Application

Application Requirements

Who can apply?

Individuals may be admitted to the Degree Program who have successfully
completed an undergraduate degree in law or economics (economics or business administration) or another degree program with 210 ECTS credits (or comparable level of qualification) in law, economics, political science, or social science.

If an applicant has at least 180 ECTS credits in an undergraduate program, the admissions and examinations board may make an exception to admit the applicant to the Degree Program, provided they have a level of qualification comparable to the prerequisites pursuant to subsection 1 and are expected to successfully complete the course of study.

Application Requirements:

Please note that all documents listed below must be submitted to us in English. If your original documents are not in English, they must be accompanied by English translations.

Motivation letter
The letter of motivation is our most important indicator towards your commitment to and understanding of the study of law and economics. The letter (maximum of two pages), addressed to the review committee, explains why you are interested in Law & Economics in general and in the MLEA Programme in particular.

Tabular CV
Each applicant should provide an up-to-date CV in English. The CV is used to judge your previous affinity to the study of Law & Economics and also allows us to estimate your academic potential

Degree certificates

1. A degree certificate stating that the student has successfully completed the listed programme and obtained the listed degree.
2. An official 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.

Recommendation letter
Each student should provide two letters of recommendation. These are used as an independent assessment of the student’s academic potential, commitment and work ethic. Acceptable issuers are all academic and professional persons or bodies in a position to judge the professional conduct of an applicant. Typically, they are from employers or, since this is an academic programme, preferably from academic teachers.

Proof of English proficiency
Only applicants who had a bachelor degree from a University programme entirely taught in English do not need to submit a certificate. Accepted Certificates include:

International TOEFL:

1. Paper-based: 587 (minimum reading: 313, listening: 310, speaking: 340, writing: 353)
2. Computer-based: 240 (minimum reading: 43, listening: 40, speaking: 60, writing: 67)
3. Internet-based: 95 (minimum reading: 13, listening: 12: speaking: 18, writing: 21)
4. IELTS (Academic Module): minimum score of 6.5 (minimum per section: 6.0)
5. Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English: Grades A, B, C

Payment of Application Fee
The application fee is used to cover the costs for the application infrastructure and the staff involved in the application procedure. For this reason, applications without a full payment of the application fee will not be reviewed and cannot lead to admittance. Always keep a copy that proves your payment.

Copy of Valid ID
Please provide us with a copy of your ID
Admission Fee
In case of successful application the applicant has to pay a fee of 50 € to proceed with the application process at Cairo University. By the end of April at the latest.

Timeline

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 2 parts. The first part is the application process and the second part is the admission process. The application process runs from the opening of the applications until the moment that the Selection Commitee decides whether a student is admitted to the programme or not. Then the admission process will start.

For non-Egyptians

31st of March	Application Deadline
Beginning of April	Interviews
End of April	Acceptance

For Egyptians

30th of June	Application Deadline
Beginning of July	Interviews
August	Acceptance

Fees

Student fees without accommodation, insurance and living expenses:

Matriculation fees per semester*	ca. 285,00 €
Program fees 1^st semester (by September 1^st)	2.000,00 €
Program fees 2^nd semester (by January 1^st)	2.000,00 €
Program fees 3^rd semester (by April 1^st)	1.652,85 €
Program fees 4^th semester (by October 1^st)	1.750,67 €

*fees are paid for the duration of 4 semesters.

For Egyptians without accommodation, insurance and living expenses

Semester 1 and 2 in Cairo	ca. 56.000 EGP
Semester 3 in Hamburg	1.961,78 €
Matriculation fees of the 3rd semester	ca. 285,00 €

FAQ

How long is the program? Where and in which language does it take place?

4 semesters, starting in September
Semesters I and II are taught at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science (FEPS), Cairo University, semester III at the University of Hamburg (about two months in the summer).
- If the journey to Cairo is delayed due to problems in the Visa-Process, it is planned that students can participate from Hamburg via blended learning on a transitional basis. This requires special permission from the examination board.
In semester IV, students can choose whether they want to write their thesis in Egypt or in Germany.
All courses are taught in English.

What degree will I be awarded?

Masters of Laws (LL.M.) awarded by the University of Hamburg for students with a legal background.
Master of Arts (M.A.) awarded by the University of Hamburg for all other participants.
All non-Egyptian participants will also receive a certificate of participation from Cairo University. Egyptian participants will additionally receive an M.A. in Economics from Cairo University.

How and by when can I apply?

All application requirements can be found in the call for applications for the next application round, which can be found here.

The application deadline is the end of March 2024 for non-Egyptian students.

Where can I live? Can I get help with my accommodation search?

We will provide you with the best possible support in your search for accommodation in Hamburg and Cairo. You can find basic information here. If you have any further questions, please contact us at mlea-applications@ile-hamburg.de.

What is MLEA and who is the program for?

The academic Master’s degree program is aimed at lawyers, economists, social scientists [and academics from other disciplines] who have already obtained a first professional qualification (e.g. Bachelor’s degree) and are seeking a Master’s degree. It is intended to familiarize students with the economic analysis of law (Law and Economics) and facilitate their understanding of different legal systems through its application.

MLEA offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the study of law and economics. It prepares students for careers in public organizations or multinational law firms. Graduates of this program will be able to communicate insights from the economic analysis of law to both specialized and non-specialized audiences in an understandable way, apply economic arguments to legal cases, and formulate policy statements that take into account the social responsibility and potential economic impact of various laws. Graduates will also be able to pursue additional studies independently. This includes, in particular, interdisciplinary research in legal and/or economic fields.

You can find an impression of the program’s diverse range of opportunities in the alumni reports.

The application period is now closed and will reopen in 2025.

Please consider: the only legally binding version of the examination regulations of the Masters in Law and Economics of the Arab Region is offered in the German language here (Link: https://www.uni-hamburg.de/campuscenter/studienorganisation/ordnungen-satzungen/pruefungs-studienordnungen/rechtswissenschaft.html)