Enrolment

Frequently Asked Questions

A: Additional relevant training may be in the form of summer schools or short courses for which ECTS credits were obtained or can be calculated. Relevant professional experience includes internships requiring legal knowledge. Since it is also possible to combine 30 ECTS credits of additional relevant training and 6 months of relevant professional experience, we encourage you to contact us regarding your plans before starting an internship, summer course or short course intended to meet eligibility requirements.

A: In general, we require proof of English proficiency through one of the following tests: TOEFL ibT: 100 points or above, TOEFL Paper: 600 points or above, IELTS: 7.0 or above, Cambridge CAE: A, Cambridge CPE: C or higher. Exceptionally, our Program Manager, a certified teacher of English as a Second Language, can assess English proficiency through the interview process. Before you schedule a re-take of your English proficiency test, please send an e-mail to llm@unil.ch to arrange an interview with our Program Manager.

A: Our courses are open to professionals, including lawyers and in-house counsel that have been practicing for several years.

A: Yes: most courses in our Program are taught in two to three-day blocks (3 credits), or four to six-day blocks (6 credits), generally on Thursday and Fridays, which makes it possible to reconcile coursework and a professional activity. Few courses are spread over one semester (13-14 weeks) and candidates need not select these courses if this is not compatible with work obligations.  Tests and exams are administered immediately after each course, and students may write the LLM thesis under the remote supervision of one of our instructors.

It is also possible, by an appropriate choice of courses, to concentrate all coursework over a period of 3-4 months. However, in this case, it might prove impossible to work in parallel and may be difficult to gather a sufficient number of credits in one of the five specialisations: the candidate would then obtain the title of “LLM in International Business Law” without specialisation.

Students can also only register for individual courses in our Programme. Credits obtained for these courses will be recognised and can be accumulated towards an LL.M. degree at a later date. A fee of 900 Swiss Francs will be charged for each 3-credit course and the list of individual courses available can be found on our website under “courses open to the public”.

A: Applicants unable to produce English language proficiency test results before the application deadline should submit all other required application documents through our online portal and send test scores separately by e-mail to llm@unil.ch after the deadline.

A: No. As soon as we receive an application, we begin liaising with associations and foundations based on the profile of an applicant. As a result, we have obtained private funding for scholarships and prizes, which are specific to individuals in our current applicant pool. When an applicant withdraws his or her application, any funding obtained for that applicant must be returned to the funding body.

A: Scholarships do not cover living expenses; paid internships have, thus, been negotiated in order to cover part of these expenses. Students living in Switzerland on a student visa are allowed to work 15 hours per week and must have approximately 2000 Swiss Francs per month to cover living expenses. Once a student has been accepted to the LL.M. Programme, he or she is eligible for the internships that we have negotiated and, with guidance from the LL.M. administration, can then negotiate terms of the internship contract with one of the internship providers. Our course offering allows students to work part-time or to concentrate courses over a semester in order to be in Switzerland for less than one year. 

A: International Contracts, International Commercial Litigation, International Commercial Arbitration, Innovation Law

A: The LL.M. is very specialised and its strength lies not only in its specialisation, but also in the diversity of its students, their work experience, and the small class size, which allows for greater career support for each LL.M. student. We have a number of applicants who have chosen the LL.M. because they have language abilities that are sought after in Switzerland and would like to pursue a career in international arbitration, international business transactions, or one of our other specialisations. Many former LL.M. graduates have found positions in large banks, companies and law firms with a focus on international arbitration.

Unlike the LL.M., which can be completed in one year, the Master of Law takes at least 1.5-2 years to complete. At the University of Lausanne, some of the Master of Law courses are in French and almost all courses are spread over an entire semester, making it more difficult to combine this course of study with a professional activity.