreign law school.  Students are responsible for ensuring that the classes will be available and that the foreign calendar works with the Cardozo system.  Those interested in this option may begin research into foreign law schools through the Internet Legal Research Group's Guide to Study Abroad by clicking on the region of interest under "Index of All Foreign Law Schools."
• Through an ABA approved semester abroad program coordinated by an American law school: Please note that these programs will be largely composed of other American students and will not be direct enrollment in a foreign law school. Please see the ABA foreign study website for more information. 

In the past few years, Cardozo students have arranged independent study abroad programs at the following institutions:

• Fudan University, Shanghai 
• Kyiv-Mohyla University, Ukraine
• National University of Singapore
• Tsinghua University, Beijing
• Universidad de Chile, Santiago
• University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• The American University of Cairo

Cardozo students have also studied abroad in ABA-approved programs through:

• Temple University in Japan
• Pepperdine University in London

Students interested in pursuing an independent study abroad opportunity must complete the Independent Study Abroad Addendum (found above) along with the application form, and should make an appointment to see the Office of Graduate and International Programs to discuss their options.

OXFORD PROGRAM

Cardozo has a special relationship with Oxford University, where our students may apply through the Graduate and International Programs Office to spend one term in Oxford's Centre for Socio-Legal Studies through their University Recognized Student Visitor Programme. This is a research program, so students who wish to apply will need to have a research proposal that focuses on Media, Law and Society and should be prepared to conduct independent research while at Oxford. 

University Recognised Student Visitor Programme Information

Graduate students who are already engaged in socio-legal research may apply for the University’s Recognised Student Visitor status. Each University Recognised Student Visitor will be allocated an academic advisor who can offer general guidance on their area of research.   Advisors make themselves available to see recognised student visitors two or three times each term to discuss their work as a colleague would. Applicants may suggest a member of the academic staff whose area of interest would make them suitable for this role. 

Recognised Student Visitors are able to progress their research and to gain experience by consulting with our established staff, post-doctoral fellows and students in informal discussions. They also benefit from taking part in Centre and Faculty seminars, meeting visiting speakers and joining in with social events.

The Centre expects each applicant for this status:

• to have a well-developed research project in the broad field of socio-legal studies;
• to provide a clear statement of how her or his work at the Centre would benefit that project.

Recognised Students pay a fee to the Centre; details of the fees are available on the Graduate Admissions website. All Recognised Students are allocated a desk and computer in the open plan area of the Centre.  They are entitled to use the University libraries, attend lectures, and study or conduct research in any University department (subject to the agreement of the head of that department).

Please note, recognised student visiting dates must coincide with the University of Oxford term dates.

Although Cardozo has a special relationship with Oxford, this is an independent study abroad option where students must complete the Independent Study Abroad Addendum and take a Leave of Absence from Cardozo for the semester they are at Oxford. Tuition is paid directly to Oxford. No Cardozo grants or scholarships may apply.  

Once a student has committed to participate in a study abroad program, should they need to withdraw from that program before the semester has begun, the Office of Graduate and International Programs will work with the student to help them add courses at Cardozo so they can maintain continuity of their studies. If the semester has already begun, and it is past the Add/Drop deadline, the student may have to take a leave of absence for the semester.  

If there is a safety or security reason that prompts Cardozo to temporarily cancel a study abroad program for the rest of the semester, we will work with the student to help them add courses at Cardozo so they can maintain continuity of their studies. If a student is already abroad, we will liaise with the emergency travel insurance company to assist the student in returning home.   

Whether it is the student withdrawing or the administration that is canceling a program, we will work with the Registrar and Dean's Office to help a student maintain the continuity of their studies as best we can, depending on the timing in the semester when the withdrawal or cancellation occurs. 

Should a student be unable to enroll in courses at Cardozo, the law school's standard refund policy would apply. See: https://cardozo.yu.edu/studentfinancepolicies.  Once a student has been accepted into an exchange program or approved for independent study abroad, we recommend they make an appointment with Student Finance to review the relevant financial policies.