Apply to be a Visiting Student

In special circumstances, a student enrolled in a J.D. program at another ABA-approved U.S. law school may apply for admission on a full-time, non-degree basis. Visiting students may attend Yale Law School for a semester or a year, earning credit toward a degree at their own institutions. An applicant must have completed his or her first year of law school before enrolling at YLS.

The Admissions Committee considers past academic performance as well as special circumstances when reviewing such requests. Students applying as visiting students should complete the J.D. application in the paper format and send it in an envelope marked “Visiting Student” with a $75 application fee.  Please email the Admissions Office to request an application.  No one is admitted as a visiting student for more than one year.

A complete application for a visiting student contains, in addition to the application, a cover letter explaining the applicant’s special circumstances, a law school transcript, a CAS report, two letters of recommendation from law school professors, dean's certifications from all degree programs in which the applicant has been enrolled, and a letter from the applicant’s degree-granting law school giving permission for the applicant to earn credit for course work at Yale. Decisions are made on visiting student applications on a rolling basis.