Loyola University Chicago School of Law

LL.M. Program 

With customized curricula and personalized support through our experienced international staff, Loyola Chicago’s LLM Program for International Lawyers is designed to help you meet your professional goals. Launched in 2012, the program is klein aber fein and has attracted accomplished law school graduates from over 55 different countries. We consider all applicants automatically for tuition-reduction scholarships to maintain the high quality and diversity of our international student group.

Flexible and Immersive

Our international LLM program is built on the core principles of academic excellence, affordability, flexibility, and inclusion. As a Loyola student, you will be taught by leading practitioners alongside a diverse and talented community of peers. You will benefit from a rigorous curriculum, small classroom environment, and dedicated faculty and staff who are committed to providing you with the support needed to make the most of your time at Loyola. You may begin the program in the spring or fall semester.

Our program offers two distinct tracks: Track I, for foreign lawyers aiming to specialize in American law, and Track II, for those interested in private and public international law. In both tracks, you may add a certificate focus in any field that matches your career goals. Popular among our students are specializations in Business/Transactional and Corporate Law, Tax Law, Dispute Resolution, IP Law, Human Rights, Immigration Law, and Environmental Law. As an international LLM student, you will study alongside JD students from the U.S. and will have the option to choose from over 200 courses offered each year.

Supporting Student Success

Our focus is on making sure that each student reaches their full personal and professional potential. Our robust support structure will ensure you are fully integrated into our close-knit community. You will have access to resources that include on-campus tutors, workshops on studying techniques and bar exam preparation, networking opportunities, and one-on-one academic and career counseling. As one of the few US law schools with a mandatory 2-semester legal writing program for international students, we are proud of our graduates’ high bar passage and employment rates.

Beyond the Classroom

Immersion in U.S. legal and academic culture is about more than just attending classes. As a student in our LLM program, you will be encouraged to engage in wide array of extracurricular activities sponsored by the university. You will have opportunities to visit law firms and legal institutions, join in conferences and public interest projects, become active in student organizations, and participate in advocacy competitions, clinical programs, and legal journals. Many our LLM students begin their post-graduate careers in Chicago and stay involved with Loyola’s community in their professional life.

Join Loyola Chicago for a live-changing and career-enhancing experience!

Scholarships / Financial Aid Information

The full tuition for an LLM degree at Loyola Chicago is around $42,000.

We offer a generous tuition-reduction scholarship for international law students and consider all international applicants automatically for an award to maintain the high quality and diversity of our international student group. The scholarship may cover up to 60% of the tuition.

The tuition, based on the number of credit hours per semester, is due in the first month of the semester. Many students sign up for installment plans. Our students have the flexibility to complete the program in 2 to 4 semesters.

Application requirements

For any questions, contact Director Insa Blanke directly at iblanke1@luc.edu.

Start the application by submitting the free application form even if you do not have all of the supporting documents available at this point. You may add additional documents later to complete the application.

We do not have a deadline, but use a rolling admissions system. As soon as your file is complete, we will send it to the Admissions Committee for review. You will hear back from the admissions office within two weeks. We admit students for the fall semester (mid-August) and the spring semester (mid-January).

+ Current curriculum vitae or resume: The curriculum vitae (CV) or resume provides the Admissions Committee with an overview of your background. This list should include your education, work experience, professional and academic degrees, honors and achievements, bar and other professional memberships, speeches or lectures given, presentations or publications, language skills, community engagement, and any other pertinent information. The CV should be limited to one or two pages, written in English.

+ Personal statement: The personal statement is a one to two-page narrative that supplements your CV. This is your opportunity to highlight specific aspects of your educational, professional, personal, and cultural background, and to state your motivation to continue your legal education. You also may discuss how you anticipate contributing to the intellectual life and community at Loyola, and how you plan to further your career with an LLM degree.

+ Transcript evaluation: All international education credentials (e.g. transcripts, mark sheets, degree certificates, graduation diplomas) must be evaluated by an official U.S. evaluation agency. You are required to submit your official documents and evaluation fee directly to any evaluation agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
We also accept CAS reports from LSAC in place of NACES evaluations. Please fill out Loyola’s free application form and select Loyola Chicago as one of your designated schools in ACES. When the CAS report is ready, email your LSAC account number to us and we will request your CAS report.

+ Language Test Scores: The law school requires a minimum overall TOEFL iBT score of 95 with minimum scores of 24 in the writing and reading sections, or a minimum overall IELTS score of 7 with minimum scores of 7 in the writing and reading sections. Individual language assessments conducted in person or by telephone may also be required at the Law School’s discretion. If your on-campus legal education was primarily conducted in English, you may be exempt from submitting a test score.
If you satisfy all other admissions requirements, but do not have a sufficient TOEFL/IELTS score, we may offer conditional admission. You would be admitted to Loyola, but would first complete a semester or two—depending on your level upon beginning the program—of ESL classes in the English Language Learning Program (ELLP) here at Loyola before you may begin your law school courses.

+ Letters of recommendation: Your application must be supported by at least one confidential letter of recommendation from a professional reference contact – ideally a professor of your law school or a judge or current or other previous employer who can assess your professional and legal skills. The recommender should be familiar with your academic or professional performance to provide a written statement about your capacity for advanced legal study and your professional promise.