How to apply

The deadline for receipt of LLM applications for the 2024 entry course is 5 December 2023. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. All applications must be submitted to the University’s Postgraduate Admissions Office, not to the Faculty of Law. PAO is the central University office handling graduate applications for all Cambridge Faculties and Departments. Please refer to the PAO’s website for details of how to apply.

You must read the information on the PAO website regarding the documents which you need to submit as part of your application. Please do not submit additional documents such as secondary school certificates, work experience letters or published articles or papers. Significant academic and personal achievements should be included on the application form or on your CV. The LLM Admissions Committee will not review any documents which are not listed on the PAO website as required for LLM applications.

Please be aware that all LLM applicants who are required to take an IELTS or TOEFL language test must submit their test results at the same time as the rest of their application file by the LLM deadline - 5 December 2023. Please see the section of this website about language requirements under the 'Admissions Criteria' heading for full details of the specific language requirement for the LLM.

The Cambridge LLM selection process

Once fully completed applications are received by the PAO, they are forwarded to the LLM Admissions Committee in the Faculty of Law. The Committee considers applications on their academic merits. Decisions made by the LLM Admissions Committee are then relayed to the PAO, which notifies applicants through the self-service page of offers and rejections and, in the case of offers, of any conditions attached.

The LLM Admissions Committee will only start reviewing applications after the closing date, when they will consider the gathered field of more than one thousand applications. While your application is with the LLM Admissions Committee, your self service page status will say "Under consideration by Degree Committee". The status will only be updated once the LLM Admissions Committee has made their decision on all the applications. All Cambridge LLM application decisions will be made by 1 March 2024 for the 2024-2025 programme. However, it may take further time before you receive notification. Applicants will be notified of the decision relating to their application via their self-service account by the Postgraduate Admissions Office. The outcome of your application will be available on your online self-service page. If your application is successful, you will also receive a formal offer notification from the PAO by email. If your application is not successful, you will learn about this decision first on your online self-service page. The PAO will also notify you by email. The Law Faculty does not contact unsuccessful applicants.

Please note that we do not operate a waiting list.

Unfortunately, the Admissions Committee is not able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants. In addition, the Admissions Committee regrets that it is not possible to consider requests for reconsideration, even in cases where unsuccessful applicants receive further academic results, or are selected for scholarships or other funding tenable at Cambridge.

If you receive an offer of a place on the Cambridge LLM

Accepting the offer

If you receive an offer of a place on the LLM and you wish to accept it, you must formally register your acceptance using your self-service web page and take some additional steps in order to meet the conditions of your offer. All offers of a place on the LLM course are conditional in the first instance, as they automatically come with college membership and finance conditions attached. In addition, applicants who are engaging in academic studies when they apply are likely to have academic conditions attached to their offer.

Please note that any offers of funding which an offer holder might receive are separate from the offer of a place on the LLM programme. All LLM offer conditions must be met before an offer holder can be admitted to the course, irrespective of any scholarships or other funding for which they might have been selected.

Meeting offer conditions

To take up your place on the LLM at the beginning of the academic year in October you must meet the conditions of your offer by the summer of 2024. The PAO specifies the precise date. If you do not do so your offer will lapse. Once you have satisfied the conditions attached to your offer you must send the evidence to the PAO, who will record your conditions as met on your self-service account.

College membership

When the Postgraduate Admissions Office sets your offer your application will simultaneously be sent to the college choices you nominated on your application form. If your nominated colleges cannot offer a place, other colleges will be contacted. Once the process is complete the PAO and the relevant college will notify you of your college membership.

Multiple offers

If in addition to the LLM you have applied for admission to the MCL programme or another University of Cambridge course for the same year of entry and have received an offer of a place, you must choose between the offers. The election is irrevocable and permanent. Please note that no one who accepts an offer to join the LLM programme will be allowed to transfer to the MCL, or vice versa.

Obtaining a visa

If you need a visa to study at Cambridge, obtaining the relevant documentation is your responsibility. Please see the PAO's webpage on immigration for details on the procedure for obtaining a visa to study at Cambridge. Delays can easily occur with the granting of a visa so you should begin the procedure as early as possible.