I am happy to address your queries head-on. We have three intakes a year, the NYU@NUS group in May, the LLM International Business Law group in July, and the other LLM concentration groups in August (all these are described in detail on our website at http://law.nus.edu.sg/prospective/postgraduate.htm.)

Each programme is targeted at different groups of students, depending on their interests. These are not different "batches", but different programmes altogether.

The first is a dual degree programme with NYU, the second is a joint programme with the ECUPL in Shanghai that enables students to study in and experience both Singapore and Shanghai, and the third has the students study entirely at NUS in Singapore with various concentrations available. The competitive pool will vary within each group of applicants (students choose which programme they want), so it is inaccurate and inappropriate to claim that "one is better than the other". In my professional view, the best students in each group are comparable to one another (taking into account variations in language proficiency, if English is not the first language).

As for recruitment, it depends on where the students are recruited. If you include students who get recruited in their home countries (and many students do wish to return to their countries after their studies), it would be almost the entire group that end up with jobs. If you are thinking about recruitment in Singapore only, that depends very much on the grades that the students obtain, as well as the country he/she is from. Because non-Singaporean LLM students do not qualify to take the Singapore Bar and to practise Singapore law, they typically get hired by Singapore firms to advise on the laws of their home countries only. As such, the Indians, Chinese, Indonesians and some European nations tend to get employed pretty quickly, naturally, because of the sizeable business/trade between Singapore and these countries, requiring law firms to have expertise in the laws of these countries. In the last couple of academic years, for instance, around 80 per cent of our Indian graduates who wanted to remain in Singapore got employment with Singapore companies. I would say that that is a pretty good number.

As we emphasise to our students, getting recruitment in Singapore is never a guarantee, as long as the legal profession has restrictions on foreign lawyers.

I hope this goes some way toward clarifying some of the misperceptions on your part.

Alan Tan
Vice-Dean and Director, Graduate Programmes

wow, this is quite helpful. thanks dean tan. i read before that one of the partners that NUS was considering in its LLM in international business law was peking university. is that still in the works?

Dear Mr. Tan,
I have heard from propsective and admitted students that NUS prefers to admit freshers (i.e. students with no work experience) to the LLM program (LLM at NUS) rather than students who have some work experience. IS my understanding correct? Request you clarify the same. Many Thanks.

Thank you for your question. Again, that is a misperception.

Quite clearly, we value both academic achievement AND work experience. Naturally, an applicant who has both these qualities will stand at the top of the heap, and that will come as no surprise for anyone.

Then we have freshers with good academic achievements from top law schools, with little or no work experience (save perhaps for internships). We would admit these if we assess them as demonstrating excellent promise to become future leaders in their fields.

We then have the category of applicants with average grades or achievements in law school, but who have had a few years of working experience (and professional maturity) to make up for it. We would admit this group readily, if their work experience is relevant and they show evidence of having excelled in a top law firm or distinguished government/NGO position. Often, though, it is a difficult judgment call for us, and work experience may not always be adjudged to make up for lacklustre grades. It really depends on what type of work the person has been doing.

Overall, we turn away a large number of applicants (both freshers and those with experience) because we are a competitive law school. Naturally, this causes disappointment among some, but there is little we can do about it! It also means that you may hear some things which may not be altogether accurate, and I am happy to provide a clearer picture of our admissions process.

Alan Tan
Vice-Dean and Director, Graduate Programmes,
NUS Law

Does anyone have any idea where NUS stands with respect to the World Rankings of the various colleges and Universities for LLM in corporate and finance studies ? How good is NUS keeping in mind the faculty, course design and reputation ?

I am also very confused. I had been admitted to the LLB program in Queen's university, Canada. I attempted to do a cross reference check between NUS's LLB (3-year graduate LLB programme) and Queen's. Anyways, I am thinking of applying to NUS's LLB when I chanced upon it last week. I hope someone can help me to determine if the probability is high. I have a good undergraduate degree from a Canadian university and was on the dean's list. A very much stale CCA record though. Help!

Dear Mr. Tan
I have applied for the LLM course in Maritime law at NUS. I have recieved an acknowledgement letter from the university which has asked me to submit a copy of my passport and Toefl score card as soon as possible.
I seem to have a problem as due to bureaucratic procedural formalities my passport's issuance has been delayed and I expect to recieve it by the mid of March. Subsequently i shall take up my Toefl test at the end of the same month.
I believe as by that time you will with all probablity declare the results of successful candidates.
I write to you to enquire that is there any possibility that I might be offerred a place in the university and be allowed to submit my toefl score later.
I would be glad if you could clarify my query.

Thanking you in anticipation

edited

when NUS admissions are coming?? we need to know ASAP as there are other offers too? anyone knows??

Dear Mr. Tan,
If you could throw some light on the status of the application process, it will be highly appreciated.

To all applicants to the NUS LLM programme:

We are on target to email decisions to all applicants next week (around 1st April). We have hundreds of applicants to write to, so the emails will have to go out in successive batches. We know the wait can be nerve-wrecking, but please do be patient. And thank you for your understanding!

Regards,
Alan Tan
Vice-Dean, Graduate Programmes
NUS Law

Thank you,sir.
I will wait for your news. :-)

YAN

I was under the impression that the decisions will be sent out by postal mail. I guess email or postal mail makes no difference as long as the news is good! Waiting for the results in anticipation.

To friend something1982,
gter is peaceful .so keep it easy.
wish you can get good news, and respect what you said .

Regards.

any one got a call... its 2nd april already

any one got a call ?

i got an email and got in....good luck for all

Hafiz...
Congrats !!
Just wondering if you had applied for the programmes with NUS or also for the NUS-EUPCL - Interntional Business Law.Which programmes have you been accepted for ?

I also got an email. I have been selected for corp n fin services law. Anyone else for the same course??