Applying to the Master of Laws-Legal Institutions Degree Program, our "Course-Based Master's Program"

To Apply to the Master of Laws-Legal Institutions Program (LLM-LI Program)

To apply for spring 2010 entry to the LLM-Legal Institutions program, you must complete an application and pay an application fee.

The application form, personal statement, record of residence, and fee are submitted online. See details below at "To apply" and follow the online instructions and application procedure provided by the Law School Admissions Council, LSAC. [CAREFUL: IF YOU ARE SEEKING INFORMATION ABOUT OR TRYING TO APPLY TO OUR LLM (RESEARCH) PROGRAM, YOU ARE NOW ON THE WRONG WEBPAGE. Stop, go back to the Graduate Programs homepage, www.law.wisc.edu/grad, and choose the Master of Laws (LL.M.)(research-based) link.]

There are additional required documents that you must submit to complete your application. These are listed below at numbers 1-4. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you use the Credential Assembly Service of the LSAC for the processing of the documents 1-3. You can register for the Credential Assembly Service by going to the LSAC website and clicking on the "Special Interests-International LLM Students" link.

To apply:

I) You must complete an application form, including a Personal Statement, a Record of Residence form, and pay a nonrefundable application fee:

• The completed application form, Personal Statement, Record of Residence, and the application fee of $56 USD. These are submitted through LSAC at the online instructions and application procedure website.
  
• The application fee is nonrefundable. You pay it when you submit your completed application form.
  
• The application form and Record of Residence are available online at the above link. The application fee is payable through the online application process.
• The Personal Statement: This is required as part of the application. In your Personal Statement (2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced), write about your reasons for graduate study -- your objectives and your expectations for graduate legal studies (your "plan of study"). Tell how you plan to integrate law courses (and possibly law-related courses from other university departments) and research into a focused experience. The Personal Statement can also include some personal background information about your experiences in law, either at the university and/or in practice. The Personal Statement should be at least two pages typed, double-spaced, but no more than four pages.
  

You must also submit additional documents, listed below, to complete your application. We strongly recommend that you use LSAC's Credential Assembly Service to submit documents specified in 1-3.

II) You must submit additional documents that complete your application:

1. RESUME
   • A current resume. The LSAC Credential Assembly Service can collect your resume along with your TOEFL and official transcripts.
     
2. OFFICIAL TOEFL SCORE
   
   • We suggest that you take the TOEFL examination at your earliest opportunity.
   • Scores can take up to two months to reach us.
   • The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s institution code is 1846.
   • We recommend that you use the Credential Assembly Service provided by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) to collect your TOEFL score. On the LSAC website, click on the "Special Interests-International LLM Students" link for information and to register for this service.
3. OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS
   
   • Send official transcripts or academic records from each university or other institution you attended that confirm the degree you earned.
   • International academic records must be in the original language accompanied by an official English translation.
   • Documents must be issued by the school with the official seal/stamp and official signatures.
   • We recommend that you use the Credential Assembly Service provided by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). On the LSAC website, click on the "Special Interests-International LLM Students" link for information and to register for this service.
4. THREE LETTERS OF REFERENCE
   
   • The LL.M.-Legal Institutions application requires three reference letters, written by three people familiar with your academic and possibly professional work.
   • The three people whom you ask to write letters of reference for you should send their letters to the Graduate Programs Office with the waiver form that you give to them. The waiver form is available on the LSAC application website as part of the application's supplementary forms.
   • The letters of reference should be sent directly to the Graduate Admissions office at the address given below.
     
   • You will be asked to state the names of your recommenders and their email addresses as part of your online Legal Institutions application.

These items need to be received at the Law School by October 1 (for spring entry application) or February 1 (for fall entry application), depending on your desired entry time. If you do not use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service, you may contact our office and we will provide the waiver form for your letters of reference. Note: Whether you use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service or not, it is your responsibility to make sure that the additional documents listed in items 1 through 4 reach the Graduate Admission office by or before the deadline.

Here is our mailing address:

Graduate Admissions Office
University of Wisconsin Law School
975 Bascom Mall, Room 4312
Madison, WI 53706 U.S.A.

telephone (608) 262-9120

Completed applications are reviewed as they are received.

Applicants are notified of acceptance by the Law School's Graduate Admissions Committee as soon as a decision is made.

Link to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Legal Institutions program.

If you have questions not answered by our FAQ page, contact us at gradprog@law.wisc.edu or (1)(608) 262-9120 (telephone) or (1)(608) 265-2253 (fax).