Upon approval of the Foreign Evaluation Form, the New York State Board of Law Examiners allows foreign-trained attorneys to sit for the bar examination if they meet both durational (length of study) and substantive (nature of study, i.e., common law) requirements.

If a foreign-trained lawyer has either a durational or a substantive deficiency (but not both), he or she may “cure” that deficiency by completing an LL.M. program meeting the specific requirements set out in Court Rule 520.6:

1. Completion of a minimum of 24 credits of study in classroom courses in substantive and procedural law and professional skills in an LL.M. program at an ABA-accredited law school physically located in the U.S.; and
2. The program of study must include the following coursework:
   a. At least 2 credit hours in a course or courses in professional responsibility;
   b. At least 2 credit hours in legal research, writing and analysis, which may not be satisfied by a research and writing requirement in a substantive law course;
   c. At least 2 credit hours in American legal studies, the American legal system or similar course designed to introduce students to distinctive aspects and/or fundamental principles of United States law, which may be satisfied by a course in United States constitutional law or United States or state civil procedure; credit earned in such course in excess of the required two credit hours may be applied in satisfaction of the requirement of subdivision (b)(3)(vi)(d); and
   d. A minimum of 6 credit hours in other courses that principally focus on subject matter tested on the New York State bar examination or the New York Law Examination prescribed in section 520.9(a)(3)

Note: With only minor exceptions, you may not double count courses for more than one of the above lettered requirement sections.

Classroom courses include courses for which at least two-thirds of the instruction is provided by an instructor who is physically present in the classroom with students also physically present in the classroom at the same time for regularly scheduled class sessions. While LL.M. students may take law courses offered through Cornell Tech that are listed in the Law School Course Catalog, be aware that Cornell Tech courses are based in New York City and offered in an online format for Ithaca based students. These courses contain a “NY Tech Course” label in the course description. Cornell Tech courses are not considered “classroom courses” and credits will not qualify for inclusion under Court Rule 520.6. Note if you entered the U.S. on a student visa the federal government has reverted to pre-pandemic guidelines for international students. For example, if you are here on a F-1 visa only one online course per semester is permitted.

The New York State Board examined 10,392 candidates during the two days of testing conducted on July 30-31, 2024. The passing rate for all candidates, including U.S. domestic-educated candidates and foreign-educated candidates, was 69%. The number of foreign-educated candidates sitting for the New York bar examination was 3,429, which accounts for 33% of all candidates who took the July 2024 examination. The passing rate for all foreign-educated candidates was 45%. A complete summary is available here: July 2024 NY Exam Results.

The Board of Law Examiners requires that all foreign-trained attorneys request an advance evaluation of their qualification to sit for the New York bar examination before applying to take the bar examination. They recommend that the evaluation be submitted one year prior to applying to take the bar examination and require that it be submitted at least six months prior to the first day of the application period for the examination for which you plan to sit. As a result, if you have not already done so, submit your Request for Foreign Evaluation now by creating a BOLE account in the Applicant Services Portal and scrolling down to the section for the Foreign Evaluation Form.

Further information on the New York bar examination and the requirements to sit for the examination are available at the New York State Board of Law Examiners’ website (see links below). We strongly recommend that you refer to their website, particularly the page devoted to foreign legal education to confirm eligibility, prior to dedicating your LL.M. curriculum to required subjects.

The Board of Law Examiners requires that all transcripts and other official documents be received by the Board of Law Examiners directly from the issuing law school (neither you nor Cornell Law School may send the transcripts or copies of your transcripts to the Board of Law Examiners). If the transcripts are not in English, English translations must be provided. If your foreign transcripts do not include how course credit is calculated (e.g. weeks of attendance, hours of instruction per course, etc.), you should request your schools to provide that information to the Board of Law Examiners in a letter accompanying your transcripts. If you are not already admitted to practice in a foreign country, you should provide proof of having completed the educational requirements for admission to practice in the foreign country in addition to proof that the foreign law schools were accredited or approved and qualified by the foreign country. That documentation must be sent directly to the Board of Law Examiners by the relevant governmental authority.

Please note that the MPRE, NY Law Exam, Skills Competency Requirement, and Mandatory 50-hour Pro Bono Requirement are only needed after successfully passing the New York bar examination when seeking admission to the New York Bar (typically 6 months to 3 years after bar exam passage). If you complete the MPRE during the first semester of you LL.M. year, you may risk having your score expire prior to seeking bar admission. Law school exams cannot be deferred for outside scheduling conflicts. As a student, your primary focus during the academic year should be successfully completing your law school courses. Finally, foreign educated applicants who are required to complete an LL.M. at an ABA-approved law school may satisfy the Skills requirement by submitting proof of compliance with either pathway (4) Apprenticeship, or, (5) Practice in another jurisdiction.

Useful New York Bar Exam Links:
BOLE Home Page:
https://www.nybarexam.org/
Foreign Legal Education:
https://www.nybarexam.org/Foreign/ForeignLegalEducation.htm
Applicant Services Portal & Foreign Evaluation Form
https://portal.nybarexam.org/
NYLC & NYLE Course Materials & Sample Questions
https://www.nybarexam.org/Content/CourseMaterials.htm
New York State Bar Examination Information Guide:
https://www.nybarexam.org/TheBar/NYBarExamInformationGuide.pdf
Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) Information Guide:
http://www.nybarexam.org/ube/ube.html

To assist in course selection and planning, the next page includes a list of expected courses for the 2025-2026 academic year that the New York Court of Appeals has previously approved by category to fulfill the specific requirements of Rule 520.6. Students are advised to refer the full list of Court-approved courses posted on the Law Registrar’s website when finalizing their course schedule to account for any changes between updates of this document.

Cornell Law School: New York State Bar Exam Qualification Requirements and Checklist (07/24/2025) New York Court of Appeals Rule 520.6(b)(3)(iv) course approval –– subject to revision.

1. Completion of a minimum of 24 credits of study in classroom courses in substantive and procedural law and professional skills in an LL.M. program at an ABA-accredited law school physically located in the U.S.; and
2. The program of study must include the following coursework:
   a. At least 2 credits in a professional responsibility course
   b. At least 2 credits in a legal research, writing and analysis course
   c. At least 2 credits in American legal studies, American legal system or similar course
   d. A minimum of 6 credits in other courses covering subjects tested on the NY State Bar exam or NYLE

A. Professional Responsibility (2 Credits minimum)

B. Legal Research, Writing and Analysis (2 Credits minimum)

C. American Legal Studies Courses (2 Credits minimum)

D. Courses in Subjects Covered on the NYS Bar Exam & NY Law Exam (6 Credits minimum)