New York, Fordham University

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 internet-based, overall score 100
• Duolingo English Test, score 120

The minimum weighted average must be 24/30.

The academic structure of the programme fulfills all the requirements for an LLM at Fordham Law, including admissibility to the New York State Bar Exam, as well as the maximum number of credits transferred for all Università Cattolica Law degree tracks.

Students can sit the New York State Bar Exam only after graduating from Cattolica. Read here more information on the New York Bar Exam, in particular Section IIIA.

By following this link you will be able to view the catalog of specialisation courses offered by Fordham Law.
The study tracks listed below are some non-binding examples of ways in which the Double Degree Programne can be completed, by matching LLM specialisations and Cattolica profiles.

Students admitted to the Double Degree Programme can decide to follow a different LLM Master from those below associated with the tracks in Università Cattolica.

• specialisation “Amministrativo”
• specialisation “Forense”
• specialisation “D’impresa”
• specialisation “Internazionale”
• specialisation “Penalistico - criminologico” 

Fordham courses that cannot be recognised in specific Cattolica courses can be converted in Altre Attività Formative, provided that such courses are legal in their content and that the student passes a final exam with a positive mark or assessment.

Students admitted to the Programme can follow and sit courses up to a maximum of 15 US credits per semester. 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. Students admitted to the Programme can sit maximum one Cattolica course online via Teams during the fall exam session (which coincides with the first month of permanence abroad).

All accepted students will be able to determine their specific study plan with both institutions on the basis of potential updates to Fordham Law’s academic offering ad well as each student’s own academic goals. Fordham Law Advisors will be available to students to guarantee that LLM regulations be in line with the Università Cattolica faculty requirements for credit recognition.

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

There are two options to apply for this programme:

Option 1: 

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

If they have just one exam left, they will be able to attend the graduation ceremony in May. 

In order to be eligible to do the Optional Practical Training (OPT) students must submit a request to Fordham's OIS office to extend their I-20 by no later than March 1st, graduate in Cattolica during the month of July and submit final transcripts to Fordham by September 15th. 

Option 2:

In order to be able to attend the graduation ceremony in May and be eligible for the OPT, students on a single-cycle Master’s degree programme can get a Bachelor’s degree in Servizi Giuridici before leaving for Fordham, as follows: 

• Do not renew enrolment for the 2023-2024 academic year in September 2023 for the 4th year of the Single-cycle Master’s Degree programme; 
   
• You will have access to all the 2023-2024 academic year examination sessions so that you can accumulate all the credits necessary to graduate in Servizi Giuridici by the end of the April 2024 session. In particular, you must pass the following specific exams for your undergraduate study path:
  • legal IT examination (esame di IT giuridica)
  • Final examination (prova finale)

In order to be able to graduate with your Bachelor’s degree by the end of April 2024, in September 2023 you must have no more than 3 outstanding exams, plus the preparation of your thesis to be done.
If your situation differs from this it will be evaluated by the relevant offices. 

When you have undertaken your final examination and been awarded your Bachelor’s degree, you must then apply to enroll again on the single-cycle Master’s degree programme for the 2023-2024 academic year, asking to be admitted directly to the 4th year. 
Total costs for the undergraduate degree year (2023/24) must be settled in a single payment at the end of the academic year.

You may then depart for Fordham in August 2024. 

Download here the study plan

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 Fordham.

The fee for the Master’s programme at Fordham University for the academic year 2023/24 is $71,224. This cost may be subject to change for the next academic year, based on Fordham internal financial adjustments. Read more information here.

Cattolica students will benefit of a 20% discounted tuition.

Upon official acceptance from Fordham, 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, until 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 Fordham University (respecting all university set deadlines for fees, study plans, graduation scheduling requests etc).

Selected students will be offered the possibility to exchange views and information with the students that took part to the Double Degree Programme the year before.

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 program 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 program.