English Language Proficiency
Proof of English language proficiency is not required if: (i) your native language is English; or (ii) you received your undergraduate or first law degree in a country where the language of instruction and only official language are English.
For all other applicants, we must receive satisfactory proof of your English proficiency in the form of either a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score report, submitted via the LSAC LLM Credential Assembly Service. 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 each of the individual sections (reading, listening, writing, and speaking) should be at a minimum of 25. You must arrange for an official report of your TOEFL scores to be sent electronically to LSAC from the Educational Testing Service (ETS).
IELTS. If taking the IELTS exam, you must achieve a minimum score of 7.0.
We will also accept the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition which is taken online at home or the IELTS Indicator which is online and offered once a week at a scheduled time.
Proficiency in English is a significant factor in our admissions decisions. Our minimum scores are guidelines for the lowest level of English proficiency required to succeed in our programs, and most admitted applicants have substantially higher scores than that. If your scores fall below our minimums but you are otherwise qualified, you may still apply, but we may ask you to retake the exam for our review or attend one of our summer legal English programs. Please also note that we utilize a holistic approach when reviewing applications and that no one aspect of an application, such as an English proficiency score, will preclude you from admission.
Applicants seeking exemption from the requirement to submit proof of English language proficiency are considered on a case by case basis. To request a waiver, you must submit a waiver request form (available in the “Forms” section of the application in LSAC) with your application, indicating the basis of your request. Waiver requests should be made as early as possible in the application process, so that applicants who are not granted waivers will still have time to take an English language proficiency examination. The law school retains discretion to approve or deny any waiver request.