Graduate Student Externships

The majority of graduate law students are eligible to participate in the academic externship program. Students on an F-1 visa are eligible to enroll in the externship program in their second semester. COST Scholars in the LL.M. in Taxation program may not enroll in an academic externship.

Graduate law students may earn either two or three academic credits on a pass/fail basis upon completing all course requirements. Students may find externship opportunities in the TIP/Symplicity Database of Pre-Approved Externship Opportunities or independently identify a placement. If the placement is not listed in the pre-approved database, students must complete the Student-Initiated Placement (SIP) portion of the externship application form.

The steps for completing the externship enrollment process are found on the Requirements, Application Procedures & Documents webpage. Students should apply first to the organization. Then, upon acceptance, students should follow the remaining steps to enroll in the externship course.

Externship fieldwork must be legal in nature and externs must be supervised by an attorney. Students may not extern for credit at an organization where they are currently or were previously employed. Externships for credit are unpaid and should be completed on-site in Washington, D.C., if possible. If an externship organization is a for-profit entity, the student’s work product and time cannot be billed to a client.

Students holding an F-1 visa must be in their second semester to enroll and must obtain work authorization via Curricular Practical Training (CPT) before beginning their fieldwork. CPT cannot be approved for more than one course per semester; therefore, students on an F-1 visa may not be eligible to complete an externship and a practicum in the same semester.

Externship credit counts toward the total number of credits required for graduation. Students should consult the Student Handbook or their academic advisor to confirm eligibility for specialized degree credit. Externship credit cannot be used as specialization credit for the LL.M. in International Legal Studies or Certificates of Specialization, including the Certificate in International Arbitration & Dispute Resolution.