Instructions for CLS students wishing to cross-register for non-Law courses at Columbia.
The Law School’s Office of Registration Services will accept cross-registration requests only during the application periods below.
Fall Term 2026
| CBS Priority Application Period Begins for CLS Students | Thursday, August 27 at 12:00 PM |
| CBS Application Deadline for CLS Students (subject to seat availability) | Friday, September 11 by 10:00 AM |
| SIPA Application Period for CLS Students | Friday, September 4th at 10:00 AM - Friday, September 11th at 10:00 AM |
| General Cross-Reg Application Period for CLS Students | Friday, September 4th at 10:00 AM - Friday, September 11th at 10:00 AM |
Spring Term 2027
| CBS Priority Application Period Begins for CLS Students | TBD (January 2027) |
| CBS Application Deadline for CLS Students (subject to seat availability) | TBD (January 2027) |
| SIPA Application Period for CLS Students | TBD (January 2027) |
| General Cross-Reg Application Period for CLS Students | TBD (January 2027) |
CLS students with questions regarding cross-registration may contact our office at [email protected].
Registration as an Auditor is not permitted for any course. Each student is responsible for any fees associated with non-Law classes.
- Only graduate-level courses are approved for degree credit, except for language courses.
- Law Degree credit will NOT be awarded for conversational language courses, studio classes, and similar offerings.
- A request form is required even if you are not requesting Law credit for the course.
There are limitations on the number of non-Law credits that can be applied toward the Law degree.
- 12 credits for J.D. students.
- 6 credits for LL.M. students.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Maximum of 16 credits can count toward the law degree each semester.
- LLM students: Maximum of 15 credits, with possibility of 16 credits with a petition.
- Per the law school tuition structure, students can take up to 19 credits per semester without incurring tuition fees, but only 16 of them will count towards the degree. If students enroll in a cross-registered course with plans for credits to go toward their degree requirements, they must have space within that 16-credit allowance. Enrollment in over 19 credits per semester after the change of program deadline will incur tuition charges.
- According to ABA Standard 310, each academic point earned for non-Law courses must represent at minimum a 50-minute classroom meeting each week throughout the term, as is similarly required of Law offerings.
- Law School credit cannot exceed the number of scheduled class hours per week or the point value assigned by the offering faculty. (For example, a 3-point class that meets for two hours will be worth 2 law points; a 4-point class that meets for 5 hours will be worth 4 law points).
- While law students may not be getting the full amount of credits offered by the home school for a cross-registered course, registration in SSOL will reflect the full credit weight of that course.
Time conflicts: There must be at least 5 minutes between the end time of one course and the start time of the next course in order to register.
- The Law School does NOT have a cross-registration agreement with Barnard College.
- Law students may not cross-register for online courses.
- All courses taken outside the Law School, whether for law credit or not, must be graded on the A-B-C scale. CR/F or other non-evaluative grades are not permitted.
- Grades earned in other divisions of the University, as part of the NYU Exchange Program, or at other schools, will not be factored into Law School honors calculations.
- Grades earned in other divisions of Columbia University will be reflected in LawNet and on the official Columbia University transcript, but grades earned for courses taken at any school outside Columbia will not.
- Law School students who have an exam conflict in courses taken outside Columbia Law School (i.e. at another Columbia division) must reschedule the non-Law School exam.
- Many Columbia University school's deadlines for add/drop and withdrawals likely differ from those of the Law School. Students need to make registration changes within the school's change of program period to avoid fees. They must consult the following schools for their dates: Medical Center, Business School, School of Journalism, and School of Social Work. Registration dates for all other schools on campus can be found on the University Registrar Academic Calendar. If a student withdraws from a class after the change of program period for that school, but within the Law School's withdrawal period, they must email Registration Services about it so we can reverse the charge.
Cross-registration is not guaranteed, and submission of the request does not guarantee points will count towards your degree.
Law students may participate in Non-Law Cross-Registration by filling out the Cross-Registration Request Form for Law Students.
Student must have a full time course load registered with the Law School. Please do not count on registering for a course at another school to bring you to full-time status.
LawNet accounts will reflect approved cross-registration courses. Please allow several days for account changes to update. All students who are approved for cross-registration courses will be notified by email on a rolling basis as applications are processed.
While there are no joint degrees at the LL.M. degree level, LL.M. students are permitted to register for up to six points of graduate level courses in other departments of the University when such work is deemed appropriate and relevant to their academic programs, and subject to the following limitations:
- Credits earned in foreign language courses, even if offered by the Law School or listed on the law school’s curriculum schedule, do not count toward the 24 points required to earn the LL.M. degree.
- Maximum of 15 credits can count toward the law degree each semester.
- All courses taken outside the Law School must be graded on the A-B-C-F scale. Grades lower than C will not be accepted for credit toward the LL.M.
- The number of academic credits awarded for courses taken at another school or division of Columbia is limited to the actual number of hours a class meets per week, irrespective of the number of credits listed in that school’s catalogue (e.g., a three-credit course which meets for two hours each week yields two credits, not three). An exception to this rule occurs when the other school assigns fewer credits than the number of hours the course meets each week; in that case, the student will earn the number of credits assigned to that course by the school (e.g., a two-credit course which meets for three hours each week yields two credits, not three).
- Grades earned in courses taken outside Columbia Law School,either in another division of Columbia University or as part of the CLS/NYU Law Exchange, will not be factored into honors GPA calculations.
If a student chooses to take a course at a school outside Columbia University in the absence of an agreement between that school and Columbia, the student does so with the understanding that payment for such a course will not be deducted from any tuition owed to Columbia University, nor will any credits earned at the other institution supplant any of the credits required for the Columbia University degree.
Visit the Columbia University website for a listing of other Columbia University schools and for a complete directory of classes.
Law students may participate by filling out the Business School Request Form. Available courses will be listed in the request form.
A list of available CBS courses may be found here.
Student must have a full time course load registered with the Law School. Please do not count on registering for a course at another school to bring you to full-time status.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Some courses may have pre-requisites.
Law students may participate in SIPA Cross-registration by filling out the SIPA registration request form.
The SIPA Cross-registration website lists the courses that are never open to non-SIPA students under the Cross-Registration Instructions for Non-SIPA Students section. Please continue to check the site throughout the Add/Drop period.
- Students will be notified of registration by email.
Student must have a full time course load registered with the Law School. Please do not count on registering for a course at another school to bring you to full-time status.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Some courses may have pre-requisites.
- SIPA core courses are never available for cross-registration.
Priority for enrollment in language courses is given to undergraduate students and graduate students (e.g. School of International and Public Affairs and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences) who need these courses to fulfill degree requirements.
If seats are available, Law students must complete the following procedures:
- Contact the language department.
- Follow their guidelines for applying and taking the placement test.
- Download the University’s Registration Adjustment Form.
- Bring a copy of the Registration Adjustment Form to the instructor to obtain approval.
- Upload the signed Registration Adjustment form when filling out the Cross-Registration Request Form.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. Some language departments must wait until the end of the University’s add/drop period to make cross-registration enrollment decisions. This timeline typically differs from the Law School’s add/drop period. The Law School Registration Services may not add students to courses after the Law School’s add/drop period. Please keep this in mind when planning to take a language course.
2. LL.M. students cannot take language courses for Law School credit.