Double Degree Programme:
Columbia Law School

Application Process

The Double Degree Programme is only open to LLB students at LSE who are in their second year of study. It is during their second year that students apply to participate in the programme. We do not recommend applying to LSE solely with the intention of applying to the double degree programme as we are unable to guarantee you will be admitted.

Stage One: Acceptance by LSE

There is no application form. The following documents are required:

(1) your CV which should include, inter alia, details of:

(i) your entry qualifications to the LSE (eg 'A' level grades), and

(ii) your Intermediate (1st year) results at LSE.

(2) every essay that you wrote in Michaelmas term of your second year at LSE, with tutors' grades clearly indicated.

(3) a letter of recommendation from your academic adviser which refers to the selection criteria outlined here. Three copies are required. Each reference should be in hard copy on LSE headed paper submitted in its own individual sealed envelope directly by your adviser to Shelly Brindley. It is imperative that you make an appointment with your adviser in good time to discuss this with him or her - references received after the deadline may not be accepted and could jeopardise your application.

(4) a personal statement which indicates why you are a suitable candidate for this programme, and which states whether you have attempted the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT) and, if so, the year and the percentile obtained on each attempt. You must also disclose if you have previously applied to the Receiving Law School.

Documents should be placed unstapled and unfolded in an A4 envelope with your name clearly printed on the front. Staples should be removed from essays and replaced by paperclips. Please do NOT place the documents in any file, plastic sheets, or any other presentational device. Your application dossiers should be submitted to Shelly Brindley of the Department of Law.

Regarding the personal statement: this need not be long. A brief explanation of why you are interested in attending Columbia plus any further thoughts on why you would both perform well and benefit from two years abroad is sufficient. Please feel free to include in your CV any information concerning outside interests or activities which you think indicate that you are the sort of person who would flourish in a US law school environment. Further references from, for example, employers may be included but are not essential. Students are strongly advised to explore the Columbia Law School website to get a picture of academic and extra-curricular life abroad before making an application.

Students are not required to take the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT) which would normally be a requirement of admission by JD applicants at US law schools. As noted above, students must disclose information about previous LSATs they have written and any previous unsuccessful applications to the Receiving Law Schools.

The deadline for receipt of applications is during the first week of the Lent term of the student's second year of studies. In the academic year 2011-12, for admission to the Receiving Law School in 2012, the deadline will be 4pm on Wednesday 11 January 2011.

Students may in some cases be asked to attend an interview early in Lent term.

Stage Two: Confirmation of admission by the Receiving Law School

The second stage of the application process applies only to those applicants who are selected to go forward during the first stage by the LSE Department of Law. These students' application materials will be forwarded to the Receiving Law School for its consideration and confirmation of admission. In all cases, acceptance to the programme is subject to approval by the Receiving Law School and LSE students should not make firm plans based on their acceptance to the programme by LSE until they have received confirmation from the Receiving Law School. In some cases, confirmation may provide for a conditional admission based, for example, on the student achieving a minimum average performance of 65 in their second year exams at LSE. In all cases, the Receiving Law School reserves the right to attach the conditions that it considers appropriate in light of the student's first-year academic performance or other criteria. Decisions about admissions and eligibility are always subject to the criteria of the Receiving Law School, which may evolve over time.

Both institutions will strive to move this stage of the process along as quickly as possible.

During this stage, students will also be required to complete a standard Columbia Law School application form. This form will not need to be completed in full as its primary purpose is to get students 'into the system' at Columbia, especially in respect of applications for financial aid.

Information specific to the receiving law school can be found here.

Please visit the links on the right for further information.