LLM, MCL, SJD, PhD

• Application priority dates
• Start dates
• Admission requirements
• How to apply
• Check your application status

How can we help you?

Application priority dates

Fall

• LLM and MCL
  • Priority Date: February 1
  • Deadline: April 1, then rolling admissions
  • Read our admission requirements
  • Apply for the fall semester
• SJD
  • Priority Date: February 1
  • Deadline: March 1
  • Apply to the SJD program
• PhD
  • Please visit the Center for Constitutional Democracy website for information on the PhD application priority dates and submission requirements.

Spring

• LLM and MCL
  • Priority Date: September 1
  • Deadline: November 1, then rolling admissions
  • Apply for the spring semester

Applicants to the LLM and MCL programs: Though applications will be considered until the class is full, it is recommended that you apply no later than the listed deadline. All applications received by this listed priority date will be automatically be considered for scholarships. Applications received after the priority date will be considered for scholarships if funds are still available.

For each future fall semester, we begin accepting new applications to all graduate programs on October 1.

Applicants to the SJD program: Applications to the SJD are accepted only for the fall semester. Preference will be given to complete SJD applications received by the priority date of February 1. All SJD applications should be received and complete by the final deadline of March 1.

Start dates

To accommodate your busy schedule or specific needs, Indiana Law offers several start dates for our LLM and MCL programs:

Traditional Fall Start: The traditional fall term, our primary start date, begins in early to mid-August each year.

Spring Start: In addition to our traditional fall semester, Indiana Law offers a spring program that starts in January. Applications for spring start will be accepted July through November. Programs that are available for a spring start include the LLM, MCL and certificate. A spring start is not available for the SJD program.

Summer Start: The summer start program is a specially designed seven-week summer Intensive Legal English program for LLM and MCL students that begins in June and is followed by our intensive Introduction to American Law course.

• Intensive Introduction to American Law: By enrolling in our two-week intensive Introduction to American Law course (two credit hours), which starts in late July, you can complete one of your required law courses early. Arriving by the end of July also gives you time to familiarize yourself with the law school, the university, and the Bloomington community before beginning your full course schedule in August.

Admission requirements

Education: LLM and MCL applicants who received their undergraduate education outside the United States are generally required to have completed a degree in law or a strong undergraduate concentration in legal coursework.

Our SJD program is for international law graduates who already hold an LLM degree and who have demonstrated exceptional analytical and research abilities. For all programs, an applicant's educational history should demonstrate exceptional performance, based on factors such as courses completed, GPA, class rank, and other indicators.

English proficiency: An LLM or MCL candidate for whom English is not their first language must demonstrate fluency in English by providing one of the following: IBT TOEFL score of 94, IELTS score of 7.0, Duolingo score of 125, or a TOEIC score of 830. An English proficiency score slightly lower than our minimum requirement is not rejected outright, especially when other factors, such as educational background and work experience, are outstanding.

Applicants who clearly fall below this level of English proficiency have additional admission options:

• First, we offer fall admission that allows students to arrive early—mid-June of each year—to complete our summer legal English program. This program allows students to improve their English and legal English before starting the regular fall term. Applicants who already have an IBT TOEFL of around 80+, an IELTS of 6.5+, or a Duolingo score of 110+ may qualify for this option.
• Second, for applicants who do not qualify for either option above, we now offer fall admission to our two-year LLM. The new Two-Year LLM with English for Law allows students with lower English proficiency to gain admission to the LLM program through successful completion of our one-year LLM Pathway Program. Similar to conditional admission, applicants who successfully complete the Pathway year continue on to the LLM year. Applicants to this program should have an IBT TOEFL of 74+, an IELTS of 6, or Duolingo of 100. If you are interested in this version of our LLM, you will need to select “LLM Pathway” as your program when applying.
• Finally, if your English level is lower than all options described above, Indiana University has a full-time Intensive English program that students can join prior to applying to Indiana Law.

SJD applicants, even with US LLM degrees, must demonstrate fluency in English via a TOEFL score of 100 IBT, an IELTS score of at least 7.5, or Duolingo score of at least 130.

How to apply

Prospective LLM, MCL, and SJD students should submit applications by using the LSAC Online Application. If you will apply only to Indiana University Maurer School of Law, you may also use our direct application to apply. If you are applying to our new two-year LLM, which begins with the LLM Pathway year, select "LLM Pathway" as your program of study on either application.

Applying via the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) website is intended to enable the fastest possible processing of your admission file. A majority of the top US law schools are using the LSAC system. If you would like to know more, review the full description of LSAC services.

If you do not yet have an LSAC LLM account: After reading all of the application details on this page, you should register for a new LSAC applicant account in order to start the application process.

If you have an existing LSAC LLM account: Simply log in to your current account in order to apply to the Indiana University-Bloomington Maurer School of Law.

Prospective PhD students should visit the Center for Constitutional Democracy website for more information on the PhD program and application process.

Check your application status

After you have completed your application, you will be able to check the status of your application online.