The following diploma requirements apply for this programme:

• A full degree in law offering access to legal practice in the country where it was obtained, or an equivalent degree from a recognised university/law school.
• At the discretion of the Admission Board, students may also be admitted with a degree at an equivalent level in a relevant discipline with a sufficient background in law.
• Evidence of excellent academic performance throughout the studies, as evidenced, amongst others, by the grades obtained throughout the studies.

The following requirements apply:

• IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall, with at least 6.0 for the listening and reading components, and at least 6.5 for the speaking and writing components.
  • We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
  • We do not accept IELTS General Training, IELTS Indicator or IELTS One Skill Retake.
     
• Cambridge English Exam: C2 Proficiency or C1 Advanced with an overall score of 185, with at least 169 for the listening and reading components, and at least 176 for the speaking and writing components.
   
• *TOEFL internet based: 100 overall, with at least 20 (old scale) or 4.0 (new scale since Jan 2026) for the listening and reading components; and at least 22 (old scale) or 4.5 (new scale since Jan 2026) for the speaking and writing components. 
  • We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situation only: you are unable to take an in-person test on location because test centres are inaccessible or closed due to unsafe conditions in the relevant 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.
     

    *New TOEFL grading scale 2026 On 21 January 2026, TOEFL introduced a new grading scale. Test certificates issued in 2026 and 2027 will show overall scores in both the old and new grading scales. However, component scores will only be shown in the new grading scale.  Leiden University’s 2026-2027 overall score requirements are still based on the old grading scale. Our component score requirements are shown in the old scale for tests taken before 21 Jan 2026,  and in the new scale for tests taken after 21 Jan 2026.

Note: English test results may not be more than two years old and must be obtained in one single test.

Exemptions

You do not have to submit an English proficiency test if you 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 obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™, or if you completed an English-taught bachelor's degree at a Dutch research university.

Exemptions are not issued for Dutch pre-university (VWO) diplomas, or for English-taught degrees obtained at a Dutch university of applied sciences (HBO).

Still awaiting your test result?

You can apply for admission before receiving your English test result. However, if you are admitted, it will be on condition of submitting a sufficient result before the visa/residence permit deadline, or before the start of the programme if you don't need a visa or residence permit. 

Further information

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

• Consistently strong academic performance, evidenced by high grades throughout the applicant's prior university studies; and
• Successful completion of a minimum of 120 ECTS in law courses. A shortfall of no more than 20 ECTS may be compensated by relevant extracurricular legal experience in the form of, e.g., relevant work experience, internships, participation in international moot court competitions or comparable activities. Given the nature of the programme as an Advanced LLM, the requirement of 120 ECTS in law courses may be waived in exceptional circumstances, where an applicant demonstrates extensive high-level experience in international legal and/or diplomatic environments for a prolonged period of time; and
• Successful completion of sufficient undergraduate or graduate international law coursework amounting to at least 10 ECTS or equivalent, evidenced by university transcripts; and
• Prior relevant work experience (including internships, externships, full/part-time employment and voluntary work) amounting to at least 6 months, evidenced by way of a detailed curriculum vitae. Clearly indicate in your CV the duration of your (work) experience (full start DD/MM/YYYY and end date DD/MM/YYYY), and the time/appointment in (fractions of) FTE (Full-time Equivalent) for each experience. Participation in university clinical programmes may be taken into account for the purposes of meeting the 6 month work experience requirement; and
• A demonstrated interest in public international law and related subject-areas covered by the programme, illustrated by very positive letters of reference, a strong motivation letter and participation in directly relevant extra-curricular activities (e.g. internationally recognized moot court competitions); and
• A compelling account of the applicant’s academic and professional trajectory, as set out in the motivation letter. This should include: (i) a well-defined explanation of what the applicant seeks to gain from the programme; (ii) evidence of intercultural skills and the ability to contribute unique perspectives to the academic environment; (iii) an indication of their intended Advanced LLM thesis topic; and (iv) a statement of career ambitions following completion of the programme.

Rejection on the basis of use of AI

Students who have produced, paraphrased or edited the text of their motivation letter with the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence/Large Language Models (LLMs) can be rejected on that basis.