MASTER OF LAWS DEGREE

Entrance Requirements

For applicants with a U.S. law degree, a Juris Doctor or equivalent degree is required from a law school that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools or is approved by the American Bar Association. The applicant must have demonstrated a high degree of academic excellence in earning the first law degree.

Non-U.S. law school graduates must have completed a law degree with high academic standing from a recognized university. Non-U.S. law school graduates may also need to meet the minimum language test requirement (see below).

Advanced standing is not granted for credit earned while a candidate for the first law degree or for credit earned at any time before the student was a degree candidate in the LL.M. program at the Law School. An exception may be made in the case of students who earn credit through the Oxford–GW International Human Rights Law Program and who subsequently are admitted to LL.M. degree candidacy in the area of International and Comparative Law.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

Students from countries where English is not an official language are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language and attain a score in the 600-point range (paper-based) or 250-point range (computer-based) to be considered for admission at the Law School. This is a mandatory requirement. Applicants are responsible for making arrangements for taking the test and should address inquiries to TOEFL, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6154, Princeton, New Jersey 08541, U.S.A. The completed application form should be returned to the Testing Service at Princeton well in advance of the beginning of the semester for which the applicant seeks admission. The test fee, which should be remitted with the application, entitles the student to have the test score sent to three institutions. Registration for the Test of English as a Foreign Language does not constitute application for admission to The George Washington University.  The Bulletin of Information, obtainable without charge, contains a description of the test as well as rules regarding application, fees, reports, and the conduct of the test; lists of examination centers; examination dates; and an application blank. On the application for the test, the student should specify that the scores be sent to the Law School’s Graduate Programs Office.

A limited number of law school graduates may be admitted in non-degree status to take up to 6 hours of credit. Applicants should contact the Graduate Programs Office for application materials and instructions. Entrance requirements for non-degree students are the same as those for degree candidates. (See Admission and Entrance Requirements, above). Non-degree students who subsequently apply for and are granted admission to one of the graduate programs as a degree candidate may have the credits earned at the Law School applied toward degree requirements; however, admission as a degree candidate is not guaranteed. Enrollment in individual courses as a non-degree student will depend on space availability.