Admission and Application Materials

In principle, Keio Law School limits admissions to a total of 10 students per semester.

Preference is typically given to applicants from schools that have an existing exchange relationship with Keio Law School ("Law School Partners"). Second priority is given to students from schools that have a partner relationship at the university level but not a specific relationship between the respective law schools ("University Partners"). Students from schools that have no formal relationship at the university or the law school level may be accepted on a space available basis.

Exchange students are admitted for both the Spring and the Fall semesters. It is possible to spend up to two semesters at Keio Law School. We receive many more applications for Fall than for Spring, as Fall better aligns with many academic calendars outside Japan. In many recent years, we have not able to accept all qualified applicants for Fall. So if your academic calendar permits you to consider exchange in either Fall or Spring semester, we encourage you to apply for Spring.

With the formation of Keio Law School in 2004, Keio's legal education is divided into separate organizations. The Law School (大学院法務研究科 or 法科大学院) offers J.D. and LL.M. (graduate) programs of study. The J.D. program qualifies its graduates to sit for the Japanese bar examination and become lawyers, judges or prosecutors. The LL.M. program in Global Legal Practice offers a graduate level program with instruction entirely in English. You are reading information about potential exchange to the Law School.

Meanwhile, Keio Law Faculty (法学部) offers a broad curriculum to undergraduates resulting in award of an LL.B. degree, and Keio Graduate School of Law (大学院法学研究科) offers both masters and doctoral programs not related to qualification to sit for the Japanese bar examination.

All Keio Law School regular (i.e. degree candidate) students have already obtained at least a first degree (LL.B., B.A. or other bachelor's degree). For exchange students to the Law School, we typically admit students from overseas J.D. programs or similar level. In some jurisdictions (such as Germany) where those seeking admission to the bar study law primarily as an undergraduate course of study, we have in some cases made an exception to admit exchange students who are in their final year of undergraduate university study and whose applications demonstrate an ability to study at a graduate student level.

We will not admit exchange students to KLS who are in the early or middle stage of undergraduate study. For such students, Keio's undergraduate law faculty does not have a curriculum taught in English that is available to exchange students. Instead, undergraduates typically apply for exchange to Keio via our Keio International Center or Center for Japanese Studies . A limited number of Keio Law School courses may be open for participation by students enrolled through the Keio International Center.

Please read the information posted on this website carefully, and contact the correct application address. Please note that we will not respond to applications submitted after the deadline or those submitted to the wrong address.

The admission deadlines are as follows:
Fall Semester 2024:
A. By March 1, 2024 - Partner schools must indicate the number of fall semester and full-year (Fall 2024/Spring 2025) exchange nominations that they request.
B. By March 15, 2024 - KLS will respond and indicate the number of spring semester and full-year (Fall 2024/Spring 2025) exchange nominations that we can accept from each partner school.
C. By March 30, 2024 - actual nominations and student applications must be received at KLS, in numbers that do not exceed the indication given by KLS in B. above.
D. By May 31, 2024 - Announcement of the document screening results
　* For students applying from Law School Partners and from non-Partner Institutions only.
　* Fall Semester 2024 begins on September 22nd and ends on March 31st, however most
     LL.M.courses end by the end of December.
Spring Semester 2025:
A. By November 1, 2024 - Partner schools must indicate the number of spring semester and full-year (Spring 2025/Fall 2025) exchange nominations that they request.
B. By November 15, 2024 - KLS will respond and indicate the number of spring semester and full-year (Spring 2025/Fall 2025) exchange nominations that we can accept from each partner school.
C. By November 30, 2024 - actual nominations and student applications must be received at KLS, in numbers that do not exceed the indication given by KLS in B. above.
D. By December 31, 2024 - Announcement of the document screening results
　* For students applying from Law School Partners and from non-Partner Institutions only.
　* Spring Semester 2025 begins on April 1st and ends on September 22nd.

For students applying from University Partners

Please check the list of Partner Institutions ( University Partners ) and visit https://www.ic.keio.ac.jp/en/study/exchange/courses.html
　* Students from partner institutions can study at KLS by applying for the Research Program on
　 the above website.
　* Regarding graduate courses, it is listed as "Most Courses are conducted in Japanese" on the
　 above website, but this is not the case at KLS as we have a LL.M. in Global Legal Practice
　 where all courses are offered in English.

For information on applications, please see below.
https://www.ic.keio.ac.jp/en/study/exchange/apply.html

For students applying from Law School Partners

For students coming from a Law School Partners, the application process is as follows: Please check the list of Partner Institutions (Law School Partners ).

1. Consult with appropriate administrative people (usually the designated administrator under the exchange agreement) at your home institution and confirm that you are eligible to spend a semester or an academic year studying abroad.

2. If your home institution accepts your application to study abroad, the administrator should send an email nominating you as an exchange student under the relevant exchange agreement with Keio Law School. The email should be sent to the International Exchange Committee at lawjm@info.keio.ac.jp .

3. Once we receive the nomination, Keio Law School will inform the administrator a specific website for you to upload your application materials. After you have finished uploading all the following items, kindly send an e-mail to the International Exchange Committee at lawjm@info.keio.ac.jp . Please do not send us a hard copy version (paper version) of your application before we ask you to. We will ask you to send the hard copies of the applications after we check your applications sent via e-mail.

(A)	Application Formwith three passport size photos Glue one to the Application form. 3cmx4cm ID photo, no background, no copy of a colored photo. Clip another photo to your Application Form.
(B)	StudyProposal
(C)	Self-evaluation of Japanese Language Proficiency
(D)	If you are planning on taking law courses in Japanese, a certification by a fluent Japanese speaker (preferably someone who has taught you Japanese) stating that your Japanese language ability (reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension) is adequate for studying at the professional school level
(E)	Transcript
(F)	Certificate of Health
(G)	Copy of the pages of your passport showing your personal information
(H)	Recent bank statement showing sufficient funds to support yourself while in residence at Keio Law School
(I)	Statement of your intended dates of arrival and departure from Japan
(J)	Application for Certificate of Eligibility.xlsx SAMPLE New.pdf Type in the application form EXCEL format. This form is required by Japanese Immigration Bureau and MUST be completed exactly as instructed. Refer to "SAMPLE"before you fill out the form.

Note: Items (B) and (G) through (J) are required by the Japanese Government in order to obtain a visa.

After receiving the Certificate of Eligibility from Keio Law School, exchange students must apply for the student visa at a Japanese Embassy or consulate in their home country. Please note that exchange students cannot enter Japan to be a student at Keio without the student visa. You will not be able to obtain a student visa within Japan, so you must issue a student VISA before you enter Japan. If you enter Japan without a student visa, there is a high possibility that you would need to return to your home country and obtain the student visa, and then re-enter Japan to be an exchange student at Keio. Keio will not be responsible if you do not make it before classes start or miss any events in such case.

Please note that the process of obtaining a visa takes between two to three months. The Law School will not be responsible under any circumstances for the failure of the visa to issue or for delays in issuance. It is highly recommended that you consult with the Japanese Embassy or consulate in your home country as to the required documents so that you can begin collecting the necessary paperwork. Please complete all documents accurately and fully. Visa inspection is strict and delays will occur if your forms are not done correctly.

For students applying from non-Partner Institutions

Please write directly to the International Exchange Committee at lawjm@info.keio.ac.jp. The application procedures are the same as indicated above in "For students applying from Law School Partners." Regarding fees and expenses, please click here.

Notification

All applicants will be notified by email, with a copy to their home institution, whether they have been admitted as exchange students as promptly as possible following the application deadline.

Because the visa application procedures can be time-consuming, applicants are kindly requested to inform the International Exchange Committee if your plans change and you no longer intend to study at Keio Law School. Likewise, the International Exchange Committee may need to communicate with you on an urgent basis during the visa application process so it is advisable to make sure the Law School has a current phone, mail and email address for you at all times.