Partner University: Tsinghua University
Program Length: 7 semesters
Through this program abroad, students have the opportunity to receive both the JD degree from BU School of Law and an LLM in Chinese Law from Tsinghua University School of Law.
Students in the program complete a fall semester of study at Tsinghua University, then return to Tsinghua after graduating from BU Law, in order to complete their final semester of study. Tsinghua University School of Law is regarded as one of mainland China’s most prestigious law faculties, and it is located in the heart of China’s capital city in Beijing. This program—the first of its kind in mainland China—is available to qualified 2L or 3L students, and instruction is offered entirely in English.
Program Requirements
To be eligible for the program, BU Law students will need to complete two semesters of residency before studying at Tsinghua during the fall semester. Participating students will return to Tsinghua within two years of graduating from BU Law to complete a second (spring) semester, at the end of which they would be awarded the LLM in Chinese Law from Tsinghua.
Program Timing
Students participating in the program will study at Tsinghua during the fall semester of their 2L or 3L year. The Tsinghua academic calendar varies slightly each year; however, fall orientation generally occurs at the end of August with final exams for the fall semester ending in mid-December.
Financial Arrangements
BU Law students will pay Boston University’s regular tuition and any applicable fees to Boston University during their fall semester abroad, and they will not be charged tuition by Tsinghua. Students will be charged approximately $80 in one-time fees upon their arrival at Tsinghua. After you graduate from BU Law, should you elect to return to Tsinghua for a semester to complete the LLM, you would pay Tsinghua’s tuition directly to Tsinghua
Students will be responsible for the costs of their own room and board, travel and related (e.g., visa) expenses to and from Tsinghua, the cost of any course materials and similar items and their own personal expenses.
Student Status
All students participating in the program shall receive all of the benefits and privileges and shall have all of the rights and responsibilities that Tsinghua establishes for its full-time, matriculated LLM degree students.
Instruction and Assessments
The performance of BU Law students participating in the program will be evaluated in the first instance by the teachers instructing in the LLM in Chinese Law Program. Promptly after a student completes the program, Tsinghua will inform BU Law of the grades the student received for each course. BU Law will then determine, in its sole judgment, the Boston University credits and grades to be awarded to a BU Law student participating in the program.
Housing
Tsinghua will offer BU Law students housing in on-campus dormitories within easy access to classrooms, faculty, offices, and other university facilities. While the rooms are nice, clean, and well-kept, the experience is much more similar to an undergraduate dormitory in the United States than apartments to which some BU Law students may be accustomed. Students who wish to seek other accommodation must do so on their own. Detailed information on all housing options will be provided to participating students upon their acceptance into the exchange program with Tsinghua.
Admissions Requirements
BU Law may nominate up to four (4) qualified second- or third-year students to study at Tsinghua. The nominated BU Law student(s) will have completed a formal application process and received approval based on the student’s academic standing and prospect for successful performance. The nominated student(s) will then complete the necessary Tsinghua application form(s), provided by Tsinghua, to be reviewed for final selection by the Director of the LLM in Chinese Law Program at Tsinghua.
Formal admissions to the program are processed through the Graduate & International Programs Office.
Students interested in applying to the program should follow the Study Abroad application procedures as outlined on the Study Abroad Programs Web site.
If you would like to learn more about the program or if you have other questions or concerns, stop by the Graduate & International Programs Office (OGIP) or email johnlap@bu.edu. You can also access a sampling of post-program reports written by students here.