University of Chicago Law School

General LLM

The University of Chicago does not offer specialized graduate degrees. There are no specific courses that LLM students are required to take at Chicago, nor are there courses they may not take. This means that students have the flexibility to create their own programs. LLM students often put together course and seminar schedules that reflect certain practice specialties such as corporate/securities, intellectual property, antitrust/regulation of business or commercial transactions. Most, however, also add offerings in areas like constitutional law, legal theory, law and economics, and comparative law to round out their academic experience. Other than an optional LLM writing course and two optional substantive courses designed specifically for LLM students in contracts and constitutional law, there are no courses in the curriculum just for LLM students. Most LLM students will have all of their classes with students in the JD program.

Credit Requirements

The Law School offers both a Master of Laws (LLM) and Master of Comparative Law (MCompL). While nearly all students elect to receive the LLM, the MCompL will be awarded at the student's option. The requirements for both degrees are the same.

The LLM degree is awarded to students who have successfully completed 27 course hours (generally nine courses) over three quarters while maintaining a grade point average of 170. There is no dissertation or major paper requirement in the LLM Program. However, the strong orientation of the faculty toward research provides students with unusually good opportunities and LLM students often do independent research projects or major seminar papers with members of the faculty.

It is a full-time course of study and students may only start in the Autumn Quarter (September).

The University of Chicago is an urban research university that has driven new ways of thinking since 1890. Our commitment to free and open inquiry draws inspired scholars to our global campuses, where ideas are born that challenge and change the world.

We empower individuals to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas. 

UChicago research has led to such breakthroughs as discovering the link between cancer and genetics, establishing revolutionary theories of economics, and developing tools to produce reliably excellent urban schooling. We generate new insights for the benefit of present and future generations with our national and affiliated laboratories: Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

The University of Chicago is enriched by the city we call home. In partnership with our neighbors, we invest in Chicago's mid-South Side across such areas as health, education, economic growth, and the arts. Together with our medical center, we are the largest private employer on the South Side.

In all we do, we are driven to dig deeper, push further, and ask bigger questions—and to leverage our knowledge to enrich all human life. Our diverse and creative students and alumni drive innovation, lead international conversations, and make masterpieces. Alumni and faculty, lecturers and postdocs go on to become Nobel laureates, CEOs, university presidents, attorneys general, literary giants, and astronauts.

The University of Chicago Law School is about ideas.

This is what sets us apart from other law schools: we have an unabashed enthusiasm for the life of the mind—the conviction that ideas matter, that they are worth discussing, and that legal education should devote itself to learning for learning's sake, not just for earning's sake. UChicago Law is small enough to allow students regular, in-depth interaction with their professors, who take a deep interest in their success. But the Law School also offers a chance to be part of the larger, world-class UChicago community—and to engage with a Law School alumni network that stretches from Congress and the federal bench to academia, public service, business, law firm practice, and nearly every corner of the profession.

The result is an unmatched energy, camaraderie, and way of thinking that UChicago Law students carry with them long after they graduate.

Our faculty are not just leading law scholars. They are philosophers, economists, historians, political scientists, and more—and many have joint appointments in other departments on campus. Faculty practice an open-door policy and they engage with students in ways uncommon in academia. The Law School sponsors the Chicago Policy Initiatives, which encourage faculty members and students to work together, examine important social problems, and propose solutions. Many students participate in Greenberg Seminars, where professors from different disciplines team up to teach casual seminars on unusual subjects in their own homes.

Among the most distinguished legal practitioners and professionals across the globe our LLM alumni make up an unparalleled network.  Check out what some of our alums have to say about the LLM.

Legal Education

The LLM program is only open to students who will have already met at least one of the following professional/educational requirements by the time they enroll in the Law School in September:

1. Obtained a JD degree from an ABA-approved law school in the United States.
2. Be qualified to practice law (admitted to the bar) in a foreign country.
3. Completed the university-based legal education required in a foreign country to take the bar examination in that country. In some countries candidates may be qualified to take the bar examination even though they do not have a traditional first degree in law. Those candidates may apply for our LL.M. Program.
4. Completed the basic four year undergraduate law study in a Japanese university.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants must also demonstrate sufficient proficiency with both written and spoken English. Since law schools will vary in the ways they determine if applicants meet this language requirement, prospective applicants to Chicago should review the following information carefully.

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit either a TOEFL or IELTS score, the results of which must be from an examination taken within two years of the date of the LLM application and meet the following minimum requirements:

TOEFL: A cumulative score of at least 104 on one administration of the examination. We do not accept MyBest™ Scores.

IELTS: A cumulative score of at least 7.5 and sub scores of at least 7.0 on each of the four parts of the examination

Candidates applying for admission to the LLM Program must use the LSAC LLM Credential Assembly Service.

Chicago requires both the Document Assembly Service (DAS) and the International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service (ITAES).

Important Dates

The dates provided below are intended to give prospective applicants a general idea of the application/review/response sequence. The date an application is reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee will have no impact on the Committee’s decision; each application will have a full review once it is completed.  Candidates who wish to receive decisions on their applications in the initial group of messages sent out around February 15 should pay attention to the priority submission and completion deadlines described below.

September 1—Application materials for the subsequent year become available on the LSAC web page.

October 15—The Graduate Studies Committee begins reviewing completed applications. The review of individual applications is just the first step in the process. The second step takes place in late January and early February, once most of the applications have been reviewed. At that point we look at the decisions as a group to see if we are putting together a diverse and interesting class taking into account such factors as nationality, career history, current occupation, educational background, academic interest, etc.

December 15—Priority application SUBMISSION deadline. On or before this date candidates should have submitted to the LSAC LLMCAS: application for admission, personal statement, and resume. This is not a completion deadline - see February 1 below.   Candidates may apply after December 15. They do not need to ask permission to do this. Candidates who do apply after December 15 should include with their personal statements an explanation about why they did not apply before the deadline.

February 1—Priority application COMPLETION deadline. Applicants who have completed applications (application for admission, personal statement, resume, transcripts, TOEFL/IELTS scores, and letters of recommendation) by February 1 should receive decisions on their applications in the initial group of messages sent out around February 15. Applications completed after February 1 will be fully reviewed once they are complete, but those candidates should understand that, as a practical matter, the later we review a completed application, especially if it is substantially later, the less likely we will be able to offer admission. This timing varies from year to year, and it is impossible to predict ahead of time when we will have to stop offering admission to candidates.

February 15—By this date initial decisions—admit, deny, or waiting list—will be sent simultaneously by email to all applicants whose applications were complete by February 1. This decision date will vary from year to year depending on the application review process and applicants will be notified several days in advance as to when the decisions will be sent.

Tuition for the 2020-2021 academic year is $68,652. A reasonable budget for a single student, including tuition and living expenses, for the 2020-2021 academic year is approximately $100,000. The living expenses budget includes $4,566 for the University required health insurance which students can waive if they can provide comparable coverage with their own health insurance. Cities in the United States vary as to how expensive they are to live in; this budget takes into account the cost of living in Chicago. Tuition and budget figures for 2021-2022 will be available in April, 2021.

Financial aid for students in the LLM program is limited. Grants are available only in a small portion of the total cost. In a typical LLM class, about 30% of the students will receive scholarship grants based on merit from the Law School and the average grant is between $15,000 and $20,000. LLM applicants requiring financial aid should make every effort to obtain assistance from their governments, families, employers, or other outside sources.

All admitted applicants will be automatically considered for merit scholarships based upon the materials submitted in their application.  No additional application is necessary to be considered.  However, in some cases the Graduate Programs Committee may ask individual candidates to supply additional information on a case by case basis.

“It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago—she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time.”
- Mark Twain

The Windy City, the City of Big Shoulders, the Second City

"The city is so unbelievably beautiful. It's one of the greatest cities on the planet. My heart beats differently when I'm in Chicago. It slows down and I feel more at ease." - Jeremy Piven

It would be very hard to provide a true picture of all that the city of Chicago has to offer in one page. Chicago is a world-class city known for its jazz and blues, sophisticated yet affordable restaurants, fantastic shopping, theater and improvisational comedy, professional sports, modern architecture, lakefront and river cruises, and beaches. Venues such as Navy Pier, Millennium Park, the Chicago Loop, the Magnificent Mile, the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, and the major observation decks make Chicago a mecca for tourists. Locals, however, know that the city is full of everyday delights, too. Chicago is one of the best large cities for bicycling in the US, and you will see Chicagoans riding on their own bikes or on Divvy Bikes throughout the city. We (believe we) have the best hot dog in the country (no ketchup, please!), and with all due respect to New York, a pizza isn't serious if it's less than an inch thick. 

Parks and "Green Chicago"

"I’d rather be a lamppost in Chicago than a millionaire in any other city." - William A. Hulbert

When Chicago was incorporated in 1837, it adopted the motto "Urbs in Horto" ("The City in the Garden") and lives up to that motto today in many ways. Few cities take more pride in their public spaces than Chicago. The Chicago Park District boasts 8,100 acres of green space, 26 miles of shoreline, 77 swimming pools, 23 swimming beaches, 10 major museums, a free public zoo, ice rinks, golf/mini-golf courses, batting cages, and much more. The entire Chicago lakefront is owned by the city, which means that you can go to beaches, theater performances, and festivals right on the waterfront and run, walk, bike, blade, and even rock climb along the shoreline. Among the events the Park District hosts are the Chicago Air and Water Show, the Grant Park Music Festival, Theater on the Lake, and the annual food festival, Taste of Chicago. In addition, Millennium Park, a downtown multimedia park that has a Frank Gehry-designed bandshell, a skating rink that doubles as a sports bar in the summer, and the 160-ton "bean," a stainless steel, mirrored sculpture that is a Chicago landmark. In concert with the beauty and usefulness of our park system, former Mayor Daley started—and Mayor Emmanuel is continuing—a campaign to make Chicago America's Greenest City. Chicago's City Hall was the country's first municipal building with a rooftop garden, and Illinois is on the top of the list of total square feet of LEED-certified space per resident — with Chicago housing a majority of these buildings. Other projects include rehabilitating wetlands areas inside the Chicago city limits, testing for rain-permeable alleys and green fueling stations.

Sports

"Every player should be accorded the privilege of at least one season with the Chicago Cubs. That's baseball as it should be played - in God's own sunshine. And that's really living." - Alvin Dark

In the minds of many, Chicago is first and foremost a sports town. Chicago loves its teams, and with good reason. Soldier Field, right on the lakefront, is home to the Bears. Chicago's United Center hosts the Blackhawks, which have three recent Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and the Bulls, which won the NBA championship six times between 1991 and 1998 with two three-peats. For baseball, Chicago is unparalleled, hosting the White Sox at U.S Cellular Field (a short trip from the Law School) and the 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs at beautiful Wrigley Field, right in the middle of the North Side's Lakeview neighborhood. Chicago's own Major League Soccer team, the Chicago Fire, plays in nearby Bridgeview.

Art

"Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world." - Frank Lloyd Wright

If art or architecture is your passion, you will be very happy in Chicago. Largely because the downtown area had to be entirely rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Chicago is often called the birthplace of modern architecture. Buildings by legends of modern architecture Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe abound. Chicago is the home of the first skyscrapers and boasts the second-tallest building in the country, the Willis Tower. Hyde Park has stunning mansions on its north side including the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Robie House and, of course, the Gothic gargoyles of the University itself. The Art Institute of Chicago houses masterpieces of painting and sculpture, including a superb collection of French Impressionists and major works of 20th century art. The Museum of Contemporary Art and the Spertus Museum are smaller, more focused collections, perfect for an afternoon's viewing. The University of Chicago's own Smart Museum spans Rodin to Rothko.

Music

"Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town." - Fred Fisher

Chicago is legendary for its music, particularly jazz and blues, with dozens of small clubs that host internationally renowned musicians every night. Blues and jazz clubs dot the city, including such famous and popular spots as the Buddy Guy's Legends, Kingston Mines, the Green Mill, and Rosa's. You'll also find fabulous venues for folk, country, hip hop, even Irish music.  The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, long acclaimed as one of America's Big Five orchestras, often premieres works by University of Chicago composers. Every year, the Chicago Lyric Opera fills the sumptuous Art Deco opera house to 103-percent capacity. And, of course, all the national music tours stop in Chicago, playing traditional venues such as the United Center, House of Blues, and Allstate Arena, and somewhat more unsual ones like Wrigley Field and Soldier Field.

Theater

"I'm impressed with the people from Chicago. Hollywood is hype, New York is talk, Chicago is work." - Michael Douglas

Theater is also plentiful in Chicago. The city boasts nearly three hundred troupes and also is home to world-class improvisational comedy, including Second City, which got its start forty years ago right here at the University. Chicago is home to the Steppenwolf and Goodman theaters, and to the Elizabethan-style Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier. The Court Theatre is a professional theater company right here on the University's campus.  Big musicals play at large auditorium theaters downtown, and intimate plays, often locally written, are performed in spaces all over town.

With an LLM Program of about 80 students, people find it easy to develop friendships and study or socialize together. Parties, dinners and other more informal social activities are often planned and organized for the entire class. Many LLM students get together for lunch in the Law School's Green Lounge since there are no scheduled classes for an hour and a half starting at noon each week day. This time is also used by student organizations for extracurricular lectures, debates and meetings.

The Law School has several programs to foster social interaction between LLM students, JD students and members of the faculty:

• International Fellows Program – The purposes of the program are to bring LLM students into the social networks of JD students, give JD students an opportunity to develop friendships with lawyers from all over the world, and have both groups experience some of the activities available in Chicago. The LLM class is broken down into nine groups of seven or eight students. These groups are arranged so that the membership in each group will include LLM students from as many different countries and regions as possible. Each group also has four JD student organizers, known as International Fellows. Early in the Autumn Quarter, the Law School will plan informal lunches where each of the groups will meet their members and begin planning the activities for the year. Each group will be given a budget of $1000 to spend on their activities over the course of the year. Each group will decide how it wants to spend its money. Ideally, the JD students will have a list of activities to suggest at the outset and all of the members of the group will discuss what activities they would like to do.
• National Dinners – These events are designed to encourage LLM students to have some social events focusing on their respective cultures. The Law School will provide a subsidy of up to $750 to the organizers of any dinner with a national or regional theme and food to which all of the LLM students in the Program are invited to attend.
• Faculty Lunches  - The Law School will provide free lunches at the Law School where a member of the faculty has been invited to attend. The purpose of these lunches is to give small groups of students a chance to meet members of the faculty outside of class in an informal atmosphere. These lunches are organized by individual students and are limited to no more than ten students and a member of the faculty.

LLM students participate in social activities beyond the Law School community. The famous campus Halloween Party, organized in late October each year by law and business graduate students from Belgium, draws students from all over the University. There are several annual social events with students in the LLM Program at Northwestern University School of Law: a skating party, a reception, and a soccer match. Read more about the broader arts and culture opportunities available to LLM students in Chicago.