LL.M.-J.D. Transfer Program

Law students in the Florida State University College of Law LL.M. Program in American Law for Foreign Lawyers may apply to the J.D. Program as Transfer LL.M. students. The LSAT is not required.

Admission will be based on the student’s outstanding performance in the LL.M. program, including:

(1) consideration of grades and difficulty of courses,

(2) the written recommendation of two professors who taught the student in the Florida State program (in these recommendations the professors shall indicate how the LL.M. student performed in comparison to his or her classmates in the course(s) involved), and

(3) the Associate Dean for International Program’s own assessment of the LL.M. student’s academic performance in the LL.M. program and whether the student is likely to be successful if admitted to the J.D. program as a transfer student.

Admitted LL.M. students may receive up to 29 credits from the LL.M. Program toward the J.D. degree. The student must complete the J.D program no later than four calendar years after the student’s matriculation into the LL.M program. Only students currently enrolled in or who have graduated from Florida State Law's LL.M. Program may apply to this program.

Application Process

The deadline to submit an application accompanied by the required application fee and pertinent documents to the College of Law is as follows:

Fall Admission: July 1^st

Applications received after the deadline may not be reviewed by the Admissions Committee.

Checklist

• Online Application Form
• All applicants must submit an application electronically through LSAC.
• Application Fee: $30 (U.S. dollars)
• The required application fee of $30 can be paid online through LSAC or by check or money order directly to the College of Law. Do not send cash. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Florida State University.
• This fee cannot be refunded or applied to an applicant's registration or any other university fee.  
• Personal Statement
  • A written personal statement with information about any personal experiences, achievements, plans, goals or other factors the applicant would like the admissions committee to take into account. The statement should indicate what the applicant hopes to gain through the transfer into the JD program.
• Resume
• A completed and updated resume is required and must be submitted as an attachment with the online application through LSAC.
• Letter of Good Standing
  • You will be required to request a letter of good standing from the Registrar’s Office at the Florida State University College of Law and submit it with you application.
• LL.M. Law School Transcripts
  • You will need to include an official copy of your LL.M. program transcripts from the Florida State University College of Law.  These can be obtained in the Registrar’s Office.
• Assessment of Performance from the Associate Dean for International Programs:
• All applicants will be required to request a letter of performance from the standing Associate Dean for International Programs.  This letter can be hand delivered by the Associate Dean to the Office of Admissions.
• Letters of Recommendation – 2 required
• Two letters of recommendation are required.  Both letters of recommendation should be from an academic instructor familiar with the student’s work.
• Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to the Office of Admissions by the recommender.
• Updated Certificate of Financial Responsibility
• This form must be completed and submitted directly to the College of Law upon admission.
• TOEFL or IELTS Score
  • International students whose native language is not English, and did not receive a bachelor's degree or graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution within the United States are required to take either the TOEFL or the IELTS and have official scores submitted to the College of Law or LSAC as part of the application.  TOEFL or IELTS score must be submitted to the LLM CAS if submitted through LSAC.
  • For the JD program a TOEFL score of 100 or an IELTS score of 7.5 is required.  Your current test score will be evaluated by the admissions committee while considering your success in the LL.M. program.

Documents not submitted electronically must be mailed to:

Office of Admissions and Records
College of Law
425 West Jefferson Street
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1601

Admissions Decisions

Admissions decisions are made on a continuous basis on completed applications.  If you are admitted you will be required to submit the following to the Admissions Office:

• $200.00 seat deposit
• Completed decision statement
• Updated Visa documents
• Residency Form
• Proof of Health Insurance
• Health History Form
• Duty to Disclose Form
• Consent to Release Form