Which International Universities Should I Consider for an LL.M. Abroad?

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:

1. The strength of the particular LL.M. programme
2. Faculty and research strengths
3. Alumni network
4. Scholarships and total cost
5. Location and cost of living
6. Career opportunities after graduation
7. Whether the programme is more suited to research or professional practice
8. 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