JSD Law at Yale University

Programme overview

The J.S.D. at Yale Law School is a highly selective doctoral law degree; a Yale LL.M. awarded within the previous five years is ordinarily required.

Faculty: Yale Law School | Study mode: full-time | Location: New Haven, CT, United States

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

A Yale LL.M. awarded within five years before application is ordinarily required; admission is highly selective. Application due March 27, 2027: application form and letter, dissertation proposal, statements of contingent approval from three committee members (at least two Yale Law faculty, one as chair), letters from two Yale Law faculty, writing sample (ordinarily the LL.M. paper), resume/CV, LL.M. transcript.

USD 30,994 a year (2026-2027). Resident J.S.D. tuition for the academic year 2026-2027; a separate $2,500 fee applies, and nonresident students pay $200 per term to remain registered. Source

PhD applicants at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences apply for fall 2027 entry; most offers of admission for fall 2027 have a reply deadline of April 15, 2027.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences deadlines (all 11:59 pm Eastern) for fall 2027: December 1, 2026 (e.g. BBS, Chemistry, Economics, History, Linguistics, Psychology, Public Health, Statistics); December 15, 2026 (e.g. American Studies, Anthropology, Applied Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science PhD, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Law, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Political Science, Sociology); January 2, 2027 (e.g. African Studies, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Architecture, Computer Science MS, Earth and Planetary Sciences, East Asian Studies, Nursing, Philosophy). Combined programs follow the earlier deadline or December 15.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences application fee for all degree-seeking applicants is US $105, non-refundable, payable by Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express; fee waivers can be requested until January 2.

GRE General Test requirements vary by GSAS program (required, optional or not accepted) for the 2026-2027 cycle.

Apply through the official page: https://law.yale.edu/admissions

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