LL.M. Admission Requirements

FIRST DEGREE IN LAW. The LL.M. Program is open to students who have received a first degree in law from a recognized non-U.S. university approved by the foreign equivalent of the Section on Legal Education of the American Bar Association.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY. Proficiency in English is required for admission. You must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and a minimum score of 600 (or 250 computerized score) is generally required for consideration, although an outstanding applicant with a slightly lower test score will not be disqualified on this basis. You are not required to take the TOEFL exam if your native language is English, or if you have had extensive schooling, or lived or worked for at least five years in a country where English is the official language. To obtain information about TOEFL, contact: Test of English as a Foreign Language, Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151 USA; Tel: (609)771-7700; Facsimile: (609)771-7500; Internet: www.toefl.org.

DEADLINES. You may apply for admission for the Fall semester (which begins in mid-August), or for Spring (early January). Beginning in the Fall 2004 term, the following application deadlines for the LL.M. Program will apply for applicants requiring a visa to study in the United States: Fall term deadline – May 15, and Spring term – October 1. Other applicants should submit an application as early as possible before the term to which you are applying.

LL.M. APPLICATION PROCEDURES

You may fill out the LL.M. application online using a fill-in form. The fill-in form allows you to enter information while the form is displayed by an Adobe Acrobat product, then print the completed form, and fax or mail it to Office of Admissions, Whittier Law School, 3333 Harbor Boulevard, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 USA. The fax number is (714) 444-0250.

To fill out an application online (PDF download rate varies depending upon computer and connection speed), click on the link(s) below:

LL.M. Application
LL.M. Financial Aid Application

To receive the LL.M. application by mail, or to receive a Whittier Law School view book, please contact the Office of Admissions.

Office of Admissions
Whittier Law School
3333 Harbor Boulevard
Costa Mesa, CA 92626 USA
Phone: (714) 444-4141 ext.123
E-mail: info@law.whittier.edu

LL.M. applicants should submit the following to the Office of Admissions:

1. APPLICATION FORM. Completed and signed.

2. TRANSCRIPTS. Official transcripts and evaluations of transcripts from schools attended outside of North America must be submitted. Transcripts outside North America must be evaluated and translated by the following organizations:
LLM Credential Assembly Service by LSAC - https://llm.lsac.org/llm/logon/splash.aspx. Phone number (215) 968-1315 or email at LLMinfo@LSAC.org,
For schools attended within North America, transcripts must be sent directly from the attended institution to Whittier Law School.

3. TOEFL. Proficiency in English is required for admission. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required unless: 1) an applicant’s native language is English; 2) bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) is from an accredited institution of higher learning in an English-speaking country; or 3) the applicant is a resident in a country where English is the official language. Applicants who take the TOEFL exam must score a minimum of 250 to be considered for admission. To obtain information about TOEFL, visit www.toefl.org. Email contact is toefl@ets.org or phone number is (609) 771-7700. For applicants using the LLM Credential Assembly Service by LSAC, TOEFL scores can be submitted directly to LSAC as part of the evaluation service.

4 . APPLICATION FEE. A non-refundable application fee of U.S. $75 must be submitted with the application. Payment should be made to Whittier Law School in the form of a certified check or money order, in U.S. dollars. For payment by credit card, go to our Payment Gateway.

5 . STATEMENT OF INTEREST. Please include with the application a brief, typewritten statement, in English, of your reasons for undertaking the LL.M. Program in U.S. Legal Studies. Details should also include proposed course of study, work history, professional goals, research and academic interest, and other personal information that may be relevant to the Admissions Committee. Both content and writing style are considered.

6 . RECOMMENDATIONS. Please arrange for two letters of reference, written in English, to be sent directly to the Office of Admissions. Or, you may ask the recommender to forward the letter to you in a sealed envelope. You may then forward the letter unopened to Whittier Law School. Letters from faculty who can attest to your ability to enter a competitive U.S. legal studies program are preferable. If you have been out of school for some time, letters from those familiar with your professional performance are recommended.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FINANCIAL DECLARATION / VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR NON-U.S. CITIZENS. Upon admission to the LL.M. Program, persons who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must demonstrate that they have the adequate funding to cover the cost of tuition, fees and living expenses for the entire period of stay in the U.S. while pursuing a full course of study. This usually takes the form of a letter from a financial institution setting forth funds available to you (noted in U.S. dollars). The Office of Admissions will notify you when this information should be submitted for student visa eligibility.

HOUSING. Whittier Law School offers assistance to students in locating housing. For information on housing options in the local area, click here, or contact the Office of the Assistant Dean for Student Services at (714) 444-4141, ext. 278.