JDinteractive: Earn Your Law Degree from Home, Wherever Home Happens to Be
Become a champion for justice from wherever you are in the world with our one-of-a-kind, fully interactive ABA-approved online J.D. program.
From The Princeton Review © 2024 The Princeton Review. All rights reserved. Used under license.
Get Started Today. Now Enrolling for Fall 2024.
ABA-Accredited Online J.D. Program
Syracuse University College of Law is the first law school to offer an ABA-accredited online J.D. program with real-time classes.
An Adaptable and Accessible Degree
Attend year-round to get your degree in three to four years, or space out your learning experience for up to seven years.
Exclusive Residencies
Complete six short in-person residencies in Syracuse and other major cities worldwide, offering unparalleled opportunities to learn in major law firms and from practitioners at the highest levels of their practice areas.
Unique Learning Experience
A distinctive blend of live and self-paced learning that captures the law school classroom experience and delivers it to your screen.
Proven Curriculum and Instruction
Earn the same J.D. degree as you would on campus in online classes taught by College of Law’s distinguished faculty.
From The Princeton Review © 2024 The Princeton Review. All rights reserved. Used under license.
ABA-Accredited Online J.D. Program
Syracuse University College of Law is the first law school to offer an ABA-accredited online J.D. program with real-time classes.
An Adaptable and Accessible Degree
Attend year-round to get your degree in three to four years, or space out your learning experience for up to seven years.
Exclusive Residencies
Complete six short in-person residencies in Syracuse and other major cities worldwide, offering unparalleled opportunities to learn in major law firms and from practitioners at the highest levels of their practice areas.
Unique Learning Experience
A distinctive blend of live and self-paced learning that captures the law school classroom experience and delivers it to your screen.
Proven Curriculum and Instruction
Earn the same J.D. degree as you would on campus in online classes taught by College of Law’s distinguished faculty.
The JDinteractive Experience
- Blend of real-time and self-paced coursework
- Adaptable program with the flexibility to continue working
- Convenience of earning your degree wherever you are
- Six short residencies completed on campus in Syracuse or at another affiliated location
- Option to add a second degree with the nation’s first online joint J.D./M.B.A. program
- Applied learning experiences, including externships, law clinics, and our top-rated advocacy program
- Opportunity to join student organizations, such as the Syracuse Law Review and JDBeyond, the JDi student organization
- Access to student support resources
- All J.D. students receive the innovative Helix Bar Review program at no additional charge.
“I’m empowered to reach the least represented among us”
Joseph Jasper L’24
Active-duty soldier and father of six
pursuing the dream of a law degree online
|
The College of Law now offers AccessLex Institute’s Helix Bar Review program at no additional charge to all of our students. Helix Bar Review is an innovative bar review program that combines elements of traditional reviews with state-of-the-art active learning components. By paying for your bar preparation and partnering with AccessLex, our goal is to give you a distinct edge on the bar exam and to help set you on the path to career success—at the same time freeing you from the burdensome cost of traditional bar prep programs. All J.D. and LL.M. students receive the innovative Helix Bar Review program at no additional charge. College of Law Class of 2022 students who completed the entire Helix Bar Review program resulted in a 100% bar pass rate. |
See what our graduates are saying and take a tour of the program.
Program Details
Important Dates for Fall 2024 Applicants
- Application Opens – September 1, 2023
- Early Decision Deadline – January 15, 2024
- Priority Deadline – March 15, 2024
- Application Deadline – June 30, 2024
Academics
JDinteractive delivers the same rigorous curriculum taught by the Syracuse Law’s faculty as in the residential program. More than half of the class time happens in real time, allowing you to interact with professors and classmates just like you would in a residential classroom.
With our interactive learning platform, professors utilize the traditional law school Socratic method, empowering online students to engage with content and receive feedback in real time.
The program includes six in-person residencies across three years. The first residency for the next entering class is scheduled for August 2024.
Students have opportunities for applied learning experiences, including externships, to gain real-world experience and explore different areas of law.
Admissions
JDinteractive (JDi) shares the same rigorous admissions requirements as our residential program. In addition to considering the LSAT or GRE score and academic records, the Admissions Committee reviews each personal statement, resume, recommendations, and indications of motivation and potential.
Coursework
The JDinteractive curriculum parallels that of the College of Law’s residential J.D. program and all of our J.D. graduates earn exactly the same degree. Both J.D. programs have the same learning outcomes and level of academic rigor, but JDi students have the benefit of a flexible online education experience. Students in the program should plan for 20-30 hours of coursework per week.
In addition to online coursework and in-person residential courses, students are expected to complete an externship as part of the JDi program. Externships offer students opportunities to earn academic credit while gaining real-world legal experience under the supervision of a practicing attorney. Students are able to explore various areas of the law and potential career paths while engaging with alumni and building professional networks.
Core Required Courses Include:
- LAW601 Civil Procedure
- LAW602 Constitutional Law I
- LAW603 Contracts
- LAW604 Criminal Law
- LAW607 Property
- LAW608 Torts
- LAW609 Legal Communications & Research I
- LAW609 Legal Communications & Research II
- LAW690 Legal Communications & Research III
- LAW699 Constitutional Law II
- LAW746 Professional Responsibility
In-person Courses Include:
- LAW693 Legal Foundations (Residency #1)
- LAW793 Legal Applications (Residency #2)
- LAW893 Professional Skills Courses (Residency #3/4)
- LAW921 Externship
- LAW994 Advanced Legal Topics (Residency #5/6)
Additional Courses Include:
- LAW702 Administrative Law
- LAW704 Commercial Transactions
- LAW707 Health Law
- LAW708 Constitutional Criminal Procedure—Investigative.
- LAW712 Business Associations
- LAW715 Wills & Trusts
- LAW718 Evidence
- LAW720 Family Law
- LAW722 Federal Income Tax
- LAW726 Intellectual Property
- LAW728 International Law
- LAW747 Real Estate Law
- LAW763 DisabilityLaw
- LAW770 Corporate Compliance
- LAW796 Constitutional Criminal Procedure—Adjudicative
Paying for Law School
Tuition
$2,150 per credit hour for the 2023-2024 academic year
Scholarships
The College of Law awards merit-based scholarships to select JDi students during the admission application process. The College of Law also maintains an outside scholarship database that students can use to apply for other scholarship opportunities.
Financial aid
Law students may be eligible for Federal Student Loans. To apply for federal aid, you must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.gov and include Syracuse University’s Federal School Code (002882).
Federal Loan/Aid Resources Available to Law Students:
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
The William D. Ford Direct Loan program allows eligible students to borrow fixed interest rate student loans and defer both interest and principal payments while in school. A variety of repayment options are available once students leave school, allowing everyone to develop a successful repayment strategy.
The College of Law operates its own Financial Aid Office, which is separate from the University’s Financial Aid Office. This allows us to provide for personal, individualized service to our students.
The Financial Aid Office will be in contact throughout the application process to the College of Law. Communications will be sent to students providing instructions to take if the student is applying for financial aid.
Residencies
The College of Law understands the benefits of hands-on experience for lawyers in training. Residencies give students valuable skills-building experience and the opportunity to work alongside peers, faculty, and alumni twice each year. These residencies are mandatory. The anticipated residency schedule for the August 2024 cohort is as follows:
- Residency 1: Legal Foundations | Five consecutive days in the third week of August 2024 (Syracuse University Campus)
- Residency 2: Legal Applications | Six consecutive days in the first week of January 2025 (Syracuse University Campus)
- Residency 3/4: Professional Skills | Six consecutive days in the first week of January 2026 (Syracuse University Campus)
- Residency 5: Advanced Legal Topics | Offered multiple times throughout the year (Location TBD)
- Residency 6: Advanced Legal Topics | Offered multiple times throughout the year (Location TBD)
Students are responsible for travel to and from residency location, hotel cost, residency fee, and some meals.
Student Support
Our Office of Academic Affairs and Bar Success offers a variety of student support resources–from technical assistance to academic counseling, tutors, study groups, and bar exam preparation–over the phone, email, and video conference.
Online students also have access to the Office of Career Services, where they can get personalized professional development help.
In addition, the JDi Program Coordinator serves as a primary point of contact for all students, helping them navigate their law school experience.
Online Joint J.D./MBA Program
In today’s globalized, interconnected marketplace, professionals who are jointly trained in business and law are in high demand. JDinteractive students can prepare for unique career opportunities in the private sector, government, and nonprofits by participating in the nation’s first online joint J.D./MBA degree program, a collaboration between the College of Law and the Syracuse University Whitman School of Management.
This unprecedented joint-degree option allows JDinteractive students to complement their legal studies with a Master of Business Administration through the Whitman School’s online MBA@Syracuse program, which is ranked among the top online MBAs by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review.