Admission Criteria

1. Entry Requirements

Non-law and law graduates are welcome to apply for the SMU JD programme if meet the admission criteria as follows:

• Completed an undergraduate education in any discipline with at least a Cum Laude or Second Class Upper Honours degree; or
• Law graduates from a civil law country or a non-gazetted common law university* with at least a Cum Laude or Second Class Upper Honours degree.

*The list of gazetted universities recognized by the Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE) can be found here.

1. Graduating students who will obtain their bachelor's degree by early July of the admission year are welcome to apply using provisional transcript.
2. Candidates who do not meet the above academic criteria but intend to sit for the Bar Exam and practice law in Singapore may consider the SMU Master of Laws (LLM) programme first, they may subsquently be granted direct entry to SMU JD subject to the transferring requirements.

2. English Proficiency

Applicants must show proficiency in the English language. A TOEFL / IELTS test is required if the applicant’s undergraduate degree was not conducted in English.

The minimum requirements:

• TOEFL (Paper-based or Internet-based Test): 100
• IELTS (Academic): Overall band of 7.5

1. Apart from above tests, others such as TOEFL Institutional Testing Program (ITP), TOEFL MyBest Scores and Duolingo English Test are not accepted.
2. Scores that are more than 2 years will not be accepted. More information can be obtained from the TOEFL website, IELTS website respectively.
3. GRE, GMAT or SMU Admission Test (SMUAT) is not required to the SMU JD application. The LSAT/LNAT is not compulsory to SMU JD.