European Law (LL.M.)

Admission requirements

To be eligible for the masterprogramme European Law at Leiden University, you must meet the following admission requirements.

a Bachelor’s in Law (LL.B.) or a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from a recognised research university
in exceptional cases a bachelor’s degree from a recognised research university in a related discipline (e.g. in Political Science or equivalent) will be acceptable, provided that a substantial number of law courses (minimum 45 EC) are included in the bachelor’s programme.

Students who have a LL.B. (Bachelor’s degree) in Law from Leiden University are directly eligible for admission. They must register via Studielink but they do not have to apply for admission via the online application portal.

(for Dutch students at the Law faculty in Leiden)
Heb je bij de Universiteit Leiden de bachelor Rechtsgeleerdheid afgerond (of ga je die vóór de start van de masteropleiding afronden) en heb je je afstuderen aangevraagd, dan ben je direct toelaatbaar. Je moet je aanmelden via studielink maar je hoeft géén toelatingsverzoek in te dienen.
Na je aanmelding in Studielink voor de afstudeerrichting European Law zal vanuit het OIC nog worden uitgevraagd of je interesse hebt in de subtrack Governance of Migration and Diversity.

Students with a Bachelor’s in Law (LL.B.) from another research University (completed before the starting date of the programme) must register via Studielink and apply for admission via the online application portal (uSis) before the deadline.

Check the Course and Examination Regulations (OER) and the admission requirements (Chapter 5) on the website tab European (LL.M).

After you applied in Studielink for the specialization European Law, OIC (Education Information Centre) will ask you by e-mail whether you are interested in the Governance of Migration and Diversity subtrack.

Applicants with a higher professional education (HBO) degree are not eligible for admission. They can only start in the first year of the bachelor’s programme.

Proven English language proficiency, demonstrated by way of an English test IELTS academic (overall score of 6.5) with at least 6.0 for each of the four components or an equivalent result for a Toefl or Cambridge ESOL test (check the equivalent scores). Your test result may not be more than two years old.

You can apply to a programme before you obtain the results of your language exam (if you already have your results you can upload them directly in our online portal). If you are admitted, it will be on the condition that these results will meet the required levels specified.

The following requirements apply:

IELTS Academic modules only, on paper or on computer: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 for each separate component score.
- We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
- We do not accept IELTS General Training or IELTS Indicator.
TOEFL internet based: 90 overall, with at least 20 for each separate component.
- We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situations only:
  You took the test before 1 Sept 2022 (and it is not more than 2 years old), or you are unable to take an in-person test on location because test centres are inaccessible or closed due to unsafe conditions in a country.
- We do not accept the following types of test: TOEFL My Best™ scores (multiple test scores combined), TOEFL Essentials™ or institutional tests such as ITP.

Cambridge English Exam C2 Proficiency, or C1 Advanced (180), with a minimum score of 169 for each separate component.

Note that English test results may not be more than two years old.

You do not have to submit an English proficiency test if you have completed your education in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada) Singapore, South-Africa or Malta; or if you have obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; or if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught bachelor at a Dutch research university.

For detailed information, including exemption criteria and methods of submission, refer to English language proficiency.

Applicants should submit:

a letter of motivation illustrating experience and interest in matters of European law;
Note: when you are interested in the subtrack ‘Governance of Migration and Diversity’ you specifically need to mention this in your letter of motivation.
a letter of recommendation from current or previous professors and/or employers;
show documented evidence of relevant (work) experience, i.e., working for a law firm, internships etc. – this information should be included in your curriculum vitae.

>> Go to the next step 2: Check the application deadlines