UVA Law’s study abroad opportunities help prepare students for the challenges of law practice in a global world. The benefits of study abroad are both academic and professional — students have the opportunity to gain knowledge of a foreign legal system and culture first-hand, acquire an international perspective, improve cross-cultural skills, and in many cases, refine their foreign-language skills. Students who study abroad also have the opportunity to build personal and professional connections in the host country.

• International Exchange Programs
• J.D.-Master’s in Economic Law at Sciences Po (Paris)
• Student-Initiated Study Abroad
• Externships
• January Term

Note: All international travel undertaken by students for University-related purposes is subject to the University’s Policy on Student International Travel. The University may suspend travel due to health and safety concerns or may impose additional restrictions on travel (e.g., requiring all participants to stay in same hotel, limited site visits, etc.). We discourage students from obtaining non-refundable fares/reservations.

International Exchange Programs

Third-year students may apply to be UVA Law's nominee in 11 international exchange programs. (See details on LawWeb)

• Bocconi Law School, Milan, Italy 
• Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, Germany
• Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
• Instituto de Empresa (IE), Madrid, Spain 
• Melbourne Law School, Melbourne, Australia
• Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
• Tel Aviv University Law School, Tel Aviv, Israel
• University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
• University of Paris II, Paris, France
• University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
• Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

Students who are nominated to participate in these exchange programs will be abroad in the fall semester of their third year. Students earn 12 transfer credits and one residency semester. Students who wish to earn additional credits may concurrently enroll in independent research projects at Virginia Law while on exchange.

Transfer students awarded two residency semesters at entrance are not eligible to participate in these international exchange programs.

How to Apply

Applications for studying abroad in the 2023-24 academic year must be submitted using an online application (here). The deadline to apply will be Thursday, November 10th.

• Information session TBA
• Notification of committee decisions typically occurs in late November or early December.  

Student-Initiated Study Abroad

Under the student-initiated study abroad program a student may spend one semester away from the Law School studying law in a foreign university law school or law department, for which the student will receive up to 15 credits (up to 12 transfer credits for coursework completed at the foreign law school and three graded credits for a research paper to be written as part of the study abroad experience) and one semester of residence credit toward the J.D. degree. Program requirements and application procedures are available in Academic Policies.

Externships

Students may spend one semester abroad working for a government or nonprofit organization and writing a substantial research paper under the guidance of a resident faculty member, for a total of 13 credits. Past host organizations have included the International Development Law Organization in Rome; the International Bar Association in London; International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg; a U.S. Army Base in South Korea; the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in the Hague; and the South Africa Litigation Centre in Johannesburg. More

January Term Abroad

The Law school offers January term options in Paris, France, and Tel Aviv, Israel.

Paris, France

Approximately 25 students a year participate in the Law School's January term option in Paris, France. Participants complete a one-credit intensive course on French Public and Private Law, taught in English by a member of the law faculty of the University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas). Students also benefit from a speaker series and visit sites in Paris. These sessions, which are intended to permit a direct experience of the French legal culture and French institutions, are conducted in English.

Tel Aviv, Israel

The weeklong, two-credit Israeli Business Law and Innovation course, led by UVA Law's Dotan Oliar, an intellectual property expert, introduces students to the legal aspects that facilitate Israel’s entrepreneurial environment through a series of lectures and meetings with academics, practicing lawyers, regulators, judges and entrepreneurs that take place at Tel Aviv University and off-campus. More

For More Information

Student Records Office
434-924-7347
studentrecords@law.virginia.edu
See also: Academic Policies