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?
For an LL.M. applicant who wants quality without limiting applications to Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, or Columbia, the best strategy is a balanced portfolio: a few ambitious choices, several strong realistic options, and a few safer programmes. “Less competitive” should not mean weak; it should mean programmes where a sound academic record, clear specialisation, strong references, and a well-written statement can make the application genuinely viable. The following institutions have established law faculties, broad international classrooms, credible academic reputations, and useful professional networks. They are not “easy admissions,” but are generally more realistic than the very small group of ultra-selective global brands:
Region
Universities / programmes worth considering
Particularly suitable for
United Kingdom
King’s College London; Queen Mary University of London; University of Edinburgh; University of Bristol; University of Nottingham; University of Warwick; University of Manchester; University of Leeds; University of Glasgow
Commercial law, arbitration, IP, technology, human rights, public international law, criminal justice
Europe
Leiden University; University of Amsterdam; Erasmus University Rotterdam; Tilburg University; Maastricht University; KU Leuven; University of Geneva; Graduate Institute Geneva, University of Ghent (Belgium)
International law, trade, human rights, EU law, international criminal law, arbitration
Singapore / Asia
National University of Singapore; Singapore Management University; University of Hong Kong; Chinese University of Hong Kong
Cross-border business, arbitration, finance, technology, Asia-facing practice
Australia
Australian National University; University of Melbourne; UNSW Sydney; Monash University; University of Sydney
Public law, international law, climate and environmental law, technology regulation, Asia-Pacific practice
Canada
University of British Columbia; Osgoode Hall Law School (York University); McGill University; University of Ottawa.
Human rights, constitutional/public law, technology, indigenous law, comparative and international law
United States
Georgetown; UC Berkeley; UCLA; University of Michigan; University of Virginia; Northwestern; Cornell; Boston University; George Washington University, NYU
International business, arbitration, IP, technology, public policy, US-law exposure
Dear Student,
Thank you for your question. I completely understand where you are coming from. When you start looking at LL.M. programmes abroad, it can feel like you either have to apply only to universities such as Harvard, Yale, Oxford or Cambridge, where admission is extremely competitive, or choose a university simply because it is easier to get into. I do not think either approach is ideal.
First, I would strongly suggest that you do not look at university reputation alone. There are many excellent universities beyond the handful of names that are most commonly discussed, and there are also several scholarship opportunities that students should explore before deciding where to apply.
For example, if you are considering the UK, you can look at scholarships such as Chevening. There are also opportunities such as the Global Korea Scholarship in South Korea and MEXT in Japan, along with various scholarship opportunities in countries such as France, Spain and Portugal. Of course, each scholarship has its own eligibility requirements. For example, Chevening currently requires at least two years of qualifying work experience after your undergraduate degree, so it may not be an option for someone applying immediately after law school.
This is particularly important because an overseas LL.M. can be a very expensive investment. Universities such as Harvard can have extremely high overall costs once tuition, accommodation, living expenses, insurance and other expenses are taken into account. Harvard’s own published estimate for the 2025–26 LL.M. year is at least $121,800.
So I would look at several factors before deciding where to apply.
The first is your budget and the scholarships available to you.
The second is the academic reputation of the university and, more importantly, the strength of the particular LL.M. programme. QS rankings can be useful as a broad reference point, but I would not treat them as the final deciding factor. Once you move beyond the very top group, I would not consider a small difference in ranking to be decisive. The faculty, programme structure, research strengths, alumni network, location and career opportunities can matter much more.
The third, and probably the most important factor, is what you actually want from the LL.M. Ask yourself whether you want a degree that is primarily useful for professional development, or whether you are interested in research, academia, policy or a particular area of specialisation.
For example, universities such as Oxford have exceptionally strong academic and research environments, but it is worth remembering that their major graduate law programmes such as the BCL are taught postgraduate programmes rather than purely research degrees. The BCL combines intensive seminars, tutorials and independent study and can be particularly attractive to students who want a highly academic legal education.
I actually followed a similar approach myself. I applied to seven universities and received offers from five. I deliberately did not apply to the Ivy League universities, even though Columbia was one of the universities I was genuinely interested reason was not that I thought those universities were not excellent. It was primarily a question of investment versus expected return for my particular circumstances.
I come from a Tier 3/Tier 4 law college, so I had to think very carefully about how much I was going to invest and what I realistically expected the LL.M. to do for my career. That calculation could be completely different for someone from a National Law University or another highly regarded institution who already has, or is likely to obtain, a strong associate position and some professional experience.
For someone with that kind of background who wants to build a career in the US, UK or Europe, I would be much more willing to consider the very top universities, particularly if they have a clear professional objective and can manage the financial investment.
On the other hand, if your objective is research, policy, academia or a specialised area of law, I would not become overly fixated on getting into the top five or ten universities. A strong university further down the rankings can be an excellent choice if its faculty, research centres and programme align closely with your interests.
So my advice would be to create a shortlist rather than trying to identify one universally “best” university. I would divide your applications into ambitious, realistic and safer choices, and then compare them based on:
- The strength of the particular LL.M. programme
- Faculty and research strengths
- Alumni network
- Scholarships and total cost
- Location and cost of living
- Career opportunities after graduation
- Whether the programme is more suited to research or professional practice
- How closely the programme fits your long term career goal
Most importantly, do not choose a university simply because it is easier to get into. At the same time, I would not recommend applying only to universities where the chances of admission are extremely low.
The objective should be to find the point where academic quality, career opportunities, affordability and your chances of admission overlap.
That is how I approached my own applications, and it helped me avoid choosing a university purely because of its name. In the end, the “best” LL.M. is not necessarily the university with the highest ranking. It is the university that gives you the strongest combination of education, opportunities, affordability and relevance to the career you actually want.
I hope this helps, and I wish you the very best with your applications.
Warm regards,
Advocate Zeeshan Rahman
Pursuing LL.M., that too from a foreign University, may not be of any much relevance, if the querist is intending to pursue a career in litigation practice in Indian Courts. It would be in his or her best interest to start appearing in Courts at the earliest, to gain actual life experiences. If interested, he or she may simultaneously pursue LL.M. from a decent University, if the future goal is to join the judiciary.
But if he or she is intending to join Academics in some College or University as a Professor, or intends to be employed in some Corporate Law Firm or in some Corporate Business House, in future, which is generally considered as a non-litigation practise, LL.M. from a good reputed University in India (i.e. Similar to National Schools of Law at Bangalore or Delhi or Gandhinagar) or in Abroad (preferably a decent University in the United Kingdom) may have an additional edge, as a stepping stone, but that too doesn’t guarantee any better prospects in future, unless he or she is able to deliver, which is not legal but appeasing to the employer.
Hence, before making any choice for the University or College, for LL.M., the querist must be clear of his or her future goal, and make a choice wisely.
Law is the field where one has to start learning after the LL.B. or LL.M. degree, to remain relevant or have a decent practice, and no college or university is going to teach that.
Best wishes for the future.
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.
