Hi!!
I'm having some doubts about the best option for a PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW LLM. Considering the tuition fees, I have now only 3 possibilities, all in the Netherlands: AMSTERDAM, GRONINGEN and TILBURG. The prices are similar, the curriculums also... Any help?!

Hi gt1980,

First of all, congratulations for your admittion.

I don't have much to say about Groningen nor Tilburg. But I visited the UvA last summer, and it seems to be a very nice place to study at. I've been told it is one of the best law schools in The Netherlands, at the side of Leiden and Erasmus (rotterdam). I'm not saying that the other two are not good schools, but I never heard about them. Moreover, I believe you can build a bigger networking in Amsterdam than in Groningen and Tilburg due to its proximity to Leiden and The Hague (which is the capital of international law). Anyways, this is my opinion. I'm sure that somebody who already studied or is currently studying at one of these 3 universities can give you a more accurate information. Good Luck. And Congrats once again.

Hi gt1980

In my opinion I believe that you should choose between UvA and Groningen. The programme in Tilburg is not so specific. You specialize a bit in both International and European Law. In a LLM programme you specialize in one particular area. This is the difference with the Bachelor where you a bit of everything. Between the two there are many advantages and disadvantages. For intsance the Law Faculty in Groningen has been ranked as the first in The Netherlands while UvA has a better location with its proximity to The Hague. On the other hand the courses offered in Groningen seems to be really interested especially if you want to specialize in International Law and I believe also that living there would be far more cheaper than living in Amsterdam. Moreover, in Groningen you will have a better relationship with the professors. I have heard that the staff there is very helpfull and reachable. In Amsterdam, the University is bigger and most of the courses are open to both master and bachelor students. So you will be lost in the mass of the class, which is also the case in Groningen to some extend. However, the Amsterdam Law School offers the posibility to work for a short period of time at the Amsterdam International Law Clinic and see in practice what you will study. The choice is yours. I hope that I was helpful.

Hi again! After what you said (geoman) i checked again the 3 curriculums, and i have to agree with you, Tilburg doesn't seem so specific and interesting as the other two...

new problems....

1 - i can't quite understand what is the difference between an LLM and an LLM Adv, can someone help me with this? is it one the rigth choice after you bachelor degree and the other the right choice after your final university degree (graduate)?!?

2 - speaking about the ones in the Netherlands it seems for eg that the Public International LLM in uvA is much more developed and advanced than the Public International LLM in Leiden but similar to theirs LLM Adv in the same field.... right?! the fact the tuition fees are so different it also scares me...

Thanks!!

Hey,

I think overall, Leiden has a better reputation than UvA -- especially in International Law.

The regular LL.M. is designed for students who have just finished their Bachelor degree. The LL.M. (Advanced) is for professionals wishing to do extra study in their field.

The regular LL.M. has a home fee for EU students. The LL.M. (Advanced) does NOT.

The Leiden LL.M. in Public International Law is half taught in Leiden and half taught at The Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies in The Hague (at Leiden's Hague campus).

Applications are still open.

http://postgraduate.leidenuniv.nl/admissions/howtoapply.jsp

http://postgraduate.leidenuniv.nl/programmes/area_law.jsp

I second that.

The Leiden LLM is much cheaper than the rest - approx 1500 Euro for EU citizens. Although I have been working in the legal profession since graduating, the massive fee for the LLM (adv.) put me off and I am going to be doing the 'regular' LLM in 07/08. European academics (including one of my former lecturers who got his PhD from Leuven, Belgium) recommend Leiden for International Law.

Hi guys,

Well I have to say that it is easy to give some advices to others but when it comes to you, things are different. I applied last year to the LLM programmes in International Law in Groningen and UvA and I had been accepted to both but I decided to leave the idea for one year more. Now I have to choose. So here are the advantages and disadvantages of both:
Groningen: the programme is well-structured with really interesting courses. I believe that students have a better relationship with the professors there than being in a huge University in a big city like Amsterdam. Moroeover the Law School in Groningen has been ranked as the best by the students themselves all over the country. Disadvantages are the isolated location of the university(in the north part of the country), the small number of professors specialized in nternational law(some of them give lectures to 2 or 3 courses).
Amsterdam: One advantage is the Amsterdam Law Clinic which is really interesting to see in practise all these things that a law student will be taught. Another one is its location. Amsterdam is a lively city and really close to The Hague, the world law center. Furthermore, you may have the chance to find a short period work in a law firm or institute. In addition the programme seems interesting and the courses should be well-structured. DIsadvantages are the fact that i don't really know a lot about the reputation of the University, the fact that life there is far more expensive( i guess). Furthermore, I think that the courses are open to both bachelor and master students which may influence the quality of the programme (this is also true for the most LLM programmes).
So guys, after reading all these...tell me which one in your point of view is better.

Cheers

I think Leiden will not be an option for me - the Adv LLM is too expensive and the regular one doesn't convince me....
On the contrary I think ill consider ROTTERDAM too!!Reputation and the curricula will be the reasons for my choice between these 4 - any help?!

any help!?!
tks

Hi there,

I can only give you information on Erasmus as I went there as an exchange student last year studying LLM courses. In terms of the courses, I think they have a decent selection there to chose from the big problem I found is that exchange students were mixed with LLM students and suffice to say, LLM students werent happy because class sizes for popular classes were massive something like 80 - 100 people in them. The other problem with Erasmus is that it has a great reputation for business and economics but law isnt as well recognised. So to get a a degree from Erasmus in law is not the same in my eyes as getting one from Leiden. I have also heard everywhere that Amsterdam is a good law school but I have always had Leiden recommended to me. One of my former lecturers here in Australia has taught at almost all unis in the netherlands and he tells me that in terms of reputation, Leiden and Utrecht are the best. So thats something to keep in mind.

In saying this, Rotterdam is a great city for a student and I had a great time as an exchange student there so I no doubt imagine a similar experience for LLM students. The city itself is big enough but also socialable enough if you want that from your experience as well. I would recommend Erasmus as a good university but in comparison to older unis such as leiden and utrecht, maybe the reputation isnt so good but I think its getting better there and the lecturers are very good. Its a very professional university as no doubt evidenced by the tall skyscraper buildings they have there.

Hope this helps!

Amsterdam: I'm in!!