(B) The Application Process – Juris Doctor (JD) Programme

24. Where may an applicant certify his/her documents?

Applicant may certify his/her documents before a notary public (e.g. Commissioner for Oaths at Public Enquiry Service Centres of Home Affairs Office, Hong Kong SAR Government), or by the appropriate office/department of his/her institution.

23. May an applicant request an individual meeting with the Admissions Committee?

The Admissions Committee appreciates your interest in the programme. However, in the interest of maintaining impartiality in the review process, the Admissions Committee decided not to have individual meetings with potential applicants. However, applicants are encouraged to submit any questions they may have to jdinfo@hku.hk. The Admissions Committee endeavours to answer them promptly.

22. If an applicant has completed a number of degrees, are the results from any of them, for example, the most recent one, more relevant to the admission decision than results from the other degrees?

No. The Admissions Committee will take a holistic view of the application, taking into account the applicant’s full tertiary educational record. Therefore, results from every degree will be considered.

21. Are there other circumstances under which an applicant may be exempted from the writing sample requirement?

The writing sample is generally required of all applicants. If an applicant is unable to furnish a writing sample submitted as part of his/her tertiary education, perhaps because the applicant obtained his/her last degree years ago, the applicant should consider submitting written work produced at work. If that proves difficult, the applicant may seek an … Read more

20. If an applicant graduated from university years ago and is no longer able to obtain an academic reference, would an academic reference still be expected?

The Admissions Committee expects at least one academic reference from each applicant. However, under exceptional circumstances, such as that described above, the Admissions Committee appreciates that it may be impossible for an applicant to submit an informed academic reference. Under those circumstances, professional references would suffice.

19. Can an applicant submit a reference without the reference form?

No. The reference form was designed with the express purpose of providing the Admissions Committee the information which it needs to evaluate an applicant. Therefore, applicants are required to ask their referees to fill out the reference forms.

18. If an applicant thinks that his/her English results from A-Levels or DSE do not fully represent his/her current English abilities, what may the applicant do to express that to the Admissions Committee?

The best way for an applicant to convince the Admissions Committee that his/her A-Level or DSE English result does not fully reflect his/her current English ability would be to take either IELTS or TOEFL and submit the result to the Admission Committee. The applicant should also expend extra effort on the personal statement and the … Read more

17. If an applicant is exempted from the English language requirement, but nonetheless would like to provide the Admissions Committee his/her IELTS or TOEFL scores, would the Admissions Committee take this information into account?

Yes. Any information that will allow the Admissions Committee to arrive at an informed decision would be appreciated. Additional information about an applicant’s English abilities would be particularly helpful if the applicant’s undergraduate subject did not require extensive use of English. In such case, the requirement that the test be taken within two years prior … Read more

16. If the medium of instruction of an applicant’s undergraduate degree was not English, but he/she is currently pursuing or has completed a Master or comparable advanced degree in English, is the applicant subject to the English Language Requirement?

No. However, the more years of education an applicant has completed in English, the more confident the Admissions Committee will be of his/her English abilities. Therefore, if the applicant wishes to provide further evidence of his/her English abilities, the applicant may consider taking either IELTS or TOEFL.

15. If an applicant has undertaken some prior study of law, either in his/her previous degree programmes or in other contexts, is he/she eligible to apply to the JD programme?

The eligibility rule is that the applicant must not have completed a full law degree, such as an LLB or the equivalent, from a common law jurisdiction. Applicants who have undertaken some legal study previously are eligible to apply.