Additional Requirements for International Applicants

International applicants must submit a photocopy of the name/photo page of their passport showing their image and the correct spelling of their name.

A strong command of the English language is essential to a student’s success at Willamette University College of Law. To that end, Willamette requires that students demonstrate English language proficiency. Proficiency may be demonstrated through any one of the following methods.

• International Applicants Whose Native Language is English

  Applicants who are fluent in English because it is their first language, need not take any further action to demonstrate proficiency. This includes, but is not limited to, applicants who are from Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

• International JD Applicants Who Have Scored Satisfactorily on the LSAT

  JD applicants who have completed the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and achieved a score sufficient to gain academic admission need not take any further action to demonstrate proficiency.

• International Applicants Who Have Completed English Proficiency Tests 

• Applicants may take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam and achieve one of the following minimum scores:

  • IELTS - 7.0

  • TOEFL iBT - 88

  • TOEFL PBT - 570

• International Applicants Who Have Completed an ESL Program

  Applicants may demonstrate proficiency by successfully completing the highest level of an accredited English language program. Official transcripts must be submitted.

• International Applicants Who Have Studied or Worked in English-Speaking Institutions

  Applicants may request a waiver of the English language proficiency requirements if they have previously studied in an English-speaking academic institution, or have used English extensively in their professional work. Applicants seeking a waiver must provide a formal letter requesting such an exemption, as well as evidence of English language competence such as submission of a legal research paper, memorandum of law to a client or law partner, legal brief, or legal article.

Applicants must be able to show they have sufficient resources to fund educational and living expenses for one year of the three-year JD program and provide the following:

• A completed Statement of Financial Responsibility form

• Official bank verification of funds (written in English), showing that you and/or your sponsor have sufficient resources to cover educational and living expenses for one year of the JD program, or

• A financial guarantee letter from any government scholarship you have been awarded.

All appropriate documentation must be sent by admitted students and received and approved by the College of Law before the school will send the applicant an I-20 (Application for Student Visa).