Florida Coastal

Apply Online

Apply Now to Begin Classes on February 1, 2012. The application deadline is January 16th.

Please review the following information carefully:

All applicants must apply through the Law School Admission Council’s (LSAC) Credential Assembly Service.

If you do not already have an LLM Credential Assembly Service account with LSAC, please fill out this form on LSAC’s website.

If you are not a resident of the U.S. or Canada, you must sign up for both the Document Assembly Service ($75 fee) and the International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service ($125 fee); the total cost is $200. Visit LSAC’s website for detailed information and to make payment for these services.

If you are a resident of the U.S. or Canada, you must sign up for the Document Assembly Service through LSAC but may have your law school transcript authenticated and evaluated by an agency approved by the California Bar rather than by LSAC’s International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service. Please view the PDF file located below for a list of approved agencies and their contact information. You must obtain a course-by-course evaluation if you use one of these agencies.

Credential Evaluation Services

You must submit the following five documents in support of your application to Florida Coastal School of Law’s LL.M. program on or before the application deadline. Note that 1–4 must be submitted through LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service: (1) electronic application; (2) your C.V.; (3) a one to two page personal statement; (4) a TOEFL or IELTS score (see exceptions below); (5) an evaluation of your official, authenticated law school transcript (the evaluation may be conducted by LSAC or by a California Bar approved credential evaluation agency).

Admission to the program is competitive and not automatic. Seats are limited. Applicants must hold a law degree from their home country and have an academic record that indicates a likelihood of success in the program. They must also demonstrate why an LL.M. in U.S. Law will advance their careers. When reviewing applications for admission to the LL.M. program, the following factors will be considered: performance in previous law studies, professional or related experience, professional and personal goals, and English proficiency.

Please email us with any questions at amujumdar@FCSL.edu

Contact our Program Director

Application Process FAQ’s:

Does Florida Coastal LL.M. require a minimum TOEFL or IELTS score?

Yes. You must obtain a minimum score of 80 on the TOEFL IBT or a 6.5 on the IELTS exam.

Are there any exceptions to the TOEFL/IELTS requirement?

Yes. You will not be required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score if you are a graduate of (a) a law school located in a country where English is an official language or (b) a graduate of an undergraduate or graduate degree program in a country where English is an official language. This second exception is granted on a case-by-case basis, and you will be required to conduct a phone or online interview with the LL.M. Program Director. Also, naturalized U.S. citizens are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement.

I don’t have a TOEFL or IELTS score but have a certificate indicating that I graduated from an English language program. Will Florida Coastal LL.M. accept this?

No. Florida Coastal LL.M. does not accept any test or certification of English ability aside from a TOEFL or IELTS score. See the question above for exceptions to this requirement.

I have a J.D. degree from a U.S. law school. Am I eligible for admission?

No. The LL.M. program is open only to persons with a law degree from outside of the U.S.

I don’t have a foreign law degree, but I have a Master’s in Business Administration and want to study the U.S. legal system. Am I eligible for admission?

No. You must have obtained a law degree from outside of the United States in order to be eligible for admission into the LL.M. program.

I am a U.S. resident with a law degree from a foreign country. What is the difference between signing up for LSAC’s International Transcript Authentication and Evaluation Service and obtaining a credential evaluation from a California Bar-approved agency? I don’t understand.

It is a choice between cost and convenience. The advantage for U.S. and Canadian residents of using a California Bar-approved agency is that a number of these agencies will accept your official law school transcript directly from you if you have it in your possession; LSAC’s service will only accept the official law school transcript if it comes directly from your law school in a sealed envelope. Using a California Bar-approved agency may be especially convenient if your official law school transcript is in your possession and obtaining it from your foreign law school would be a lengthy process. Keep in mind, however, that if you use a California Bar-approved agency, their evaluation services cost more than the $125 charged by LSAC, and your overall application costs could range from $250-$300, depending upon which service you choose, as opposed to the $200 charged by LSAC. Of these approved agencies, Florida Coastal recommends A2Z Evaluations LLC and Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.