J.S.D. Application Process

In addition to the instructions below, please review the J.S.D. Admissions section of our website, where you can find common questions about our application process and the online application. We also urge you to familiarize yourself with LSAC's requirements for the submission of official documents through the Credential Assembly Service, including the length of time they estimate for processing those documents. We cannot accept application materials by mail should you miss a deadline with LSAC.

• Changes Post-Submission: Once submitted, all components except changes to personal information (address, phone number, etc.) are considered final.

Third-Party Submissions
Educational Consultants: With the exception of Fulbright and its related partnership organizations, the Office of Graduate Degree Programs does not accept applications submitted by third-party educational consultants. Such applications will be withdrawn. If discovered after admission, a formal process to determine the authenticity of your application materials may be initiated, and may result in disciplinary action.

Academic Integrity
Failure to submit complete, accurate, and authentic application documents consistent with these instructions may result in denial or revocation of admission, cancellation of academic credit, suspension, expulsion, or eventual revocation of degree. Applicants may be required to assist admissions staff and faculty involved in admission reviews in the verification of all documents and statements.

The following components must be submitted electronically through our Application Portal. 

Application Components 

1. Personal Statement: Your Personal Statement is your opportunity to tell your story to members of the Admissions Committee. Your statement should not repeat your résumé or short answer responses but rather provide new information. You should prepare this document without the assistance of others, including AI technology. It should be no more than 2 pages in length and follow standard formatting guidelines (12-point font, 1-inch margins, and double spacing).

2. Résumé or Curriculum Vitae: Submit your most current résumé or curriculum vitae.

3. Advisory Committee: A candidate identifies, communicates with, and obtains the agreement of Columbia Law professors to serve as chair and members of the committee as part of the application process. The Graduate Committee might approve one non-full-time faculty as a member subject to the request of the chair. The candidate should include that request with their application. Together they will form the advisory committee of the candidate. The candidate should include the names of the faculty chair and the two other faculty members who have agreed to be on the candidate’s advisory committee, should the candidate be admitted, in their dissertation proposal. If you do not have three Columbia Law professors who have agreed to be on your advisory committee and submit letters of recommendation as part of your application, your application will not be considered complete and you will not be considered for admission to the program. Instructions for contacting a Columbia Law faculty member regarding the JSD: Columbia faculty will need to see the following before considering supervising your work: Cover letter introducing yourself and your interest in pursuing a JSD at Columbia. An abstract of your dissertation proposal that describes the thesis of your project, including the core question you seek to address, a description of why this is an important question, how you plan to address that question, and the kinds of literature from which you expect to draw. This abstract need not be long; it can be 1-2 double-spaced pages. An explanation of why you think they would be a suitable chair or advisory committee member for your dissertation.

4. Dissertation Proposal and Bibliography: Your dissertation proposal must be written in English and be in the range of 2,500 words (ten double-spaced pages) using a 12-point font with standard margins, with a meaningful working title (please note: we do not consider citations to be included in the total word count). In addition to the ten page proposal, you must include a two-page bibliography at the end of your proposal (for a total of twelve pages) that lists relevant works that proved significant in the formulation of your thinking about your project. Your proposal should: List the names of the three Columbia Law faculty members who have agreed to be members of your advisory committee, should you be admitted to the program. Please indicate which member has agreed to be the chairperson; Demonstrate the originality of the research project, taking into account existing work and scholarly directions; Indicate the importance of the project within your larger field of study; Indicate the proposed use of sophisticated methodologies in the project and show that you are well-versed in those methodologies; and Acknowledge whatever problems or difficulties you foresee in formulating and completing the project. In sum, the application should convey your current level of mastery and control for an effort that will demand a great deal of time, independent research, and further study. The size of the document you upload cannot exceed 1MB. If your proposal is in a format that exceeds the 1MB requirement, we recommend you reformat it so that it does not exceed the size limit.

5. Scholarly Writing Sample: Your writing sample must be originally written in English; translations of works originally written in another language do not qualify. The size of the document you upload cannot exceed 1MB. If your proposal is in a format that exceeds the 1MB requirement, we recommend you reformat it so that it does not exceed the size limit.

6. Application Fee: Columbia Law requires a nonrefundable $85 application fee, payable by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover). Should you be admitted, this fee will not be credited toward your tuition.

LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service is required for all Columbia graduate degree program applicants. We also require LSAC’s International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service (ITAES) in addition to the basic CAS service.

1. Create an Account with LSAC.

2. Transcripts and Diplomas: Submit an official transcript and, where applicable, a diploma or proof of degree from all postsecondary (university-level) institutions you have attended, whether or not you earned a degree. This includes foreign exchange programs, non-law programs, and programs or courses in which you are currently enrolled. If you are in school at the time you submit your application, submit your most recent transcript and send an updated transcript to LSAC once your current semester grades are available.

Contact LSAC at [email protected] for further instructions if you are unable to send original documents. If the originals are not in English, you must submit an official, certified translation of each document in addition to the original document. (Although LSAC accepts translations completed by the applicant, Columbia Law School does not.)

3. Letters of Recommendation: We do not accept more than three letters. Part of compiling a strong application for admission is determining which two recommenders are best able to evaluate your ability to pursue an advanced legal degree at Columbia. Please ask your recommenders to submit their letters on official letterhead (or include in their letter an explanation as to why they are unable to do so), and address them to the Office of Graduate Degree Programs. We gladly accept certified translations together with the original letters if your recommenders prefer to write in a language other than English. We reserve the right to disqualify letters written or translated, in part or whole, by the applicant. In the “Recommenders” section of your application, include a professional email address for each recommender so we may contact them should we have questions about their letter or your candidacy.

4. English Language Proficiency: An English standardized test score is required for all applicants except those who are automatically waived and those who receive a waiver. The requirement is automatically waived for those who earned their first law degree entirely in English in a country where English is an official language. Applicants who completed their primary law degree via a dual degree program must provide an English standardized test score if either of the programs was not conducted in English. Professional experience in the English language is not sufficient for a waiver. Anyone who does not meet the criteria for an automatic waiver but nonetheless still wishes to request one must do so by submitting our Waiver Request Form before the application deadline (March 17, 2025).

Only the internet-based TOEFL (iBT) or the Academic Version of the IELTS will be accepted. Scores remain valid for two years, so we will only accept scores from December 1, 2022 and beyond. All score reports must be submitted through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service. Columbia will not accept score reports directly.
• TOEFL: To submit a TOEFL score to LSAC, use institution code 8395.
• IELTS: To submit an IELTS score to LSAC, contact the IELTS center where the exam administration took place to send scores to Law School Admission Council LLM/JD Credential Assembly Service.

Applicants should attempt to obtain scores that meet the following minimum requirements. If scores fall below the following levels, chances of admission could be adversely impacted despite strong factors elsewhere in an application.

• TOEFL iBT (Test Center / Home Edition): 105 Overall Score
• IELTS (Test Center / Online): 8 Overall Score

Please note that throughout the application process the Admissions Committee reserves the right to request additional information for any applicant, including requiring a TOEFL / IELTS score for an applicant who may be eligible for an automatic waiver.

Due to the large volume of applications we receive, the Office of Graduate Degree Programs cannot report on the progress of applications. We will send each applicant an email confirming that we have received your online application. We cannot provide information regarding the receipt of specific documents.

Feel free to email g[email protected] with any questions. We strive to respond to all inquiries within two business days.

Should the Admissions Committee require any additional information about your application, they will contact you directly. In most cases, interviews are not a regular part of the application process.

For more information, visit the Office of Graduate Degree Programs.