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Credits earned in an LLM pursued at another university cannot be counted toward the JSD unit requirement. JSD candidates may not take any courses at other law schools.

Students in the first year of the JSD program who have completed an LLM or JSM degree at Stanford and have been admitted to the JSD program will be entitled to terminal graduate registration (“TGR”) status, which allows students to register at a reduced tuition rate and pay for additional units.  JSD students who earned the LLM degree at another university are not entitled to TGR status until they have both earned 35 units and been in residence for three quarters at Stanford.

Candidates for the JSD degree must complete all degree requirements, including the dissertation, within four consecutive academic years of the time of matriculation into the JSD program. This is not extended for any quarters during which the JSD candidate is on leave. Only under extraordinary circumstances will a JSD candidate be allowed to extend the time to degree completion; such petitions require the approval of both the student’s advisor and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and whether to approve such petition is within the discretion of each.

JSD candidates must complete a full academic year (three quarters) in residence at the Law School. This requirement is in addition to quarters in residence that may have been completed as part of a Stanford LLM program or the SPILS program. Thus, students who go through a Stanford LLM program or the SPILS program and then enter the JSD program must be in residence at Stanford Law School for six full quarters. For JSD candidates on TGR status, the term “in residence” means that a student is physically on campus and regularly meets with their adviser throughout the quarter.

Candidates for the JSD degree must complete all degree requirements, including the dissertation, within four consecutive academic years of the time of matriculation into the JSD program. This is not extended for any quarters during which the JSD candidate is on leave. Only under extraordinary circumstances will a JSD candidate be allowed to extend the time to degree completion; such petitions require the approval of both the student’s adviser and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and whether to approve such petition is within the discretion of each.