Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law Application Procedures and Instructions

Thank you for your interest in the Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law.  Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions about the program's application procedures. We look forward to hearing from you.

Contact Us

Please direct application questions and send application materials to:

Boston University School of Law
LL.M. Admissions Office
765 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 1534
Boston, MA 02215
Phone 617.353.5323
Fax 617.358.2720
E-mail: bullm@bu.edu

All other correspondence and inquiries may be directed to:

Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law
Boston University School of Law
765 Commonwealth Avenue, room 1524
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Telephone: 617.353.3023
Toll free (in US): 888.285.7003
Fax: 617.353.2444
E-mail: banklaw@bu.edu

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Eligibility to Apply

Candidates for Admission to the Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law must hold a first degree in law at the time of matriculation at Boston University. If the candidate received his or her legal education in the United States, the candidate must have been conferred a Juris Doctor degree or a Bachelor of Laws degree by an accredited law school. Candidates whose legal education was done outside the United States must hold a first degree in law from a duly accredited or comparably recognized law school or law faculty.

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Admissions Decisions

We accept applications for admission throughout the academic year and make decisions on a "rolling" basis (usually within two weeks after we have received all of the required application materials) and send written notice of the decision to the applicant promptly thereafter. Upon notification of acceptance, a nonrefundable deposit of US $500.00 is required to hold your place in the class. If the deposit is not paid within the specified time, the acceptance will be canceled.

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Application Instructions

Candidates for admission may either apply via the Boston Univerity online application or via the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Applicants should NOT apply using both methods, as it may cause significant delays in application processing and admissions decisions. If you have any questions, please contact the admissions office.

Applicants using the LSAC electronic application must use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. Applicants using the Boston University online application may also elect to use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. Applicants who do not use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service must submit items by mail directly to the LL.M. Admissions Office.

The following items are required supporting materials to complete the application for admission:

  1. Completed Application for Admission form
    Applicants are strongly encouraged to utilize one of the online application options.  However, applicants who are unable to use the online application may request a paper application form to submit by mail. To request a paper application, please contact bullm@bu.edu.
  2. Application Fee
    Payment of a nonrefundable application fee of U.S. $75 must accompany the application. Online applications may pay this fee only by credit card. Other applicants may pay this fee in the form of a money order or check drawn on a U.S. bank and made payable to Boston University.
  3. Official, Sealed Academic Records
    Complete official transcripts or notarized, full-sized copies of all colleges, universities, or graduate schools from which you have received a degree must be submitted along with an official certification of the law degree received. You should fill out the identifying information at the top of the transcript request form included in the application materials and send it (or a copy of it) to the registrar’s office of each college or university you have attended. Schools should mail official transcripts to you to be submitted, unopened, with the application. (If this procedure is against school policy, you should indicate on the application form that your school is mailing the transcripts directly to us.) The official transcript or an accompanying report must contain your class standing or an official approximation of class standing, together with a description of the school’s grading system. All transcripts or other academic records must be official documents bearing the registrar’s signature and/or the institution’s seal. If these records are not in English, a certified English translation must be submitted together with the originals or copies. We recommend that international applicants register with LSAC's LL.M. Credential Assembly Service. For more information, visit www.lsac.org/llm or read below.
  4. Two Letters of Recommendation
    You must submit two letters of recommendation from individuals who are well acquainted with your academic or professional abilities. At least one must be from a former law professor. The other should be from a law professor, a law school administrator, or an employment supervisor. You should fill out the top section of the recommendation form and ask each recommender to complete the bottom section of the form and enclose it with the recommendation letter in an envelope, seal the envelope, sign it across the seal and return it to you to be submitted, unopened, with the other application materials. (If a recommender prefers, she or he may mail the recommendation directly to us, and you should indicate on the application form that the recommender is doing so.)
  5. Personal Statement of Interest
    A carefully worded and detailed personal statement of interest is an important part of your application. You should discuss your personal and professional reasons for pursuing the LL.M. degree. You should also include an explanation of your study interests and their relation to your previous study, employment experiences, and professional goals.
  6. International Student Data Form
    Foreign students are required to complete the International Student Data Form and provide the appropriate financial declaration and documentation, as described in the form. While these documents are formally required after academic admission, your official immigration documents may be expedited by submitting all materials with your initial application. To issue your immigration documents, we need to receive official financial documentation from you demonstrating the availability of funds to cover estimated tuition and living expenses for the academic year. Tuition and expenses for the 2012-2013 academic year will not be released until February 2012. To estimate these costs prior to their release, we suggest adding 5% to the 2011-2012 tuition and living expenses for graduate students. If you will be bringing your spouse and/or children, or if you'll be attending the CELOP Legal English Summer Program, additional funds will be required. Visit CELOP's website to view the program's fees and expenses.
  7. Curriculum Vitae
    Please include your curriculum vitae as a separate item, not as a substitute for your personal statement..
  8. Law School Admissions Test
    If you have taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), you must list on the application form each time you took the test and the sores you received. (We do not require GRE or other standardized test results.).  The LSAT test is not required of foreign-trained applicants.
  9. Proof of English language proficiency

    (applicants whose native language is not English)

    Applicants whose first language is not English must take either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS ( International English Language Testing System) or ILEC (International Legal English Certificate) exam to demonstrate their English competence. LL.M. students must have a high degree of proficiency in speaking, reading, writing and listening in the English language. You should take one of these exams as early as possible, preferably eight months or more before your anticipated admission.

    TOEFL. If taking the TOEFL exam, you must demonstrate proficiency in English by achieving a minimum score of 600 (paper-based) or 250 (computer-based) or 100 (internet-based). If you have taken the new internet-based test, your scores on the individual sections should at a minimum be 25 (reading), 25 (listening), 25 (writing) and 25 (speaking). You must arrange for an official report of your TOEFL scores to be sent to us from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). When submitting score report requests, please use 9627 as the “Institution Code”. The code will be named “Boston University School of Law LL.M. Programs”. Please enter Department Code 03 (for law schools). You also must indicate that your scores should be sent to:

    Boston University School of Law
    LL.M. Admissions Office
    765 Commonwealth Avenue
    Boston, MA 02215

    IELTS. If taking the IELTS exam, you must achieve a minimum score of 7.0. To send your scores to Boston University School of Law, enter the Law School's name and address (provided above) on the IELTS application form.

    ILEC. If taking the ILEC exam, please visit the Verification of Results site, fill in the provided form, and then click the submit button to have your official ILEC scores sent directly to the LL.M. Admissions Office at Boston University School of Law. If taking the ILEC exam, you must demonstrate proficiency in English by achieving a minimum score of B2. Candidates who receive a score under B2 may still apply to the program, but may be asked to attend an intensive English language program prior to the commencement of law school studies.

    Note: Applicants whose native language is not English may ask us to waive the requirement to take an English language proficiency examination if: a) they have received their first degree in law from a college or university in a country where both the language of instruction and the official language is English; or b) they have completed at least two years of post-secondary school education in the United States. Applicants must submit a request for waiver with their application citing their specific circumstances for exemption. The law school retains discretion to approve or deny any waiver request.

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Application Deadlines
LL.M. in Intellectual Property April 15, 2012
LL.M. in American Law April 15, 2012
LL.M. in Banking & Financial Law  
Fall 2012 Semester Enrollment  
Domestic Students July 31 , 2012
International Students May 31, 2012
Spring 2012 Semester Enrollment  
Domestic Students November 30, 2011
International Students October 31, 2011
LL.M. in Taxation  
Fall 2012 Semester Enrollment  
Domestic Students July 31, 2012
International Students May 31, 2012
Spring 2012 Semester Enrollment  
Domestic Students November 30, 2011
International Students October 31, 2011
Applications received after these dates are reviewed on a space available basis.

 

Note Regarding TOEFL scores: We understand that some students are unable to get a TOEFL test date before our application deadline. We will gladly accept applications before the TOEFL scores are available, and make final decisions once we receive the TOEFL scores.

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Non-Degree Students (LL.M. in Banking & Financial Law and Taxation Only)

The Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law accepts a limited number of highly qualified non-degree students to take selected courses. Non-matriculating students must follow the same admission procedure as degree candidates.

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Part-time Students

The Graduate Program in Banking & Financial Law and the Graduate Tax Program accept a certain number of part-time students. Applicants for part-time enrollment follow the same admission procedures as those applying for full-time enrollment.

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Interviews

The program Director and/or Associate Director interviews all qualified applicants by phone (or in person, if practical). The Graduate Program will notify applicants of the time and date of scheduled interviews.

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Information for International Applicants

LSAC Credential Assembly Service

We strongly recommend (but do not require) that international applicants register with the LL.M. Credential Assembly Service provided by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). This service collects and authenticates the academic records and TOEFL scores of international lawyers who are applying for admission to U.S. LL.M. programs, and sends reports to participating LL.M. programs to which these lawyers have applied. Because applicants will need to obtain only one set of official academic transcripts in order to make them available for all applications to participating law schools, the service should save them time and money.

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Passport and Visa Information

International applicants who are currently in the United States must submit copies of all current visa documents. Applicants who are accepted for admission will ordinarily be issued the Form I-20 (needed to secure the F-1 student visa) directly from Boston University. For additional information concerning passport or visa requirements, international applicants should contact:

International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO)
888 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Phone 617.353.3565
fax: 617.358.1170
E-mail isso@bu.edu
Web site www.bu.edu/ISSO

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Center for English Language Orientation Program (CELOP)

The Boston University Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) offers a number of intensive language courses, including six-, nine-, and twelve-week summer “Legal English” programs for international students who have been admitted to an LL.M. program. We encourage all applicants for admission to American LL.M. programs who received their first degrees in law from countries other than the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom to seek early preparation for their studies by attending a CELOP summer program. CELOP also offers programs in the fall which may be taken on a part-time basis (see Three-Semester LL.M./CELOP Program below). In certain cases, we may offer full-time admission on the condition that the applicant successfully completes one of the CELOP summer programs before fall enrollment. Students should be aware that participation in a CELOP program will increase their expenses. For more information on CELOP programs, visit CELOP.

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Three-Semester LL.M./CELOP Program- (Banking & Financial Law and Tax Programs)

International applicants who are otherwise qualified for admission but whose English language skills still need improvement before full-time law studies begin may receive admission to the an LL.M. program, in addition to taking one of the summer CELOP programs mentioned above, they undertake the LL.M. program on a three-semester basis. The first semester would include English language class at CELOP, for which no degree credit would be awarded, as well as two or three courses from the Graduate Tax Program or Graduate Program in Banking & Financial Law curriculum, for which the student would receive credit toward the LL.M. degree. For the first semester, the student would pay for each CELOP course and each LL.M. course on a per credit basis. During the second semester, the student would take a full-time course load in the Graduate Tax Program or Graduate Program in Banking & Financial Law and then finish the degree requirements as a part-time student during the third semester. During the second semester, the student would pay the full-time tuition, and during the final semester the student would pay per credit.  The three-semester option does not exist for the LL.M. in American Law or LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law Programs.

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Bar Admission

It is generally expected that international students enrolled in LL.M. programs in the United States will return to their home countries after they complete their studies. Most states in the United States will allow only individuals who have earned a Juris Doctor degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association to take their bar examinations. However, New York and a few other states do allow some lawyers from abroad who have received LL.M. degrees from Boston University to take bar examinations. Each of the fifty states of the United States has its own criteria and procedures for admitting lawyers to practice, and these criteria and procedures change from time to time. It is essential that a foreign lawyer who wishes to practice in this country directly contact the lawyer-licensing authority in the state or jurisdiction in which he or she expects to be located. Individuals can also request a copy of the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements from:


The National Conference of Bar Examiners
ABA Order Fulfillment Department
750 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Phone 312.988.5522

Bar admissions information is also available at the American Bar Association.

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Administrative Policies Relating to Federal Guidelines

Equal Opportunity Policy

Boston University prohibits discrimination against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or marital, parental, or veteran status. This policy extends to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities, including admissions, financial assistance, employment, housing, athletics, and educational programs. Boston University recognizes that nondiscrimination does not ensure that equal opportunity is a reality. The University therefore will continue to take affirmative action to promote equal opportunity for all students, applicants, and employees. Inquiries regarding the application of this policy should be addressed to:

Assistant Vice President for Human Resources
25 Buick Street
Boston, MA 02215
Phone 617.353.4477

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