Application Process
The J.S.D. application is submitted through a secure online system called Sales Force. This system allows you to complete the application and upload required documents to the portal and submit it at one time. It does not allow you to save your application in process, therefore you should have any attachments ready prior to starting your on-line application.
If you are having technically difficulties with your application submission, please email gradpro.law@yale.edu.
TO GET STARTED: you must know your NetID and Password.
Qualifying applicants must have completed the Yale Law School LLM in the previous five years. If you have forgotten your NetID since your YLS LLM graduation, please contact the ITS Help Desk.
If you have forgotten your NetID password you may recover it by entering your NetID and recovery email.
Application Recommendations and Committee Members
To support your application you will need to arrange for three committee members (including a chair) and for two letters of recommendation. The system is designed to allow you to send these requests electronically prior to the submission of your application. You can submit their names at once or return to the form as necessary.
Recommendations should be from a Yale Law School Professor. If you have questions regarding you committee members or recommenders, please make an appoint with a member of the Graduate Programs Office.
No later than March 15, you should complete the following two steps:
- Arrange for confirmation from committee members
The committee should be composed of at least two members of the Yale Law School faculty. The Committee Chair must be a tenured Yale Law faculty member. A full-time faculty member of Yale University may serve as the third member of your committee.
Once you have confirmed your committee chair and any additional committee members use the button below to enter the names and contact information of three committee members willing to serve as chair and readers. They will each receive an electronic prompt to confirm their willingness to serve.
- Arrange for letters of recommendation
You are required to have at least two letters of recommendation. One of your letters must be from the proposed Committee Chair, evaluating the dissertation proposal and offering their own recommendation concerning your candidacy. You need not submit additional references from external sources.
Once you have confirmed the Yale Law faculty members who will submit recommendations in support of your J.S.D. candidacy, you will be required to enter the names and contact information. You will also be required to click the waiver icon for each letter of recommendation.
Use the button below to enter the contact information for your recommenders. The faculty members will receive prompts to upload their letters of recommendation directly into the secure online system, at which point you will receive a confirmation email.
Faculty members should upload their letters of recommendation by March 27.
Deadline
Application Documentation to be submitted no later than March 27.
You will need to have the following documents prior to starting your application in Sales Force:
- A letter of application
- Dissertation proposal
- Upload your unofficial YLS LL.M. transcript
- Upload your writing sample
- Upload a current curriculum vitae
Once you have the above documents ready, you can submit your online application.
