Standard 307 of the ABA Standards for the Approval of Law Schools provides that an ABA-approved law school may not grant credit for studies or activities in a foreign country unless those studies or activities are approved in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Criteria adopted by the Council. Outside of programs that meet these Criteria, an ABA-approved law school may not award credit toward the J.D. degree to an enrolled student for studies or activities outside the United States.

Students currently enrolled at an ABA-approved law school who desire to receive credit toward their J.D. degree for study abroad should read carefully the applicable criteria for their course of study and should consult with members of the law school staff or faculty who advise students about foreign study. These programs are only open to students who have successfully completed their first year of study and are enrolled in an ABA approved law school. Under the approved Criteria, students enrolled in ABA-approved law schools may earn credit toward the J.D. degree for participating in an approved Semester Abroad Program, an approved Foreign Summer Program or through school-approved individual study programs, sometimes within an approved Cooperative Program between an ABA-approved law school and a foreign institution.

These processes and Criteria have operated for almost 20 years. They reflect the belief of the Council that law students, the law schools, and ultimately the legal profession benefit by study abroad programs and opportunities. In August 2002, the Council approved a report of its Task Force on Foreign Programs and new Criteria implementing this report were approved in February 2003. The Task Force Report recognized the need to streamline the review process and to take into account the variety of ways that law schools are now seeking to expand their foreign programs.

The following links will assist those interested in foreign programs at ABA-approved law schools in gathering or obtaining the information that they may need:

Criteria for: Approval of Foreign Summer Programs,
Student Study at a Foreign Institution, and
Approval of Semester Abroad Programs

Report of the Council Task Force on Foreign Programs (August 2002)
Questionnaires are available for law school Foreign Programs.