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#LLM GUIDE - Fordham University School of Law

The University

We're a Jesuit, Catholic university. Our spirit comes from the nearly 500-year history of the Jesuits. It's the spirit of full-hearted engagement with profound ideas, with communities around the world, with injustice, with beauty, with the entirety of the human experience.

This is what makes us Fordham: We're a tight community in New York City, and we value and educate the whole person. Much of our Jesuit history and mission comes down to three ideas, which, translated from the Latin, mean roughly this:

- Strive for excellence in everything you do.

- Care for others.

- Fight for justice.

It adds up to an education that works.

Wisdom, experience, morality, critical thinking, creative problem-solving. This is what Fordham students take into the world.

The Law School

Fordham Law School's Master of Laws (LL.M.) program is among the most highly regarded in the United States. Lawyers from the U.S. and around the world seeking specialized knowledge, training, and career advancement turn to Fordham Law School's LL.M. program for its outstanding faculty members, its location in the heart of New York City, and its welcoming community of students, faculty, administrators, and alumni.

Fordham's LL.M. students gain an in-depth understanding of some of the most important and rapidly-changing fields of law. Fordham Law's LL.M. program draws students from all over the world, with more than 40 countries represented in the current LL.M. class.

The Program

Fordham Law School offers seven Master of Laws degree specializations:

- Banking, Corporate, and Finance Law

- Corporate Compliance

- Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law

- International Business and Trade Law

- International Dispute Resolution

- International Law and Justice

- U.S. and Comparative Law

The seven LL.M. degree programs are designed to help students expand their knowledge of a particular area of law. A degree from Fordham Law will not simply prove that one succeeded in Fordham's rigorous program of academic study but, more importantly, that they are an advanced legal thinker prepared to succeed in a world of ever shrinking borders.

Fordham Law offers flexible program options, including both fall and spring start dates, full-time or part-time study, and the option to stay on for a third semester to complete a second LL.M. concentration.

The Faculty

The Faculty of Fordham Law is composed of 75 full-time professors and over 200 adjunct professors. Faculty members at Fordham Law are not just praised for their scholarship. They are supportive and approachable, and you'll find a spirit of collaboration in and outside the classroom. law.fordham.edu/faculty

Entry Requirements

Foreign-trained applicants are eligible to apply to the LL.M. program if they hold a degree from a recognized foreign law school, law faculty, or law department that is substantially equivalent to the legal education provided by an ABA-approved law school in the United States. Such education should meet the educational requirements for admission to the practice of law in that country. Note that if you are already admitted to the Bar of any jurisdiction this may meet the eligibility criteria.

U.S. applicants are eligible to apply for the LL.M program if they hold the following: (i) a degree from a U.S. accredited four-year college or university or its equivalent; and (ii) a degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

The admissions committee considers many factors in its decisions for both foreign-trained and U.S. applicants, including the following:

- Academic performance and class standing

- Occupational and law-related experience and career plans

- Letters of recommendation

- English-language ability, as evidenced by performance on the TOEFL, IETLS or ILEC

- Extracurricular activities

Application Procedure

Applicants must submit the following materials:

- Resume/CV

- TOEFL, ILEC, or IELTS score (except for applicants who hold a university degree from a school in the United States, any Caribbean Island where English is the sole official language, Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, or the United Kingdom)

-Application fee of $70 (or $100 after the application deadline)

Students may submit their application and materials through LSAC (strongly recommended) or through Fordham's website.

Tuition and Fees

Full-Time Tuition: $51,880

Full-Time Fees: $626 (there may be additional fees for health insurance and international student services)

Part-Time Tuition: $2130/credit

Part-Time Fees: $562/year (there may be additional fees for health insurance and international student services)

Financial Aid

Fordham Law has limited funding available for LL.M. students. The admissions committee occasionally awards partial scholarships based on merit. There is no separate application process for these scholarships; they are awarded at the sole discretion of the admissions committee during their review of completed applications. LL.M. program staff will notify applicants if they have been selected for a partial scholarship award.

Fordham Law also offers a scholarship through the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice. This scholarship is restricted to a select few highly qualified candidates in international human rights.

Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible to apply for federal financial aid.

Location

Located in the heart of New York City at Lincoln Center, minutes from beautiful Central Park, Fordham offers students a unique academic and cultural experience.