M.S.L.S. Admissions

This master’s program features purposefully designed online courses exclusively for M.S.L.S. students taught by full-time faculty.

Online courses follow our modality of structured flexibility.  Courses are built to be asynchronous, meaning a student can view the materials on their own time when it best suits them.  The courses are governed and kept moving at the appropriate pace with due dates for discussions, projects and exercises at the end of each course module.

Courses are set up with the intent of requiring between 15-20 hours per week of work and study.

The program has a foundation of 5 core courses and over 15 possible electives for students to choose from.

Students will be invited to Summer MSLS Conferences (Optional) at Cornell University’s Ithaca, NY campus. During these conferences, students will  have the opportunity to meet and network with their Classmates, MSLS Alumni and Faculty, as well as attend presentations on topics that will add to their in class experience.

All students are required to complete a Capstone Project. This capstone is intended to be both research based as well as professionally grounded in a topic important to the student.  This project will act as both a culminating academic as well as a portfolio project for the student.

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or an equivalent international degree

Resume demonstrating relevant professional experience

Transcripts from all colleges or universities you have attended

Two Letters of recommendation

Statement of purpose

International students for whom English is not your first language, provide TOEFL or IELTS scores

GRE, GMAT, LSAT scores are not required

Next Application Deadline: May 15th, 2026

Apply at ecornell.cornell.edu/msls/apply

Our Next Fall Start Date: August 24th, 2026

Spring Start Date: January 11th, 2027

Business Professionals Who:

• Do not have formal legal training
• Work closely with lawyers but do not want to become attorneys
• Work in heavily regulated industries such as healthcare, finance, banking, technology, transportation, or energy

Professionals Who Need To:

• Navigate U.S. legal and regulatory environments with confidence
• Understand the language and core concepts of U.S. law
• Identify when business decisions may create legal issues
• Partner more effectively with in-house or outside counsel

No. There is no need for a legal background to apply.  This program is designed for working professionals that want to improve their legal knowledge. The program focuses on practical application of legal knowledge for the workplace.

Yes!! The program was originally developed specifically for Compliance Professionals from any industry.  These individuals make up the core of our students body in the program.  However, there are other professional categories in the program so you get to have the compliance perspectives and other perspectives within the same program.

No.  This program is beneficial to anyone that works with legal issues.  Legal issues impact all facets of the working world from Education to the Energy sector.  This program is applicable to anyone.

Yes!! This program is a fully online asynchronous program.  It is designed to take 15-20 hours per week.  You can choose to go faster or slower and you can extend or shorten your time in the program based on your credit load.

The focus of the program is to have all of our graduating students be able to “think like a lawyer”.  We are working in the program to build not just knowledge but skills and experience.  This degree will prepare you to explore roles in compliance and internal legal departments.  It will help you transition to new verticals within the same industry.  It can also help you change industries and move laterally.

If you want an individualized experience – choose Cornell.  We are a high touch program and focuses not just on challenging students with the academic material but supporting them inside and outside the courses.

We are a small program on purpose. We want to be able to help and assist all of our students and make sure they have the ability to interact with knowledgeable staff and faculty that also know you as a person.

There are no “typical” students.  However, our students have some commonalities.

• Tend to be more professionally mature
• Have had experience managing people or projects
• Aspiring to a higher level of responsibility
• Have arrived at a higher level of responsibility and need more knowledge and skills to be effective

The Capstone is a short thesis that is meant to give students the option to do the following:

• Complete a Master’s Level Thesis.
• Create a Portfolio Project for work or personal reasons.
• Give a student the opportunity to independently study a topic that is not currently a course.
• Do a deeper dive into an area of the law the have significant interest in.

Yes!! It will help entrepreneurs tackle complex problems with legal help collaboratively, reducing costs and time. Entrepreneurs are our second largest category of student.  Virtually every course in the program has a focus on a company need.  As an entrepreneur you always have two choices – hire for skills or train for skills. This program can help train you but also help you hire better.

2025-2026 Academic Year = $2,265 per credit

For tuition planning purposes, students can expect the cost per credit to increase by a small percentage each academic year.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible for up to $20,500 annually under the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan program. Additionally, you may be eligible to receive a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan to cover the remaining educational costs.

M.S.L.S. students must maintain a minimum 6 credits per each academic term to remain eligible for Federal Student Loans.

To apply for federal aid:

• Complete FAFSA (school code 002711)

Once your eligibility for federal loans has been determined:

• Sign online promissory note(s) at studentaid.gov
  • Note: the Unsubsidized Loan and the Graduate PLUS Loan (Grad PLUS) have separate promissory notes.
• Visit studentaid.gov and complete the online Entrance Counseling
  • You have two options:
    • Combined entrance counseling option which covers the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Graduate Plus Loan,or
    • Complete separate entrance counseling sessions for the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and Grad Plus.
• Accept, Reduce, or Decline your Direct Loan in Student Center
• Apply for Grad PLUS Loans

Once complete, our financial aid committee will communicate aid decisions via email.

For more information, contact:

Financial Aid Office
115 Myron Taylor Hall
Cornell Law School
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 255-5141
law.financialaid@cornell.edu

Many benefits are available to advance the education and skills of veterans and service members. Spouses and family members may also be eligible for education and training assistance.  Some might find they’re eligible for more than one benefit or that one program is more suited to certain education and training goals than another. Use the VA Education Programs Comparison Chart to determine which benefit you may be eligible to receive.

For any Veteran’s benefits, students will need to submit an updated certificate of eligibility (COE) from the Veteran’s Affairs.

Cornell University Veterans Education Benefits

Veterans Affairs Information on Education Benefits

VA Education Programs Comparison Chart

I remember receiving Federal Loans at my undergraduate institution, but I applied through a third party. Do I need to do that here?
No, Cornell Law School is a direct lending institution. We will verify your eligibility and award you the loan directly. Once you have elected to attend Cornell, you will be required to complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling. Even if you have completed this for another institution it still needs to be completed for Cornell.

What is a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling?
A Master Promissory Note (MPN) is a binding contract signed by you when obtaining a student loan. You should read all the information carefully and remember that this is a contract with the lender. The promissory note can be found on https://studentaid.gov/mpn

Entrance Counseling is a listing of your rights and responsibilities as a borrower. There is a short quiz that must be completed. The Entrance Counseling session can be found by logging on to: https://studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling

Why are these two items important?
If you have not signed the MPN and completed the Entrance Counseling session, the Law School cannot pay out your Federal Aid.

When should I complete this process?
Please sign the MPN and complete the Entrance Counseling session once you have decided to enroll and have paid the final deposit. This will need to be completed even if you have already completed it for another university.

How long is an MPN and Entrance Counseling valid?
Starting in 1999, all approved Master Promissory Notes and Entrance Counseling sessions remain on file for 10 years. If you are a Cornell graduate and have borrowed through Cornell, you should not need to complete another promissory note unless it has been more than 10 years since you signed it.

Does one Entrance Counseling apply for all Federal Loans?
Yes. To fulfill this requirement you have two options: there is a combination Entrance Counseling option which covers the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Graduate PLUS Loan or you can complete one Entrance Counseling session for the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and one for the Graduate PLUS Loan.

Does one MPN apply for all Federal Loans?
No, the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan has its own promissory note. The Graduate PLUS Loan has its own promissory note as well.

The promissory notes for the Direct Unsubsidized and the Graduate PLUS Loans can be found at: https://studentaid.gov/mpn

Will my federal loans cover my tuition?
Yes, but students are only eligible for $20,500 per year in the Federal Direct Loan Program. You will most likely need to round out your aid package with the Graduate PLUS Loan, which can be taken out up to the cost of attendance established for the academic year.