LLM in Australia: Universities, Admission, Scholarship

The Master in Law (LLM) degree, the next step in law education, is a globally recognised postgrad qualification. International students pursuing this legal education course in Australia can choose from more than 90 courses in over 20 universities. Their courses are designed to increase their knowledge in various disciplines while also enhancing their creative and critical thinking. The Australia Legal Services industry had a market size of $29.6bn in 2023. Notably, studying in Australia is a popular choice among Indian students aspiring to broaden their knowledge or gain specialisation.

Exceptionally, students can choose to indulge in full-time, part-time or online LLM courses. These courses provide students with the knowledge of the workings of the world and the law that binds it. In their 1-2 year course, students can project a leap in their career. By enhancing skills, seeking specialisations or gaining the skillset required, Australian education prepares them for their goals. Significantly, studying in Australia serves as an advantage to all international students. In this blog, we will discuss courses, universities, admission requirements, eligibility and fees as well as scholarships available to study LLM in Australia.

Choice in Courses

Law students and practitioners can advance their careers with LLM courses in Australia. The duration of their full-time course is 1-2 years but can be completed in 4 years. Some of the popular courses are Laws (Major Thesis), Master of Taxation Law, Commercial Law and Law (Research). The world recognises and honours these courses. In effect, students can stay in Australia or go back to their homeland or another preferred country to find relevant work. Specialisation in Intellectual property Law, Criminology, International Law, Military Law, Workplace & Regulation Law, etc. is for 1 year only.

Top Ranking Universities 

Australia houses over 20 universities offering top-notch LLM courses. Furthermore, a handful of them rank in the top #100 of the Times’ World University Ranking 2024. Universities like the University of Melbourne, Monash University and the University of Sydney have made it to the list. They, along with the University of Queensland and the University of Adelaide; are known for their Master of Law course. Research students usually opt for the University of Technology Sydney because of their state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities.

Students can explore their options from International Law at Griffith University, Construction Law at Western Sydney University and Mining and Energy Law, Public Policy Law and Taxation Law at the University of Western Australia. On the other hand, the University of New South Wales has Commercial and Taxation Law, Criminal Justice and Criminology, Laws in Dispute Resolution and Laws in Media and other popular courses.

Admission Requirements

Students applying for a LLM course in an Australian university must have completed their bachelor course from a recognised university. As a part of the admission process, they also need to present their academic transcripts with minimum qualification as set by the university and the results of an English proficiency tests. Most Australia universities accept IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT and PTE-A. Further, Monash College and the University of Southern Queensland among others also accept Duolingo English Test scores. Having work experience is not a requirement but could really up your game.

Some universities have around-the-year intakes while some only have it in Jan-Feb and May-July. Notably, students must check the application rounds and intakes of their chosen universities and plan ahead. The common documents required for admission are a CV, transcripts, a Statement of Purpose (SoP) and a Letter of Recommendation (LoR). Again, it could vary with universities admission criteria and requirements. Consult with your study abroad consultant to make an informed decision.

Course Fee and Structure

The cost of studying LLM in Australia ranges between AUD 35,000 and AUD 54,000 per year of education. The fee varies with courses and university but it majorly relies on the credit points structured to the course. Yes, the structure of the LLM course has credits. Students need to gain the set of credit points required to qualify for the degree. While there are no defined points on these credits, universities must complete 100 credit points to complete their course. At the same time, UNSW Sydney, ANU, University of Sydney & Queensland propose 48 credit points completion. Notably, the globally ranked universities have higher tuition fees. In addition to the fee, students also pay the application fee of AUD 100 to AD 150 when applying to enrol on their courses.

Scholarships for Indian Students

Scholarships can help lessen the financial burden. Often, students skip the research and already decide that they cannot get a scholarship. Notably, there are a lot of scholarships and fellowships available for Indian students. While we also have lakhs of students flying out to study every year, not all of them are well aware of these scholarships. For someone as technology-friendly as you, researching for a scholarship is likely to land one.

Indian students can benefit from scholarships provided by the Indian government and fundraisers, as well as the Australian government and universities. Some of the Destination Australia Scholarship, the Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship and the Global Citizens Scholarship. On the other hand, universities also offer scholarships to help students enrolled in their courses. Global Excellence Scholarships help students at the University of Western Australia, the International Student Academic Excellence Scholarship at Griffith University, the International Student Award at the University of New South Wales and the Alex Chernov Scholarship at the University of Melbourne.

Career in Australia 

Students can graduate with LLM in Australia to earn an average salary of AUD 135,000. Law firms, corporations, government agencies and other organisations look forward to hiring skilled employees. However, students who graduated from their LLB course in India are not eligible to practice law in Australia. In order to do that, they must either do a graduation course in Australia itself.

Some of the widely known occupations are attorney, barrister, solicitor, arbitrator, contract manager or negotiator and administrative law judge. These roles assure the badge a reputation in society with a salary range of AUD 92,300 to AUD 170,800. Senior Paralegal makes AUD 99,804 and they don’t even need a law degree! If you plan on being a partner in a reputed law, you can bank on earning AUD 260,800 annually. No wonder Harvey Specter led this glorified life, isn’t it?

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