Application Requirements

Preparing Your Application

LL.M. admission requirements for all students

To be eligible for admission, you must hold one of the following:

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school in the U.S.
• First degree in law from an educational institution in another country
• A comparable academic degree
  
  

To be considered for admittance to the LL.M. program, you must submit:

• Submit a completed LL.M. application on-line through LSAC or directly to IU by April 1st to be considered Fall 2025.
• Resume or Curriculum vitae with current education and employment history.
• Personal statement (up to 800 words) on your purpose for undertaking the LL.M. program at Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
• Undergraduate and graduate transcripts from any post-secondary institution you have ever attended. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for application purposes. Official transcripts are required if you are admitted.
• Two letters of recommendation (up to four accepted) written on official letterhead by professional or academic references. Please arrange to have these completed within 14 days of your application. Additional instructions in the LL.M. application.
• A copy of your law license (if you hold one)
• Law diploma

Additional LL.M. admission requirements for students with international educational credentials. Please contact llmprgms@iu.edu for any assistance.

If English is your second language, you must prove English-language proficiency by submitting one of the following (If you are from or have earned a bachelor or higher degree from a country that has been designated by IU Indianapolis as predominantly English-speaking, then you are considered to be a native speaker of English):

• A minimum score of 81 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT)
• A minimum composite score of 6.5 on the IELTS
• “First Grade” score on the National Japanese English Proficiency STEP Exam
• Official transcript showing satisfactory completion of Level 7, Advanced & Academic English at the Program for Intensive English (PIE) at IU Indianapolis
• Official transcript showing satisfactory completion of Intensive English Master Level 112 at any ELS Language Center in the United States
• Official transcript and/or graduation certificate of an earned baccalaureate or graduate degree from a college or university in a country designated as predominantly English-speaking

Applicants who have earned the Legal English Certificate (LEC) in China are also encouraged to apply. Please submit a copy of your LEC scores in addition to the requisite TOEFL or IELTS score reports.​

If you are not a native English speaker, you will be required to take the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) test during orientation.  This is a placement test to determine the number of English support courses you will be required to take during your studies, if any.  Individuals from countries that have not been designated as predominantly English-speaking, but where English is the language of education may be exempt from the language requirements listed above, but will still need to take the EAP test and any required English courses as determined.

Qualifying language scores must be less than two years old.

For visa purposes, you will need complete the Financial Support Agreement, to document that you will be able to support yourself during your studies.  If you have more than one sponsor, please have each one complete a form.

Conditional Admission for Non-Native English Speaking Applicants

You may, under certain circumstances, be eligible for a conditional admission to the LL.M. program at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law if you cannot present one of the above as evidence of English proficiency. In order to be considered for conditional admission, you must submit all other required components of the application, and you will be evaluated based on all criteria except English proficiency. You must also provide a supplemental statement at the time of application with an explanation of how and when you plan to satisfy the English proficiency requirement.  You will then be required to meet the minimum language requirements that are in place for the term in which you wish to enroll.

Apply to the LL.M. program at IU McKinney now, on-line, and you can contact LL.M. Admissions by email at llmprgms@iu.edu for more information.