FAQs

If the course offerings change or there are other significant changes to the program, these changes will be announced on the program’s website. If you’re already enrolled, you’ll have the option to withdraw, with two weeks to notify Baylor of your decision. Should you choose to withdraw, any payments you’ve made will be fully refunded within 20 days.

The program may be canceled if there’s insufficient enrollment or if unforeseen events make travel or staying in St Andrews unsafe. If this happens before the program begins, Baylor Law will refund all deposits and tuition within 20 days. You’ll be notified via email and the website. Baylor will contact other law schools hosting similar summer programs in the UK to help facilitate your participation in those programs, if available.

If the program must be canceled after it’s started, we’ll refund all tuition, fees, and housing costs, except for the days already spent in New Hall at the time of cancellation. You’ll be kept fully informed through email.

About a month before our departure, we’ll provide all the course materials you’ll need—completely free of charge. No need to worry about buying textbooks, casebooks, or anything extra.

While bringing a laptop could be convenient, it’s not essential. The St Andrews library, just a short walk from our classroom, offers excellent computer facilities. Bring your favorite writing tools for note-taking, but don’t stress if you forget them—there’s an office supply store nearby where you can pick up whatever you need.

Before you leave for Scotland, we recommend calling your credit and debit card companies to notify them of your upcoming travel plans. Sometimes credit card companies will see a charge coming from out of the country and suspend the card for security reasons because they believe it has been stolen. Letting them know about your travel plans ahead of time will avoid this inconvenience.

We also recommend making a copy of your passport and keeping it in a safe location. Having this information will be very useful in the event you lose your passport and need to get a new one.

Students who successfully complete the School of the Appeal, School of the Trial, or Advanced School of the Trial in the Academy of the Advocate at St Andrews will be eligible to receive five (5) quarter hours of credit (equivalent to three (3) semester hours) for their work. The credit hour calculation is based on the criteria specified by the ABA Criteria for Approval of Foreign Summer and Intersession Programs. For more information about this calculation, please contact StAndrewsLaw@baylor.edu. For questions about the conversion of quarter hours to semester hours, please contact Jerri Cunningham.

Please bring a suit to wear for our visit to Scottish legal institutions in Edinburgh, where we will likely meet with a sitting judge and attend court. This is a formal occasion; professional attire is required for court visits.

On regular class days, the dress code is more flexible. We ask that you dress comfortably while maintaining a professional appearance—jeans are acceptable, but please avoid beach sandals, cutoff shorts, and tattered t-shirts. Business casual attire is appropriate for exercises such as opening statements or oral arguments; a suit is not necessary.

Students participating in Baylor Law School’s Academy of the Advocate in St Andrews, Scotland, are responsible for arranging their own flights and transportation to St Andrews, including to the David Russell Apartments on the University Campus. We encourage students to book their flights as soon as possible to ensure availability and secure the best rates.

The closest airport to St Andrews is the airport in Edinburgh (airport code EDI).

For transportation options from Edinburgh Airport to the David Russell Apartments, click here.

Students attending the Baylor Law School Academy of the Advocate at St. Andrews will be graded using the same criteria as our on-campus students. At Baylor Law, we take pride in our comprehensive trial and appellate advocacy program, where students are evaluated on both their written advocacy skills and their oral performance during trials or appellate arguments. These same rigorous standards will apply to grading for students participating in the Academy of the Advocate at St. Andrews.

If emergency medical care is required:

St Andrews Community Hospital & Health Centre
Largo Road
St Andrews
KY16 8AR
Tel: +44 1334 465656

There is also a pharmacy located next to this hospital and also a pharmacy in Boots, located centrally on Market Street in St Andrews.

Your program fee covers health insurance while you’re in the program. 

Please visit Baylor's Center for Global Engagement website for more information about health and safety while abroad. We also recommend that you download the "Smart Traveler" app from the U.S. State Department for your smartphone before departing for Scotland.

The first class session will be a mandatory online pre-departure orientation, scheduled for late June 2025. All students registered for the Academy will receive details on how to access this important session.

Once in Scotland, a second orientation will take place in Parliament Hall, St Andrews, on the first Sunday of the program. Additional information about this session will be provided soon. Your first regular class will follow immediately after the orientation. Attendance at both the on-the-ground orientation and the first class is mandatory.

The University of St Andrews provides facilities, housing, and event support for the Academy of the Advocate, but Baylor LawSchool is solely responsible for the curriculum and instruction. All students attending the Academy are officially enrolled as Baylor Law School students. Upon successful completion of the coursework, students will receive academic credit from Baylor Law School, not from the University of St Andrews.

Click here for a list of things to do in the Fife region (the area surrounding St Andrews) and Edinburgh. We’ve also attached a list of a few restaurants. The list is not exhaustive, but it will get you started exploring the many fine St Andrews restaurants and cafes.

The easiest way to get to David Russell Apartments in St Andrews is by taxi. We recommend:

Golf City Taxis
+44 1334 467955 or +44 1334 477788

G & A Taxis
+44 1334 871030

If you’re planning on taking public transportation from the Edinburgh airport to David Russell Apartments, Google Maps has pretty good directions and instructions, which you can find here. It also allows you to get up-to-date information on train/bus timetables.

Although substantially more expensive, UBER is also an option at the Edinburgh airport.

For the latest updates on travel advisories and safety information for your time in Scotland, please visit the U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs website for United Kingdom Travel Information. This resource provides important details on health and safety, entry requirements, and any current travel advisories. We encourage you to review this information prior to your trip to ensure you’re well-prepared.

Classes will be held in Parliament Hall and the surrounding buildings. Parliament Hall is approximately a 25-minute walk from your residence hall. 

Click here for a walking route from David Russell Apartments to Parliament Hall. 

You can also take a bus. The bus picks you up near David Russell Apartments and drops you off right in front of Parliament Hall. (Flexible multi-day student passes are available via the StageCoach website here.) 

Weather in St Andrews during late July and early August varies greatly. It can be warm and sunny in the 80s, to cold and rainy in the 40s. Extreme heat and bitter cold would be highly unusual during the program, but it is not unusual for it to be moderately warm in the afternoons and a bit chilly in the evenings. And, since this is Scotland, you can bet on rain every once in a while. You should pack a light jacket and an umbrella. The weather is probably a bit cool, especially in the evenings, for you to feel comfortable in shorts. You might also feel out of place in shorts, as the Scots don’t typically wear them.