LLM FAQs

For you to be considered for fall admission, we must receive all of your application documents by May 15. The financial aid priority deadline is March 1. The deadline for receipt of all application documents for spring admission is October 1.

The LLM admissions committee will review your file as soon as it is complete. An admission decision is generally reached within 2–3 weeks of receipt of all of your application documents.

Applicants who received their first law degree (JD) in the U.S. must submit an official LSAT score. International students who received their first law degree outside the U.S. are not required to take the LSAT exam.

Yes, applicants who received their first law degree from an institution where the language of instruction was not English must submit an official English language score report. We accept TOEFL, IELTS, and Duo Lingo.

We require a minimum score of 80 on the TOEFL, 6.5 on the IELTS or a score of 115 or higher on Duo Lingo. Suffolk University Law School's institutional TOEFL reporting code is 3771-03. Students whose English scores are below the minimum for direct entry may be eligible for admission into the Integrated Master’s Program through INTO Suffolk University.

The IMP is carefully designed for international students whose English ability or academic records fall below our minimum requirement. This program provides you the opportunity to join us at Suffolk Law and experience immersion in our academic environment by combining English courses designed for graduate students, with academic courses and research skills development. At the end of successful progression through the INTO Suffolk Integrated Master’s Program, you will be fully admitted to the LLM.

Integrated Master’s Program Benefits:

• Earn university credits toward your degree while enhancing your professional communication and study skills.
• Individual tutoring to promote academic success
• Instruction and academic advising provided by Suffolk faculty and staff throughout the Integrated Master’s Program
• Full integration into the American classroom
• One I-20: You will be issued a degree-seeking I-20 for the duration of your program.

Two letters of recommendation are required. At least one letter should be from an academic source.

Yes. Applicants must submit a completed FAFSA form to the Law School’s financial aid office.

The Law School financial aid office administers federal student loans. Private loans and partial-tuition scholarships may also be available to qualified LLM students who are not eligible for federal loans.

Eligible applicants should submit a FAFSA and should not wait to be accepted to the program to apply for financial aid.

Suffolk University Law School makes its home in the modern, technologically sophisticated David J. Sargent Hall, located in downtown Boston. Dedicated in 1999, Sargent Hall boasts seven floors with a secure wireless network, 18 high-tech "smart classrooms," as well as 3,000 high-speed Internet connections. Sargent Hall also sports student lounges on every floor along with a bookstore, and cafeteria.

The Suffolk University Law Library occupies Sargent Hall’s sixth and seventh floors, covering more than 65,000 square feet of space. Over 310,000 printed books and microfilm volumes are contained here, along with two library computer labs and one computer training room. There are also 12 study rooms and 300 study carrels. Wireless Internet access is also available throughout the library, along with state-of-the-art video facilities. The library is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. most days.

Please note that there is no on-campus housing for graduate students.

For students who graduated from a non-U.S. law school and who seek to practice law in the U.S., Suffolk University’s general Master of Laws (LLM) or the Master of Laws in Global Law and Technology degree programs can meet the educational requirements qualifying graduates to sit for the bar exam in Massachusetts.

Students wishing to obtain licensure through this route will need to take specific courses; please consult with Assistant Dean Bridgett Sandusky. Suffolk has not made a determination on whether its general LLM or LLM in Global Law and Technology meet the educational requirements for graduates of non-U.S. law schools to sit for the bar exam in any other states or the District of Columbia. Students wishing to practice law outside of Massachusetts should contact the board of bar examiners or comparable state authorities for any state in which they wish to practice to determine if Suffolk’s general LLM or LLM in Global Law and Technology programs meet that state’s educational requirements.

Yes, we admit both part-time and full-time students. International students who require an F-1 visa, however, must be full-time students.

Yes, most LLM courses are offered in the evening. Some are also offered during the day.

Twenty-four (24) credits are required. Up to six (6) credits may be granted, however, to LLM students whose prior law school coursework qualifies for Advanced Standing.

LLM students may earn specialization certificates in four (4) areas: Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law, Biomedicine and Health Law, International Law and Business, and U.S. Law and Legal Methods.

Yes, LLM students may complete up to two specializations.

No. 

Yes. With permission from the academic director, LLM students may take up to 6 credits from the JD curriculum.

Yes. Both U.S. and international LLM candidates have the unique chance among area law school students to participate in legal internships locally or abroad. These for-credit experiences allow students to apply their newly acquired legal knowledge to real-world problems.

Yes. The Office of Graduate and International Programs will help you with the visa process during the academic year, as well as your search for legal work in an area related to your studies after graduation.

Bar examination eligibility rules vary among the states. For a summary of requirements for taking the bar in each U.S. jurisdiction, including the rules governing applicants whose law degree is from a foreign school, see the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements published by the National Conference of Bar Examiners and the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

As one of the largest law schools in the country, Suffolk Law offers a wide range of courses and activities. The LLM program enrolls approximately 25 students, and the graduate staff knows each by name.