Enrollment Checklist

September – March

This website allows you to stay apprised of updates and deadlines, complete your tasks in a timely manner, and access information about the Law School, the university, and the community. We encourage you to take advantage of the resources we have made available.

If you have a disability, read about UC Berkeley’s Disabled Students Program.

If you are a parent, learn about childcare at UC Berkeley.

Check out Berkeley Law’s Transcript Magazine (PDF)

Use our Admission Response Form to indicate your enrollment plans, and the Tuition Deposit Form to reserve your seat in the incoming LL.M. professional track program. Please read the instructions on both forms carefully and return them and your $1000 deposit to us by the date specified in your admission letter.

Your online identity at UC Berkeley is called a CalNet ID.  A few weeks after you submit the Admission Response form and your deposit, you will receive instructions on how to activate your CalNet ID and create your Passphrase in an email notice titled “Accessing Your Berkeley Law Online Services”.  You will use your CalNet ID and passphrase to access a variety of online services, so be sure to choose something you can remember. Your CalNet ID will also serve as your UC Berkeley e-mail address while you are attending law school, so choose a username that you are willing to use professionally. Keep your CalNet ID and passphrase confidential.

Once you have activated your CalNet ID and created a Passphrase, create your @berkeley.edu email account.  Law school administrators and campus offices will use your @berkeley.edu account to keep you informed of important law school related announcements and deadlines, and your @berkeley.edu e-mail address will be added to the LL.M. mailing list.  We recommend that you check this e-mail account regularly starting immediately after creation, as you will receive messages from various campus offices such as the Registrar and Student Billing. Instructions will be sent via email within 10 business days of receipt of your deposit. Instructions for creating this e-mail account are in the “Accessing Your Berkeley Law Online Services” notice.  Once you have created your @berkeley.edu e-mail address, please notify us at llmadmits@law.berkeley.edu.

Unless you are a US citizen or Permanent Resident currently holding a valid green card, you must complete the NIF as part of your admission acceptance.  The NIF is used to determine what type of non-immigrant status you will hold while at UC Berkeley and, if necessary, to gather information to prepare the Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019) required to apply for your student visa.  You will be able to access the NIF three business days after you have created your CalNet ID and Passphrase.  Because it takes some time to process the NIF and apply for your visa, we suggest that you submit it as soon as possible.  A copy of your NIF cover sheet should be forwarded to the Advanced Degree Programs Office once you have completed it. Instructions will be sent via email within 10 business days of receipt of your deposit. Any questions regarding the NIF or immigration matters should be directed to the Berkeley International Office (BIO) at InternationalOffice@berkeley.edu, or you can call them at (510) 642-2818.  To find out more about the NIF and immigration matters, please visit http://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/students/new/main

You will receive an email in March asking for your course selection for your first summer.  You will be automatically enrolled in all your summer classes in the spring. 

In April, you will be added to the LL.M. class bCourses site at https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/. The Advanced Degree Programs Office uses bCourses to post important announcements and resources, and your professors will use the site to post assignments and other course information, so be sure to check it often! In the meantime you can connect with alumni here and see your fellow classmates here.

Housing options for graduate students fall into three categories: University owned and operated, group housing alternatives and off-campus rental housing.  Detailed information on neighborhoods and transportation is in the Housing pages of the admitted professional track LL.M. student website.  Note: Summer availability of campus housing differs slightly from the Law School’s LL.M. professional track schedule. The earliest move-in date is usually a week or two AFTER Orientation, and your lease may run until mid-August.

Plan to arrive in Berkeley in time to attend the mandatory Orientation session on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 (quarter 1) or Thursday, June 9, 2016 (quarter 2).  Classes will finish at the end of July (quarter 3) or mid-August (quarter 4).

April

UC Berkeley does not issue paper bills or invoices. Instead, in April you will receive an “e-Bill”, viewable online through your BearFacts account. There are several options for paying your bill, including international wire transfer or payment by a sponsoring agency. Please refer to our Finances page for more details.

As a registered student at UC Berkeley, you will be automatically enrolled in SHIP (Student Health Insurance Plan). SHIP is an an outstanding health plan with comprehensive coverage providing medical, counseling, prescription, vision and dental services. http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance

If you are covered by your own insurance you may be eligible for a waiver, however, waivers are rarely granted because most international health insurances do not meet waiver requirements. The international insurance must meet the requirements listed on the SHIP waiver website: https://uhs.berkeley.edu/students/insurance/waiver/compcoverage.shtml. The waiver process for summer is not conducted online therefore you will not see dates for the summer. Please send your materials as instructed below, do not waive SHIP online.

If you would still like to be considered for a waiver, please send the following documents by the waiver deadline of May 12, 2016.
 1. A copy of your insurance card (front and back)
 2. A complete copy of your insurance policy (policy must be written in English and expressed in USD)

 Student Health Insurance Office
 Attention Sheila Edwards, Waiver/Special Programs Coordinator
 2222 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA. 94720
 or by Fax (510) 642- 9119
 or in person Monday-Friday: 8am-5pm, Thursdays: 9am-5pm

If you were still in school completing a degree when you applied to the LL.M. program, arrange for a final set of transcripts and copy of your degree certificate to be sent to the International and Advanced Degree Programs Office directly from your university registrar as soon as your degree has posted.  If you anticipate that your final transcripts will not be available by April 15, 2015, you should request your registrar to send a Certificate of Completion or its equivalent.

If you already sent your final transcripts with your application, or if you subscribed to LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service, you do not need to send another set. 

May