Exchange Programs

The UC Davis School of Law offers its JD students the opportunity to spend a semester abroad taking classes at a partner law school. The goal of the exchange experience is to provide UC Davis JD students with skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the global legal environment. Students who participate in the UC Davis School of Law Exchange Program learn about different legal regimes in a comparative context, enrich their educational studies by taking classes about other legal systems not offered in the JD curriculum, form international networks with professional colleagues, and experience law in a cultural context. Returning JD students enrich the law school classroom experience by sharing their insights and new knowledge with fellow students and the King Hall community.

collage of photos of locations

Application Process

2L or 3L students in good academic standing are eligible to study abroad after receiving approval from the Associate Dean for International Programs. Students who are interested in any of the programs discussed below must apply during their 1L or 2L years.

Apply Here

Deadline to Apply

March 15 for study abroad during the current Fall Semester and May 1 for study abroad during the following Spring Semester.

Information Sessions

Information sessions are held in the early fall and spring. Please contact our front office at internationallaw@ucdavis.edu for information on our next information session.

Semester Exchange Programs

Students will receive 12 units of academic credit at UC Davis School of Law for courses completed abroad in any of the following programs:

Adelaide, Australia

University of Adelaide

Beijing, China

China University of Political Science and Law

  • Student Exchange and Faculty Partnership
  • Offered fall semester during 2L or 3L years
  • Student visa is required for China
  • U.S. Dept. of State Country Information for China
  • Classes are taught in English
  • On-campus housing not available, but students can apply for UCPH Housing Foundation 2-3 months prior to semester start in order to receive help finding housing
  • Tuition is paid directly to UC Davis, and students receiving financial aid keep their financial aid packages
  • General Information ( Chinese Version)
  • Law School
  • Courses Offered in English
  • Quick facts:
    • Founded in 1952 under the original name of Peking College of Political Science and Law
    • 16,243 full-time students are currently enrolled. 879 teachers for lecturing and scientific research
    • Comprised of 18 schools and departments, 11 university-level research institutes, and 7 collaborative innovation centers
  • Grading Policy

Renmin Law School

  • Student Exchange and Faculty Partnership
  • Offered fall semester during 2L or 3L years
  • Student visa is required for China
  • U.S. Dept. of State Country Information for China
  • 20 classes are taught in English
  • On-campus and off-campus housing available
  • Tuition is paid directly to UC Davis, and students receiving financial aid keep their financial aid packages
  • General Information
  • Law School
  • All courses taught in English are part of their LL.M. program “Chinese Law.”  Contact our office for course list.
  • Quick facts:
    • Founded in 1950 as the firstlaw school established after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
    • 3,000 students annually enroll with graduate students accounting for approximately 80% of the student body. 
    • Renmin Law School’s 43 research institutes carry out numerous projects of national and international importance.
  • Information for Students with Disabilities:  Please contact our office

Tsinghua University School of Law

  • Student Exchange and Faculty Partnership
  • Offered fall semester during 2L or 3L years
  • Student visa is required for China
  • U.S. Dept. of State Country Information for China
  • Courses varies from semester to semester, but normally 8-10 English law courses are taught each semester
  • On-campus and off-campus housing available
  • Tuition is paid directly to UC Davis, and students receiving financial aid keep their financial aid packages
  • General Information
  • Quick facts:
    • Founded in 1911 Tsinghua University has cycled through many names in the pursuit of establishing a long-term goal of building a world-class university.
    • 946 international undergraduates and 1659 international graduate students are currently studying at Tsinghua.
    • Tsinghua has a total of 21 colleges and 59 departments
  • Contact the International Law Programs office for a copy of Tsinghua’s grading policies

Concepcion, Chile

Universidad de Concepcion Chile

  • Student and Exchange Faculty Partnership
  • First semester is March – July and second semester is from August - December
  • For a stay of less than 180 days, students can opt for a transitory stay.  For more than 180 days, must apply for temporary residence
  • Must have intermediate level of Spanish fluency (Certificate B1 in Spanish)
  • Offered fall or spring semester during 2L or 3L years
  • Student visa is required
  • No on-campus housing. Contact ofis@udec.cl for information on housing near the campus
  • Tuition is paid directly to UC Davis and students receiving financial aid keep their financial packages
  • Grading scale:  1-7, with 4 being the minimum passing grade
  • Information for Students with Disabilities:  Please contact the Universidad de Concepcion office
  • Course Information
  • General Information

Copenhagen, Denmark

University of Copenhagen

Dublin, Ireland

University College Dublin

  • Student Exchange and Faculty Partnership
  • Offered fall or spring semester during 2L or 3L years
  • Residence Permit is required to study in Ireland
  • Dept. of State Country Information for Ireland
  • Classes are taught in English
  • On-campus and off-campus Housing options are available
  • Tuition is paid directly to UC Davis; students receiving financial aid may keep their financial aid packages. Additiional fees may be due to join campus organizations.
  • General Information
  • UCD Sutherland School of Law
  • Quick facts:
    • 160 years of history: Originally known as the Catholic University of Ireland and subsequently as the Royal University, the university became UCD in 1908 and a constituent college of the National University of Ireland (NUI)
    • The School of Law was established in 1911
    • About 7,038 international students on the main campus
  • Grading Policy

Ferrara, Italy

University of Ferrara

Lausanne, Switzerland

University of Lausanne

  • Student and Exchange Faculty Partnership
  • Offered fall or spring semester during 2L or 3L years · You will need to apply for a “D” visa (national visa) from the embassy. Please see the Swiss Confederation website
  • Classes taught in French. Please refer to the following for a list of courses and useful information:  https://www.unil.ch/ecolededroit/MobiliteIN
  • The University of Lausanne guarantees accommodations at university residences for inbound exchange students from UC Davis, School of Law.  Once students have registered as exchange students at University of Lausanne, they will send deadlines and procedures for securing accommodations. Information on university residences can be found here:  https://www.fmel.ch/en
  • The University of Lausanne does not currently have on-campus housing; however, they try to secure accommodations in the Fondation Maisons pour Etudiants Lausanne (FMEL). Refer to the housing section of their handbook. Handbook download can be found on the right side of the web page.
  • General Information
  • Faculty
  • Grading System

Lund, Sweden

Lund University

Madrid, Spain

Comillas Pontifical University

Newcastle, U.K.

Newcastle University

Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Universite Catholique de Louvain

Paris, France

Paris Nanterre University

  • Student Exchange and Faculty Partnership
  • Offered fall semester during 2L or 3L years
  • Student visa is required for France
  • U.S. Dept. of State Country Information for France
  • Classes are taught in English and in French
  • Off-campus housing available here
  • Tuition is paid directly to UC Davis, and students receiving financial aid keep their financial aid packages
  • General Information
  • Courses Offered in English
  • Quick facts:
    • Founded in 1960 on the outskirts of Paris as an extension of the Sorbonne.
    • It welcomes 35,000 to 40,000 students every year in all fields of studies.
    • The university’s undergraduate law program is ranked 9th of France by Eduniversal, with 2 stars.
  • Grading Policy 

Santiago, Chile

Universidad de Chile

  • Student Exchange and Faculty Partnership
  • Offered fall semester during 2L or 3L years
  • Student visa is required for Non-EU residents
  • U.S. Dept. of State Country Information for Chile
  • Classes are taught in Spanish, Must be proficient in Spanish
  • Off-campus housing available
  • Tuition is paid directly to UC Davis, and students receiving financial aid keep their financial aid packages
  • General Information
  • Faculty
  • Quick facts:
    • Founded in 1842, the University of Chile is the main and oldest institution of higher education of the State, with a national and public character.
    • The institution has five campuses that comprise of more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students with 3,675 academic staff.
    • They offer more than 60 different bachelor and professional degrees, 38 doctoral programs and 116 master programs.
  • Grading Policy

Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile

Sonipat, India

Jindal Global Law School

  • Student Exchange and Faculty Partnership
  • Offered fall or spring semester during 2L or 3L years
  • Special student visa is required
  • U.S. Dept. of State Country Information for India
  • Classes are taught in English and in Spanish
  • On-campus housing not available, but students can find more information about housing on Jindal's website
  • Tuition is paid directly to UC Davis, and students receiving financial aid keep their financial aid packages. Any other fees due, if applicable, will be communicated to the students in advance.
  • General Information
  • School of Law
  • Quick facts:
    • JGU has developed international collaborations with over 100 institutions in 35 countries
    • 1:13 faculty-student ratio
    • JGLS promotes multi-disciplinary legal education with 49 interdisciplinary research centers
  • Grading Policy

State Department Country Information Pages and Travel Alerts and Warnings

Students considering study abroad opportunities are advised to consult the U.S. State Department’s information pages and travel alerts and warnings for the relevant country. Please be aware that these State Department pages are updated on an ongoing basis.

Additional ABA Disclosures