Advice on flexible JD programs for personal goals and disability

[wow]

The biggest hurdle for me is proctoring. Remote online proctoring has never worked for me. During COVID I had terrible experiences, even getting flagged for something as basic as drinking water or taking my meds mid exam. It just does not fit with my medical situation. An in person or live proctoring setup at a facility would probably solve it, but then there is the question of whether schools would even allow that and how much it would cost me out of pocket. Missing occasional live sessions is also an issue with my treatments, but the actual study load itself of 20 to 40 hours a week I know I could handle if the structure is clear.

I wouldn't rule out schools based on proctoring; I would inquire about ADA waivers. It is not unheard of to get waivers for drink, medication, etc during exams at the undergrad and grad levels if you document the need. I would expect law school to be the same.

Depending on the school, they might also be willing to offer some flexibility re: live attendance. Or not. But you don't know if you don't ask.

[Bingbong]

Hi everyone!!!!

I’m exploring JD programs and could really use some advice. I live in California and would only consider living in California or New York. I’m not planning to practice law due to my condition, but earning a JD is a personal goal and would be a huge milestone for me. If I were to change my mind in the future and recover, I would still prefer taking the California bar unless there is an easier path, but right now my focus is solely on obtaining the degree.

Background
• Bachelor’s from TESU (BSBA)
• Master’s from UMPI MAOL (completed a year ago)
• Volunteered in public service in my community
• My disability limits my energy and capacity, so I need a program that accommodates this

Schools I’m considering
• PG Global: Appears lenient, fewer strict proctoring requirements, might be completed faster. With a high LSAT and scholarship, cost could drop to around $42k if $10k is applied.
• NU: Offers a full scholarship for LSAT scores above 152. Exams are proctored monthly and require live Zoom attendance, which might be difficult for me.
• Northwestern: Known to be affordable (~$13k), but I’m unsure about proctoring, pacing, and whether it’s fully asynchronous. I’m also curious if it is considered a reputable school.
• ASU: ABA-accredited, which seems unusual for online programs. I’m not sure about hybrid requirements or maintaining ABA compliance.
• Other options: Colleges of Law, Thomas Jefferson, St. Francis, Trinity

Concerns and priorities
• Exams and mandatory live sessions are a big concern due to past struggles with ProctorU and stressful online assessments.
• I am looking for a flexible, self-paced, or asynchronous program with ADA accommodations.
• I want to complete the JD with minimal stress, even if it takes 2–4 years.
• Ideally, I want high merit or need-based scholarships. I can pay around $20k with a federal loan, but a full scholarship would be ideal.

Next steps
• I have already received an LSAT waiver and plan to take it in October.
• I would love advice from anyone with experience at these schools, especially regarding flexibility, exam requirements, pacing, and ADA accommodations.
• If anyone knows of external scholarships that cover most JD tuition, I would greatly appreciate the information.

Thanks so much for your guidance!

NWCU recently increased their fees so you might want to double check that. 
If you are open to taking the baby bar after the first year, you can consider other Calbar registered school like https://americaninstituteoflaw.com/ and https://lawdegree.com/ which work out to be cheaper than NWCU. I was contemplating American institute, but I don’t want to sit the baby bar.

[Juris]

Thanks for all this. Now I’m looking for advice on affordable online or distance LLB programs that I can take mostly self-paced. I already have a bachelor’s degree in a non-law field, and my goal is to earn a recognized law degree that could later qualify me for an LLM in the U.S. Ideally, the program would allow some transfer credits to help me finish faster and be asynchronous so I can study at my own pace. I’ve come across a few options: UVEG in Mexico, which is very cheap, competency-based, and flexible with credit transfers; UNISA in South Africa, which is internationally recognized but less flexible with transfers; and the University of London Senior Status LLB, which is highly recognized but more expensive. I’m curious if there are any other low-cost, fully online LLB programs that are recognized internationally, whether anyone has successfully transferred credits to accelerate completion, and any tips on maximizing transfer credit or choosing a program that will be accepted for a U.S. LLM. Any personal experiences or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

[HogwartsSchool]

Thanks for all this. Now I’m looking for advice on affordable online or distance LLB programs that I can take mostly self-paced. I already have a bachelor’s degree in a non-law field, and my goal is to earn a recognized law degree that could later qualify me for an LLM in the U.S. Ideally, the program would allow some transfer credits to help me finish faster and be asynchronous so I can study at my own pace. I’ve come across a few options: UVEG in Mexico, which is very cheap, competency-based, and flexible with credit transfers; UNISA in South Africa, which is internationally recognized but less flexible with transfers; and the University of London Senior Status LLB, which is highly recognized but more expensive. I’m curious if there are any other low-cost, fully online LLB programs that are recognized internationally, whether anyone has successfully transferred credits to accelerate completion, and any tips on maximizing transfer credit or choosing a program that will be accepted for a U.S. LLM. Any personal experiences or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

You want U.S. LLM to practice law in the US? Is that the end goal?

[Juris]

You want U.S. LLM to practice law in the US? Is that the end goal?


________________________________________________________________________________________

Yeah, my end goal isn’t to do the full JD here. I’m really aiming for an LLM in the U.S. more as an academic milestone, though I’d like to keep the CA/NY bar option open if the degree path lines up. A three- or four-year JD in the States just isn’t realistic for me with the cost and time involved.
For context, I already have a few bachelor’s degrees outside of law and an RA-accredited MBA. Most of my work has been in compliance and legal support, so I’ve got decent practical exposure, but no formal law degree yet.
I’ve been comparing a few LLB routes:

• UVEG (Mexico): It’s around $1k total, competency-based, and you can move fast. I even enrolled, paid the small fee, cleared the placement, and knocked out the first module quickly. The catch is the language barrier, even with translation tools, it can slow things down.
  
• UNISA (South Africa): Solid reputation, internationally recognized, and affordable. Downsides are that it’s not really built for transfer credits, so you’re mostly locked into the full program length.
  
• University of London (Senior Status LLB): This one carries weight worldwide and is definitely accepted, but it’s pricey and usually takes three years minimum.
  

What I’m hoping to find is something that’s:

• Low-cost (ideally under $4k all-in)
  
• Asynchronous/flexible (so I can accelerate if it’s module-based)
  
• Credit-transfer friendly (to cut down the timeline)
  
• Recognized for U.S. LLM admission with WES/NACES
  

Questions I’d love input on:

1. Are there other legitimate, affordable online LLB programs out there that people have actually used for U.S. LLM entry?
   
2. Has anyone here gone the Top-Up LLB route to shorten things? https://chestnuteducationgroup.net/unive...up#content
   
3. Any direct experiences with WES/NACES evaluating UVEG or similar international options?
   
4. More generally, any advice on the fastest affordable path that still leaves me with a degree U.S. schools will respect?
   

Thanks!

[SteveFoerster]

Has anyone here gone the Top-Up LLB route to shorten things? https://chestnuteducationgroup.net/unive...up#content[/list]

Since you haven't studied law otherwise, it doesn't look like you'd be eligible for this one.

[wow]

• UVEG (Mexico): It’s around $1k total, competency-based, and you can move fast. I even enrolled, paid the small fee, cleared the placement, and knocked out the first module quickly. The catch is the language barrier, even with translation tools, it can slow things down.
  

Do you have a link to the UVEG program? I wanted to read about it, but seem to be looking only in the wrong places on the site.

re: UNISA, feedback on the sister board is that it's not really designed for international students. If I remember correctly, one person on the sister board got into a graduate program there (I don't remember if they completed it) and others have tried but ran into too much red tape or technical difficulties.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Ideally, the program would allow some transfer credits to help me finish faster and be asynchronous so I can study at my own pace. […]

whether anyone has successfully transferred credits to accelerate completion, and any tips on maximizing transfer credit or choosing a program that will be accepted for a U.S. LLM. Any personal experiences or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Transfer credits from where? A law degree that qualifies future lawyers will consist entirely or almost entirely of courses offered at a law school and specific to training future lawyers.

Transfering credit into a law school is almost exclusively used by students to change from one law school to another midstream. Changing law schools midstream is unlikely to accelerate your time to completion. There’s a fairly high chance it would slow your time to completion as some credits from your Law School A would misalign with your Law School B.

[HogwartsSchool]

You want U.S. LLM to practice law in the US? Is that the end goal?


________________________________________________________________________________________

Yeah, my end goal isn’t to do the full JD here. I’m really aiming for an LLM in the U.S. more as an academic milestone, though I’d like to keep the CA/NY bar option open if the degree path lines up. A three- or four-year JD in the States just isn’t realistic for me with the cost and time involved.
For context, I already have a few bachelor’s degrees outside of law and an RA-accredited MBA. Most of my work has been in compliance and legal support, so I’ve got decent practical exposure, but no formal law degree yet.
I’ve been comparing a few LLB routes:

• UVEG (Mexico): It’s around $1k total, competency-based, and you can move fast. I even enrolled, paid the small fee, cleared the placement, and knocked out the first module quickly. The catch is the language barrier, even with translation tools, it can slow things down.
  
• UNISA (South Africa): Solid reputation, internationally recognized, and affordable. Downsides are that it’s not really built for transfer credits, so you’re mostly locked into the full program length.
  
• University of London (Senior Status LLB): This one carries weight worldwide and is definitely accepted, but it’s pricey and usually takes three years minimum.
  

What I’m hoping to find is something that’s:

• Low-cost (ideally under $4k all-in)
  
• Asynchronous/flexible (so I can accelerate if it’s module-based)
  
• Credit-transfer friendly (to cut down the timeline)
  
• Recognized for U.S. LLM admission with WES/NACES
  

Questions I’d love input on:

1. Are there other legitimate, affordable online LLB programs out there that people have actually used for U.S. LLM entry?
   
2. Has anyone here gone the Top-Up LLB route to shorten things? https://chestnuteducationgroup.net/unive...up#content
   
3. Any direct experiences with WES/NACES evaluating UVEG or similar international options?
   
4. More generally, any advice on the fastest affordable path that still leaves me with a degree U.S. schools will respect?
   

Thanks!

1. Are you going to live in CA/NY even if you qualified to take the bar exam and passed?
2. If you just want an LLM, why don't you get one (LLM) from the UK, it would be far cheaper?
3. An US LLM isn't cheap either, so, if your budget is only $4K all-in, then, unsure how you will be able to afford a US LLM. 
4. Do you know what area of law you want an LLM in?