International Students

Recently the University of Toledo College of Law (UT) faculty approved a program to permit a foreign law student to use up to 29 credit hours of undergraduate law study at a foreign law school towards a J.D. at Toledo. The idea is that a student will be able to earn a J.D. from Toledo in two years instead of the normal three years. 

UT wishes all of its students to succeed, so we plan to recruit highly qualified and highly motivated students for this program. We are very interested in students who have taken courses in the common law or U.S. law – but we will not require these courses be completed prior to admission. Once the student arrives, he or she will complete our standard first year courses and then will take a mix of required and elective upper-level courses.

To be accepted, students must meet English language proficiency requirements, including an acceptable TOEFL, IETL, or other score on an accepted standardized English language proficiency examination or demonstrated proficiency in an oral interview with UT College of Law faculty.  Again these requirements are designed to select students who will succeed in their American law studies.

The two-year program is more cost-effective than a traditional three-year J.D program. Through our program, students could earn the J.D. degree in two rather than three years – saving the student both time and money. This program can also be used together with another program of study to earn a joint degree.

A highly motivated student may also apply to enter our other joint-degree programs. UT College of Law has joint-degree programs with our sister Colleges at the University of Toledo so that a student could pursue a joint law and business degree (a joint J.D./Masters of Business Administration) or a joint law and public health degree (J.D./Masters of Public Administration) or a joint law and engineering degree (J.D./Master of Engineering) while at the University of Toledo. We of course have other joint-degree programs and are prepared to work with students to meet their needs for interdisciplinary study. One advantage of our relatively small class size is that we are relatively flexible and student centered.

Our J.D. program offers a foreign student a real American law school experience and a real law school degree.  Many LL.M. programs are designed solely for foreign students and do not provide an equivalent educational experience to the J.D. degree. Unlike the foreign student LL.M., the J.D is the degree that qualifies law school graduates to enter into the legal profession. Accordingly, earning a J.D. degree is now more attractive and useful for students interested in practicing law than a largely academic focused LL.M. degree.

The University of Toledo College of Law was recently named a Best Value Law School by National Jurist Magazine, because of our strong employment opportunities, high bar passage rates, and affordable tuition. We offer an excellent legal education without requiring our students to take on a massive debt burden. 

Although located within a large, vibrant university, the College of Law is a close-knit community. All classes are held in the Law Center, a building designed to facilitate student-faculty interaction. The heart of the Law Center is The Forum, a space in the center of the building where students gather informally to meet, study, and talk. The patio is often filled with students, faculty, and staff. Faculty offices are located just a floor above all classrooms, making our professors easily accessible.

Our college boasts a wide range of student organizations and activities, including The University of Toledo Law Review, the Student Bar Association, the Moot Court Association, the Asian-Pacific Law Students Association, the Black Students Law Association, the Federalist Society, and the Women's Law Association. Students interested in a particular area of practice can participate in many groups, including the Business Law, Environmental Law, Intellectual Property Law, International Law, Labor and Employment Law, and Sports Law Societies.

The University of Toledo College of Law is located in the City of Toledo. Toledo is a vibrant and diverse metropolitan area which has drawn on its history as one of America’s first great industrial cities to pioneer “Green” business ventures, in particular in the area of solar and advanced renewable energy. Innovative firms like Xunlight Corporation and First Solar were launched in Toledo, and have brought a renewed energy to our historic city. Perched on the western shore of Lake Erie, a short drive to beaches, lake-side parks and ferry access to popular island destinations, Toledo offers both the cultural amenities of a big city and the affordable cost of living and close-knit feel of a small town. Toledo is one of the four largest metropolitan areas in Ohio (the metropolitan area has a population of more than 650,000 and the city proper over 315,000). Toledo has a symphony, a ballet, and a world-class art museum offering numerous events and cultural opportunities. The triple-A Detroit Tigers affiliate Toledo Mud Hens play at Fifth-Third Field, named the best minor league stadium by Newsweek magazine. A newly minted downtown arena hosts professional hockey and will welcome a number of musical acts in the coming year. From the historic riverside town of Perrysburg to the modern amenities of the Levis Commons and Westfield Franklin Park malls, the Toledo area offers nearly everything you could desire within a 15-minute drive. The Toledo Zoo, one of the region's best, and the Imagination Station, a downtown science museum, offer hands-on learning opportunities to curious visitors of all ages. 

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is a nonprofit corporation that provides unique, state-of-the-art products and services to ease the admission process for law schools and their applicants worldwide. More than 200 law schools in the United States, Canada, and Australia are members of the Council and benefit from LSAC's services. All law schools approved by the American Bar Association are LSAC members, as are Canadian law schools recognized by a provincial or territorial law society or government agency. Many nonmember law schools also take advantage of LSAC's services. For all users, LSAC strives to provide the highest quality of products, services, and customer service.

Founded in 1947, the Council is best known for administering the Law School Admission Test (LSAT®), with over 170,000 tests administered annually at testing centers worldwide. LSAC also processes academic credentials for an average of 85,000 law school applicants annually, provides essential software and information for admission offices and applicants, conducts educational conferences for law school professionals and prelaw advisors, sponsors and publishes research, funds diversity and other outreach grant programs, and publishes LSAT preparation books and law school guides, among many other services.

Non-U.S. citizens are not eligible for Federal Financial Aid. Some private lenders may provide loans, if the student has a sponsor in the United States who is willing to sign the loan for the student.

All applicants are eligible for University of Toledo College of Law scholarships. Scholarships are awarded based upon merit. Students do not apply for scholarships; all files are concurrently reviewed for admission and scholarships. Students are notified by mail if a scholarship has been awarded. Scholarships cover instructional costs. Scholarships do not cover living expenses, books, or miscellaneous expenses.