Ireland · Master's
University College Dublin (Sutherland School of Law)
LLM International Commercial Law
University College Dublin (Sutherland School of Law)
Course Overview
Dublin is the only common-law, English-speaking capital left inside the EU, and that single fact reorganised the European legal market after Brexit. UCD's Sutherland School of Law — named for the former EU Commissioner and WTO Director-General — teaches the LLM in International Commercial Law directly into that shift: international sale of goods and trade finance, international commercial arbitration, corporate governance and M&A, competition law, banking and financial regulation, and international IP and technology transactions.
For Sri Lankan lawyers the practical logic is clean. Ireland's legal system is common law, so an LLB from Colombo, OUSL or Peradeniya maps onto the coursework without translation. The EU dimension is what you are actually buying — the ability to advise on cross-border transactions where EU regulation applies — and Dublin now hosts the European operations of a long list of banks, funds, insurers and technology companies that need exactly that. The 2-year Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G) lets you stay and work afterwards.
Entry Requirements
Academic
- check_circle Law degree (LLB or equivalent) at upper second-class honours (2:1) or better — recognised Sri Lankan LLBs and UK transnational law degrees are accepted.
- check_circle Non-law graduates with substantial professional legal experience are considered case by case for some LLM streams.
- check_circle Personal statement setting out your commercial-law interest and career intention, plus a CV.
- check_circle Two references, at least one academic.
- check_circle Attested transcripts and degree parchment; UCD issues offers on a rolling basis, so applying in the first half of the cycle materially improves both admission and scholarship odds.
English Proficiency
- check_circle IELTS Academic: 6.5 Overall (no band below 6.0).
- check_circle TOEFL iBT: 90 Overall.
- check_circle PTE Academic: 63 Overall.
- check_circle Waived if your law degree was taught and assessed entirely in English — a Medium of Instruction letter from your Sri Lankan faculty is accepted and covers most applicants.
Estimated Cost of Study
| Expense Category | Amount (€) | Approx. LKR |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition Fee (12 months, non-EU) | €26,000 | Rs. 8,970,000 |
| Living Expenses (12 months, Dublin) | €14,000 | Rs. 4,830,000 |
| Health Insurance & Immigration Registration (IRP) | €900 | Rs. 310,500 |
| Visa, Flights & Setup | €1,500 | Rs. 517,500 |
| Total Programme Investment | €42,400 | Rs. 14,628,000 |
*LKR conversion based on current bank rates. Subject to change.
Career Outcomes & PR
Graduates go into the Dublin commercial firms — Arthur Cox, A&L Goodbody, Matheson, McCann FitzGerald, William Fry, Mason Hayes & Curran — and into in-house legal, compliance and regulatory teams at the banks, funds, insurers and technology companies with EU headquarters in Ireland, plus international arbitration practice. The 2-year Stamp 1G graduate permission gives open access to the Irish labour market. Note the LLM is academic, not a licence to practise: admission as an Irish solicitor or barrister requires separate Law Society or King's Inns examinations. Sri Lankan graduates return into commercial chambers in Colombo, in-house counsel roles at John Keells, Dialog, Brandix, MAS, the banks and the listed conglomerates, and into arbitration and cross-border transaction work.
Related Programs
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Our counsellors have helped hundreds of Sri Lankan students secure placements in Ireland. We handle everything from applications to visa processing.
ඔබට සුදුසු විශ්වවිද්යාලයක් තේරීම, අයදුම්පත් යොමු කිරීම, SOP සකස් කිරීම සහ වීසා ලබා ගැනීම ඇතුළු සෑම පියවරකදීම, ඔබ වෙනුවෙන් සියලුම වගකීම් විශ්වාසවන්තව අප භාර ගනිමු.