Leiden has mentioned their intention to open classes in September 2020. They also mentioned the possibility of having an online program for international students who would not be able to fly to Leiden

I'm wondering about the thoughts of other incoming international LLM students on this matter. Will you go with the online program? change to a diff school/country you can actually go to? defer?

Like you I have been admitted to the Advanced PIL LLM (ICL), have seen these messages and am trying to figure out the best plan. I've been taking a wait and see approach to hedge my bets, i.e. to accept admission to multiple schools and make my final decision based on the situation in the individual countries closer to the time. This also leaves room to factor in things like visa/residence permit delays, online classes, housing availability, etc.

On the basis of the online/in class uncertainties I have already declined admission to schools that cost more than Leiden's Advanced LLM PIL (ICL), but I still hold out hope that the Netherlands and Leiden more specifically will pull through. This program is great and Leiden has fantastic journals, clinics and practicums to get involved in.

For now, my "safe" plan is to attend the Graduate Institute instead, since Switzerland appears to have a better grasp on COVID-19, and because the program is cheaper on a per year basis. Switzerland is planning to re open universities with social distancing in late June - I find this an encouraging step, and perhaps the Netherlands will consider such a move as well.

As far as deferring is concerned, as long as I am able to physically study at the university, I wouldn't get too upset about certain of the classes being delivered partially online. The best parts of an LLM, like supervision from great professors, the use of university resources/libraries, the opportunity to participate in journals/clinics and to meet people that will be influential in your later career - those will still all be possible so long as international students are allowed to work/study on the campus.

In the unfortunate event that COVID-19 does continue having an effect on social events and employment, this year probably wont be a bad time to get a degree that will qualify you for landing an international job. If COVID-19 stops schools from functioning normally, hiring at int'l organizations and elsewhere will be slower, and more competitive once things actually rev back up. As far as I see it - why not get the degree now, as long as you are able to physically live and study in the city/institution that you planned. Then, take advantage of the one year period of residence in the Netherlands that you are qualified for upon completing masters studies.

This of course all goes out the window if we are paying the Advanced LLM tuition to study fully online, without living in the Netherlands. That's a hard no for me.

[Edited by Domino on May 08, 2020]

Hello Domino, 
Like you, I have also been admitted to the Advanced PIL LLM (ICL). I am still agonizing over my decision to go or not. Have you had any further insights into the situation?