Hello!
Which University would you choose to study International Business Law? KU Leuven or Universite Libre de Bruxelles? Any info or thoughts about any of these two LLM programs/Universities? Thank you!

Hi! I'm an LLM graduate from ULB. I really liked it and I recommend the programme. This said, from an academic standpoint KU Leuven has an extremely good reputation: its law school is ranked 35 worldwide while ULB is ranked 100-150. I mean, ULB's ranking is good, but KU Leuven has a really good reputation. If you are admitted to both programmes and your priority is 100% the academic reputation of the uni, I would pick KU Leuven. Personally I preferred ULB for social life reasons since it's more fun to live in Brussels than in Leuven, and the programme is good.

Best!

[Edited by _O_ on May 21, 2021]

Hi Marie,

As I might end up having to make the same decision, I am curious: which one did you chose? And how is it going?
 Best

Hey! I chose ULB and personally I am very satisfied. The professors are all partners in law firms in Brussels, apart from academics, which makes some of the courses kind of business oriented. You have to write a lot of papers (most of them in the form of legal opinion or legal advice which is super useful for your professional career after the llm) either individually or within a team which is a very good practice in both legal writing and legal english. Also there are some workshops and a lot of presentations which are really fun, although you need to work a lot. 
The LL.M. gives you the opportunity to do a 90-hours internship in a law firm, organisation, company etc (instead of an optional course) which is sth you should find on your own but for me it's very worthwhile and if you choose this program I would advice to start looking for an internship at the very beginning. It's not easy to find but as I said it is a great advantage of the program. Be aware though that it will be quite of a pressure with the studying. I think the best period to do it is in the first semester because in the second semester you will also have the drafting of the thesis.The thesis has to be submitted until May, which on the one hand is good as you know that you will finish the master in June but again it is quite hard because you have courses, papers-presentations and the drafting of the thesis. But everyone is within the timeline so no worries.
Finally, the level of performance is very satisfying, the majority of the students have a good performance which makes the whole conversation in class very interesting. I forgot to mention that the majority of the courses are interactive and that is why you need to study some things in advance of some courses.
In terms of the city, Brussels is a very cool city, with many things to do - you can go almost everywhere by foot. However I can't imagine myself living in a smaller city like Leuven but this is totally personal.
To be honest I had the general information session that KU Leuven organises for all offer holders and it didn't attract me that much and I liked more the courses offered by ULB program. However I do not doubt that KUL is a very renowned university and the LLM will be good, it just seemed to not satisfy my needs. In any case if you have an offer from KU Leuven I think you should attend the general information session that they do in June with all offer holders (unfortunately ulb does not have sth similar) to have a personal view.
Good luck!

[Edited by Marie LLM on Mar 26, 2022]

Wow, thank you so much for all this information! Super helpful! 

I have been admitted to ULB, but still waiting for feedback from KU Leuven. Thank you very much for your opinions, Marie and _O_, they will be super helpful to me as well ,)
M m m, have you already made up your mind?

[Edited by renedioz on Apr 08, 2022]

Hi renedioz
I have not decided yet. Have you? 

Both are probably good LL.Ms. I find the small classes in ULB really appealing, as it is easier to get to know the other students than in courses with different students each time. 

@Marie: Could you tell me more about the master thesis? Is there a list of subjects you have to choose from? Do you get help from your teachers?

Oops sorry just saw that. Yes, I didn't face any problems with my supervisor but I guess it depends also on the supervisor. The topic of the thesis is up to you, you have to propose sth until December, provided that you will find something on which you can make a proposal from a legal perspective. Be aware that it has to be done until May so you should focus on this in order not to miss the deadlines.
Good luck!

Hello!
Which University would you choose to study International Business Law? KU Leuven or Universite Libre de Bruxelles? Any info or thoughts about any of these two LLM programs/Universities? Thank you!

Hi, you have to take into consideration that LLM in Business Law at ULB is not a real master degree, it is a certificate program. You would not have a student status in Belgium with all the privileges it provides. You would be considered under category “adult continuous education” If I were you, I would choose KU Leuven. 

Hi Li45, this is not accurate. The LL.M. is just a program distinct from the two-years master degrees offered by ULB mostly in French. So for the educational system of Belgium these two are different due to the different legal framework applicable on them. This can happen in many countries with different educational systems like e.g. in France. Also as far as I know, the LLM candidates under 24 years old were eligible for the transportation discount just like all students under 24 years old. In any case, I would say that if you want to argue the opposite, it would be better to explain and not just discourage peolple who may have already decided to follow the program. 

From my personal experience at ULB: some of the professors are really top professionals.
But I am sure KU Leuven would also be a good choice.