Requirements
Each year we make a careful selection of maximum 40 students from all over the world, based on the following requirements:
Diploma requirements
Students are eligible to apply when they have obtained or will obtain before the programme starts:
- an MA in Law, or
- an MA in a related area (preferably with a legal component), subject to an assessment by the selection committee.
Those who obtained, in accordance with the regulations of the country where the degree is issued, a final Law degree that provides access to the legal profession or to the qualifying exams for admission to the Bar, may also apply. The equivalence of foreign degrees will be decided by the Academic Board of the Programme.
Language requirements
The Programme’s language of instruction is English. As a starting point, every student who applies must provide recent certified proof of proficiency in English, by means of one of the tests with the required minimum level or score indicated below:
- TOEFL test: 79 (internet-based)
- Academic IELTS: 6.5
- Cambridge English Qualification Scale: 170
- ITACE (at the VUB) – B2
Certificates and other proof of language tests may not pre-date the first enrolment by more than five years.
The candidate will be waived from having to produce recent certified proof of English language proficiency in the following cases:
- If English is the candidate’s mother tongue
- if the candidate has obtained a previous higher education degree of at least 60 ECTS entirely taught in English
- if the candidate has successfully completed secondary education organised (by an educational establishment accredited) by the Flemish, French-speaking or German-speaking Community of Belgium.
In the case of the previous higher education degree, please include in your application a document issued by the university proving that all courses were taught in English. We also reserve the right to assess the level of language skills separately in unclear cases.
Motivation
Candidates are selected on the basis of an overall assessment of their profiles, including relevant professional experience and motivation. We therefore ask you to include a curriculum vitae in your application as well as a motivation letter in which you should highlight why you are considering this programme, how you would benefit from following the programme, and what skills and experiences you have that make you a good candidate.
You can already apply if you have not obtained your previous degree or language test score yet!
Even if you are still in the process of obtaining your previous degree, you can already apply and should indicate this information in the ‘Current and previous higher education section’ of the application form, mentioning the date (as precisely as possible) by which you will obtain the degree. If the Selection Committee then decides that you meet all other admission criteria you will be accepted on the condition that you provide us with your diploma and transcript at the very latest before the Programme starts and that you obtain the required grades to start the programme.
The same applies to the English language test certificate: if you have not obtained this certificate yet, you can nevertheless already apply. However, without a language test certificate included in your application, the Selection Committee can only perform an initial screening of your file on all other criteria. If positive, we can let you know if your application meets those criteria, but we can only issue an official acceptance letter once we have received your language test certificate with the required test result.
We therefore advise strongly to obtain your language test certificate as soon as possible, especially if you need a student visa for Belgium, as the acceptance letter is an essential document to submit in the visa process. Also, there are only limited dates when the official language tests are organised.
As soon as you have obtained your diploma or certificate, please send a certified copy of it to us by e-mail. In addition, please send us details of your grades from the previous academic years and mention on the application form the precise date by which you will obtain the degree and/or when you will sit the English test.
Deadlines
- Non-EEA students: In order to qualify for September enrolment, online registration at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) must be completed by 31 March (23:59 in the CEST time zone at the latest). Non-EEA students with a valid Belgian residence permit, however, can apply until 31 August (23:59 in the CEST time zone at the latest). If you have such residence permit, please make sure to upload a scan of it when submitting your online application in CaLi.
- EEA students: In order to qualify for September enrolment, online registration at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) must be completed by 31 August (23:59 in the CEST time zone at the latest).
- Students with a Belgian higher education diploma: regardless of their nationality (EEA or non-EEA), students who have obtained a previous diploma from a Belgian higher education institution can apply until 30 September (23:59 in the CEST time zone at the latest). Please note that the Programme starts in the last week of September and that we therefore advise against submitting your application beyond the Programme’s starting date.
How to apply
Before applying, be sure to check the admission requirements above. It is essential that you make sure that you meet these requirements before applying (or are in the process of meeting them in your current studies). Failure to meet these requirements will in any case lead to a rejected application.
If you are sure that you meet our requirements, then follow the instructions explained below:
Important guidelines and recommendations
- The application process for the LLM in International and European Law at the Brussels School of Governance (BSoG) is done via the Vrije Universiteit Brussel’s (VUB) online application platform, CaLi.
- For an application to be considered as completed and ready for review, students must pay a non-refundable 50 EUR application fee. Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an invoice to pay the application fee.
- In one of the steps of the online application, you will be asked to provide the name and contact details of two referees (no reference letter required), one of which should be academic. Please make sure to upload the contact details of the referees as two separate pdf documents. You may use the referees template below.
- When filling out your application on the VUB’s online application platform CaLi, please choose the following:
- Course Load: Full-time
- Career: Advanced Master's Programme
- Academic Programme: 00058
- Academic Plan: 'Standaard traject'
- We recommend prospective students to apply as soon as possible to maximise the chances of being admitted. You can apply even if you will receive your degree or English language test certificate only later. You need to have completed all the requirements prior to the start of the Programme in September.
- We accept and review applications starting in October.
- The entry requirements applicable to this Programme are stipulated on this Programme’s page on the website of the Brussels School of Governance.
- Our application deadlines (see above) are strict, meaning that all late applications will lead to the applicant not being able to start the Programme.
- Students who have submitted a completed application via the online application platform CaLi, will be invited by email to submit some additional information related to their previous academic and/or professional activities in a separate webform. In this same webform, students will be able to indicate if they wish to apply for a (partial) tuition fee waiver and can submit any supporting documents to that end.
Application submitted - what's next?
Admission decisions are usually made within three weeks after receipt of the complete application. Once accepted, students must pay a € 1000 pre-registration fee to be deducted from tuition. In addition, they must provide a degree-verification confirming their diploma, as explained here. International applicants should contact the Belgian embassy or consulate in their country immediately to get a complete list of requirements specific for that country.