Explore legal systems an ocean away.  

Study abroad supports the development of the  skills you'll need to practice law, both locally and globally. 

Through study abroad, you will learn to: 

  • Cultivate a professional identity that reflects and builds on the your personal and professional choices.
  • Employ reflective practices to increase awareness of self and others, and to improve performance.
  • Build collaborative relationships with others, recognize difference, and respectfully manage conflict.

Iowa Law exchange programs

The University of Iowa College of Law has active exchange agreements with universities in Portugal, South Korea, Ireland, Spain, and The Netherlands.

Católica University

Libson, Portugal

The exchange agreement with Católica allows students to enroll in classes linked to its LLM programs in International Business Law and Law in a European and Global Context. Students may earn up to 15 credits, choosing from a variety of courses taught in English. Those with adequate fluency can also take law courses taught in Portuguese. The exchange program is one semester, but students can make arrangements with Católica for an additional semester to complete an LLM. Exchange students may participate in either semester, but LLM participants must start in the fall. Exchange students pay Iowa tuition, and any travel, housing, or other costs. 

Applications are due to Iowa in March, and to Católica by April for a fall start, and due to Iowa in September and to Católica by early October for a spring start.

Ewha Women's University

Seoul, South Korea

Founded in 1886 as the first Korean educational institute for women, Ewha Law School offers the best education environment by leveraging the successful experience of the former college of law and has specialized in gender law and bio-medical law. Both male and female students can study at 13 colleges and 15 graduate schools.  Students are selected twice a year in accordance with the agreement between Ewha and respective partner universities or educational institutions. Applications for spring are due November 15 and fall is due May 15. Exchange students can take courses up to 18 credits.

Once the students are selected for the program,  tuition will be paid to home universities, and credits acquired will be transferred after a set of procedures.

Pontificia Comillas University

Madrid, Spain

The Comillas Pontificial University is a private Catholic university in Madrid, Spain, founded in 1890 in the small town of Comillas before moving to Madrid in the 1960s. The University has about 8,000 students across both undergraduate and graduate programs, and boasts the honor of being the only university in Spain ranked in the top 100 in the world by the Times Higher Education 2013 ranking.

The University has two campuses, Alberto Aguilera and Cantoblanco. The Faculty of Law is located on the Alberto Aguilera campus, which includes academic buildings, a sports gym, cafeterias, and library.

Comillas Faculty of Law offers a Master’s Degree in International and European Business Law. This program is offered entirely in English, and Iowa Law students may take courses during their semester abroad through this program. The program is designed not only for JD candidates at US law schools, but also for students from all over the world who have an undergraduate degree in law. Students in the program take courses that are based in the case method, encouraging students to come to class prepared and ready to engage with classmates and professors through active discussion and debate. These courses are complimented with practical seminars and lectures, visits to law firms and professional seminars, and networking opportunities with leading Spanish and European legal professionals. In addition to the Master’s Degree courses in English, students able to demonstrate fluency in Spanish, by passing a language test administered by Comillas, may also take classes taught in Spanish from the Faculty of Law’s regular course catalog.

University of Galway

Galway, Ireland

NUI Galway School of Law has a long and distinguished tradition of law teaching and research dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. The university has 17,000 students, and the law school has 800 students. It is located in the town of Galway, which has a population of nearly 80,000 and is on the western side of the country. Faculty have developed leading expertise in a number of fields including Human Rights, Disability Law, Legal and Political Theory, Public Law, Constitutional History, Criminology and Criminal Law, Law and Technology, Comparative Law, Housing Law, and International Law.  NUI Galway maintains renown Research Centers on Human Rights, Disability Law and Policy, and Housing Law that engage in world-leading research.  Researchers from the school of law have received Prestigious Research Grants from the European Union and other International Institutions. NUI Galway has been a long-standing member of the Coimbra Group and the European University Association (and its predecessor organization, CRE). It is also a Sponsor Member of the American Society of Comparative Law.

The exchange program can be for one semester to one year, with NUI preferring one year. Applications for a fall start are due to Galway in February and to Iowa in March, and for a spring start are due to Galway and Iowa in late September. Students applying to study in Galway can choose from a variety of graduate modules. 

Radboud University

Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Radboud University is located in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Every year Radboud sends its international law students to study abroad at exchange partner schools in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. Our exchange agreement with Radboud allows students to enroll in classes linked to its LLM program in European Law, choosing from a variety of courses taught in English especially for exchange students. Those with adequate fluency can also take law courses taught in Dutch. The exchange program is one semester, but students can make arrangements with Radboud for additional coursework to complete an LLM. Exchange students may participate in either semester. Exchange students pay Iowa tuition, and any travel, housing or other costs. Applications are due to Iowa in March, and to Radboud by April for a fall start and due to Iowa in September and to Radboud by early October for a spring start.

Interested in additional programs?

There are opportunities to visit institutions in Austria, Kosovo, and China if a student is interested. 

It may also be possible to study at other institutions of interest.

ABA Approved Foreign Study Programs

Take your next step

If you are a current Iowa Law student and wish to study abroad, please contact study abroad advisor, Stella Elias, professor of law, at least a full semester before you'd like to go. A full year is even better for planning. 

If you are a student from a our partner institutions who would like to study at Iowa Law, please complete the Iowa Law Exchange Application. If you are not a student from one of our exchange partners, please contact law-admissions@uiowa.edu for more information.