20 More Candidates Can Join SAL Ukraine 2026–2027

The main selection process has already concluded, with 80 candidates selected to join the new cohort. However, interest in the program remains strong, and the organizers have decided to make 20 additional places available.

“After the main selection process was completed, we continued to hear from strong and highly motivated candidates interested in joining the program. While we have already formed this year’s cohort, we are seeing many additional candidates who have the relevant experience and a strong motivation to participate. With the support of Chicago-Kent School of Law, we have therefore decided to open 20 more places in the program,” says Taras Polianskyi, Head of the SAL Ukraine Program and the Center of American Law in Ukraine.

Candidates can submit their applications until October 12, 2026. The additional application round may close earlier if all 20 places are filled before the deadline.

SAL Ukraine is the first and only program in Ukraine that offers the opportunity to obtain a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in the USA with a 60% discount on tuition, and without requiring the TOEFL exam.

This special offer applies to any Ukrainian legal professional who is qualified to participate and successfully complete the SAL program during the upcoming 2026-2027 year, and also to those SAL Ukraine program graduates who successfully completed the first phase of the SAL program within the previous three years.

The program consists of two interlinked parts:

• Pre-LL.M. (mandatory) — online (October 2026 — May 2027);
• LL.M. (optional) — on campus at the Chicago-Kent School of Law of the Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, USA) after successfully completing studies at the Pre-LL.M stage and receiving a diploma of 10 academic credits.

Lecturers of the SAL program are among the best legal practitioners, including: 

• Prof. Adam Weber, Former prosecutor at the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Associate Dean of International Programs at Chicago-Kent School of Law, IIT;
• Prof. Edward Harris, Professor of Legal Writing and Business Organizations Law, former Assistant Attorney General of the State of Illinois, Deputy Dean for Strategic Development at Chicago-Kent School of Law, IIT;
• Prof. Jonathan Decatorsmith, Director of Clinical Education at the C-K Law Group, Chicago-Kent School of Law, IIT, civil litigator and tax specialist, supervises the CK Tax Clinic;
• Prof. Richard Warner, SAL Worldwide Director, Professor of Law at Chicago-Kent School of Law IIT (Chicago, USA), member of the U.S. Secret Service's Electronic and Financial Crimes Taskforce, member of the U.S. Secret Service's Cyber Fraud Task Force;
• Prof. Geoffrey Mazullo, Professor of law, Director of Emerging Markets Organization, adjunct professor at Chicago-Kent School of Law IIT;
• Prof. Graham Dutfield, Professor of International Governance at the School of Law, University of Leeds (UK);
• Prof. Alexander Rabanal, Assistant Teaching Professor at Chicago-Kent School of Law, IIT.

After completing the first (Pre-LL.M.) stage of the SAL Ukraine program, participants of legal majors will be able to continue their studies at the following master (LL.M.) programs of the Chicago-Kent School of Law of the Illinois Institute of Technology:

• LL.M. in Trial Advocacy
• LL.M. in Global Business and Financial Law
• LL.M in International Intellectual Property Law 
• LL.M. in Legal Innovation and Technology
• LL.M. in U.S., International and Transnational Law

Graduates of the SAL Ukraine program who successfully complete the program are provided with:

• 3 years after graduation from the SAL Program, students have a guaranteed right to continue their LL.M. studies at Chicago-Kent School of Law IIT;
• 100% guarantee of admission to Chicago-Kent School of Law IIT (Chicago, USA) after successful completion of the SAL Program and meeting the admission requirements;
• 60% tuition waiver for the LL.M;
• No need to take the TOEFL exam;
• Support with obtaining an American student visa.

Program duration:

• Pre-LL.M. — 10 weekends (2 times a month) from October 2026 to May 2027
• LL.M. in Chicago, USA — 5 or 9 months (depending on the chosen specialty)

Who can apply?

• Practicing lawyers, attorneys, judges, and prosecutors regardless of age
• Bachelors, Masters of Law, Doctors of Juridical Science
• Law students (3rd, 4th, 5th year)

All applicants must be proficient in English at the Intermediate level or above.

Opportunities after receiving an LL.M in the USA: 

• Work in international companies that require quality international legal education 
• Obtain the right to take the NY bar exam in the USA 
• Start legal practice in the USA (provided LL.M. graduates meet immigration and work authorization requirements)

Tuition fee for the SAL Ukraine Program for the 2025-2026 academic year is as follows:

• Pre-LL.M phase - $3,000 (tuition can be divided into two parts)
• LL.M at Chicago-Kent School of Law (Chicago, USA) - $17,500 (9-month program)

Admission process

All applicants are required to submit the following:

• CV with 1 paragraph of the cover letter (in English)
• Copy of LL.B./LL.M. diploma or university statement (for students)

Your first and last names in your CV must be indicated as in your foreign passport.

Documents should be submitted in PDF format (copies of the diploma may also be sent in JPEG) through the application form on the program’s website (https://salkentlaw.com.ua/apply) or by e-mail hello@salkentlaw.com.ua

Deadline — October 12, 2026.

Admission to the program is decided by the Center of American Law and Chicago-Kent School of Law, IIT. All candidates will receive a decision on enrollment within two weeks from the date of document submission.

SAL program partners in Ukraine are: Ukrainian Bar Association (UBA), Elsa Ukraine, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukrainian Catholic University Law School, Lviv University of Trade and Economics, West Ukrainian National University, and National University of Odesa Law Academy.

More about the SAL Ukraine program: https://salkentlaw.com.ua/sal-program

Details

In 2011-2025, more than 579 students from Lviv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, and other cities of Ukraine graduated from the SAL Ukraine program. More than a hundred enrolled in the LL.M program at Chicago-Kent School of Law (IIT) which they successfully completed. Among the graduates are founders, partners, senior lawyers from TOP-50 law firms in Ukraine, as well as judges and heads of legal departments of well-known international companies.

The School of American Law (SAL Program) is associated with the Chicago-Kent School of Law of the Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, USA). SAL successfully functions in different European and Asian countries. The program is based on Chicago-Kent's experience offering American Law studies in Europe since 1998. The School of American Law is the first and only program in Ukraine to provide an LL.M. in just 5 or 9 months.

Chicago-Kent School of Law, part of the Illinois Institute of Technology, is the second-oldest and one of the most prestigious law schools in Illinois. Chicago-Kent’s intellectual property law program is ranked as the ninth (#9) program in the U.S., and its trial advocacy program is ranked as the twelfth-best program in the U.S. by the U.S. News and World Report 2025 rankings.