MIPLC LL.M. in Intellectual Property and Competition Law

Benefits & funding

• The full programme fee for the 2026/2027 academic year is EUR 39,500, paid in three instalments, beginning with a non-refundable guarantee payment due within four weeks after admission.
• The fee covers unlimited credit hours, access to the Max Planck Institute’s intellectual property library and legal databases, and enrolment at both the University of Augsburg and the Technical University of Munich.
• DAAD EPOS scholarships fund selected candidates from developing countries: a monthly stipend of EUR 992 for graduates, payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance, and a travel allowance where the home country does not cover the cost.
• MIPLC awards a limited number of partial fee waiver scholarships each year, decided on financial need together with academic and personal achievement.
• The alumni-funded MIPLC Alumni Scholarship supports a candidate from a financially modest background; the current target is a 50 per cent fee waiver.
• Students are pointed to further external funding, including the Jean Monnet Scholarship Programme, the Fulbright Commission and FIDERH.

Eligibility

• A bachelor’s degree or higher carrying at least 240 ECTS credits, generally equivalent to a four-year bachelor’s degree. Applicants with fewer credits may have up to 60 credits recognised on the basis of professional experience.
• At least one year of full-time professional experience, about 35 to 40 hours per week, gained after the first university degree. Paid employment, postgraduate internships, graduate research assistant posts and legal traineeships count.
• Very good English: TOEFL 85 iBT (223 cbT or 563 pbT), IELTS band 6.5, or Cambridge C1 Advanced 185. Native speakers and graduates of English-language institutions are exempt.
• Both law graduates and applicants with a scientific background are admitted; many work in patent, trademark or copyright law.
• Admission itself carries no nationality or residency restriction.
• The DAAD EPOS scholarship route is narrower. It is open to graduates from countries on the OECD DAC list of developing countries, with at least two years of professional experience and an academic degree normally completed no more than six years before the application.

Application process

1. 1
   Check the admission requirements and download the MIPLC Application Checklist.
2. 2
   Complete the online application form in one sitting — the form cannot be saved partway through.
3. 3
   Sign the form and assemble the documents on the checklist, including transcripts, degree certificates, evidence of professional experience, a motivation letter and a CV. No official certifications or apostilles are required.
4. 4
   Applicants seeking a partial fee waiver complete the Financial Assistance Application Form, which is part of the main application rather than a separate submission.
5. 5
   Pay the non-refundable application fee of EUR 50, which is also due for scholarship applications.
6. 6
   Submit the complete file. Applications for the 2026/2027 academic year are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the admissions committee normally communicates a decision within two to three weeks.
7. 7
   Candidates applying through the DAAD EPOS scheme submit by 15 October for the cohort starting the following October.
8. 8
   Shortlisted fee waiver candidates are interviewed in May or June, and the awards are decided by the end of June.

Program timeline

1. Rolling

   applications for the 2026/2027 academic year are reviewed as they arrive, with a decision normally within two to three weeks

2. 15 October each year

   DAAD EPOS scholarship deadline for the cohort starting the following October

3. interviews for partial fee waiver scholarships

   May or June

4. fee waiver scholarship decisions

   End of June

5. the academic year begins with the winter semester

   Early October