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Semester Abroad

Overview Application Process Tuition and Fees FAQs and Planning Tips
Locations and Resources Credits, Written Work, and Course Load Requirements Travel, Living Expenses, and Medical Insurance Contact

Overview

The Semester Abroad Program is a wonderful opportunity for Harvard Law School students to receive a semester of ungraded credit towards the Harvard JD degree for study at a law school overseas.  The study abroad program is intended to afford students an educational experience not available at Harvard Law School – immersion in a foreign legal culture.  This includes exposure to what makes the legal system function as it does – its underlying assumptions, how local lawyers think about law, what law is designed to do, and how it relates to the society more broadly.

While immersion in a foreign legal culture is one educational aspect of a study abroad experience, for most students it will not be the only one.  For some students, there may be particular substantive areas of law that are covered in greater depth abroad than is the case at HLS.  Other students may be contemplating a career with substantial ties to a particular country or region, and therefore may wish to learn as much as possible about the legal system(s) of that country or region.  Others may desire a broader exposure to the civil law system than is available at HLS.  Each student has a specific constellation of reasons for wanting to study law in a foreign setting.  Accordingly, students design a semester abroad that meets their specific academic goals.

In recent years students have developed individualized programs of study abroad that have enabled them to explore the following: commercial and capital market regulation in Argentina; rights of indigenous people in Australia; environmental law in China; and European take-over law, among others.

There are two categories of Semester Abroad Programs: 1) HLS students may apply for designated spots for a semester’s study at selected foreign law schools with which HLS has an exchange agreement; and 2) HLS students may choose to spend an “independent” semester at any foreign law school that meets the study abroad program requirements (please see below for more information).

Study Abroad Locations

Exchange Programs

Harvard Law School has exchange agreements with a number of foreign schools that have a designated number of places for HLS students to spend a semester abroad, subject to acceptance by the foreign school.  The list of participating schools currently includes:

Arrangements with the University of Toronto (Canada) are being finalized.

Each school will accept a designated number of HLS JD students per year through the same application process as the general study abroad program. As such, students will need to gain approval by both the HLS study abroad committee and the host institution.

Independent Semester Abroad

The semester abroad program does not limit the student’s options to a specific school or country but includes a range of top foreign institutions.  According to the American Bar Association criteria, “the foreign institution will generally be one that is government sanctioned or recognized, if educational institutions are state regulated within the country; recognized or approved by an evaluation body, if such an agency exists within the country; or chartered to award degrees in law by the appropriate authority within the country” (ABA Criteria Section I.C.1.).  In addition, the school should be one that is generally viewed as offering one of the top law programs in its country or geographic region.    HLS students must take courses in the usual language of instruction of the foreign school and may not enroll in programs of US schools given abroad or programs designed expressly for American students or those from countries other that in which the school is located.

In the past, HLS students have studied abroad for a semester at:

HLS also has a joint degree program with the University of Cambridge that involves spending a year in England reading for an LLM degree.

Resources

In order to identify an appropriate school for a semester abroad, students are encouraged to contact other HLS students who have spent a semester abroad; names and contact information are available through the International Legal Studies office.  Many HLS faculty members, LLM and SJD students have contacts at foreign law schools and are willing to make suggestions to JD students contemplating study abroad.

HLS maintains a list of foreign law schools recognized as strong institutions and/or which HLS graduate students have attended in their home countries. This list may be especially helpful to HLS JD students who are considering where they might study abroad.

There are a number of resources that can be useful for students contemplating a semester abroad.  These include:

Application Process

The opportunity to study abroad is available to students in either semester of the second year or in the first semester of the third year.  Study abroad proposals for the first year or the second semester of the third year will not be approved.  Students who transfer to HLS after completing their first year at another law school are eligible to study abroad in the Fall of their 3L year.  JD students who are foreign nationals normally will not be approved for study abroad in their home country.  JD students who are enrolled in joint degree programs may not be eligible for the semester abroad program. 

Potential participants in the program initiate the planning process for their own program of study.  The International Legal Studies staff is happy to work with students in order to help them develop an appropriately tailored application that meets the program’s requirements.  This involves thinking through educational objectives with reference to Harvard’s broader statement above, identifying the country and school for study, and developing a preliminary list of courses.

Application materials for both exchange programs and independent semester abroad are due by September 15, 2008 for students wishing to go abroad for Spring 2009, and February 15, 2009, for students wishing to study abroad in Fall 2009.  Applications should be submitted to Sara Zucker in Lewis 231 or by e-mail to szucker@law.harvard.edu.

Students considering semester abroad are encouraged to meet with a member of the International Legal Studies staff as needed but applicants must do so at least once prior to, or shortly following, the submission of a proposal.

The Study Abroad Committee, which consists of faculty and staff, reviews the completed HLS application and takes into consideration the following criteria:  academic record at Harvard Law School to date; the student’s motivation for study abroad including educational objectives and the “fit” between those objectives and the proposed program of study and the selected institution abroad. Generally, students who are approved for study abroad have achieved a cumulative Grade Point Average of at least B / B+ in their HLS classes.

Please note that students applying for designated spots in HLS exchange programs must be recommended by the HLS Study Abroad Committee but ultimately selections are made by the foreign law schools (see above for a list of foreign schools with which HLS has an agreement).  Students applying for the independent semester abroad program must receive approval from the HLS Study Abroad Committee as well as apply directly to the host institution in accordance with the foreign school’s application process and receive an acceptance by the foreign school.

Credits, Written Work and Course Load Requirements

A student may receive a total of 11 to 13 ungraded credits for coursework done through the semester abroad program.  In order to ensure that the proposed course of study is a rigorous one, the student supplies descriptions of the courses s/he proposes to take before the fact, with instructor names and reading lists if possible.  Students are urged to develop this list of courses in consultation with their faculty advisors both at HLS and the foreign school.  Ultimately, the foreign faculty advisor will be asked to confirm that the courses selected will be available and that the educational objectives outlined can be met at the foreign school.

It is important to remember that a primary purpose of spending a semester abroad is to take law courses that are different from what is offered at HLS.  Students studying abroad may not take classes that duplicate classes they have taken or intend to take at HLS, and courses on US law will not be approved. Students’ course selection must be approved by the Study Abroad Committee.

Students who wish to enroll in courses listed by the foreign school in disciplines or departments other than law, must receive express permission from the Study Abroad Committee prior to enrolling in such courses. Should a student be allowed to take a course in another discipline, the correlating credits will count towards the maximum allowable for cross-registration in accordance with HLS’ academic policies. Foreign language courses taken abroad will not count for HLS credit nor will independent research and study count as classroom hours for purposes of calculating credits.

Students may not receive clinical credit for an externship undertaken while studying abroad for the semester. The HLS Office of Clinical Programs will evaluate in-house clinics at the foreign law school on a case-by-case basis, and students need to receive permission from the Office of Clinical Programs and the Study Abroad Committee before incorporating a clinical placement into a program of study abroad.

In order to receive Harvard credit for work overseas, a student must earn the school’s minimum passing grade for all of his/her courses and provide HLS with an official version of his/her transcript from the foreign school.  The student also should retain copies of all of the written work done at the foreign school and submit that work to his/her HLS faculty advisor for review after return.  Finally, following the student’s return to Harvard (by March 15 if abroad during the Fall semester or September 15 if abroad during the Spring semester), the student must submit:

If a student successfully completes all of these requirements, his/her Harvard transcript will reflect 10 to 12 credits (depending on the course load), graded “pass”, for study abroad work.  These credits will be considered classroom credits and therefore not count against the HLS allowable maximum of non-classroom credits.  The particular courses taken overseas will not appear on the student’s Harvard transcript, nor will the grades for those courses.  The one-credit paper written for the Harvard faculty advisor will appear separately, like any other independent one-credit paper and must receive a passing grade, which will be noted on the student’s HLS transcript.  No credit for the paper or the coursework abroad will appear until the student submits and receives approval on the paper and report referred to above and his/her foreign transcript is received.  It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the HLS Registrar’s Office receives his/her transcript in a timely fashion.  If a student fails any of his/her courses overseas, the number of credits received for studies abroad will be reduced proportionately.  Students should be aware that grading systems in some countries are quite severe and that many local students fail one or more examinations on their first attempt.

Faculty Advisors

Students work with two faculty advisors, one at HLS and another at the foreign school, to develop an appropriate course of study: 

Identifying an appropriate HLS faculty advisor is something the student should consider early in the process.  Ideally, students should match their interests with a faculty member who has done work in that specific field.   Please note that the role of advisors is limited to HLS professors; faculty members holding the title of lecturer are not eligible.  The International Legal Studies staff can help students identify appropriate faculty advisors.

Tuition

Harvard Law School charges each student going abroad regular HLS tuition for the period abroad; tuition costs of the foreign school are billed to Harvard rather than to the student.  Students remain fully eligible for regular Harvard financial aid and student loans for the semester abroad as if they had remained at HLS for the semester in question.

Travel, Living Expenses, and Medical Insurance

The student is responsible for making his/her own visa, travel, and living arrangements (including health insurance) in the foreign country, and for all associated costs.  Living and studying abroad can be expensive and students should plan and budget accordingly.  To help defray these costs students receive a budget increase of $1,500.

Students must obtain adequate health insurance coverage from an approved provider before departure. Students may also wish to waive the Blue Cross Blue Shield and University Health Service fees. For detailed information please consult the UHS website.

The International SOS Travel Assistance Program provides “24 hour worldwide emergency medical and evacuation assistance for Harvard’s employees and students traveling on University related activities”. It is a supplement to, not a substitute for, health insurance and can provide medical information and evacuation, emergency assistance, translation services, legal referrals and general travel advice, among other things.  Harvard students are automatically enrolled in but must register for the University plan. Further information can be found at International SOS.

ILS Contact

For questions, please contact Sara Zucker, Director of International Legal Studies Programs, at szucker@law.harvard.edu or 5-9030.  Sara is available to talk to students by appointment as well as during office hours on Tuesdays from 10:00 – 11:30 am and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm.  Sara’s office is located in room 231 of the Lewis International Law Center.

You may also direct questions to Ben Cook, International Legal Studies Program Officer, at bcook@law.harvard.edu or 6-0899. Ben’s office is located in room 137 of the Lewis International Law Center.

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