Overview of the Course and Clinic Selection Process
What is course and clinic selection? Why does it matter?
The 1L curriculum provides the foundational elements of a legal education, to support all students in their legal career. Going into 2L and 3L year, you have the opportunity to select the courses and clinics most aligned to your individual learning goals. What legal content most inspires you? What skills do you hope to build as a lawyer and advocate? What values do you hope to embody or explore?
The course and clinic selection period is your chance to begin shaping your academic and professional pursuits. Explore the requirements and possibilities on this page.
Important Dates
In the spring term, students select courses and clinics for the entire upcoming academic year, with the exception of winter and spring electives. Winter and spring elective registration occurs in the fall. Add/drop period opens once the selection process is complete and runs through the summer. Course and clinic waitlists move significantly, so there is time to shape your schedule after the selection process.
Course and Clinic Selection dates for the 2025-2026 academic year will be published on this page. See the Academic Calendar for more important dates.
2025-2026 Course and Clinic Selection Dates
Phase | Open | Close | Results Available |
LLM Phase 1 | Legal Profession | Thurs, June 26th @ 12pm | Mon, July 7th @ 12pm | Fri, July 11th by 12pm |
LLM Phase 2 | Electives, Clinics, Multi-section & 1L Courses | Fri, July 11th @ 12pm | Mon, July 28th @ 9am | TBD |
Transfer Course Selection | Mon, August 4th at 9am | Mon, August 11th at 9am | Thurs, Aug 14th by 5pm |
Waitlist Processing, Add/Drop Deadlines & Firesale Dates
Event | Date | Notes |
Waitlists paused | Fri, June 20th | |
Waitlists unpaused | Mon, August 18th | Waitlist offer window: 15 hours |
Fall Externship Clinic Add/Drop | Mon, August 11th | Some clinics have earlier deadlines. Refer to course catalog. |
Fall In-House Clinic Add/Drop | Fri, August 22nd* | Some clinics have earlier deadlines;. Refer to course catalog. |
Fall Add Deadline for 1L courses (LLMs only) | Thurs, September 4th* | Drop deadline: September 8th |
Fall Add/Drop Deadline | Mon, September 8th* | |
Fall Firesale | Tues, September 9th | Firesale information |
Winter Clinic Add/Drop (All) | Fri, October 24th* | Some clinics have earlier deadlines. Refer to course catalog. |
1L JET Add/Drop Deadline | Wed, December 3rd* | |
Winter Add/Drop Deadline | Mon, January 5th* | |
Spring Externship Clinic Add/Drop | Fri, December 5th | Some clinics have earlier deadlines. Refer to course catalog. |
Spring In-House Clinic Add/Drop | Fri, December 12th* | Some clinics have earlier deadlines. Refer to course catalog. |
Spring Add Deadline for 1L courses (LLMs only) | Wed, January 28th* | Drop Deadline: January 30th |
Spring Add/Drop Deadline | Fri, January 30th* | |
Spring Firesale | Mon, February 2nd* | Firesale information |
Planning my Time at HLS
What do you want to study before you graduate?
Course and clinic selection is a perfect time to take a moment for self-reflection: what do you hope to learn about while at HLS? In what area of the law do you want to have an impact? What skills do you want to build to become a successful advocate? What professional values do you want to build and explore in your education?
Explore these resources to refresh yourself on the wide variety of topics you can study during your time here.
How do your goals align with the degree requirements?
Each of the degree requirements serves a purpose in preparing you for the legal profession. As you map out your plan for the next two years, use these resources to make sure you are meeting the degree requirements as you go. Don’t forget to check on your degree progress with the Degree Audit (available in the Academic Records tab) in HELIOS!
What are the specific courses, clinics, and experiences to meet both my learning goals and my degree requirements?
The resources below will help you explore course and clinic offerings and build your schedule. As you’re looking at the possibilities, think about: Which courses or clinics will equip you with the skills you want to build? What style of learning meets your needs? What experts do you want to study with? What substantive areas of law do I need to expose myself to in order to meet my academic goals?
Supplemental Course and Clinic Guides
Narrow your course catalog search using these guides. Find courses that are part of an upcoming registration round or courses that will satisfy a particular graduation requirement.
The Course Reference Guide is a list of all courses, including scheduling and program capacities, to assist in the course selection process. Note that by-permission courses are not included in course preferencing selection rounds; these courses typically involve an application process and admittance is processed outside of HELIOS.
Resources for the 2025-2026 academic year will be posted here shortly after catalog release.
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Course Reference Guide
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By-Permission Courses
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Multi-Section Courses
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Experiential Learning Courses (Filtered Catalog List)
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International/Comparative Courses (Filtered Catalog List)
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Negotiation/Leadership Courses (Filtered Catalog List)
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Professional Responsibility Courses
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Clinical Curriculum Chart
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Upper-Level J.D. and LL.M. Writing Groups
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Analytical Paper (Filtered Catalog List)
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Professional Writing (Filtered Catalog List)
Who can I talk to and when can I learn more?
Getting Enrolled
How do I get enrolled?
Find out more about the process of each selection round, add/drop and waitlist functionality in HELIOS, the Firesale, and how the enrollment algorithm works.
Cross-Registration
Most LL.M. and upper-level J.D. students may cross-register at other Harvard schools, the Fletcher School at Tufts, and at MIT, which may complement your studies at HLS. The cross-registration petition and enrollment periods typically happen right before the beginning of each term. J.D. students eligible to cross-register may apply up to 12 credits toward the J.D. degree, and LL.M. students may apply up to six credits toward the LL.M. degree.
Written Work Registration
All J.D. and LL.M. students have a written work requirement for graduation, and in addition, can enroll in optional written work beyond the graduation requirement. Registration for writing credit and for the graduation requirement are paper processes completed outside of HELIOS.