Further your education and your career opportunities
Are you a lawyer trained in another country, dreaming of earning your JD degree in the United States? Iowa Law welcomes you to explore our Advanced Standing JD (ASJD) Program, designed specifically for internationally trained lawyers like you.
Imagine completing your JD in two years instead of the conventional three years—a reality through our ASJD Program. Approved by the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, this program allows you to transfer up to one year of academic credit from qualifying foreign legal studies.
Upon completing all the requirements to earn a JD from Iowa Law, Advanced Standing graduates receive a Juris Doctor (JD) degree, which qualifies them to sit for the bar examination in any U.S. jurisdiction.
Application Deadline
Applications must be submitted by April 1 online through LSAC.
Why Iowa Law?
- World-class academics: An innovative curriculum will prepare you for diverse legal roles while amplifying your expertise and positioning you for a brighter legal future in the U.S.
- Supportive environment: Join a community that values diverse perspectives and supports your academic and professional growth every step of the way.
- Accelerated timeline: Complete your JD journey in just two years, saving time and launching your legal career sooner.
- Expert faculty: Learn from distinguished faculty members who are leaders in their fields, offering a wealth of knowledge and practical insights.
- Networking opportunities: Connect with fellow students, alumni, and legal professionals through our extensive network, fostering valuable relationships for your future.
Curriculum
Advanced Standing students usually enter the JD program with second-year standing based on credit transferring in from their foreign legal studies. All foreign transfer credit is designated as elective credit and students must complete all Iowa Law JD requirements during their time in the program.
Curriculum
JD course requirements
88 total credit hours of course work (including foreign transfer credit).
All first-year courses:
- Fall semester: Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning; Contracts; Property; Torts; Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research I
- Spring semester: Civil Procedure; Constitutional Law I; Criminal Law; Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research II; Constitutional Law II; Professional Responsibility; 4 writing units; 6 credit hours of experiential courses
Most Advanced Standing students will need to complete all required JD coursework, including all first-year courses. For this reason, new Advanced Standing students are considered first-year students for curricular purposes and take the standard first-year curriculum in their first year in the program.
Transfer credit
Credit from LLM programs in the U.S. cannot be transferred in. If a student took any required first-year courses during their time in the LLM program, we may consider the student to have satisfied a graduation requirement. In this case, a student will not receive credit for the class, but we will not require the student to take the class again while in the JD program. Iowa Law will only consider doctrinal first-year courses (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law I, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, and Torts) for curricular satisfaction.
Course selection
Iowa Law will place Advanced Standing students into a first-year section for all their required first-year courses. Advanced Standing students will not register themselves for their first semester in the program. Advanced Standing students may be approved to take additional courses in their first year in the program, such as a January or May intersession course.
Advanced Standing students are encouraged to spread out their writing and experiential units throughout their second year in the program. Examples of these types of opportunities include:
- Writing units: Law Journals, Seminars, Moot Court, Independent Research, Legislation
- Experiential units: Advanced Legal Research classes, Arbitration, Client Counseling, Clinical Law Internship Program, Field Placement Externship Program, Negotiations, Sports Law, Trial Advocacy.
Some upper-level courses are part of a registration lottery.
Curricular standing and program standing
There is an important distinction between an Advanced Standing student’s curricular standing and program standing.
Advanced Standing students are considered second-year students when they enter the program, because they can graduate in two years based on their foreign transfer credit. Advanced Standing students thus participate in on-campus interviews as a second-year student when they enter the program and receive bar preparation and graduation materials based on this timeline.
For most other purposes, Advanced Standing students are treated as new first-year students, including for the curriculum taken in the first year, and orientation programming.
Application requirements
International law degree
- Either completion of a university law degree in a country other than the U.S., such as a Bachelor's of Law (LLB), or completion of a graduate-level law degree with a course of study of at least three years in a country whose first legal training opportunity is at the graduate level, such as the Chinese Juris Master degree or the new JD degree in Japan and South Korea.
- Additionally, the school where you studied or received your degree in law must be one that has accreditation within its country, similar to accreditation by the American Bar Association.
English proficiency
All applicants to the Advanced Standing Program whose first language is not English must meet the English proficiency requirement in one of these ways:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 620 written, 105 IBT
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 8.0 with a 7.0 minimum for subscores
- Completed a bachelor’s degree at an accredited university in the U.S.
- An equivalent degree at an accredited university where English is the primary language of instruction
How do I apply?
You will follow the standard JD application process by applying online through LSAC. Ensure your materials are submitted in English. Please pay close attention to the English proficiency requirements.
The deadline to submit your application is April 1.
After applying to the program, you may be invited to participate in an evaluative interview. If you are selected, the College of Law Admissions Committee will contact you with instructions on scheduling an interview. In most instances, the interview will be conducted electronically.
Employment information for international applicants
For international students coming to study in the United States on F-1 and J-1 visas, obtaining employment after graduating from law school can be very challenging:
- U.S. immigration laws do not provide F-1 or J-1 visa holders with long-term work authorization after graduation, and the College of Law cannot provide sponsorship for employment-based visas for our graduates.
- Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders) are advised to make careful and concrete plans for their post-graduation employment, taking into account the limitations imposed by U.S. immigration law.
- The University of Iowa College of Law carefully reviews all applications from international students and will discuss those long-term, post-graduation employment plans with any applicants who are not U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents. Your personal statement should address questions including what you intend to do with your U.S. law degree.
Ready to apply?
Log in to your LSAC account to start your application and submit. Don't forget to submit by April 1.