Boston College Law School

All applicants must have one of these certificates, passed no more than 2 years before the closing date of this call:

• IELTS Academic, overall score 7
• TOEFL, overall score 100

The minimum weighted average must be 24/30.

Students must complete all their 3rd year exams before leaving leave for Boston College in August. They must leave with almost all the 4th year exams completed – in case any exam is missing, students will exceptionally be able to do one of them online.

During the LLM portion of the program, students will be required to participate in LLM orientation activities, successfully complete required LLM classes, and successfully complete elective classes so that the total number of credits earned at BC Law is at least 24. 

The academic year at BC Law consists of two semesters. The first semester runs from August to May, with an orientation the last week of August and Exams completed before Christmas. The second semester begins the first week of January and ends with graduation ceremonies the last week of May.

Students interested in taking part to the Double Degree Program should organize their study plan in Cattolica accordingly. This means that they should select, in the third year of studies in Cattolica, optional exams to undertake in Boston and that they should not sit them in Cattolica. 

Once admitted, the Director of Graduate and Global Programs at Boston College will individually guide students toward an academic schedule facilitating their individual objectives. By following this link you will be able to view the Concentrations offered by Boston College. Optional exams may be subject to change, students will work closely with Cattolica and Boston advisors to find new correspondences in line with their study plans.

DOWNLOAD THE Study plan

The credits earned abroad can be transferred to convert maximum two Cattolica courses of the fourth year of studies. Other credits earned can be recognized in fifth year exams based on the conversion Annex. 

Based on their completion of the required academic credits at Boston College, dual programme students will be given special dispensation to participate in the BC Law graduation ceremony in May. However, the official award of the degree will follow completion of their programme at Cattolica. 

Following the May graduation ceremony, depending on their degree progress at Cattolica, students will have the option of beginning their Optional Practical Training (OPT) in the US or returning to Milan to complete their remaining exams or thesis. More typically, students who expect to return to Milan for more than 60 days should remain enrolled for a capstone credit at Boston College for a paper to be submitted the following semester. Boston College would extend the students’ enrollment until January, so they will have time to graduate in December or January and start the Optional Practical Training (OPT) in February.  

The final thesis will be prepared and discussed at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore upon return from the year abroad, in accordance with the rules set by the Faculty Board.

Selected students can contact the Cattolica Professor under whose supervision they intend to write the final thesis before leaving for Boston.

The academic structure of the programme fulfills all the requirements for an LLM at Boston College, which provides paths to eligibility for the New York and the Massachusetts State Bar Exams, as well as fulfilling the maximum number of credits transferred for all Università Cattolica Law degree tracks. 

Students may sit the State Bar Exam only after graduating from Cattolica. They would apply for eligibility for the New York and Massachusetts Bar exams as soon after degree completion as possible. The planned date of the Bar exam should be the first July following the receipt of both degrees. 

More information on the New York Bar Exam can be found at this link, and in particular under Section IIIA of this page.  More information on Massachusetts State Bar Exam can be found at this page.
 

The cost for the LLM programme at Boston College for the academic year 2023/24 is approximately $71,415 (this figure includes tuition, fees and books). This cost may be subject to change for the next academic year, based on Boston College internal financial adjustments. Find here up to date information.

Five (5) Cattolica students will benefit from a 20% discounted tuition. If more than five students apply for the programme, students will be selected competitively following the ranking rules set by the Law School: read details.  

Upon official acceptance from Boston College, all students will have to pay a programme fee of €950 to Cattolica International. This fee will include administrative and application fees and the student safety package and insurance.

Cattolica International will award scholarships of €1,200 to eligible candidates, while funds are available.

All students will be responsible for the costs of their stay abroad (travel, room and board, costs of academic material, health insurance and visa issuance fees).

Selected students must also be officially enrolled at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore during their time at Boston College (respecting all university set deadlines for fees, study plans, graduation scheduling requests etc.) 
 

Thanks to a partnership between Istituto Toniolo and BPER Banca, students can apply for a student loan. Read more. 

All students participating in an official Cattolica International programme must accept the “Student Safety Package” provisions by downloading the “Safety Check Students” app for the geolocation and instant messaging features to be used exclusively in the event of an emergency. The “Student Safety Package” also includes health insurance coverage for the entire duration of the programme.