LL.M. Program

The Degree of Master of Laws

Yale Law School admits a limited number of graduate students each year to pursue one year of full-time study leading to the degree of Master of Laws (LL.M.). Admission is generally open only to those committed to a career in teaching law. The LL.M. program at Yale Law School is not designed to prepare students to take the New York State Bar Examination.

LL.M. students at Yale Law School enjoy small class sizes, the camaraderie of fellow LL.M. and J.D. students, and a close relationship with the Yale Law School faculty. No uniform course of study is prescribed for LL.M. candidates—courses are elective, and students are afforded considerable flexibility to tailor their studies to their own interests. Subject to meeting degree requirements, LL.M. candidates are invited to use the resources of the Law School in whatever program of study will best prepare them for a career in research and teaching. They are also eligible to apply for support to present at national and international academic conferences.

Beyond the extraordinary academic opportunities at Yale Law School, our LL.M. students regularly and actively participate in many other aspects of student life at the Law School and across Yale University, including participating in a diversity of student organizations and attending a wide variety of co-curricular events and activities. The Graduate Programs Office also hosts a range of academic and social events for graduate students throughout the academic year—from, for instance, our Works in Progress Symposium, where students present their research to faculty and peers, and workshops on academic writing and publishing, to our winter and spring luncheons, a cruise around the Thimble Islands, and a visit to the historic Litchfield Law School, among others.

While small—the Law School typically enrolls between 22 and 25 LL.M. students each year—the LL.M. program at Yale Law School is truly global in its reach. Over the past four years, our LL.M. students have come from over 30 different countries. 

Financial aid is available to all of our LL.M. candidates and is based solely on need.