FAQs

Students must be enrolled at the University of Bayreuth in the study program law (Studium Rechtswissenschaften) or the Bachelor of Law (LL.B./Recht und Wirtschaft).

Unfortunatley, no. Students must be enrolled at the University for the entire duration of the additional studies. Exceptions for stays abroad and internships can be found under the designated question below.

While being on leave you are not able to earn credits.

In this case, students should contact the ILS-Team and explain how the alternative course is a useful addition to the module plan. The basic requirements are coherence in terms of content and workload and the course has to be completed in English and with an examination. Under documents you will find the necessary paperwork for your application for acceptance of alternative courses.

Students must apply for a change of the degree program, the necesarry document can be found on this website under "Documents" or you can just click here. Change of the degree program does not entail that students will be exmatriculated from their main subject, it is merely a requirement for the administration to hand in this application form.

The additional study program does not have a standard period of study. Organization and implementation is left to the student's personal assessment. During the entire duration of the study program, the students must be enrolled at the University of Bayreuth in the study program law (Studium Rechtswissenschaften) or the Bachelor of Law (LL.B./Recht und Wirtschaft).

In addition to the requirements of the Faculty of Law and Economics, the prerequisites for a stay abroad or an internship abroad are that the courses or orientation of the internship are a thematic complement to the respective modules. This is discussed individually with the students, therefore all students who wish to do a stay abroad or an internship abroad should discuss this in advance with the persons responsible for the additional studies. If the thematic orientation does not fit into the format of the supplementary studies, students have the possibility to have stays abroad or internships abroad credited in the language module. You can find more information here.

In this case, students have the possibility to repeat the examination once more. If the second exam is not successfully completed, the students can no longer complete the respective module. However, other modules from the module area can be completed instead. 

Students must be enrolled at the University of Bayreuth in the study program law (Studium Rechtswissenschaften) or the Bachelor of Law (LL.B./Recht und Wirtschaft). The language courses English for Lawyers I and II must already have been successfully completed. Additionally, an interest in international perspectives on law is a prerequisite to this study program. 

The additional study program can be started at any given moment during the law degree programme. Previous knowledge of the subject is helpful, therefore basic courses should have been successfully completed before the begin of International Legal Studies; these are only recommendations and not prerequisites.

The crediting of stays abroad and internships is assessed on a case-by-case basis. The decision is made jointly by the Sprachenzentrum and the ILS coordination team, based on the following criteria:

• The courses or internship were conducted in English.
• The thematic focus corresponds to the content of the respective ILS module.
• If the internship or stay abroad does not fit a subject-specific module, it may still be credited towards the language module.

We strongly encourage students to make use of international opportunities. Crediting such experiences should motivate students to go abroad and may encourage students who have already completed stays abroad to “go the extra mile” and finish the ILS programme.

We guarantee course availability by:

• Offering an interdisciplinary curriculum, including selected courses from other faculties.
• Integrating guest lectures and visiting scholars.
• Recognising academic achievements obtained during a study abroad semester or internship abroad.

Double accreditation occurs when the same examination is credited towards both the First State Examination programme and ILS.

For example, completing the Kleines Seminar for both programmes constitutes double accreditation.

While double accreditation does not prevent the completion of the ILS programme, it has consequences for the free attempt (Freiversuch):

According to the SPO, students must complete 16 additional weekly hours (SWS) through the Zusatzstudium to gain an additional semester towards the free attempt. Double accreditation reduces the number of additional courses taken, meaning the free attempt semester extension cannot be granted.

The ECTS awarded by the foreign university are adopted as-is for ILS.

Modules completed abroad cannot be repeated at the University of Bayreuth for additional ILS credit.

Example: If Comparative Law is completed abroad for 4 ECTS, ILS recognises 4 ECTS – even though the UBT course carries 5 ECTS. The course cannot be taken again at UBT for additional credit.

Up to 10 ECTS may be credited towards the ILS programme from a study abroad semester.

Law students at the University of Bayreuth may enroll from the first semester onwards.

To enroll, please complete the registration form.

Although early enrolment is recommended, ILS can also recognise courses completed prior to registration.

For retroactive recognition, please send:

• the crediting form,
• and your transcript of records,

to: internationallegalstudies@uni-bayreuth.de without undue delay.

You will need the ILS Certificate of Freischussverlängerung. To obtain it, please email: internationallegalstudies@uni-bayreuth.de

Attach your transcript of records, demonstrating that all ILS modules have been completed.

Your certificate will be sent to you by post.

Please email us at internationallegalstudies@uni-bayreuth.de and include:

• a transcript excerpt, and
• a short statement indicating the module to which the course should be allocated (some courses are eligible for more than one module).

Most students complete ILS within 4–6 semesters, depending on their individual course load, study-abroad plans, and language course availability. Since the programme comprises 30 ECTS, completing roughly one additional course per semester typically results in a completion time of around six semesters.

Yes, but we advise careful planning. ILS is designed to be flexible and can be completed before or after the core exam preparation phase. Consultation hours are available to help you plan your timeline.

Students need a C1 level. English for Lawyers 1 and 2 are not part of the

Yes. Although we strongly encourage stays abroad, the programme can be completed fully at the University of Bayreuth using the available courses, language modules, and guest lectures.

Upon completion, students receive an official certificate, listing all completed modules and grades. The ILS certificate does also include an overall final grade.