Frequently Asked Questions

Texas Law LL.M. Program offers a single LL.M. degree with multiple concentrations:

1. Business Law
2. Cybersecurity Law
3. Global Energy, International Arbitration & Environmental Law
4. Human Rights & Comparative Constitutional Law
5. Independent Study
6. Latin American & International Law
7. U.S. Law for Foreign Lawyers

Applicants with a foreign law degree are eligible for all concentrations. Applicants with a J.D. from an ABA-approved school are eligible for all concentrations except for U.S. Law for Foreign Lawyers.

All concentrations have the flexibility to allow students to also become eligible for certain bar exams. Each bar exam has different course requirements. The most popular bar exams for foreign-trained LL.M. students are the Texas and New York bar exams. Each of these bar exams requires 12 credits of required courses. Students can balance out these 12 credits of bar-required courses with the 12 credits of concentration-required courses. Some students end up taking more than 24 credit hours to fulfill the bar-required courses, however.

The Texas Law LL.M. Program has seats for 25 LL.M. students total. These 25 seats are mixed between the offered concentrations.

The University of Texas School of Law does not offer an online or hybrid (a mixture of online and on-campus learning) LL.M. Program. The LL.M. Program is a full-time degree program and must be completed in person within one academic year. The two academic terms are fall (mid-August to mid-December) and spring (mid-January to mid-May). LL.M. students begin their studies in the fall term, with a mandatory week-long orientation in mid-August and complete their LL.M. degree and graduate in May.

The two academic terms are fall (mid-August to mid-December) and spring (mid-January to mid-May). LL.M. students begin their studies in the fall term, with a mandatory week-long orientation in mid-August and complete their LL.M. degree and graduate in May.

Applicants must have earned a J.D. from an ABA-approved U.S. law school or the equivalent of the J.D. from an accredited law school or university in another country. In most foreign countries, this is a first professional degree in law (e.g., LL.B.). If the applicant is in the last year of their law studies and will receive their degree prior to starting the LL.M. Program, they may also apply to the Program. An official, in-progress transcript is required as part of the application on LSAC. See the list of first professional law degrees by country.

Neither the LSAT nor GRE is required to apply to the LL.M. Program.

LL.M. applications must be submitted through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). The application opens on September 1 and is due by March 1 for the following August.

Our deadline is March 1. Late applications may be accepted, subject to space availability. Incomplete applications will be withdrawn after April 15.

If the official law school transcript with final grades and proof of degree are in a language other than English, then literal (word-for-word) English translations are required. However, certified English translations are not required. Applicants must submit all higher education transcripts, including transcripts for study abroad programs, and proof(s) of degree.

Applicants must list on the LSAC application all higher education institutions and submit all higher education transcripts, including those in-progress and for study abroad programs. Proof of degree is also required upon completion for all degrees. For degrees currently in-progress, a final transcript and proof of degree must be submitted before students start of the LL.M. Program in August.

Yes, interviews are required in later stages of the application process. Applicants will be notified of the process if they proceed to that stage.

Applicants with a foreign law degree must demonstrate English proficiency by taking the TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic. The LL.M. Program requires a minimum total score of 101 on TOEFL iBT (with at least a 24 in each section) and a minimum total score of 7.5 on the IELTS Academic (with at least a 7 in each section). If the applicant’s score falls below the minimum requirement, they should address their English language proficiency in their personal statement and/or have their recommenders address their English language skills in their letters. Applicants who receive a score below the minimum requirement on the TOEFL iBT or the IELTS Academic can still apply to the program. However, if admitted, the student may receive an offer of conditional admission.

Score reports are valid for two years, and scores will be considered expired if the test was taken more than two years prior to the submission of the application. Non-native English-speaking LL.M. students, who submit a TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic score and are not otherwise waived/exempt, receive extended time on exams.

The LL.M. Program does not accept the Duolingo English Test, the IELTS General Training test, MyBest scores for the TOELF iBT test, the TOEFL Essentials test, or the TOEFL ITP.

Applicants are exempt from submitting a TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic score if they hold a first professional degree in law from a university where English is the medium of instruction.

All other applicants must submit an official TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic score. Foreign LL.M. applicants are eligible to request a TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic waiver if one of the following scenarios apply. Waivers are subject to the sole discretion of the Texas Law Admissions Committee, whose decision is final. Applicants who meet waiver criteria are not eligible for language accommodations, for example, extra time on examinations.

• The applicant has attended a U.S. university for full-time study for a minimum of four academic years with a minimum 3.0/4.0 GPA in a post-secondary degree-granting program taught in English, OR
• The applicant has earned their first law degree from a foreign university in which the sole language of instruction is English in a country that does not appear on UT’s list of qualifying countries. In this scenario, they must upload a letter from their foreign law school verifying that English was the medium of instruction.

The Admissions Committee strongly recommend that at least one letter of recommendation come from an academic source. However, letters from employers or others who have worked closely with the applicant and can attest to their work product can be very helpful, particularly if they have been out of school for many years. Letters of recommendation should be academic or professional, not personal.

LSAC provides an official letter of recommendation coversheet. Letters of recommendation should be written on letterhead.

No, letters of recommendation must be sent through LSAC. Visit LSAC for more information

The fee can be paid online with a credit card through LSAC.

Applicants have access to an applicant dashboard where they may track the status of their application. After an applicant submits their application, they receive an email confirmation with a link to their Applicant Dashboard as well as their login credentials.

After an application becomes complete, it takes the Admissions Committee a minimum of 4-6 weeks to issue an admissions decisions, including time for interviews when applicable.

An email is sent to applicants who are offered admission. This is followed by the official admit letter. Applicants who are not admitted will receive an email with the decision.

Yes, a $500 nonrefundable seat deposit is required to confirm your place in the LL.M. Program. The enrollment deposit will be applied to the student’s fall tuition bill.

At Texas Law, the Admissions Committee expects that all applicants fully intend to enroll in the LL.M. Program in the fall of the year in which they apply. The Admissions Committee also understands that individual circumstances related to enrollment can change after applying. Deferral requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Deferrals are limited to one year. To request a deferral, a fully admitted student must submit a formal request via email to LLM@law.utexas.edu, outlining the reasons for the deferral. If approved, the LL.M. Program requires two deposits of $500. One is due immediately, and the second deposit is due by January 15 of the year the deferred student will enroll in the LL.M. Program. Both deposits are applied to the fall semester tuition bill. Deferred students must reapply by November 1.

The LL.M. degree requires a minimum of 24 credit hours. Many courses at Texas Law are three credit hours, totaling roughly eight courses during the academic year.

Students must be registered full-time to meet Texas Law and immigration requirements. Full-time status is 10-16 credit hours per term. Most LL.M. students register for 10-14 credit hours per term.

Every LL.M. student must complete a substantial research paper under faculty guidance. Most students satisfy this requirement by completing a 3-credit writing seminar (30-60 double-spaced pages). Alternatively, students may complete a directed research course for at least 2 credits that should result in a paper equal to that of a seminar (30-40 double-spaced pages).

The Course Schedule for fall is posted in March. The Class Schedule for spring is posted in October. The Class Schedule includes past, current, and future courses. Please note, not all courses are offered every term. Additionally, the Class Schedule for a given term is tentative until the term in question begins.

LL.M. students may apply a small number of credit hours of non-law courses taken at the University of Texas towards the 24 credit hours required for a LL.M. degree. Courses taken for credit towards the LL.M. degree must be related to a course of study offered in the School of Law and must be graduate level courses.

Course selection and registration for the fall term occurs during LL.M. Orientation. Space is limited in many courses, so not all courses are available. Courses may added or dropped up until the 12th class day. Registration for the spring term takes place in October.

The option of establishing Texas residency through high school graduation is available to citizens and residents of the US and to international students.

The option of establishing Texas residency by establishing domicile is available to citizens and permanent residents of the US. Non-citizens and non-permanent residents may also use this option if they have an application for permanent residency on file with the US Citizenship of Immigration Service. This option if also available to international students who possess an eligible visa.

For more information, visit Texas Residency.

Tuition is assessed and paid by semester, based on the number of credit hours taken. Fall tuition and fees for new students are due in late August after registration, and spring tuition and fees are due in early January after registration. Students may pay tuition and fees in full or  in installments. Visit Texas One Stop for more information.

Admitted students are automatically considered for internal scholarships, and a separate application is not required. Internal third-party scholarships require a separate application and have their own internal deadline.

Prospective and admitted international LL.M. students are encouraged to apply for financial aid and scholarships from their home countries. eduPASS and International Student Organization have compiled lists of scholarships for international students. Additionally, the LL.M. Program has assembled a list of external scholarships that are country-specific and criteria-specific.

Visit Scholarship Opportunities for more information.

For information on applying for a U.S. visa, visit the International Student & Scholar Services website.

The University of Texas at Austin requires entering students to complete certain medical clearance requirements before they are allowed to register for classes. Visit University Health Services for more information.

The University of Texas Board of Regents requires that all international students enrolled at UT in a visa status of F or J have health insurance (including those applying for F or J status). For this reason, enrollment in the AcademicBlue UT Student Health Insurance Plan is automatic at the time of registration, and the cost of the policy is included in the student’s tuition and fee bill. For more information on insurance, visit the International Student & Scholar website.

Health insurance coverage for U.S. citizens and permanent residents is optional. University Health Services strongly urges all students to have health insurance. The UT Student Health Insurance Plan provides great, affordable coverage plus an option for dental insurance.

Students with F1 or J1 visas may work on campus up to 20 hours per week during regular semesters and up to 40 hours per week during holidays and vacations. Students interested in on-campus employment often work as research or teaching assistants or for University of Texas Libraries or the UT Co-op. UT has a job database for students. Visit Finding a Student Job for more information.

Students with an F-1 visa may apply for Optional Practical Training to work up to one year in the U.S. Students with a J-1 visa may apply for Academic Training.

The Career Services Office (CSO) offers assistance to LL.M. students with their job search strategies. This includes discussing job hunt strategies, reviewing resumes and cover letters, practicing interview skills, etc. A CSO counselor specializes in assisting LL.M. students on how to begin exploring their options.

Students must be proactive in their job search and start early in the first semester.

Yes, Texas Law LL.M. students participate in the International Student Interview Program (ISIP) at NYU in January and in the UCLA LL.M. Interview Program at UCLA in February.

Most employers who recruit at Texas Law are primarily interested in interviewing students in the J.D. Program. LL.M. students are eligible to interview only with employers who are interested in meeting with LL.M. students.

The University of Texas at Austin offers a series of family resources, including on childcare, family life services, lactation/quiet rooms, and a Counseling & Mental Health Center.

Schools in the community includes Austin ISD, Eanes ISD, Hayes ISD, Round Rock ISD, and Pfluggerville ISD.

While there is no on-campus housing for law students, Texas Law does recommend a number of housing options for the incoming LL.M. students.

It is recommended that LL.M. students live as close as possible to the Law School. The Law School address is 727 East Dean Keeton St, Austin, Texas 78705. Download a UT campus map. The Law School consists of 3 buildings: Townes Hall (TNH), the Connally Center (CCJ), and Jesse Jones Hall (JON).

UT students can ride CapMetro buses (Austin’s regional public transportation provider) for free with their UT student ID card. If you plan to take the bus to campus, download the CapMetro app to make sure you live close to a bus stop and know when the next bus is coming.

Those who wish to drive to campus must purchase a parking permit. The School of Law is located in the heart of Austin, so parking is a challenge. Most lots are on the outskirts of campus, but UT Shuttles can get you to your campus destination with ease. UT Students can ride UT Shuttles for free with the UT student ID.

Texas Law does not accept transfer credits into the LL.M. Program. Students currently in another LL.M. Program may apply to the Texas Law LL.M. Program but must take the required 24 credits at Texas Law.

No, an LL.M. student cannot transfer to the J.D. Program. They must apply for admission to the J.D. Program via LSAC. The J.D. Program requires applicants to submit a LSAT or GRE score. Upon admission to the J.D. Program, a graduate of an LL.M. program at an ABA-accredited law school may petition to receive credit for one or more courses completed during the LL.M. program as long as the course taken was a J.D. course and the student was graded in a manner comparable to J.D. students in the course.

The Admission Committee is so happy that you loved your experience at Texas Law and that you want to come back for a full year to do the LL.M. degree. The LL.M. consists of 24 credits completed while admitted as an LL.M. student. This means that the credits you took while on exchange at Texas Law cannot count toward the LL.M. degree. However, certain classes you took may count toward concentration requirements – giving you more freedom to take other classes during the LL.M. Program.