JD Law at University of Illinois Chicago

Programme overview

The Juris Doctor is a professional programme of 90 semester hours that can be completed full-time or part-time, with fall or spring entry. Students may earn an optional concentration in one of eight areas including business law, criminal law, intellectual property, international human rights and trial advocacy.

What you will study

50 required core hours (first-year courses such as Contracts, Property, Torts, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law and Lawyering Skills, plus Evidence and Professional Responsibility, and 3 hours of clinic or externship) and 40 elective hours.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Programme: bachelor's degree in any field; LSAT or GRE; transcripts; at least one letter of recommendation (up to four accepted); personal statement of 2-4 double-spaced pages; resume or CV. International applicants: minimum TOEFL 90 with 20 on writing, or IELTS 7; JD CAS evaluation of foreign credentials and a passport copy.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate and professional programmes admit for Fall, Spring and Summer terms depending on the programme; applications for Fall 2027, Spring 2028 and Summer 2028 are expected to open on August 1, 2026.

Graduate and professional application deadlines are set per programme, with separate deadlines for domestic and international applicants for most non-online programmes; optional earlier priority, recommended or fellowship dates apply to both.

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