Helle there,

I`m a german trainee lawyer. I think about making a LLM after my second state examination next year. But I`m not sure if my notes a good enough. The universities require a upper second class - degree. I finished my law-study with grade 3.
Is it hopeless to apply for a LLM? Are there any universities with less stringent requirements?

THANK YOU

All UK universities say that they consider applications on their individual merits. All, of course, have to set high admissions standards, but the entry requirements they have set forth only serve as a guideline for consideration of each individual application.

You are certainly not hopeless, but you will know your fate only after you have applied -- to any law school you like, except, perhaps, those like LSE and UCL that are extremely competitive.

Hi,

I'm from Germany, too, and was lucky enough to get an offer from Cambridge this week. You are not hopeless, but perhaps you could post your exact grade? It really depends on the university: My personal impression (judging from several applications of friends) goes as follows:
Necessary grades in your state exam:
Cambridge: >11.5
Oxford: >10
LSE: >9 (although they claim to be stricter, but I know people who got admitted with 9)
UCL: >8

I think as long as you are above 7.5, you have good chances to be admitted somewhere in the UK, although I would advise you to send several applications. Or look for other alternatives, e.g. in New Zealand.

Check out this link with an old article on the UK LLM, I think it'll be helpful:
http://www.azur-online.de/pic/2005_01_LLM-GB.pdf

Hello

Congratulations on your offer from Cambridge!

Thank you for the link - very helpful.

My exact grade ist 8,84 points. So I can apply at universities like UCL :). For me it`s importent to find a University in the United Kingdom.
But first I`ve to take the required language certificate.
Which test did you do (IELTS, TOEFL, ect.). Is there a test you can recommend?

Hi busybee,

with 8.84, you won't have any problems getting an offer from a UK university. Perhaps not in Oxbridge, but you might even want to try LSE (you should hurry, however, as LSE has rolling admissions; you'll also need reknown references). LSE may state that they demand higher grades, but I personally know people who got admitted with 9 points.
I'm not sure whether your grade is from the state exam or the overall grade (with university exams), but as far as I know, UK university haven't realized the (major) difference yet, so it doesn't really matter.
I haven't taken the language test yet, but I'm planning to take the IELTS. Many universities (Cambridge for my part as well) do not require the test results to be sent along with the application! However, if you are made an offer, one of the conditions will be that you undertake the test achieve the necessary results. Cambridge, for example, required applications to arrive by November 17, 2009 - however, the language requirements can be proven until July 2010! If you are not sure whether the university of your choice allows for the test to be done later, you should contact the admissions office. But as Cam and Oxford allow for this, I'm quite sure that most universities (incl. UCL) will also do.

Best wishes for your application and Merry Christimas!

Hey Dutchman!
If I knew about such extended possibility with language test results, I would have been applied to Cambridge...anyway, are there the same situation with Oxford, KCL, QMUL? Do you know?

I'm sure as far as Oxford is concerned, because 2 colleagues of mine have applied without the IELTS, after having asked the admissions office.
I'm not sure as far as the other universities are concerned, but they'll certainly be able to answer such questions quickly.

Btw, Cambridge even explixitly states that on their homepage:
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/gsprospectus/applying/entry.html

Hello, i was hoppin' that you can help me with the grade conversion system for South America. I'm not sure about using European Counsil's or the WES Guide. I'm trying to apply to one of the LLM in the UK.