First Steps

Click here to visit the Office for International Programs at Loyola.  It's where every international student's journey begins.

Application Requirements and Deadlines

International students are encouraged to take the TOEFL and begin the application process as early as possible to avoid delays in receiving admissions-related services. The specific application requirements for international students include: 1) a complete application; 2) an official TOEFL score; 3) a diploma or other documentation (in English) indicating completion of a first degree in law from; and 4) a 200-word statement (in English) indicating the applicant's interest and intentions regarding the field of health law.

Accreditation Standards

Applicants who received their law degrees in Canada must have attended law schools accredited by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. Students from all other countries must meet the eligibility requirements to sit for the licensing examination in their country to be considered for admission.

Bar Examination

Some states, including Illinois, will allow attorneys who hold a foreign law degree AND an LL.M. or Master of Laws degree to sit for the bar examination.  Please click here for further information.

Course of Study

If you are an international student whose first language is not English and you do not intend to practice in the United States after you complete your health law degree, you will follow individually designed curricula which may require you to complete more or less credit hours than non-international students. 

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English Proficiency

If your prior education was at a non-English speaking university you must demonstrate English proficiency by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and achieving a minimum score of 640 on the paper-based test and 273 on the computer-based test.  The score must be no more than two years old and must be sent directly to the admissions committee of the Institute for Health Law from the Education Testing Service (ETS). The ETS administers TOEFL in approximately 200 cities worldwide four times a year. Applicants may obtain a registration form and a catalog describing registration procedures and test centers on the TOEFL web site at http://www.toefl.org. or in the following locations: American embassies and consulates; Binational offices of the U.S. International Communication Agency; Binational Centers; U.S. educational commissions and foundations; and private organizations such as the Institute of International Education, the African-American Institute, and the American Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. If the catalog cannot be obtained locally, please write directly to:

An applicant is exempt from the TOEFL requirement if he or she has earned a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or speaks English as a native language.


Financial Assistance

PLEASE NOTE: Loyola does not offer financial aid to international students specifically.   Applicants may obtain general information about awards and scholarships from the United States Embassy or the United States International Communication Agency. For further information, request the booklet entitled A Financial Planning for Study in the United States from:

College Entrance Examination Board
Publications Order Office
P.O. Box 2815
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
U.S.A.

Passport and Visa Information

Applicants must obtain a passport from their government and a visa from the nearest United States embassy or consulate prior to emigrating from their own country. Applicants accepted by Loyola University will be sent a letter of admission and an I-20 form for F-1 students or an IAP-66 form for J-1 students in order to obtain a student visa. Visitors to the United States on B-2 visas (tourist) are not permitted to enroll for a full course of study unless the United States consular visa officer has written "Prospective Student" on the visa.

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