Dear prospective student,

In both law and in economics, modern young professionals are not only experts in their fields, but are also able to work in an interdisciplinary fashion. This is often referred to as “transversal skills”. Think of a T, with the vertical axis being your particular area of specialization and the horizontal bar symbolizing your ability to collaborate with people across geographical and cultural borders. Both aspects are equally important.

Transversal skills are the key to success in today’s labour market. Attending the EMLE programme, which has been committed to delivering graduate education at the intersection between law and economics for more than 30 years, will allow you to develop these skills.

Here is why: first, you will learn that laws have economic effects and that economic mechanisms vary with the institutional context, which notably includes the laws of different jurisdictions. In other words, you will learn that the world is more complex than you would have ever thought. Then – and here is the good news – the EMLE will teach you how to make sense of this complexity, not just by studying more law or more economics, but rather by learning how to integrate the two perspectives. And finally, you will learn to cross many other borders than just the one between law and economics. Studying at two or three international universities, and meeting with varying groups of people from some 30 different countries, you will become a true citizen of the world.

We cordially invite you to apply to the EMLE programme and strive to spend an exciting year with us in a challenging international environment.

The EMLE Board

Below you may find a general timeline for the application and admission process. The exact deadlines differ per year. Please note that the entire procedure consists of two parts. First, in the application process, applicants have to submit their application documents which are assessed by the reviewing committee. Second, in the admission process, the joint selection committee decides which applicants are accepted into the programme based on the final ranking.

Application Timeline

September:

The application form is published on the website.

January:

Monday 15 January 2024 (CEST 23:59, UTC+2).

Application deadline (only fully completed applications, including at least one reference letter, will be considered).

March:

Applicants receive an e-mail stating their admission status (admitted/waiting list/rejected).

Admission Timeline

March:

Admission letters are sent out.

April:

In case of free capacities: admission of the waiting list.
Acceptance of place with the payment of 1st installment of the tuition fee.

May:

Payment of 2nd installment of the tuition fee.
Deadline of submission of proof of English language proficiency and other required documents.

June:

1st term universities contact the students.
Check for visa procedures and requirements.

July:

Confirmation of successful start of visa application.

We select for students with at least 240 ECTS (four-years) of prior higher education. This could have been obtained by a three-year bachelor programme and a first master’s degree, or by a four-year bachelor programme. For more information on the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), click here.

Law and/or Economics Degree
Preference will be given to students with a background in law and/or economics.

Other Degree
Applicants with other degrees than law and/or economics may also apply under the condition that they can show in their letter of motivation that they are clearly interested in studying the economic analysis of law and that they have a clear idea about the approach they will learn to apply within the EMLE programme.  If you’re in doubt whether your degree qualifies, please contact us at application@emle.org.

Candidates for a Degree
Students who have not yet graduated but who expect to graduate before July of the same year the programme starts can also apply to the EMLE programme. If such a student is selected for the programme, this is under the deferring condition that (s)he sends a copy of the diploma before mid-July. It is on the applicant’s own risk to apply without a completed degree.

EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme
For application purposes, “European” students have a passport from one of the EU Member States or third countries associated to the Programme:

  • Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden
  • North Macedonia, Republic of Serbia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Republic of Türkiye

For more information about the eligible countries under the Erasmus+ Programme, please see the website of the European Commission (click here).

Third countries not associated to the Programme
All other applicants are considered as “non-European” students for application purposes.

Double citizenship
Applicants with a dual citizenship can apply with either citizenship but must choose one application category. It is not possible to apply as both “European” and “non-European” student at the same time and the category may also not be changed after the application has been submitted.

You can now apply for the academic year 2024/2025. The application deadline will be on Monday 15 January 2024 (23:59 CEST).

Degree Certificates

Each student must provide two documents per degree:

– A degree certificate stating that the student has successfully completed the listed programme and obtained the listed degree and

– An official degree supplement or transcript listing the grades obtained during the programme.

If you have not completed your studies at the time of your application, please attach a full transcript of your grades up to this point.

CV

Each applicant should provide an up-to-date CV in English. We require you to use the Europass template, which can be downloaded for free here. Make sure to list any factors that reflect well on your academic successes (academic honours, previous published works, academic teaching experience) or that might have caused your current test scores to be lower than your potential would suggest (extensive charitable work, participation in student bodies, pro bono assignments).

Letter of Motivation

The letter of motivation is our most important indicator towards your commitment to and understanding of the study of Law & Economics.  In your letter of motivation, addressed to the reviewing committee, please explain why you are interested in Law & Economics in general and in the EMLE Programme in particular (one page). Please keep your answer within one document of one page maximum, titled “Letter of Motivation”.

Letters of Recommendation

Each student is expected to provide at least one (preferably two) letter(s) of recommendation. Acceptable recommenders are employers or, since this is an academic programme, preferably academic teachers. Recommenders should use the standardized EMLE form, which is included in the application form. Recommendation letters can be requested digitally during the online application process using the recommenders’ professional email address. You will be notified automatically via email once your recommenders have submitted their letter. Letters of recommendation received directly from applicants are not accepted!

Proof of Residence

All applicants need to submit a proof of residence for the country they are claiming residence in. This is needed to evaluate if students’ allocations within the EMLE Programme comply with the basic mobility rules for Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Programmes. Therefore they need to provide a document that contains both their full name and current address. This document can be a statement from the current university or employer or the city hall but needs to be issued before the application deadline (15 January 2024) but not longer than 12 months prior to application deadline. A passport cannot serve as a valid proof of residence!

Assessment of the Applications

All applicants are assessed according to the following criteria:

1. 40% Quality of the university career (including duration, number and quality of the degrees obtained, academic credentials and academic performance)
2. 25% Quality of motivation letter
3. 25% Affinity to law and economics (evaluated by subjects of previous studies and/or the letter of motivation)
4. 10% Letters of recommendation

All applicants are ranked based on these assessment criteria. Available places in the programme are offered and scholarships are awarded based on the final ranking of the applicants. Due to the large number of applications, the EMLE staff cannot provide individual feedback on the specific reasons for a declined application and/or negative scholarship decision. Declined applicants are welcome to re-apply for the following academic year.

If you believe that a grave error has been made in the assessment of your application, you can submit a letter of appeal to the reviewing committee. For example, if you have reasons to believe that documents in your application form were overlooked. Your argumentation in this letter of appeal should be based on the abovementioned assessment criteria. Please note that no information other than what is mentioned in your application form will be considered in the appeal procedure (e.g., further education, experiences, certificates or documents). You can send your letter of appeal to application@emle.org.

Admission letters are sent out based on the ranking of the applicants. To secure their spot, accepted applicants have to complete the admission steps.

Certified documents

We will ask you to provide us with certified copies of your application documents (e.g. degree, academic transcript, proof of residence). Certified copies of official documents can be issued e.g. by notaries, the degree-issuing institution, lawyers and in some instances also pastors. Please note that all documents must be in English. Documents that are not in English must be accompanied by certified English translations.

Proof of English proficiency

Applicants whose native language is not English must provide original test scores from one of the following standardized English proficiency tests:

a. International TOEFL 
TOEFL iBT Test: Minimum score of 95 (minimum reading: 13, listening: 12, speaking: 18, writing: 21)
TOEFL Essentials Test: Minimum score of 10 (minimum reading: 6, listening: 6, speaking: 7, writing: 9)

b. IELTS (academic module)
– Minimum score of 7.0 (minimum per section: 6.0)

c. Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English
– Grades A, B, C

d. Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English
– Grades A, B

TOEFL test users can choose institutional code C905 (European Master in Law and Economics – EMLE) when taking their test. Do not choose to send your paper score cards to the Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University College or the Rotterdam School of Management! The EMLE directorship is currently hosted at the Erasmus School of Law of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. IELTS test results can be checked by us online with the combination of test date and TRF number. If results can be verified online, you will not have to provide us with an original paper score card of your results. Please note that we cannot accept any test results older than two years, calculated backwards from the application deadline (15 January 2024).

Reasons for exemption from an English test are:

– You have obtained your diploma in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada (with the exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom (with the exception of commonwealth countries and territories) and United States of America.

– English was your first language during your secondary school education for at least 2,5 years in one of the above-mentioned countries.

Tuition fee payment

The first installment of the tuition fee, amounts €600 and is due within 2-3 weeks after your acceptance. By transferring the first installment, you accept your place in the programme. This fee is non-refundable in case you should later leave the programme. The second installment (€5.900 for Europeans, €10.400 for non-Europeans) is due 31 May. If you withdraw before 31 July, this second installment will be refunded completely. If you withdraw before 15 September, only 50% of the second installment will be refunded. After that, no refund will be possible. The exact due dates and the bank account information will be sent along with the admission letter. Full and timely payment of the tuition fees is essential to finalize your admission.

Chinese/Indian/Vietnamese students only

  • Hamburg
    Applicants with a degree from a Chinese, Indian or Vietnamese university who want to spend one or more terms in Germany (Hamburg) need to obtain a certificate that validates their degree. Having such a certificate does not guarantee allocation to Hamburg, but students without such a certificate cannot be allocated to Hamburg. The procedure at the APS takes two months. An allocation to Hamburg is conditional upon obtaining the certificate. Details can be found on the APS website for applications to Germany.
  • Ghent
    Applicants with a degree from a Chinese university who want to spend one  term in Belgium (Ghent) need to obtain a certificate that validates their degree. Having such a certificate does not guarantee allocation to Ghent, but students without such a certificate cannot be allocated to Ghent. The procedure at the APS takes two months. An allocation to Ghent is conditional upon obtaining the certificate. Details can be found on the APS website for applications to Belgium.

Allocation to the different EMLE partner universities

Regarding allocations, the basic mobility rules of the European Commission for Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Programmes apply (see Programme Structure). All students need to study at least at two different universities (at least one of which in a European country), which have to be different from the country of residence of the student at the time of enrollment. Students are allocated by the EMLE staff based on these mobility rules, their preferences, and capacity of EMLE locations. Regarding the third term location, we offer an official reallocation procedure at the end of the first term for students who wish to write their thesis in a specific area of supervision.

Erasmus+ Scholarship

The highest ranked students will be offered an Erasmus+: Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) Scholarship by the European Commission. EMJM scholarship holders will receive a monthly contribution of maximal 1400 Euro to cover all costs related to travel, visa, installment and subsistence costs for the duration that students will be on the programme (depending on the date of return to the home country). Please note that monthly contributions will not be paid if scholarshipholders do not adhere to the basic mobility rules of the programme. Besides payments from the European Commission, the EMLE consortium will provide all EMLE students with insurance coverage over the whole period of the EMLE academic year.

For the academic years 2022/2023 up to 2027/2028, the programme may award 60 full scholarships (approximately 10 per academic year). Scholarships will be awarded based on merit, established by the ranking of all applicants who submitted their application complete and within the deadline. There is no distinction between applicants from EU or non-EU countries, though overall there is a maximum number of scholarships awarded to the same nationalities. In addition, the programme may award 30 scholarships for Erasmus+ Programme targeted regions of the world (approximately 5 per academic year). Therefore, in total, the programme may award up to 15 full scholarships annually.

If you are interested in applying for the scholarship and have not received an EMJM scholarship from the EMLE or any other EMJM-programmes before, please indicate your interest in our application form by ticking the relevant box.

EMLE Outreach Scholarship

The EMLE programme is dedicated to introducing and strengthening education in Law and Economics in countries and regions where it is not yet wide-known. Therefore, EMLE annually provides full tuition fee waivers for up to two applicants who are affiliated to a higher education institution and who, upon graduation from the EMLE, will incorporate Law and Economics in their teaching and research. Interested applicants should provide, next to their regular EMLE application, a short project plan regarding how to implement Law and Economics in their work. In addition, they must provide a letter of endorsement from their institution, showing its interest in developing or strengthening Law and Economics in their curriculum/course catalogue. Preference will be given to applicants from countries outside the 49 member countries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA, see link) or those countries that were so far underrepresented in the Erasmus+ programme (either as scholarship holders or consortium partners in EMJM(D) programmes, see overview in this publication of the EACEA). If you comply with these eligibility criteria and are interested in the EMLE Outreach Scholarship, please contact us at application@emle.org.

If are interested in applying for this scholarship make sure to send the project plan and letter of endorsement to application@emle.org before the application deadline (15 January 2024).

Other Scholarship opportunities

Please check the options for scholarships from organizations in your own countries to study abroad. You can also visit the pages of the international offices at your EMLE host universities to search for funding options specific to your host countries. The list below provides you with a number of foundations where students can apply for a scholarship. Please be aware that we have no further information on scholarships nor any influence on the application procedure of the foundations mentioned.

– Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (DE)
Colfuturo (CO)
– Copernicus Foundation (DE)
– DAAD (DE)
– Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (DE)
– Geschwister Büschbell Foundation (DE)
– Haniel Foundation (DE)
– Hans Seidel Foundation (DE)
– Heinz Schwarzkopf Foundation (DE)
– Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (DE)
– Robert Bosch Foundation (DE)
– Rotary Foundation (DE)
– Grantfinder Netherlands (NL)
– Scholarship Database Germany (DE)
Study in Holland (NL)

Scholarships for visiting scholars to the EMLE Partner Universities

The grant from the European Commission to the EMLE programme provides scholarships for visiting scholars through the Erasmus+ Programme. Prospective visiting scholars should be established researchers in economic analysis of law with a professional affiliation to a prominent university or research institution. Non-European visiting scholars can apply to the Consortium throughout the year. Full applications, including a CV and a detailed research project, can be sent to mundusscholars@emle.org. This funding option is NOT intended for students. Applications from prospective students or from individuals having no established academic experience in economic analysis of law will NOT be considered.

Tuition fees are calculated on the basis of one academic year. Please check the application categories page to verify the applicable tuition fee.

– The tuition fee for “European Students” (EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme) is € 6,500.
– The tuition fee for “non-European Students” (third countries not associated to the Programme) is € 11,000.

Successful applicants will be required to pay the first non-refundable installment of €600 around mid-April . The remainder of the tuition fees is due 31 May and, upon withdrawal from the programme, will be reimbursed as follows: 100% until 31 July; 50% until 15 September; no refund after that.

Other costs

The tuition fees cover the provision of the teaching, as well as some EMLE-related social activities. Additional costs for books and study materials vary per course and partner-university. The responsibility to meet the costs of living and travel expenses (except for travel to the Midterm Meeting) rests with the students. More information on the living costs at the EMLE partner universities can be found here.

FAQ regarding application

Do I already need to provide a proof of English proficiency during the application?

No, we only require a proof of English proficiency from admitted students. You do not need to take an English test before the application deadline. If you already have a test result that could serve as proof of English proficiency, you are free to sent it to us at application@emle.org so that we can inform you in case it does not meet our requirements. This is just for your awareness and will not affect your application review.

What happens if I can’t provide the necessary application documents?

All application requirements have to be met before the deadline mid-January. Should you fail to provide the required documents, your application to the programme is incomplete and will not be reviewed.

Do I have to provide original documents for the application?

No. The application is completely online. As such only electronic copies must be provided. Once we have admitted students (usually in March), we require the admitted students to send original documents.

What suffices as a proof of residence?

The proof of residence should be a residence certificate issued in accordance with the candidate’s municipality normal registration rules or a certificate from the candidate’s place of work, study or training issued by the employer or institution in question. The document must have been issued within 12 months before the application deadline. Furthermore, the document needs to contain the date at which it was signed, your name and the place where you live. A passport cannot serve as a proof of residence!

I do not have a background in Law or Economics, am I eligible to apply?

Applicants with a other degrees than law and/or economics may also apply under the condition that they can show in their letter of motivation that they are clearly interested in studying the economic analysis of law and that they have a clear idea about the approach they will learn to apply within the EMLE programme. Their previous studies do not have to contain law and or economics, but the student has to be willing to study both subjects in order to have the necessary basics to follow the EMLE courses. If you’re in doubt whether your degree qualifies or you have any further questions regarding qualification, please contact application@emle.org.

Where can I find the standard form for the recommendation letter?

In the application form, you will find a section about recommendation letters. Here you should enter the (professional!) email addresses of your reviewers. They will automatically receive an email with the standard review form and an upload link.

I want to submit more than two recommendation letters, is this possible?

No, the maximum number of letters is two per applicant.

I have not graduated yet, so I cannot upload a diploma to the application form. What should I do?

If that is the case, you do not need to upload your diploma. Please upload a transcript of grades that shows the courses you have completed so far. Preferably (but not mandatory), this document also contains your expected date of graduation or a letter from your university stating this.

The application deadline has passed for the next academic year but I would still like to join the program next year – what are the options?

If the official application deadline has passed, there still might be the option for late applications to the program. To inquire, please contact the EMLE office at info@emle.org. Late applications can eventually be accepted if the applications pass the review procedure, if there are still spots at the different University partners and if the application can be submitted still in time for students to join the program from the start. It is possible, that desired tracks or term locations will not be available any longer. Also, late applicants may not be nominated for Erasmus+: Erasmus Mundus (EMJMD) scholarships.

How can I apply for the Erasmus+ Scholarship?

There is the possibility that the highest ranked students will be offered an Erasmus+: Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) scholarship by the European Commission. If you are admitted to the EMLE Program, you will automatically be considered in the allocation of the scholarships (you do not have to apply for it yourself). If you are interested in receiving this scholarship, you may indicate your interest in our application form. Once the application deadline closes, 19 January 2023, the separate application process for the Erasmus+ scholarship will start and interested applicants will be contacted.

FAQ regarding admission

I cannot accept my place this year. Can the offer be deferred?

In accordance with the official regulations stipulated by the European Commission, an offer or acceptance into the EMLE programme cannot be deferred to the following academic year. As a result, the applicant would have to re-submit his/her application during the following application cycle. Please note that such applicant, who has previously been accepted, is very welcome to refer to such previous offer in the course of the re-application.

Why was my application denied?

Due to the large number of applications, the staff cannot provide individualized feedback on your application. You can click here for the relevant rating criteria.

I was accepted but I do not like my allocations. Can these be changed?

The admission letter contains an allocation for all three terms. By paying the 600 Euro instalment for the tuition fee, an applicant officially accepts the allocations stated in the admission letter. Should an applicant desire to be reallocated to a more preferred location, she/he should contact the admissions staff. The conditions, deadlines and contact details for such a request are contained in the admission letter. Please note that reallocation requests can only be accommodated to the extent of available capacities at the respective locations.

What is the waiting list?

All students who fulfil the academic requirements of the EMLE but have not been ranked high enough to obtain one of the limited places in the programme are placed on a waiting list. If higher-ranked applicants decide not to accept the offered place, applicants on the reserve list will be contacted in order of their ranking. Typically such offers are made between the end of March and the end of April.

I have not been accepted. Can I re-apply next year?

Both applicants who cannot accept our offer this year (see above) and declined applicants are most welcome to re-apply for the next academic year. Please note that a transfer of this year´s results and/or information to the next year is not possible. The application form and the exact requirements normally change between years. For this reason any re-application has to be started fresh (i.e. the application form has to be filled in again).

English was the language of communication during my studies, does this exempt me from a proof of English proficiency?

No, you still need to provide a proof of English proficiency unless one of the exemptions applies to you.

To what address should I send any documents?

First of all, only send in hard copies of documents when requested to do so. Applicants do not have to send us any hard copies of their application.

When using regular post:

P.O. Box 1738, L7-33
Burgermeester Oudlaan
3000 DR Rotterdam
The Netherlands

When using track&trace or courier services:

EMLE management office
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3062 PA, Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Room L7-033 (Sanders building)