Thank you for your interest in Catholic University’s International Human Rights Summer Law Program in Rome, Italy! The Program is offered in even years and will take place again in Summer 2026.

The Program is offered in even years and will take place again in Summer 2026.The Catholic University's International Human Rights Summer Law Program in Rome will enroll up to 25 law students. Students will come predominantly from ABA-accredited law schools, although admission is open to foreign law students as well. U.S. law students from non-ABA accredited law schools are also eligible to apply if their home law school has been granted the power to confer the J.D. degree by the appropriate governmental authority in the unapproved law school’s jurisdiction, or if graduates of the non-ABA approved law school are permitted to sit for the bar examination in the jurisdiction in which the school is located.

An applicant must be in good standing and anticipate having completed one year of full- or part-time law school by Friday, May 1, 2026, to be eligible to apply. In considering whether to apply, prospective applicants should keep in mind that the program is academically intense and the workload is demanding. If you have any academic questions, please discuss them with the Program Director in advance. Students from foreign law schools must have completed the equivalent of one full year of legal study to apply and be fluent in written and spoken English. Prior to registration in the program, a letter must be received from the Registrar or Academic Dean’s office of the student’s home law school stating that the student is in good standing, eligible to participate, and unconditionally eligible to return to the home law school. Please contact us at ltaly@law.edu if you need additional information. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, with a preferred application submission date of March 16, 2026, or until the program reaches capacity. Completed applications will be processed promptly, and admissions decisions will be communicated to students within two weeks of receipt of the completed application.

This program has been approved by the American Bar Association. However, each applicant's home law school still has the discretion as to whether to accept the transfer of summer credits. Thus, it is each applicant's responsibility to obtain this information from his or her home law school. Acceptance of any credit or grade for any course taken in the program is subject to determination by the student's home school.

Applicants who are interested in using the summer credit to accelerate graduation should check with their law school's Registrar's office or Academic Dean’s office to determine whether this summer program meets residency requirements. It is unlikely that the credits in a foreign summer program can be used to accelerate graduation.