The Law School offers opportunities for study abroad through formal partnerships with seven overseas law faculties.

For various reasons, some students at the Law School seek experiences at unique institutions or destinations, and request to study abroad at non-partnered law schools.

When proposing an ad hoc program, applicants must verify that the quality of the coursework is comparable in rigor and classroom minutes to a semester at the Law School. 

Some examples of successful ad-hoc petitions have included:

Europe

• Bucerius Law School (Germany)
• Central European University (Hungary)
• Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Switzerland)
• Queen Mary University of London (United Kingdom)
• King’s College London (United Kingdom)
• Munich IP Law Center (Germany)
• SOAS, University of London (United Kingdom)
• University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)
• University of Leiden (Netherlands)
• University of Roma Tre (Italy)

MENA

• Qatar University (Qatar)
• American University of Cairo (Egypt)

Asia-Pacific

• Peking University (China)
• University of Sydney (Australia)

Latin America

• University of the Andes (Colombia)

Africa

• The University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa

Study abroad is open to second-year and third-year JD students. Fall of the 3L year is historically the preferred timing for study abroad.

Any student considering study abroad during the spring of their 3L year should be aware they may not graduate until August, delaying the bar exam until February.

With that said, all dual degree students who completed the LLM at Hong Kong University or the Masters in Economic Law at Sciences Po have been eligible to participate in commencement and to sit July bar exams.

Some partners (such as LSE) only offer fall semester openings on their exchange programs. When considering any program, applicants should be mindful of differences between international and U.S. academic calendars, which can be more significant in the spring.

The Law School does not permit summer legal study for credit.

The ABA sets specific limits on credits for all foreign study, which cannot exceed one-third of the credits required for the J.D. degree at the law school.

If applying for either a Fall semester or year-long program, the application deadline is the Monday after Thanksgiving Break in the academic year prior to the proposed period of study abroad.

Materials are reviewed in December, with decisions announced in January (prior to the end of add/drop). Nominees then apply in February or March to the foreign law school.

The Law School has recently introduced an additional application window to accommodate spring study abroad through either partner or ad hoc institutions. (The Spring 2022 deadline will be Monday, September 27, 2021.) However, this should be considered a secondary window as first-round placement decisions will be determined following the primary November/December deadline.

The study abroad application requires a basic form, current transcript, resume, and two short essays. Students applying for an ad hoc program must submit an additional form (Part II). Email International Affairs to request a copy of the application.

If accepted to a program, students will be guided through next steps that include mandatory reviews for progress toward graduation requirements and pro bono hours. Students will have the opportunity to accept or decline the study abroad nomination.

If moved forward as a nominee, the next step will be applying to the foreign law schools as visiting students. Students must receive approval from Penn Carey Law before submitting their applications directly to a partnered law school. Notwithstanding approval from Penn Carey Law, foreign institutions retain the final authority to accept or reject students.

Individual students will be approved for overseas study on the basis of a number of factors including academic achievement at the Law School; relationship of study abroad to personal and professional goals; foreign language ability if relevant; maturity and cultural adaptability; and potential for contributing to Penn Carey Law’s overall international programming.

In the case of ad hoc applications, Penn Carey Law must also evaluate the specific overseas law program proposed by the student. Such evaluations will consider the faculty and curriculum available to students, the administrative infrastructure to support their studies, compatibility of academic calendars, and access to necessary coursework in the proposed term. Please note that the Law School’s approval of past requests to participate in a particular ad hoc program does not guarantee that future requests will also be approved.

 

Students who study abroad will generally be treated for financial purposes as if they were still enrolled and taking classes at the Law School in Philadelphia. The process of paying tuition and applying for loans remains streamlined and they continue to be eligible for Penn Carey Law financial aid grants.

In the case of ad hoc programs, this arrangement requires that the foreign school be willing to invoice and accept direct payment by Penn for their tuition and academic fees. We will endeavor to facilitate a direct-billing arrangement. However, if this is not something the foreign school can accommodate, the Law School will communicate further regarding alternate billing arrangements.

JD-to-JD transfer students (i.e. those transferring from US law schools) are eligible to study abroad for one semester in their 3L year after completing one full year at Penn. Transfer students are still required to take a full three semesters of Penn Law classes. (i.e., Transfer students must choose between a semester abroad OR taking nonlaw classes.)

LLM-to-JD transfers are not eligible to study abroad due to the credit maximums specified in ABA Standard 307(d).

Penn Carey Law views studying abroad as an alternative to other opportunities to study outside the Law School at other Penn departments or schools during students’ second and third years.

However, a student going abroad for a one semester may still count two classes at another Penn school toward their law degree. Alternately, a student abroad for a full year may count one class at another Penn school toward their law degree.

If a student wishes to exceed this limit, credits from those classes will not count toward the credits required to graduate from Penn Carey Law. Moreover, the student will have to pay fees for such classes beyond the amount of his/her normal Law School tuition.

Students remain responsible for meeting all Penn Carey Law JD requirements, including completing the correct number of semester hours to graduate, the Senior Writing Requirement, the Public Service Requirement, the 6-credit Experiential Learning Requirement, and the Professional Responsibility Requirement.

It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of and make accommodations for any potential scheduling conflicts (e.g., semesters in which Professional Responsibility may not be taught). Please also be informed on MPRE timelines and any specific bar filing deadlines for your intended jurisdiction.

All classes abroad must be taken for a grade, unless everyone in the class is graded on a Pass/Fail basis for that course, or, if prior authorization has been granted.

Grades for coursework abroad will not be factored into your grade average or honors calculations.

All grades for these classes will appear in the notes section of Penn Carey Law’s transcript, rather than the body. Grades will be listed exactly as assigned by the foreign institution and not translated into a U.S. scale.

Credits are transferred based on the coursework completed at the foreign institution and on Penn Carey Law’s assessment of the specific courses taken. Credits will be determined consistent with the requirements of ABA Standard 310

It is expected that all students studying abroad for one semester will transfer back 12 credits. This serves as both the minimum and maximum credit load. The terminology with which the overseas law school labels such a course load (e.g., “22 credits”, “4 credits”, “4 classes”, etc.) is irrelevant from Penn Carey Law’s perspective. Instead, we use the Penn Carey Law credit policy for determining credit hours for coursework:

To be applied towards a student’s Penn Carey Law graduation requirements, these 12 credits must all be in law-related classes. (i.e., A study abroad student is welcome to take a class in German history, however, whatever credit he/she receives from the foreign law school for this class, will not count toward his/her Penn Carey Law degree.) Similarly, credit from basic language courses, while undoubtedly beneficial, cannot be applied towards the requirements for a student’s Penn Carey Law JD.

Coursework taken overseas should not focus on themes of U.S. law, unless it does so in an explicitly comparative manner. You will not receive credit for coursework which substantially duplicates work you have already taken or could take at the Law School.

The Sciences Po and HKU programs take place over the entire 3L year and students may obtain up to a maximum of 27 credits for work completed while on those programs. Credits will be determined consistent with the requirements of ABA Standard 310.

To conditionally pre-approve your classwork for 12 credits, Penn Carey Law disseminates a Course Form that must be returned no later than one week after the start of the semester. While still in the add/drop window, students are required to supply information on all courses, including descriptions, methods of evaluation, and minutes of instruction.

In rare cases, students may be permitted to take fewer than 12 credits. However, this exception is granted during the study abroad application phase and cannot be arranged after you have matriculated at your study abroad program.

Should Penn Carey Law determine at any time that circumstances have arisen that significantly diminish quality of the program, students will be notified that the program has been modified or canceled. If these changes or cancelation occurs prior to the period of study abroad, students may apply to another study abroad opportunity or withdraw their request to study abroad. Should such changes occur during the study abroad period, students will work with the Director of International Affairs to make alternate arrangements.

In the unlikely event that a Penn Carey Law student should fail to comply with academic or disciplinary regulations of the host institution, and is asked to leave the host institution, the study abroad student will be responsible for any expenses resulting from the involuntary withdrawal.

Should your program be cancelled, or you otherwise seek a refund, we will use Penn Carey Law’s tuition refund policy to assess if any tuition can be returned to you. We will work closely with any student whose program is cancelled to reinstate you to the Penn Carey Law curriculum as quickly as possible and will not penalize any student if a semester is lost due to a cancellation beyond the student’s control.

In accordance with the ABA Standards, Penn Carey Law requires that all study abroad students submit a Learning Plan prior to their departure. Working with the Office of International Affairs and a faculty advisor, you will develop a written plan to define the educational and professional objectives that you seek to achieve during this period of study abroad. The Learning Plan must also specify the methods to be used in evaluating your achievements of these objectives.

Drafting this Learning Plan will challenge you to begin familiarizing yourself earlier about the legal infrastructure of your soon-to-be host country. Beginning these inquiries while still on-campus will allow you to take advantage of the wealth of resources the law school offers. We encourage you to utilize both library and faculty resources in development of this plan. Further information about how to begin drafting your learning plan will be available in the spring of your acceptance.

Once you have booked your international flights, all study abroad students must register their travel in MyTrips. This ensure that Penn can locate students quickly and provide assistance in the event of an emergency (i.e., medical, natural disaster, civil unrest, etc.). Registering is required for all students; doing so will provide the necessary information to International SOS to activate your travel medicine and evacuation insurance.

After completing the coursework, all students must arrange to have an official transcript sent to Penn Carey Law. It is the student’s responsibility to provide a transcript to the Registrar’s office in a timely fashion in advance of their expected graduation.

Following their return, all students will be asked to complete an evaluation of their experiences of the study abroad program. They will also be required to submit the final version of their Learning Plan.

As a condition of studying abroad, all students are expected to serve as contacts for future students interested in their experience. Contact information will not be shared with anyone outside the Penn Carey Law community without the students’ permission.