Frequently Asked Questions

Academics

• Can I specialize?
• What are the requirements for graduation?
• What courses can I take?
• Is it possible for LL.M. students to apply to the J.D. program?

Admissions

• Who can apply?
• What are the requirements for admission?
• Where can I get information about applying for the TOEFL?
• How do I apply?

Costs and Financial Aid

• What is the cost?
• How much does it cost to live in San Francisco?
• Is there any financial aid available?

LL.M. Program

• How long is the Program?
• Do you admit people in the spring semester?
• Do you have a part-time or summer LL.M. program?
• How many students are in the program?

General

• Is there housing available?
• How do I obtain a visa?
• If I receive an LL.M degree from Hastings, am I eligible for admission to a U.S. Bar?
• What kind of career assistance does UC Hastings offer its LL.M. candidates?

Academics

Can I specialize?

Yes. You can either complete a general degree in U.S. law or specialize in one of the following areas: 

• International Law and Human Rights
• Science, Technology, and Intellectual Property
• International Business and Trade
• Dispute Resolution and Legal Process
• Taxation
• Health Law and Policy
• Family Law

What are the requirements for graduation?

LL.M. students must complete a total of 24 credit hours and complete the following courses: Introduction to U.S. Legal Systems, Legal Writing and Research, and one first-year course in the fall semester. Students are allowed up to three semesters to complete their programs, although most students complete all the requirements in two.

What courses can I take?

In addition to Introduction to U.S. Legal Systems, Legal Writing and Research, and one required first-year common law course (torts, contracts, criminal law, property, constitutional law, or civil procedure), LL.M. candidates are generally free to take any courses subject to the course prerequisites or the permission of the instructor.

Is it possible for LL.M. students to apply to the J.D. program?

UC Hastings does offer a J.D. transfer program which allows qualifying LL.M. students to apply to the J.D. program using grades and faculty recommendations instead of an LSAT score. If accepted, the transfer will occur after you have completed the requirements for the LL.M. program. However, if you are admitted into the J.D. program as a transfer student, you will NOT receive your LL.M. degree. Instead the credits you have obtained through the LL.M. program will be applied towards the satisfaction of your J.D. degree, and you will be required to spend another two years of study in order to satisfy all of the requirements for the J.D. degree.

Admissions

Who can apply?

The LL.M. program in U.S. Law is for candidates who have received, or will receive prior to enrolling at UC Hastings, a law degree from a law school outside of the United States. At this time, if you have received a law degree from a U.S. law school you are ineligible for the LL.M. program.

What are the requirements for admission?

Candidates will need to have received their law degree by August and must provide transcripts showing that they were in good academic standing. LL.M. candidates must also demonstrate English fluency with a TOEFL score minimum of 600 PBT, 250 CBT, or 90 IBT or an IELTS score of 7. In extremely rare cases, if you are unable to take the TOEFL, we may consider other evidence of a high degree of English fluency.

Where can I get information about applying for the TOEFL?

Contact the Educational Testing Services (ETS) on the web. The school code for the TOEFL is 4342.

How do I apply?

LL.M. candidates must apply online through LSAC. Please check out our Application Checklist for more information.

Costs and Financial Aid

What is the cost?

Tuition is $39,500 for the 2012-2013 academic year, subject to change by the Board. Please visit Fiscal Services for more information about tuition and fees.

How much does it cost to live in San Francisco?

Estimated living costs including housing, food, personal expenses, books, and transportation will cost about $21,000 for the year.

Is there any financial aid available?

UC Hastings offers a limited number of scholarships to LL.M students based on both merit and need. If you wish to apply for a scholarship, you will need to answer the optional scholarship application questions on your online LSAC application. You will also need to attach a word document briefly describing your financial need and why you are applying for a scholarship. For more information, please contact the Program Coordinator for the Graduate Division at llm@uchastings.edu.

LL.M. Program

How long is the Program?

The LL.M program lasts one academic year from mid-August to May.

Do you admit people in the spring semester?

LL.M students are only admitted for the fall term which begins in August.

Do you have a part-time or summer LL.M. program?

We do not have formal part-time or summer LL.M. program. However, each year a number of students begin their LL.M program by attending the UC Hastings Summer Legal Institute.

How many students are in the program?

There are generally 20 to 30 students who enroll in the program each year.

General

Is there housing available?

UC Hastings is one of a limited number of urban law schools with housing devoted exclusively to its students. To download an application form online, please contact UC Hastings’s Housing Department. We do recommend that you apply for housing early. The housing department also offers resources to assist students in finding off campus housing. For additional information please contact Housing Services at marp@uchastings.edu or 415-557-0985.

How do I obtain a visa?

Accepted students will be sent the required forms to apply for a visa with the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your home country.

If I receive an LL.M. degree from UC Hastings, am I eligible for admission to a U.S. Bar?

If you are already a practicing lawyer in your home country, you can apply to sit for the California State Bar examination.

If you are not admitted to the bar in your own country, you may apply to sit for the California State Bar exam if you have the required number of years of study. In general, this means that you must have at least two years of university education in the equivalent of a bachelor’s program prior to receiving at least three years of university study leading to the equivalent of a J.D. degree.

You may also be required to take certain courses during the LL.M. program in order to sit for the California Bar examination. In general, California would require that you have at least 12 credits of courses related to subjects tested on the California Bar exam. For more specific information, you should consult the California State Bar Examiners Rules for qualifying to take the bar exam. If you are interested in being admitted to another state bar, such as New York, you should consult the rules for that state bar.

What kind of career assistance does UC Hastings offer its LL.M. candidates?

Hastings Career Services Office assists LL.M. students looking for temporary or permanent employment in the United States with a range of services including individual counseling, and regular workshops on finding employment, networking, interviewing skills, and resume writing.