FAQ for LL.M. studies

Yes, you are able to apply for several programmes through your account on University Admissions. Please note that you need to rank them according to your preferences, and you can only be admitted to one and only in the order you have ranked them. Therefore, it is important that you know which programme is most interesting for you. If you are admitted to that one, all other programmes will be automatically removed.

Supporting documents are all documents needed in your application, i.e. the documents required to prove that you fulfil the general and specific entry requirements, as well as the documents required for selection. Please see each programme’s web page and University Admissions’ guide to application documents for details. It is possible to upload these documents after submission of the application, but please ensure to follow the key dates and deadlines on University Admissions webpage. Please note that we only offer one admission round per year for our LL.M. programmes (open mid-October-mid-January for commencement in the autumn – left column on the link above).

If you have completed a Swedish bachelor programme in law/legal studies of 180 credits at a Swedish university, the Admissions Committee will be able to find this information in the national admission system. It is therefore not necessary to upload these documents. However, please note that all supporting documents (i.e CV, personal statement, two reference letters) as well as other transcripts/documents supporting the fulfillment need to be submitted.

If you are in your last year of bachelor law studies at a Swedish university, we do not need any specific document attesting to this, since the Admissions Committee can see your status in the national admission system. However, it is important that you mention it in your personal statement in accordance with the given instructions.

The documents you must submit, and how you must submit them, depends on the country where you previously completed your undergraduate degree. Most applicants can upload all their documents online through University Admissions, but applicants from certain countries may need to submit proof of their previous studies by post. So please ensure to follow the country-specific instructions on how to submit your documents found on University Admissions webpage: Submitting your documents. Regardless of country however, the supporting documents required to fulfil the selection criteria for our LL.M. programme (personal statement, two recommendation letters, CV) must be uploaded on your account on University Admissions. No documents are to be sent/emailed directly to Department of Law, Stockholm University.

On each of our programmes' web page, you will find a template for the personal statement which is specific to that very programme. We ask you therefore to fill out one form for each of the LL.M. programmes that you wish to apply for. Regarding reference letters, it all depends on the reference and its relevance to the specific programme. If you feel the reference is relevant for all programmes, you can use the same letter. However, you are free to upload different letters for different programmes if you have them. If so, please clearly state which document belongs to which programme so there is no confusion.

Since universities can use different grades and grading scales around the world, applicants need to refer to the grading scale that is being used at the university that issued their degree and transcript. Most often, this information is found on the university’s webpages. If not, the university could issue a certificate stating the grading scale used. If you have a diploma supplement and the grading scale is clearly stated there, you can refer to this information since it is an official document.

A GPA/CGPA aims at giving information to the Admissions Committee about an applicant's academic performance. The GPA can be weighted or unweighted; what is important is that the maximum mark achievable is clearly stated. This, together with the grading scale, will help the Admissions Committee in their assessment. If your university does not use GPA/CGPA, please simply provide information on the maximum marks achievable. Note that applicants should not try to calculate their own GPA if it is not provided by the university.

A reference letter can be written by anyone you have a professional connection to, and whom you consider can best support your LL.M. application. It can be for example a university teacher, professor, supervisor, mentor or other staff, an internship provider, a current or former colleague or your current or former employer.

No, there is no specific template to be used for the letters of recommendation. However, make sure to include the contact information of your reference. The letters should preferably be written on paper with an official letterhead and addressed to the Admissions Committee at the Department of Law, Stockholm University. Please note that the letter of recommendation must be written in either English or Swedish. We do not accept letters in any other language.

The recommendation letter should not exceed one A4 page, ideally including the letterhead and signature of the referee. If the letterhead/signature make the whole letter longer than one page, it is fine as well as long as the core text of the reference letter itself does not exceed one A4 page.

No, since all documents for your application must be uploaded on University Admissions, please ask your reference to send this document to you directly. Thereafter, upload it on your account. Please remember that no documents should be sent to Department of Law, Stockholm University, and that everything must be uploaded on University Admissions instead.

The date on the reference letter does not matter as long as the content and information is still relevant, valid and supports your application. Please ensure that the contact information to the reference is clearly stated, should the Admissions Committee need to contact them.

The documentation needed to prove your English language proficiency depends on your country of origin and/or country of study. What is applicable to you can be found on University Admissions’ web page about English language requirements:

English language requirements

No, you cannot send in any documents after the deadline since we do not accept any late applications. Instead, you will need to upload a document confirming that you are in your last year of bachelor studies and that you will graduate before the autumn semester starts. Please find information including the form to use on University Admissions' web site:

University Admissions - Final year of bachelor’s studies

No, we at the Department of Law do not make any preliminary assessment regarding eligibility before a student has applied. Eligibility criteria are clearly stated on each of our programmes' web page.

Unfortunately, neither we at Department of Law nor University Admissions can waive the application fee.

We at the Department of Law cannot access your application before the application deadline. If your application has been correctly submitted, you will be able to see all the documents uploaded by logging in to your personal account on University Admissions.

Each programme costs 90 000 SEK for one academic year, 60 ECTS. For more information regarding fees, see the university’s central page on costs and fees.

Costs, fees and scholarships

There are several scholarships available for different student groups. Information can be found on the following web page:

Scholarships

The number of candidates applying for our programmes varies from year to year and from programme to programme. On average, we receive about 1000 applications from eligible candidates across all our programmes. We aim for around 40 students in the classroom in each of our LL.M.s.

All our LL.M. programmes represent full-time studies (40 hours/week). The structure is generally around 6-10 hours of teacher-led seminars etc. per week, and students are thereafter expected to take responsibility for self-studies in the remaining time. It is up to the students to decide if they can undertake a job or not during their studies.

No, there is no internship included in any of our LL.M. programmes and we at SULaw cannot help you find an internship. If students wish to undertake an internship, they are of course free to arrange and do so by themselves, as long as this does not compromise the mandatory attendance requirement to pass the programme. Some students choose to undertake an internship during their studies with us despite the extra workload. Most of those interested in internships have however arranged for this after graduation of the programme.

No, this is not possible. All our LL.M.’s are one-year full-time programmes.

No, our programmes are given on-campus at Stockholm University.

Some of the courses in our LL.M. programmes are also offered to our incoming exchange students. However, the requirements and learning outcomes are different for exchange students and for master students (see the specific course syllabus for more details). If you have previously studied with us at SULaw as an exchange student and are considering applying for one of these LL.M.s after your exchange, please note the following:

• If the course(s) you take during your exchange is(are) included/credited towards the undergraduate law degree at your home university, you will need to retake this course entirely as part of the chosen LL.M.
• If the course(s) you take during your exchange is(are) not included/credited towards the undergraduate law degree at your home university, you will be able to apply for a partial credit transfer towards our LL.M. if admitted.

In order to be fully admitted to one of our LL.M.s, i.e. admitted without conditions, you must prove that you are fully done with your undergraduate studies in law, at the very latest by the time our programme starts. In that respect, it is not enough to send in transcripts of records confirming that you have taken all credits necessary; the diploma has to be issued as well. Since administration can take some time, we can accept proof that you have applied for the diploma before the autumn semester starts. The Office of International Affairs will provide all conditionally admitted students with more information in due time.

Tuition fees are handled centrally by Stockholm University. Therefore, please look on the university's central web page about fees for more information and a timeline for when payments need to be made. Failure to pay before the stated deadline will lead to a removal of the admission. It is therefore important to secure funds well in advance.

Costs, fees and scholarships

Your admission is only valid for the current academic year. Under specific circumstances, students can apply centrally at Stockholm University for a deferral of study commencement. Find more information about this in the university's central web page about deferrals of study commencement. Please note that it is not possible to start the programme in the spring semester, only in the autumn. Therefore, a deferral, if approved, will be valid for the next academic year.

Deferrals of study commencement

All notification of selection results form University Admission state the following: "[…] the course/programme can be cancelled if particular circumstances occur". This is simply a disclaimer used by University Admissions since it is a national system and they cannot speak for every specific university and programme in Sweden. Sometimes, a programme or course has too few applicants and therefore needs to be cancelled. However, this is not an issue for our LL.M. programmes and there is nothing at the moment that would make us need to cancel any of our programmes.

We are not able to issue a document stating an earlier date of commencement since it is directly connected to the official semester dates at the university. Normally, it should however be possible to arrive earlier than the beginning of the semester; please contact the embassy of your country.

In your daily life, there is no need to know Swedish even if it could of course make things smoother. Swedes in general have a high proficiency in English and a lot of information is translated into English, such as messages in the metro system, general information in public spaces etc.

It is possible for students to enroll in Swedish language courses at the university, specifically designed for international students. Information can be found on the web site of the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism.

Swedish for international students

We have a Buddy system for admitted students at the Department of Law which the Law Students’ Association is responsible for. If you choose to join them, you will be paired with a buddy at the beginning of the programme. Read more on their website and feel free to join them!

Law Students’ Association

The housing situation in Stockholm is arguably very different from other cities in Europe and often considered difficult. Be prepared to spend time getting to know the market and its pitfalls. A good place to start is SU Housing Office’s web pages.

Housing for international students

It is rather difficult to work as a law practitioner in Sweden if you do not hold a Swedish Master of Laws. In Sweden, most employers are looking to hire Swedish law graduates from our Swedish law programme, a comprehensive law programme of 4,5 years focusing mainly on Swedish and European Law. Our LL.M.s are rather designed to give you in-depth expertise within a specific subject area of law. Most graduates choose to take these new sets of skills back to their home countries after graduation.

If you are an international lawyer wishing to pursue a career in Sweden, an option is to supplement your undergraduate diploma in law with our 2-year Conversion Programme for International Lawyers. This programme leads to the Swedish Master of Laws Degree (Jurisexamen). Please know that this programme is completely taught in Swedish.

Conversion programme for foreign lawyers

While we do not have specific statistics regarding the employability of our alumni, experience and feedback tells us that many of our graduates find relevant employment within months of graduation. The programmes will give a candidate a more tailored profile within the chosen area of law which gives them an edge on the job market. There are therefore a wide range of possibilities, very much depending on your individual academic and professional background and your interests.

It depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for a part-time job while studying, the best way to find a job is to introduce yourself at the workplace you have in mind and ask if they are hiring. This is normal for part time jobs in restaurants, bars, cafes and stores.

Any ads for positions the department receive from companies/law firms/governmental institutions etc. are published on SULaw's ad page (mainly in Swedish). You can also check the central web page about career opportunities and maybe attend career events organized by the university during your studies. You can also register at My Career, a job portal run by Stockholm University.

SULaw - ad pages (in Swedish)

Stockholm University - Career

My Career

In each of our LL.M.s, a small event is normally organized towards the end of the programme. Stockholm University also organizes the official "Conferment of Master’s degrees" twice a year for all students who have received their graduation diploma.

Conferment of Master’s degrees

Remember that you must actively apply for your diploma after completion of your studies! More information can be found on our web page about degrees.

Degrees

Undertaking one of our LL.M. programmes is definitely a stepping-stone towards an academic career. However, we at the Department of Law only offer a few research positions every year. You can find more information, including about the application process, on our web page about doctoral studies.

Doctoral Studies