I am considering pursuing an LL.M. abroad after completing my law degree, but I am finding it difficult to decide which universities I should realistically target. Most of the universities that are commonly discussed have extremely competitive admissions and I don’t want to limit my applications only to institutions where the chances of admission are very low.
At the same time I don’t want to choose a university simply because it is easier to get into. I would like to find universities that have a good reputation strong faculty and academic exposure and can provide useful international exposure and career opportunities after the LL.M.
Could you suggest some good international universities or LL.M. programmes that students should consider which are comparatively less competitive than the very top universities but still offer good academic and career opportunities?
Hello,
I would suggest looking beyond the very top-tier universities and creating a balanced LL.M. application portfolio rather than applying only to highly competitive institutions. Universities such as Leiden University, Maastricht University, Tilburg University, University of Groningen, KU Leuven, University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Nottingham, University of Birmingham and University of Amsterdam could be considered depending on the area of your specialisation.
These universities generally have strong academic reputations, established law faculties, good international student communities and opportunities for research and academic exposure while some programmes may be comparatively more accessible than institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL, or Harvard.
I would particularly recommend selecting universities based on specialisation, faculty expertise, curriculum, research opportunities, alumni network, post-LL.M. career prospects, tuition fees and visa/work opportunities rather than relying only on overall university rankings.
