{"id":24826,"date":"2022-07-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/?page_id=24330"},"modified":"2023-09-06T01:28:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T01:28:54","slug":"application","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/application\/","title":{"rendered":"Application Instructions &#8211; Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Degree &#8211; Online"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"24826\" class=\"elementor elementor-24826\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b759774 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b759774\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6cba182\" data-id=\"6cba182\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-78bf674 page-hero elementor-widget elementor-widget-content_block elh-el content_block\" data-id=\"78bf674\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;title_tag&quot;:&quot;H1&quot;,&quot;slidein_title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"content_block.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\n        <div class=\"block-content-wrapper \" style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gould.usc.edu\/resources\/images\/academics\/degrees\/msl\/application\/header.jpg\" class=\"page-hero-background\" alt=\"Hero Background Image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-content-before-wrap \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-content-wrap \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"header-wrap \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<H1 class=\"title \">\t\t\t\t\t<span>Application Instructions - Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Degree - Online<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/H1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sub-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tUSC Gould School of Law\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n        <\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-30c2095 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"30c2095\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1fe3879\" data-id=\"1fe3879\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a41c3b1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-auto-breadcrumbs elh-el auto-breadcrumbs\" data-id=\"a41c3b1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"auto-breadcrumbs.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\n        <div class=\"auto-breadcrumb-wrap  hide-in-mobile \">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"mobile-breadcrump\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/\"><i class=\"fa-solid fa-chevron-left\"><\/i> Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Degree &#8211; Online<\/a><\/div><ul><li><a href=\"\/\">Home<\/a> <svg width=\"8\" height=\"10\" viewBox=\"0 0 8 10\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M3.61893 9.44422L3.96744 9.84869L8 5.16751L3.96744 0.486329L3.61893 0.890804L7.05407 4.87848L-7.38225e-07 4.87848L-8.35361e-07 5.4564L7.05407 5.4564L3.61893 9.44422Z\" \/><\/svg><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/\">Academics<\/a><svg width=\"8\" height=\"10\" viewBox=\"0 0 8 10\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M3.61893 9.44422L3.96744 9.84869L8 5.16751L3.96744 0.486329L3.61893 0.890804L7.05407 4.87848L-7.38225e-07 4.87848L-8.35361e-07 5.4564L7.05407 5.4564L3.61893 9.44422Z\" \/><\/svg><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/\">Degrees<\/a><svg width=\"8\" height=\"10\" viewBox=\"0 0 8 10\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M3.61893 9.44422L3.96744 9.84869L8 5.16751L3.96744 0.486329L3.61893 0.890804L7.05407 4.87848L-7.38225e-07 4.87848L-8.35361e-07 5.4564L7.05407 5.4564L3.61893 9.44422Z\" \/><\/svg><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/\">Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Degree &#8211; Online<\/a><svg width=\"8\" height=\"10\" viewBox=\"0 0 8 10\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M3.61893 9.44422L3.96744 9.84869L8 5.16751L3.96744 0.486329L3.61893 0.890804L7.05407 4.87848L-7.38225e-07 4.87848L-8.35361e-07 5.4564L7.05407 5.4564L3.61893 9.44422Z\" \/><\/svg><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/application\/\">Application Instructions &#8211; Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Degree &#8211; Online<\/a><svg width=\"8\" height=\"10\" viewBox=\"0 0 8 10\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M3.61893 9.44422L3.96744 9.84869L8 5.16751L3.96744 0.486329L3.61893 0.890804L7.05407 4.87848L-7.38225e-07 4.87848L-8.35361e-07 5.4564L7.05407 5.4564L3.61893 9.44422Z\" \/><\/svg><\/li><\/ul>        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e173a57 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e173a57\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6c25f6e m-sidebar-wrapper\" data-id=\"6c25f6e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dd50cca elementor-widget elementor-widget-wp-widget-nav_menu\" data-id=\"dd50cca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"wp-widget-nav_menu.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5>In this Section<\/h5><div class=\"menu-sidebar-academics-degrees-msl-online-container\"><ul id=\"menu-sidebar-academics-degrees-msl-online\" class=\"menu\"><li id=\"menu-item-72191\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-72191\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/application\/\">Application Instructions<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-46162\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-46162\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/curriculum\/\">Curriculum<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-72198\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-72198\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/faculty\/\">Faculty<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-72205\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-72205\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/bar-certificate-tracks\/\">Certificate Tracks<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-72212\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-72212\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/careers\/\">Career Opportunities<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-72219\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-72219\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/tuition\/\">Tuition &#038; Financial Aid<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-72226\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-72226\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/faq\/\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-72233\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-72233\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/residential-msl\/\">Master of Studies in Law (MSL) &#8211; On Campus<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-72240\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-72240\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goulddev.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl-online\/contact\/\">Contact Us<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-66 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fb602e9 m-content-wrapper\" data-id=\"fb602e9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6c77a4 background-white elementor-widget elementor-widget-content_block elh-el content_block\" data-id=\"d6c77a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;,&quot;slidein_title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"content_block.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\n        <div class=\"block-content-wrapper \" style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-content-wrap mb-25\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"header-wrap \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<H2 class=\"title \">\t\t\t\t\t<span>Eligibility<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/H2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"description-wrapper  mt-20 mb-30\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>To be eligible to apply, you must have earned or plan to receive a bachelor's degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (based on a 4.0 grading scale) from a regionally accredited institution before enrolling at USC Gould School of Law. We seek applicants whose academic background, professional aspirations, personal commitment, tech skills and communication skills meet the demands of a rigorous online legal master's degree program. Prior exposure to or experience in law is not required.<\/p><p>Note: Our legal master's degree is not recommended if your goal is to practice law or earn a Juris Doctor (JD). Pursuant to the American Bar Association standards and USC's graduate transfer policies, credits earned in our MSL program are not eligible for transfer credit to a JD program at USC or other universities. If you aspire to become an attorney, please visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gould.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/jd\/\">USC Gould's JD Program website<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n        <\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a1ffbc9 background-white elementor-widget elementor-widget-content_block elh-el content_block\" data-id=\"a1ffbc9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;,&quot;slidein_title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"content_block.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\n        <div class=\"block-content-wrapper \" style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-content-wrap mb-25\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"header-wrap \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<H2 class=\"title \">\t\t\t\t\t<span>Dates and Deadlines<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/H2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"description-wrapper  mt-20 mb-30\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>We offer three starts throughout the year in fall, spring and summer. Below are the upcoming start dates and application deadlines:<\/p><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Program Start Date<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>First Day of Classes<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Applications Open<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Priority Application Deadline<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Application Deadline<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Summer 2023<\/strong><\/td><td>May 10, 2023<\/td><td>November 30, 2023<\/td><td>February 22, 2023<\/td><td>March 22, 2023<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Fall 2023<\/strong><\/td><td>September 6, 2023<\/td><td>January 18, 2023<\/td><td>June 21, 2023<\/td><td>July 19, 2023<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Spring 2024<\/strong><\/td><td>January 10, 2024<\/td><td>August 2, 2023<\/td><td>October 11, 2023<\/td><td>November 8, 2023<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p>We recommend applying early for scholarship consideration.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n        <\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6a42059 background-white elementor-widget elementor-widget-content_block elh-el content_block\" data-id=\"6a42059\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;,&quot;slidein_title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"content_block.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\n        <div class=\"block-content-wrapper \" style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-content-wrap mb-25\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"header-wrap \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<H2 class=\"title \">\t\t\t\t\t<span>Application Process<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/H2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"description-wrapper  mt-20 mb-30\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>To apply for admission, submit the following documents before 5 p.m. (Pacific Time) on the application deadlines listed above:<\/p><ol><li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><ol><li><strong>Online Application<\/strong><br \/><center><a href=\"https:\/\/gould.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/msl\/application\/chooser\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/gould.usc.edu\/assets\/images\/how\/gip\/click_here_to_apply.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/center><p>Our online application takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please be aware that your work will not be saved automatically.<\/p><p>Note: If you earned a degree outside of the United States of America, you may be directed to submit your application through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) via the link above.<\/p><\/li><li><strong>Statement of Purpose<\/strong><br \/><p>The statement of purpose is your primary opportunity to discuss who you are beyond the application basics. We are particularly interested in how your academic and professional background has led to your decision to study law. This is not the place to repeat items on your resume\/curriculum vitae (CV). Please address the following questions in your statement of purpose:<\/p><ul><li>Why do you want to pursue the MSL degree at USC Gould?<\/li><li>How do you plan to use this degree to advance your career?<\/li><li>What strategies will you put into place to be a successful online graduate student?<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol><p>The statement of purpose should be two to three pages, double-spaced and in at least 12-point font. We value essays that are clear, concise, and compelling.<\/p><p>Email your statement of purpose as a PDF to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:msl@law.usc.edu\">msl@law.usc.edu<\/a>.<\/p><ol><li><strong>Resume\/Curriculum Vitae (CV)<\/strong><br \/><p>Provide a record of your employment history, volunteer commitments, extracurricular activities, and any awards and\/or honors by emailing a PDF version of your resume\/CV to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:msl@law.usc.edu\">msl@law.usc.edu<\/a>.<\/p><\/li><li><strong>Transcripts<\/strong><br \/><p><strong>Domestic Applicants<\/strong>: To expediate the processing of your application, you can submit unofficial transcripts via email with the rest of your application materials and request official transcripts to be sent to us from your undergraduate and graduate institution(s) after receiving an admissions decision.<\/p><p><strong>(Optional) Step 1:<\/strong>\u00a0Submit unofficial transcripts by scanning and emailing transcripts from your undergraduate institution (and graduate institution, if applicable) to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:msl@law.usc.edu\">msl@law.usc.edu<\/a>.<\/p><p>Unofficial transcripts must be printed on university letterhead or include a university seal\/registrar signature. Print-outs from student portals are not accepted. If admitted, you will be required to submit official transcripts from all academic institutions.<\/p><p><strong>Step 2:<\/strong>\u00a0Request official, sealed transcripts from your undergraduate and\/or graduate institution(s) and provide them with our address. For transcripts to be considered official, they must be\u00a0<strong>emailed or mailed directly from the issuing institution to USC Gould<\/strong>. Any transcripts sent from the applicant, even if in a sealed envelope, are considered unofficial transcripts.<\/p><p>Official electronic transcripts should be sent by the institution or through a secure site formally linked to the sending institution, such as eTranscript California, Parchment Exchange, eSCRIP-SAFE, and National Student Clearinghouse to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:msl@law.usc.edu\">msl@law.usc.edu<\/a>.<\/p><p>Official hard copy transcripts should be mailed by the institution to:<\/p><p>Master of Studies in Law (MSL)<br \/>USC Gould School of Law<br \/>699 Exposition Blvd, Room 336<br \/>Los Angeles, CA 90089-0071<\/p><p><strong>International Applicants<\/strong>: If you hold any degree from outside the U.S, you must submit use the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC)'s Document Assembly Service (DAS) and International Transcript and Authentication and Evaluation Service (ITAES) to submit your transcripts. Credential evaluation takes 2-3 weeks to complete once LSAC has received all your documents; there may be further delay during LSAC's peak processing periods or if LSAC determines that additional information is required to complete its review. Therefore, we suggest you apply as early as possible so that there is no consequential delay in LSAC transmitting its evaluation report to us.<\/p><p>Note: The fee for DAS and ITAES is $85 and $135, respectively. LASC will charge an additional $30 to send your Law School Report to USC Gould. Fees charged by LSAC for utilizing its services are payable to LSAC. Please visit\u00a0<a class=\"external_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lsac.org\/llm-other-law-program-applicants\/application-process-llm-other-law-programs\/llm-credential-assembly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LSAC's website<\/a>\u00a0for more information about fees charged by LSAC, including its refund policy.<\/p><\/li><li><strong>English Proficiency - International Applicants<\/strong><br \/><p>If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you must take the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS). TOEFL\/IELTS waiver requests will only be considered if (1) your native language is English or (2) you possess an undergraduate degree from an institution in which English is the primary language of instruction.<\/p><ul><li>USC Gould does not have a minimum TOEFL or IELTS score; however, we recommend a 90 TOEFL iBT and a 7.0 IELTS or above.<\/li><li>Official scores must be sent directly to LSAC. LSAC's institutional code is 8395.<\/li><li>Test scores are valid for two years from the date taken.<\/li><li>USC does NOT accept MyBest TOEFL scores of applicants as valid proof of language proficiency. We will consider the single best total TOEFL or IELTS score you submit along with the sub-scores from that test.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol><p>Note: Admission to the MSL does not require letters of recommendation, nor any LSAT or GRE exam scores. Additional application materials or interview may be requested by the Admissions Committee.<\/p><p>The Online MSL program is not qualified to issue Form I-20 to international students. If you wish to receive a student visa, please consider our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gould.usc.edu\/academics\/degrees\/residential-msl\/\">on-campus MSL program<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n        <\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a3cdc67 background-white elementor-widget elementor-widget-content_block elh-el content_block\" data-id=\"a3cdc67\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;,&quot;slidein_title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"content_block.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\n        <div class=\"block-content-wrapper \" style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-content-wrap mb-25\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"header-wrap \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<H2 class=\"title \">\t\t\t\t\t<span>Decisions<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/H2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"description-wrapper  mt-20 mb-30\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Admissions Committee will only review your application once all transcripts and supporting documents are received by the application deadlines shared above. You will receive a confirmation email when your application has been complete. Admissions decisions are normally released by email within two to four weeks of application confirmation. If you are admitted and decide to enroll, a commitment deposit will be required to reserve your seat.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n        <\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-92ef97c background-white elementor-widget elementor-widget-content_block elh-el content_block\" data-id=\"92ef97c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;,&quot;slidein_title_tag&quot;:&quot;H2&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"content_block.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\n        <div class=\"block-content-wrapper \" style=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"block-content-wrap mb-25\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"header-wrap \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<H2 class=\"title \">\t\t\t\t\t<span>State Authorization Information<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/H2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"description-wrapper  mt-20 mb-30\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Due to online learning regulations in each state, our online MSL degree is not available to students residing in all states. Certain states only authorize their residents to enroll in online master's degree programs that require 30 or more units. Other states impose different restrictions.<\/p><p>Effective February 24, 2022, USC Gould is unable to accept new applications for admission to the online MSL program to students currently residing in Kansas, Minnesota, and Puerto Rico. However, we are happy to receive applications for admission to our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gould.usc.edu\/academics\/certificates\/\">online certificate programs<\/a>\u00a0from students residing in any state except for Puerto Rico.<\/p><p>Prospective students may check this site for updates. Questions can be directed to\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:msl@law.usc.edu\">msl@law.usc.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n        <\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Application Instructions &#8211; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":42762,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0},"categories":[],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Application Instructions - Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Degree - Online - USC Gould School of Law<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Application Instructions - Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Degree - Online - USC Gould School of Law\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Application Instructions &#8211; 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