LLM English Waivers: Does Your Degree Count?

LLM English Waivers: Does Your Degree Count?

An English-taught law degree or later US LLM does not automatically waive English testing everywhere. Columbia and Georgetown use different criteria. Check the first degree's teaching language, the country condition and whether the school offers an automatic exemption or a requested waiver.

Read the country condition exactly

Columbia automatically waives testing for a first law degree earned entirely in English in a country where English is an official language, or for a four-year postsecondary degree earned in the United States. It reserves the right to request testing even when an applicant meets an automatic-waiver condition. Columbia LLM application process.

Georgetown's LLM instructions require testing where the first law degree was not taught in English, or was taught in English in a country where English is not the primary language. It permits discretionary waivers supported by strong evidence. A previous one-year LLM in an English-primary country is normally insufficient by itself. Georgetown graduate application requirements.

“Official language,” “primary language” and “language of instruction” are different questions. Do not replace all three with a single checkbox saying you studied in English.

Build a four-field evidence sheet

Record these facts before deciding whether to book a test:

1. First law degree: Identify the exact award, institution and teaching language. If some courses used another language, preserve that detail.
2. Country condition: Copy the condition the receiving school uses. If its application instructions do not clearly resolve your country or educational situation, ask admissions rather than making your own classification.
3. Later education: Record the degree's location, duration and completion status separately. A short later qualification should not be silently treated as a four-year degree.
4. Exemption process: Mark the result as an explicit automatic exemption, a waiver you must request, or testing required. Keep pending requests visibly pending.

For an uncertain case, send a concise factual inquiry identifying the degree and the exact published condition you are trying to establish. Ask what evidence is needed. A statement that your professional English is excellent does not document where or how a degree was taught.

Our recommendation is to retain a workable testing plan until an uncertain waiver is resolved. Do not assume that submitting a request extends an application deadline or produces approval.

An illustrative English-medium LLB and later LLM

Imagine a lawyer whose first law degree was taught entirely in English outside the United States. They later completed a one-year US LLM and are considering another LLM application.

They should evaluate the first degree against each school's country wording, then separately examine what the later degree establishes. The one-year award is not the four-year US degree in Columbia's automatic route. Georgetown expressly says a previous one-year LLM is normally insufficient alone for a waiver.

Now remove the later LLM. The first-degree analysis still matters; the applicant should not assume all exemption possibilities disappear. Conversely, adding a later degree does not remove the need to check the receiving school's exact rule.

This example concerns testing only. Eligibility for a second LLM and the educational reason for pursuing it require separate review of the program's instructions.

Respect the statement's assistance rules

Our LLM assistance guide and law essay hub cover the writing stage. Columbia's linked application page prohibits third-party and AI assistance. Read and follow the certification that applies to your submission; a review service does not change that rule.

The LLM personal-statement rubric through law statement review examines your own legal-study statement. It does not assess an English waiver.

Official school sources checked September 11, 2026. Confirm country, degree and waiver-documentation rules with the receiving program.