How to Apply to the LLM Program

We enroll students in both the fall and spring semesters. Application for fall admission opens on August 1 for enrollment in the following fall semester that starts mid- to late August of next year. Application for spring admission opens on February 1 for enrollment in the following spring semester that starts in January of next year.

All required materials must be received no later than the following dates before we review your application:

1. Deadlines for International Students

• Spring 2024: October 15, 2023 (application currently open)
• Fall 2024: June 1, 2024 (application opens on August 1, 2023)

2. Deadlines for Domestic Students (U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, non F1/J1 visa applicants)

• Spring 2024: December 15, 2023 (application currently open)
• Fall 2024: July 15, 2024 (application opens on August 1, 2023)

We encourage you to apply early. It may take a long time for you to make arrangements with schools in your home country to mail your transcripts and academic records directly to LSAC. Credential evaluation then takes approximately two to three weeks to complete once LSAC has received your transcript and diploma. During peak processing periods, it may take longer. Under exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept applications after these deadlines. Please contact moritzllm@osu.edu to inquire about this exception.

In addition, if you wish to be considered for a scholarship award, you must submit a complete LLM application along with all required materials to LSAC before the above-listed dates. There is an earlier application deadline for half tuition scholarships, and a priority date for merit scholarships.

There is a nonrefundable application fee of $50. You can request a waiver of this fee from our office via email moritzllm@osu.edu.

Please note that our LLM program requires application through LSAC which charges additional fees separate from the Moritz College of Law's $50 application fee. In exceptional cases, we may consider waiving the Law School Report Fee when you request LSAC to send your application materials to Moritz College of Law. Please email moritzllm@osu.edu with a brief explanation of your situation that justifies the Law School Report Fee waiver for our consideration. 

You must pay all the fees by credit or debit card in U.S. dollars at the time of the online application submission.

Applicants must submit official transcripts and other academic records (including a certificate of graduation, diploma, or degree statement) from all undergraduate, graduate and professional schools previously attended.  Official academic records must be sent directly by each issuing institution to LSAC (address below) in a sealed envelope with the school’s official stamp or seal across the back flap. If the language of the documents is not English, the documents must be accompanied by a certified translation to be sent directly to LSAC as well. Applications will not be reviewed prior to receipt of all transcripts by the application deadlines.

To help LSAC process your transcripts and academic records faster, please use LSAC’s Transcript Request Form (TRF) that can be printed from the Transcripts page of your LSAC online account. Send a TRF to each of the postsecondary institutions you have attended, regardless of whether a degree was completed. Have each institution complete the form and return it to LSAC by mail, along with your official transcript/mark sheet/academic record.

Faxed copies and photocopies of academic records will not be accepted. Transcripts issued to you or sent to LSAC by you via mail or email will not be accepted or processed.

LSAC will authenticate and evaluate your transcripts and academic records (at a one-time fee of $135). The authentication and verification will take approximately 2-3 weeks from the date LSAC receives all of your academic records.

Schools should send your official documents to:

LSAC
LLM Credential Assembly Service
662 Penn Street, Dept. 8511
Newtown PA 18940-8511
USA

Applicants whose first language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) unless they are exempt from the English proficiency requirement (see below). The Ohio State University currently accepts Duolingo English Test, IELTS Indicator test, and TOEFL internet-based test Home Edition. TOEFL ITP will not be accepted unless a student takes this exam as part of Ohio State’s American Language Program.

English Language Minimum Scores

• TOEFL: 550 paper-based; 213 computer-based; 80 IBT (or TOEFL Home Edition: 80)
• IELTS (or IELTS Indicator): 6.5
• Duolingo: 105 (starting Fall 2024, the minimum score for Duolingo is 120)

Exemptions

Applicants who are citizens of, or who have completed a bachelor's degree or higher from, one of the following countries are exempt from the English proficiency requirement: Australia, Belize, the British Caribbean, and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, Singapore, the United States, and Wales.

Applicants who have held U.S. permanent resident, asylee, or refugee status for at least one year from the first term of enrollment are also exempt from the English proficiency requirement.

Sending Test Scores

You must have taken the test within the past two years.

• TOEFL and IELTS scores must be sent directly to LSAC. To have your TOEFL score sent, provide ETS with LSAC institution code (8395) when you place your order for a copy of the score report to be sent to LSAC. To have your IELTS score sent, contact your test center and ask that your official score report be sent to LSAC for electronic download.
• Duolingo scores must be sent to Ohio State University. Please list Ohio State University as recipient of a score report.

You are required to submit two letters of recommendation in support of your application for admission. The letters must be printed on official academic or business letterhead (with contact and phone number for verification) and bear original signatures of the recommenders.

The recommendations should come from people who know the applicant well and who are in a position to objectively and accurately assess his or her capacity for advanced legal study. At least one letter must come from a law school professor familiar with the applicant's legal coursework; the second one can be from another law professor, or from a current or former employer. If an applicant has graduated from the law school for some time, in which case obtaining a letter from a former professor may be impractical, the letters may be from a current or former employer, or from a colleague who is in a position to evaluate the candidate's qualifications. Letters from family members, friends or people who do (or did) not work with the applicant in a legal capacity or who are not well acquainted with the applicant's legal capacity are not helpful and will not be accepted. 

Recommenders should address topics such as:

• performance in independent study or in research groups
• intellectual independence
• commitments or interests relevant to the profession or field of study.
• research interests
• capacity for analytical thinking
• integrity and leadership
• ability to organize and express ideas clearly
• drive and motivation

The letters of recommendation can be submitted to LSAC or to Moritz College of Law’s Office of International and Graduate Affairs.

If submitted to LSAC: please visit the LSAC website to see the requirements for letters of recommendation and instructions for how to submit these letters.

If submitted to Ohio State Moritz College of Law:

By mail (letters must be sent in sealed envelopes):

The Ohio State University
Moritz College of Law
International & Graduate Affairs
55 West 12th Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1391
001-614-292-1241

By e-mail (must be e-mailed directly by the recommenders): moritzllm@osu.edu

Please keep in mind it is your responsibility to ensure that your recommenders submit their recommendations by the deadline. Applications will not be reviewed prior to receipt of all letters of recommendation.

All applicants must submit a resume that contains the following:

• all post-secondary educational information;
• all relevant past and present work experience;
• volunteer, service and/or extracurricular activities with which you have been involved in the past three years; and
• a list of any honors and/or awards you have received.
• any record of scholarship (publications; presentations; grants)

You must submit your resume as an attachment to the LSAC online application. Remember, this is an opportunity to give us additional insight into what you will contribute to both the LLM class and the Moritz community. 

Your statement of purpose is especially valuable to the LLM Admissions Committee. It should provide a thoughtful reflection on your reasons for seeking an LLM in the United States and on your longer-term career and personal goals.

Please address the following questions in your statement of purpose (2 pages max):

1. Why did you choose to pursue an LLM degree at Moritz College of Law? How will an LLM degree at Moritz further your professional and/or personal goals? What do you hope to gain from your experience as an international student?
2. In what way do you think your experience, expertise, and aspirations will benefit the academic community here at Moritz?

You must submit the statement of purpose as an attachment to the LSAC online application.

View Scholarships page for information on scholarship types, scholarship application requirements, and deadlines.

Use this checklist to be sure you have completed all necessary steps to apply for admission to the Moritz College of Law LLM Program at The Ohio State University.

Please submit the following items to LSAC:

• Completed electronic application
• Nonrefundable application fee ($50 for international students and $40 for U.S. citizens or permanent residents) or fee waiver code
• Official transcripts (and English translations) in sealed envelopes from all previously attended academic institutions
• TOEFL/IELTS scores sent from the testing center
• Resume 
• Statement of purpose
• Two letters of recommendation, on letterhead and with original signature, in sealed envelopes from the recommender (if mailed) or e-mailed directly from the recommenders to moritzllm@osu.edu.
• Scholarship essay(s) if applicable

All items must be received by the required deadline before an application is reviewed for admission.