THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

FACULTY OF LAW
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR
TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES (SEPTEMBER 2024 INTAKE)

Please carefully read the instructions and guidelines before start making an application.

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

All applications should be submitted via the online application system here.

Please upload the following documents within four weeks from the date of the creation of your
account and before the application deadline.

The deadline(s) for applications will be strictly adhered to. It is the applicant's responsibility to make
sure that all supporting documents, including but not limited to academic transcript(s), IELTS/TOEFL
report(s), recommendation letters, and so on, must be uploaded by the timeframe mentioned above. In
this regard, you are strongly encouraged to submit your application and documents as early as
possible to avoid any competitive disadvantage over other applicants whose files are complete.

We must receive the full supporting documents to consider your application.

If you wish to apply for more than one programme at HKU1, you should apply under a different
username on the application system and settle the fee (HK$300) separately. However, an applicant
can only accept and enrol in one programme even if they have received more than one admission offer
from the University.

Applicants are permitted to choose up to three (3) programmes and will be allowed to rank them in
order of preference from their choice. It is also important to select and prioritise your programme
choices according to your academic and career aspirations.

The original/certified copy of supporting materials is NOT required during the application stage.
However, should a candidate be given an admission offer by the faculty, they will be notified of the
need to submit the original/certified true copy of the documents by a specified deadline.

Late applications will only be considered if places are still available.

1. Academic Transcript(s)2

You must submit a copy of the transcript to facilitate our review. If you have obtained/will obtain
more than one degree from the same University or institution, you may submit one academic
transcript provided that full academic standing, including the number of credits and individual
class grades for each degree, are recorded in order.

Applicants will also need to submit a current academic transcript for consideration if they are in
the last year of study from their current programme.

1
Candidates will be asked to indicate their priority of preference when uploading their materials online.
2
In both Chinese and English versions, only applicable to candidates graduating from Mainland China institutions.
2. Official IELTS / TOEFL report34 (if applicable)

A high level of English language proficiency is a prerequisite for admission. Candidates from a
university or comparable institution outside Hong Kong where the language of teaching and
examination is not English shall be required to satisfy the University English language
requirement through one of the following recognised English tests with the faculty’s minimum
requirement shown below:

Test Minimum Requirement(s)

IELTS (Academic) For Master of Law (LLM) Programmes:
- An overall band of 7.0 or above with no subtest below 6.5

For the Master of Common Law (MCL) Programme:

- An overall band of 6.5 or above with no subtest below 6.0
TOEFL (Paper-based Test) A score of 593 or above
TOEFL (Internet-based Test) A score of 97 or above

3. Personal Statement5

The personal statement is an essential component of your application. It provides an opportunity

for you to tell us more about yourself – particularly why you would like to apply for a taught
postgraduate degree at HKU Law and why you are a suitable candidate for the programme. When
explaining your suitability, you should refer to your academic, professional and personal
background.

4. Curriculum Vitae / Résumé (Optional but highly recommended)

5. Recommendation Letter

Applicants will be asked to provide details of two referees when completing the online application
form. Please note that at least one referee should be from academics who can comment
knowledgeably on your academic performance and your ability to pursue postgraduate study in
law.

Upon receipt of your online application, the online reference report system will immediately send
an invitation email to the email addresses of your referees. Your referees will have 14 calendar
days to complete the reference report. They will also receive a reminder email seven calendar
days before the deadline.

3
Applicants do not need to take the English proficiency test if they received a master's/bachelor's degree from an
institution where the medium of instruction was English but are required to submit the academic transcript for
consideration.
4
The faculty only accepts IELTS/TOEFL score reports if the result is obtained within two years of the application
deadline. Please also note that the university and the faculty does not accept scores from any of the following tests:
- IELTS Indicator
- TOEFL iBT® Home Edition
- TOEFL ITP® Plus for China Solution
- TOEFL Essentials™ Test
- TOEFL MyBest™ Score Reports
- Duolingo English Test
- Pearson Tests of English
- College English Test 全國大學英語四、六級考試 (CET-4/CET-6)
- Test for English Majors 全國高等學校英語專業四、八級考試 (TEM-4/TEM-8)
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The Personal Statement must be solely the product of your efforts. We reserve the right to disqualify the application
of a candidate who has submitted a Personal Statement written by, or with the help of, someone other than the
candidate.
 The most helpful recommendations are those written by academics who know you well or by
someone you have worked with professionally. The content of the recommendations is more
critical than the number of recommendations you submit.

Please note that your referees will need time to prepare a reference report. Therefore, we suggest
you contact your referees at your earliest convenience to allow them sufficient time to write the
reference letter.

If you or your referees need assistance, please email the Faculty of Law Office at [email protected].

CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

We will treat all information submitted in the application as confidential.

Unless your application is successful, all application forms and supporting documents, once submitted,
WILL NOT be returned and will be destroyed after the admission exercise.

ADMISSIONS DECISIONS

Admission offers may be made on a rolling basis and are generally available 6-8 weeks after receiving
the complete set of documents.

Successful applicants will also be notified by email. Applicants who have not received an admission
offer will be considered again until the end of the admission exercise. In this regard, you are advised
to check your email regularly. The Faculty of Law Office will not release any information regarding
the application decision to anyone other than the applicant for confidentiality reasons.

Applicants who do not hear from us by July 2024 may assume their applications are
unsuccessful.

PROGRAMME FEE AND PAYMENT

1. Application Fee

The application fee is HK$300 per programme and must be paid online by credit card when you
submit your application. Please do not send cash/cheques. The fee is non-refundable and will not
be credited to your composition fee if admitted.

2. Composition Fee

The tuition fee for the respective programmes for the 2024-2025 academic year is under review.

Please refer to the 2023-2024 fee for each taught postgraduate programme shown below for
reference. Should you be admitted to the programme, you will be asked to pay the first instalment
of the tuition fee (i.e., 50% for full-time candidates and 25% for part-time candidates) in addition
to the caution money of HK$350 and for full-time candidates, the student activity fee of HK$100
is also required.
 Programme Local Candidates (HK$) Non-local Candidates6 (HK$)
LLM(CFL)
200,200
LLM(CR)
LLM
LLM(Arb&DR)
LLM(ChineseLaw) 182,000
LLM(T&IPL)
MCL
LLM(HR) 42,100 182,000

STUDENT VISA

Students who do not have the right of abode or land in Hong Kong must apply for a student visa for
educational purposes from the Hong Kong Immigration Department (ImmD). HKU's Admissions
Office will be the local sponsor and assist with student visa applications.

The whole student visa application will take 8-10 weeks upon receipt of a complete set of application
documents. Admitted students are, therefore, advised to apply for the student visa as soon as they have
accepted our admissions offer.

CONCURRENT REGISTRATION

University's General Regulation G6 prohibits concurrent registration by a student at this University

for another post-secondary qualification either at this University or at any other institution. A breach
of this regulation may result in discontinuing studies at this University.

ENQUIRIES

If you experience difficulties during your application, please email [email protected] for assistance.

November 2023

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According to the HKSAR Government, you will be considered as non-local students if you are holding:
- Student visa/entry permit to study in Hong Kong; or
- Dependent visa/entry permit and were aged 18 years old or above when they were first issued with such
documents by the Hong Kong Immigration Department (ImmD); or
- Visa/entry permit under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG); or
- RF Recognizance Form
 Name of Applicant:
Reference Number:

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

FACULTY OF LAW

TAUGHT POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES (SEPTEMBER 2024 INTAKE)

NOTES ON SUBMISSION OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

For those applicants who applied for the Master of Laws (LLM) and/or Master of Common Law
(MCL) programme(s), please follow the guidelines below.

An email notification will be sent to you within 48 hours. You should follow the instructions in the
email and upload your supporting documents in PDF format for our preliminary consideration after
completing the online application. All documents should be submitted within four weeks, starting
from the date you receive the email notification.

Your application number should be included in the file name of each document, and name the file
using the following convention:

- T: Transcript (Example: 1103112910_T1)

- E: IELTS/TOEFL Test Results (Example: 1103112910_E1)
- PS: Personal Statement (Example: 1103112910_PS1)
- CV: Curriculum Vitae / Résumé (Example: 1103112910_CV1)
- O: Other Certificates (Example: 1103112910_O1)

Transcripts and other submitted documents which are not in English should be accompanied by a
certified translation in English. The certified translation should be provided by your home institution.

All supporting documents and/or completed recommendations should be available before the
application closes date. Please note that you are NOT required to submit an original/certified true
copy 7 of your documents to the University during the application stage. Should you be given an
admission offer by the University, you will receive a notification to submit a certified true copy of
your documents.

ENCLOSED (PLEASE TICK AS APPROPRIATE.)

Two recommendation letters are to be sent by the online application system.

Complete/Current academic transcript(s)
Office IELTS/TOEFL8 Score Report (if appropriate)*

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Please note that the University will only ACCEPT originals or copies of the documents duly declared as true
copies before a notary public (e.g., a Commissioner for Oaths at a District Office in Hong Kong). Copies of
documents may be certified by the appropriate officials of your home institute if you are an overseas applicant.
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Applicants may use the following information when applying for an official TOEFL test report via Educational
Testing Service (ETS):
• University Code: 9671
• School Type: 01 (Graduate School)
• Department Code: 99 (Undecided)