EdMIUMThe Master of Laws (LLM) in New Zealand requires at least 1 Year of full-time study. New Zealand law schools are ranked in the top 500 in the world. In order to study in New Zealand, students must have a bachelor’s degree in Law from a recognized college with good grades. You will also need the results of tests to study in New Zealand.
In this article, let us look at:
- Why Study LLM in New Zealand?
- Top Universities
- Admission Process
- Cost of Studying LLM in New Zealand
- Scholarships for LLM in New Zealand
- Scope
1. Why Study LLM in New Zealand?
- Most of the Pacific island nations will have English-speaking legal systems, as do countries like India, and this makes studying an LLM in New Zealand particularly popular.
- In New Zealand, education is similar to that of the United States and Canada. It has quality of life like the United States and UK, but at a much lower cost.
- You can apply for a post-study work visa offering a 12 months stay-back to international students to look for jobs in New Zealand.
- LLM in New Zealand is designed to be flexible. It is offered as coursework, intensive research, and dissertation writing basis or in the form of thesis submission.
- Environmental law is very popular among Law students. The Faculty of Law in Auckland is home to the New Zealand Centre for Environmental Law and has a Master of Environmental Legal Studies among the other specialized LLMs on offer.
- The University of Auckland also has an agreement with the University of Melbourne in Australia, whereby students can take up to two courses towards their degree at the partner university.
2. Top Universities
According to QS News Ranking, the following are the top 8 universities in New Zealand offering LLM program:
| QS Ranking 2021 | University | Fees Per Annum (NZ$) |
| 81 | The University of Auckland | 38,998 |
| 184 | University of Otago | 37,439 |
| 223 | Victoria University of Wellington | 32,670 |
| 270 | University of Canterbury | 35,800 |
| 272 | Massey University | 31,010 |
| 375 | University of Waikato | 33,660 |
| 387 | Lincoln University | 28,597 |
| 437 | Auckland University of Technology | 35,360 |
3. Admission Process
Most of the law schools have their own portal for accepting applications. Application deadlines in New Zealand universities for LLM mostly lie in the month of January and July.
- You should start your admission process around six months before the application deadline.
- Application dates for most of the universities have passed for the 2020 session. In case students are willing to apply to a premier institute for LLM in New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington application forms for 2020 are open till January 20, 2021.
- A benefit of applying to universities in New Zealand is they do not charge application fees with a few exceptions like the University of Canterbury charging NZ$300 as an application fee.
Eligibility
| University | Academic Requirements |
| The University of Auckland | Bachelor of Law with a GPA of 6.0. |
| University of Otago | Bachelor of LawResearch Proposal Submission |
| Victoria University of Wellington | LLB(Hons) or LLB degree with at least a B average or equivalent |
| University of Canterbury | Bachelor of Laws degree (or equivalent) with good grades |
| Massey University | Bachelor of Laws and experience in case of specializations opted |
| University of Waikato | LLB or a combined Law degree |
| Lincoln University | First or second class honors degree in a relevant subject. |
| Auckland University of Technology | Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Laws (Honours) or equivalent |
English Language Score Requirements
| University | Test Scores |
| The University of Auckland | IELTS: 6.5TOEFL iBT: 90 |
| University of Otago | IELTS: 7.5TOEFL iBT: 102TOEFL PBT: 600 |
| Victoria University of Wellington | IELTS: 6.5TOEFL iBT: 90 |
| University of Canterbury | IELTS: 6.5TOEFL iBT: 90TOEFL PBT: 575 |
| Massey University | IELTS: 6.5TOEFL iBT: 90PTE: 58 |
| University of Waikato | IELTS: 6.5TOEFL iBT: 90 |
| Lincoln University | IELTS: 6 |
| Auckland University of Technology | IELTS: 7 overall |
Student Visa Requirements in New Zealand
New Zealand student visa is required for anyone willing to study in New Zealand for more than 3 months. The documents you would need during the time of visa application are listed below:
- Valid Passport
- Student Visa Application Form
- SOP for New Zealand Student Visa
- Application Fee payment receipt
- Offer a letter from the institution you have been selected for.
- Health insurance receipt
- Two passport size photographs
- Transcripts (Graduation certificates, 10+2 certificate,10th class certificate)
- Scorecard of the required tests to study in New Zealand ( eg: TOEFL, IELTS)
- Documents showing how you will pay the tuition fees and the living costs.
4. Cost of Studying LLM in New Zealand
Pre-arrival Cost
| Expenses | Fees (in NZ$) |
| New Zealand Student Visa | 346 |
| IELTS fees | 420 |
| TOEFL | 410 |
| GMAT fees | 382 |
| Air Tickets | 450 – 700 |
Tuition Fees for LLM in New Zealand for Indian Students
| University | Fees per Annum (INR) |
| The University of Auckland | 20,00,477 |
| University of Otago | 19,20,505 |
| Victoria University of Wellington | 16,76,178 |
| University of Canterbury | 18,36,767 |
| Massey University | 15,91,009 |
| University of Waikato | 17,27,570 |
| Lincoln University | 14,67,207 |
| Auckland University of Technology | 18,14,192 |
Cost of Living in New Zealand
| Requirement | Monthly Cost (in NZ$) |
| Hostel | 1000 – 1500 |
| Homestay | 1500 – 2000 |
| Food | 480 – 550 |
| Traveling | 100 |
5. Scholarships for LLM in New Zealand
| University | Name of Scholarship | Amount Granted (in NZ$) |
| The University of Auckland | International Masters Degree Scholarship | 10,000 |
| University of Otago | Research Masters Scholarships | Tuition Fees Covered |
| Victoria University of Wellington | Faculty of Law International Students LLM Fee Scholarship | 5,000 |
| Massey University | International Excellence Scholarships | 10,000 |
| University of Waikato | Faculty of Law Graduate Scholarship | 5,000 |
| Lincoln University | Supperstone Law Scholarship | 1,920 |
Other Scholarships
1. New Zealand Commonwealth Scholarships: Indian students who apply for a master’s degree or Ph.D. can try for the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP). This scholarship offers many benefits such as:
- Full tuition fees
- An allowance of NZ$ 491 per week for living expenses
2. New Zealand Excellence Awards: NZEA features scholarships across all eight universities. This scholarship is funded by Education New Zealand (ENZ) and the number of scholarships in PG programs is 28 and in UG is 3.
3. SEG Scholarship: This scholarship program is funded by the Soshi Educational Group. Value of the scholarships
- Scholarship A: NZ$ 7,000 annually
- Scholarship B: NZ$ 5,000 annually
6. Scope
Following are job roles with average salaries offered to LLM graduates in New Zealand:
| Designation | Average Annual Salary (NZ$) |
| Legal Assistant | 47000 |
| Attorney/ Lawyer | 68000 |
| Contracts Lawyer | 71000 |
| Country Lawyer | 186000 |
| Solicitor | 101000 |
| Senior Solicitor | 104000 |
Following are the salaries for Lawyers in New Zealand with Experience:
| Experience | Salary Range (in NZ$) |
| Trainee Lawyer | 42,000-45,000 |
| Up to 2 Years Experience | 45,000-70,000 |
| Up to 5 Years Experience and more | 71,000-250,000 |
Conclusion
LLM is a very flexible program offered by some of the best law universities in New Zealand. Students can get an LLM by doing a dissertation alone, or they can combine short courses and a dissertation. Choice of over 40 topics for either general study or specialized research is available for LLM in New Zealand.
The fees for LLM in New Zealand for international students is around NZ$30,000. For Indian students, this equals around 15.5 lakhs annually. The cost may seem a little bit much for students who have a small budget, in this case there are plenty of scholarships in New Zealand you can apply for to ease down the financial burden. New Zealand law graduates can earn about NZ$1,23,267 a year on average.
