Master of Laws (LL.M.) Application
Required Materials
To be considered, all applicants must provide the following in their online application:
- Online Application: You must submit a completed Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship online application. Please note that this application is separate from other Cornell Law School programs, and our applications are not transferable. Cornell Tech is not on LSAC.
- Résumé: Your resume must list your professional history, academic background, and any skills or activities that are relevant to your admission into this program. Please limit your resume to two pages.
- Personal Statement:
*A note about AI: Cornell Tech does not prohibit the use of generative artificial intelligence (ChatGPT, Bard, etc.) to assist with the preparation of personal statements or statements of purpose; however, use of any AI tool must be disclosed and properly cited. The content of the Statement of Purpose and Personal Statement must be truthful and accurate.
In an essay that is 700 words or fewer, please describe your reasons, qualifications, and goals for applying for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. Please specifically address the following points if applicable (double-spaced, 12-point font):
• Your academic, professional, and legal experience, including especially any experience with technology law.
• Your entrepreneurship experience, including either any startup or business experience of your own, or experience advising entrepreneurs or startups.
• What would you contribute to the broader Cornell Tech community?
• How do you believe this program and degree would help you further your career goals?
- Letters of Recommendation:
Applicants are required to submit two professional letters of recommendation. For applicants who have recently graduated, one academic recommendation letter is acceptable in lieu of one of the two professional letters. Your letters of recommendation should come from a current or former manager or supervisor who is familiar with your work in a professional capacity. If applicable, one letter (but not both) may come from a client or, for recent graduates, a professor or other academic who has had the opportunity to see your work, such as a club advisor, coach, or clinic instructor. One or both recommendation forms or letters of recommendation should come from a current or former manager, supervisor, or someone who has worked with you in a professional capacity. We advise that you do not choose clients, co-founders, or colleagues to write your recommendation. The second recommendation may come from a professor or other academic who has had the opportunity to see your work, such as a club advisor, coach, or clinic instructor. In each recommendation form or letter of no more than 700 words, your recommenders should speak to your academic and interpersonal abilities, technical aptitude, and/or professional experiences in tech, your experience working on teams, and any areas of improvement. Two letters are required, but you may submit an additional letter if you believe it strengthens your candidacy for the program. Please ensure that these letters are sent from a professional email address. This is to maintain the integrity and credibility of the recommendations.
Note: Recommendation letters submitted after the deadline date will be moved to the next round.
- Academic Records or Transcripts: You must provide all academic records or transcripts from each previously attended university and proof of graduation from a Bachelor’s program (if this is not indicated on the transcript). While we do not require official transcripts at the time of application, you may send any official transcripts to Cornell Tech admissions electronically or via postal service. To be considered official, transcripts must be sent directly from the academic institution.
- International Students:
Cornell Tech requires that transcripts from colleges and universities outside the U.S. and Canada undergo a course-by-course evaluation by an expert academic credential evaluator in the United States. Students are responsible for paying all fees for such evaluations and making arrangements with the credential evaluation company to send and receive their documents.
Cornell Tech will accept evaluations from:
Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
International Educations Evaluation (IEE)
Scholaro
SpanTran
World Education Services (WES) Select: Cornell University – Manhattan NY
Or any NACES organization member.
Evaluations may be sent electronically (preferred) or via postal mail. You may also upload a copy through your Status Portal.
Note: The admissions committee requires this evaluation prior to reviewing your application for an admissions decision.
- Language Test Scores (International Students Only):
A high level of English proficiency is needed to complete the General LL.M. program. While all applications will be reviewed regardless of ESL scores, successful applicants typically meet the minimum language test score requirement. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the US, Canada (other than Quebec), UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, or New Zealand or have not studied full-time for at least two consecutive years at a college or university in one of these countries, you must submit a valid TOEFL score of minimum 100 or IELTS score of minimum 7.0 overall band. Please note that we do not accept MyBestScores. Official test scores are not required at the time of submitting your application. However, all students who are accepted to the program will need to report their official scores to Cornell Tech for verification.
To report your scores:
TOEFL Testing Code: 2098
IELTS: Cornell University Cornell Tech
*Please note we do not accept MyBestScore Results
Waivers: To see if you qualify for an English test waiver, please read Cornell Law School’s Application Requirements.
The English language proficiency requirement may be waived if the applicant meets at least one of these criteria:
• Is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or a citizen of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada (except Quebec).
• At the time you enroll at Cornell, you have studied in full-time status for at least two academic years within the last five years in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, or with English language instruction in Canada or South Africa. Even if English was the language of instruction at your school, if you did not study in one of these countries, you are not exempt from the requirement. You must submit a transcript that shows you attended college in one of the designated locations, and that your academic program was at least two years in length.
If you have any questions about the English language waiver or would like to confirm whether or not you qualify, please contact Cornell Tech Admissions at admissions@tech.cornell.edu.
- Note about NY State Bar Exam: For most foreign-trained students, the Cornell Tech LL.M. will not, by itself, qualify graduates to sit for the New York State bar examination. Please note that these requirements vary according to your background and the current bar examination requirements, so we cannot counsel applicants prior to their admittance into the program. Applicants must submit their application by the priority round to be considered for the third-semester option.
- Application Fee: A non-refundable application fee of $95 must be submitted with the online application.
- Note: GRE and LSAT scores will not be considered or accepted.
Interview
All finalists will be invited for a 60-minute video interview with a member of the Admissions Committee.
Candidates will receive two case studies prior to interviewing that must be presented as part of their admission interview.
Scholarships
- Cornell Tech offers scholarship aid to a limited number of master’s degree students each year. Aid is determined by a holistic review of all the applicants’ credentials at the time of their admission.
- Applicants who wish to be fully considered for scholarship are advised to apply by the priority deadline date.
- All admitted students who are not fully sponsored are considered – no additional application is needed.
- While it is not possible for Cornell Tech to offer full-tuition funding for master’s students, scholarships may cover a significant portion of tuition costs.
- Part-time programs are not eligible for scholarships or on-campus housing.
- Scholarships cannot be applied to housing or costs other than tuition.
- Please note that requesting consideration for scholarship aid does not affect your admission decision.
- Need-based financial aid is not available from Cornell Tech, but students who are qualified for federal loans may refer to Cornell Law Graduate Financial Aid for more information about financing their degree.
- For more information about the cost of attendance, please refer to our Tuition & Fees.
Pathway Program Participation
Cornell Tech is pleased to offer application fee waivers to qualified participants of programs designed to provide educational and/or career support to students from historically underrepresented identities. If your program is listed, please email admissions@tech.cornell.edu at least three days before the application deadline to request an application fee waiver.
If you are an administrator or a participant of a program not listed below, you may request that we consider adding the program to our list of programs eligible for an application fee waiver for its participants by writing to admissions@tech.cornell.edu, provided the program’s mission explicitly aligns with Cornell Tech’s intentionally inclusive diversity mission and demonstrates a clear intent for students to enter a professional or research-based master’s program.