I am interested in applying for international tax law llm in Leiden and would need some further information from alumni about the programm which I couldn´t find on the official webpage of the ITC in Leiden. Especially concerning the programm, (number of students, class sizes, how many lectures a week, exams, thesis etc...) the application process (how many people do apply, how many are excepted) and housing situation in Leiden (difficult to find?, accomodation provided by the university?, monthly costs...). Anyone here to give me some information??

Why don't you apply for LLM in Maastricht?

At Maastricht University you really learn a lot and, in addition, have a very interesting and efficient way of learning (i.e. problem based learning which means that in addition to general lectures, students have tutorial meetings with ca 15 students in a group to discuss problems on case by case basis and are guided by tutor). For further information look at http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/web/Faculties/FL/TargetGroup/ProspectiveStudents/MastersProgrammes/Programmes/TaxLaw.htm.

Last year I contacted one Leiden graduate...please find below his responce on some my queries concerning "equality" of prorams in US and Europe

"I will try to answer to your third question, concerning the differences between the program offered by Leiden University and any equivalent US program.

Prior to coming to Leiden, I have been working with Ernst & Young in NY for the past five years. When I decided to attend an LLM in International tax, I also looked to US universities offering similar programs as my preference would have been remaining in the US. However, having attended few lectures both at NYU and Leiden, I concluded that Leiden would have been the one. The reasons are several, the most crucial being the truly international nature of Leiden program versus the US/international nature
of any US program. Other differences are the amount of hours spent on topics such as as tax treaties, EC law and transfer pricing, the intensity of the program and the string reputation o Leiden university.

That said, it really depends on what you see yourself doing in the next future. If you want to work exclusively in the US, an LLM in the US may open a door to the US market but may be less helpful if you want to come back to Europe later on. If instead you do not want to have boundaries, I will definitively suggest you Leiden. The choice can be really narrowed down to Leiden (in Europe) and NYU (in the US). There are not other competing schools for foreigners, at least for my perspective.
As I said, I was in your same situation a year ago and notwithstanding the fact that I knew I was going back to NY at the end of the LLM I still choose Leiden, for its strong reputation, the truly international nature of the program and the great emphasis on topics such as tax treaties, EC law and transfer pricing.