Master of Laws in International Law (LL.M.)  Requirements

• First application deadline, 7th of November, 2025
• Second application deadline: 16th of January 2026
• Clases start on 6th of Abril, 2026
• Schedule: Tuesdays to Thursdays from 18:30 - 21.00 hours. Ocasionally on Mondays, from 18:30 - 21:00 hours
• The program ends on the 31sr of March, 2027, in Heidelberg, Germany

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission requirements are set out in the  and summarized below. Please revise the Admission Regulations document to make sure that your application is correct and complete. To streamline the application process, you can download the checklist on the documentation needed, available further down. 

Before starting your application process, we strongly recommend you get in touch the executive coordinator: 

LL.M., María Gabriela De Abreu                       
 

Additionally, regular information sessions are held both online and at the Heidelberg Center (Providencia, Santiago de Chile). Updates on these sessions are published on our website and social media profiles (LinkedIn, Instagram). Feel free to attend!

Applicants must meet the following admission requirements

1. Have successfully completed a degree program in Law at a German university or hold a degree in Law obtained at a university outside the jurisdiction of the German Basic Law that is comparable and equivalent to a German law degree:

- For applicants who study in a German University:  applicants who have successfully completed the first state examination in law or the first law examination in the jurisdiction of the German Law on Judges (Deutsches Richtergesetz).

- For applicants who studied at a university outside Germany: Degree in law sciences awarded by a Chilean or a foreign university.

1. In general, applicants who completed their final academic examination outside the scope of the German Law on Judges (Deutsches Richtergesetz) are eligible for admission only if they have obtained a minimum grade of “good” (German law grading system). For applicants within the scope of the German Law on Judges, the required minimum grade is “completely satisfactory” (German law grading system). Applicants who can demonstrate that they ranked among the top 20% of their cohort may also be admitted to the programme. Regional distribution of university places may likewise be taken into account in the selection procedure.
2. Admission will only be granted to applicants with outstanding language skills in Spanish and sufficient language skills in English. Supporting documents must be submitted in addition to the application form. Knowledge of English and/or Spanish must be certified.

The following options are accepted as proof of Spanish language skills:

• Spanish as a native language
• Schooling or university education in a Spanish-speaking country
• Spanish test overseen by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

The following options are accepted as proof of English language skills: 

• English as native language
• Schooling or university education in an English-speaking country

TOEFL test ibt 78/120 points. 

Applicants must submit the following documents: 

• An officially certified copy or transcript of the applicant’s university entrance qualification that permits university entrance in the applicant’s country of origin.
• An official transcript of the academic record of the applicant at his/her Law School
• An official certificate copy of his/her law degree
• Certificate of language skills in English and Spanish, according to the information detailed in the admission requirements
• Translation: the documents must be submitted in Spanish or English or in an officially certified translation in one of these languages.

Deadline for application: 

Applicants must submit their documents of applications to the Heidelberg Center for Latin America in the deadline stablished (16 January 2026) first by e-mail  () and then to the following postal address: Las Hortensias 2340, Providencia, Región Metropolitana, Chile (Postal Code: 7510350) by fast mail (we recommend DHL, TNT or Fedex).

Note that these documents cannot be returned to the applicant. Please do not send original documents. 

The program starts on April 2024. Course terms are arranged according to the following schedule, corresponding to the Southern Hemisphere calendar:

Fall, winter and spring (April to December)
Courses take place at the HCLA in Santiago de Chile, hybrid modus.

Summer (December to February)
Draft thesis

Heidelberg Stay (March)
Courses, completion of thesis and final oral examination

In order to obtain the Master's Degree in International Law, participants have to pass all courses, the written thesis and a final oral examination.

Fees

• Application fee: 100 Euros
• Enrollment fee: 453 Euros
• Tuition fees: 12000 Euros (fees cover one-month accommodation in Heidelberg and a expense allowance for such stay)

The program has three prestigious scholarship systems:

• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD):

TB1 – German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD): 

Tuition fee support and monthly allowance for a period of 11 months (April to February). 

TB2 – German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD):

Travel allowance for the stay in Heidelberg, and partial coverage of expenses during such stay.

The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) main function is to promote cooperation between German and international universities and research centers in different fields of study, teaching, research and outreach. Each year, the DAAD awards grants for transnational training programs (Translationale Bildung, TNB), through which the winning institutions (German universities) receive funds exclusively for scholarships for foreign students of academic excellence. Heidelberg University’s LL.M. in International Law has been successful in these applications since 2008.

• HCLA-Scholarships: tuition fee reduction for qualified cases.
• Scholarship "Women in International Law": The program offers a scholarship of 50% reduction of the total fee for a female applicant with stands out for her academic excellence and professional achievements.

Selection committee: Scholarship awardees are selected by a bi-national commission of representatives from Heidelberg University, HCLA and University of Chile, as well as a representative of the DAAD Information Office in Santiago de Chile. 

Participants may also independently apply for external funding programs or scholarships. To that purpose, the LL.M. coordination at the HCLA supports participants issuing any documentation needed in relation to their participation in the program.

Please, before starting your application process, contact the program operative coordination for more information:

LL.M., María Gabriela De Abreu