Guidance Notes
GUIDANCE NOTES FOR LL.M. APPLICANTS
APPLICATION FORM
The paragraphs in this guide correspond to the paragraphs on your application form. Before filling out this form, applicants are advised to read the information in this guide carefully. Each paragraph clearly mentions the specific documents you are requested to submit.
- A. PROGRAMME
Applicants may only register for one Erasmus LL.M. Programme. Each Erasmus LL.M. Programme has set a minimum admission standard. The content and the academic admission criteria for each programme are mentioned in the description of the LL.M. Programme. Only students that comply with the given criteria are invited to apply for admission. Some of our Erasmus LL.M. Programmes offer an opportunity to enroll in a part-time programme. Please contact the LL.M. Office for information on the availability of this option for the programme of your choice.
All applicants should include a motivation letter. This should be in the form of a personal essay explaining why they chose the Erasmus University, School of Law and the specific Erasmus LL.M. Programme (maximum of 500 words).
- B. PERSONAL INFORMATION
Applicants are requested to submit a copy of their passports for correct registration, along with three passport photos (3.5 x 4.5 cm). Please indicate your last name and initials on the back of each passport photograph.
Curriculum Vitae
All applicants should include an up-to-date curriculum vitae (resume) attached to this application on a separate page. The curriculum vitae should lat least consist of the following categories: employment information (if applicable or relevant), other professional information and/or extracurricular activities (e.g. memberships, associations and courses) relevant to your application, relevant skills acquired (e.g. computer skills; please specify).
Visa
As a service, the Erasmus LL.M. Office applies for student visas via a fast visa procedure. This procedure will take approximately two months and will only be initiated after unconditional admission, receipt of the tuition fee in full and when the necessary documents are received in good order. The LL.M. Office will provide you with more information on your visa application after admission. You do not need a visa if you are a citizen of one of the countries belonging to the European Union or one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, Norway, USA or Switzerland.
Health Insurance
All students need to have international health insurance for the course of their stay in the Netherlands. You can check with your health insurance company as to whether you have international insurance coverage. If this is not the case, we can help you apply for an “Insurance Passport for AON Students” after admission. If you currently have international health insurance, you are requested to submit a copy of your insurance policy.
Postal address
Please give the address to which you wish all your correspondence to be sent during the admission process. If this address is different from your home address, it is important that you supply us with both. If the correspondence is to be sent to a certain contact person and/or company, please indicate this clearly on your application form. Students should notify us immediately of any address changes, but only if the LL.M. Office is requested to change the address directly. The LL.M. Office cannot accept address changes for future processing.
- C. ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
All non-native speakers must demonstrate their English proficiency with a test result in the International English Testing System (IELTS) or the test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A TOEFL test with a minimum passing score of 575, or, in the case of a computer based TOEFL test, a minimum score of 230 is required. For the internet based TOEFL test a minimum score of 90 is required. Tests executed by the British Council with a minimum passing score of 6.5 IELTS are also acceptable. The LL.M. Office does not accept other proof of English proficiency. For more information, visit www.ielts.org or www.toefl.org. The LL.M. Office will only accept original copies of TOEFL and IELTS test results. Please note that the Erasmus LL.M. Office in principal does not accept any Institutional TOEFL scores. The institutional score for Erasmus University is 7199, please also add "room L5-037". We do not request an English proficiency test if the student holds a first degree or higher degree from an institution in which English is the primary language of instruction. If this is the case, please provide us with a statement from the institution that the education was given in English. The required evidence should, if possible, be included with the complete application. If either unsatisfactory or no evidence of English language proficiency has been provided with the application, admission will be conditional upon provision of such evidence. If your TOEFL/IELTS is scheduled before the application deadline, you are requested to wait for the result before submitting your application.
- D. ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
As indicated earlier, each Erasmus LL.M. Programme has set a minimum admission standard. All students need to have completed a Bachelor's Degree in Law. The content and the academic admission criteria for each programme are mentioned in the description of the LL.M. Programme. Only students that comply with the given criteria are invited to apply for admission. All applicants should include original certified copies of degree(s) and transcript(s), including a list of grades and an official description of the grades. If these documents are not in English or Dutch, an official certified translation should accompany them. The lowest passing grade refers to the lowest grade within the grading system to pass a test. The average grade refers to the average grade obtained by the applicant. Students who expect to receive degrees after the application deadline, which are necessary for enrolment, are requested to submit the application as completely as possible and inform the LL.M. Office in a separate note accompanying the application, including the expected date of graduation. If admitted, the admission will be conditional upon receipt of a certified copy of the degree and final transcript.
- E. REFERENCES
Applicants are requested to list the two persons who have been asked to write a letter of recommendation. Preferably, one letter of recommendation should be academic. The letters are to be signed, and preferably printed on letterhead. The LL.M. Office requests applications to enclose the two letters of recommendation with the application form. Sending these letters separately, e.g. by the referee personally, could delay your application procedure.
Please ensure that your referees are aware that they may be contacted regarding a reference.
- F. FINANCIAL INFORMATION Expected expenses
The tuition fee for 2010-2011 for the LL.M. programmes at Master’s level is fixed at
€ 8,950 for non-EU/EEA students and at € 1,672 for EU/EEA students, for one academic year (fulltime). The tuition fee is payable upon admission. However, the fee does not include the costs of compulsory literature, readers etc.. The expenses related to purchasing the study material could range from € 45 – 180 per course. The tuition fee for 2010-2011 for the fulltime postgraduate Master in Business, Corporate and Maritime Law is set at € 11,950 and € 6,950 for the parttime programme.
To maintain a reasonable standard of living in the Netherlands, you should have a minimal income of € 820 per month. Erasmus University Rotterdam intermediate in arranging suitable accommodation for all foreign guests of the university (through housing agency "Stadswonen"). Prices for student rooms vary between € 350 and € 650 per month. Prices for apartments vary between € 650 and € 1,250. All prices include heating, gas, electricity and water charges. All rooms and apartments are furnished.
Financial statement
All applicants are requested to supply the LL.M. Office with a financial statement, unless we clearly indicated otherwise. The content of such a financial statement and the documents that should be attached depend on your financial situation.
Applicants with sufficient personal resources or a private sponsor
Applicants that will be funding the Erasmus LL.M. Programme by means of personal resources or a private sponsor are requested to send proof of sufficient financial support by means of a bank statement, demonstrating the ability to pay the tuition fee and living expenses (for living expenses you need to have a minimum amount of € 820 per month).
For the bank statement please note that only original bank statements will be accepted. The statement should mention the name of the owner of the account, the account number, address of the bank, current amount on the account, dated and be printed on letterhead of the bank.
If a private sponsor is (partly) providing such a statement, please accompany the statement of account with a personally signed statement from the sponsor. The sponsor statement should mention the name and address of the sponsor, the period of sponsoring and the monthly allowance. With the sponsor statement a copy of the passport of the sponsor has to be attached. The amounts should be preferably indicated in either Euro or US Dollars.
Scholarship applicants
Applicants who do not have sufficient means for participation and therefore apply for a scholarship, are requested to indicate the name of the institution and scholarship on the application form.
For more information on possible scholarships, see scholarships. If the scholarship covers the total sum of the tuition fee, scholarship applicants do not have to send us a financial statement, except for waiver applicants (please see below). If the scholarship does not cover the tuition fee (in full), scholarship applicants are requested to provide us with a bank statement mentioned in the paragraph above, for the amount of the tuition fee not covered by the scholarship.
Waiver applicants
The LL.M. Office offers a (partial) tuition waiver in exceptional cases. Only applicants with highly qualified legal skills will be taken into consideration. Students will have to prove their excellent academic legal skills by means of their academic documents (see D. Academic qualification). Requests for waivers can be sent to the LL.M. Office. Your financial statement should consist of a motivation letter, including a description of your financial position and an indication of the maximum total amount that you and/or a private sponsor are able to contribute, along with a bank statement preferably in either Euro or US Dollars. Only complete waiver applications will be reviewed. Please note: usually you can only apply for one scholarship.
- G. SURVEY
Because the Erasmus LL.M. Office is always interested in improving the Erasmus LL.M. Programme and aims to attract a growing number of international students with maximum potential, we would like you to tell us how you learned about the Erasmus LL.M. Programme. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
- H. CHECKLIST
- motivation letters
- copy of passport
- passport size photographs
- curriculum vitae
- copy of health insurance
- degrees and grades
- lettersof recommendation
- financial statement
As indicated before, all relevant documents should be attached to your application. - I. DECLARATION AND SIGNATURE
By signing the declaration, you are acknowledging the information provided in the declaration.
Please note that not all documents are relevant to your application. Please provide an explanation on a separate sheet if you did not provide us with relevant documents. We request all documents to be on A4 paper (21 x 29,7 cm).
