MIPLC LL.M. 2027:

Here is the sentence that costs people this scholarship.

The funded application window closes more than a year before the course begins.

MIPLC’s LL.M. in Intellectual Property and Competition Law starts in early October. Its DAAD scholarship window runs 1 June to 15 October of the previous year. So the funded route for an October 2027 start shut on 15 October 2026. Anyone reading this today who wants the scholarship is aiming at 1 June to 15 October 2027, for a start in October 2028.

Meanwhile the ordinary admission window for October 2027 opens on 1 November 2026 and runs to 30 April 2027. A reader who finds MIPLC in January sees an open application, applies, gets admitted, and only then learns that the money closed in October. What remains is a bill for €39,500.

Two doors, two calendars

One line from MIPLC’s own instructions is worth memorizing: where MIPLC and DAAD requirements differ, the stricter one applies. You do not get to pick the easier rule.

The gate most Pakistani applicants hit first

MIPLC asks for a completed university degree worth at least 240 ECTS credits, which it describes as generally equivalent to a four-year bachelor’s.

A five-year LLB or a four-year BS clears this. A three-year degree does not, and no amount of work experience substitutes for the credits. Check this before you spend a rupee on the application, because no argument gets around it.

On top of that, one year of full-time professional experience after your first degree, at roughly 35 to 40 hours a week. Part-time work counts pro rata. Usefully, postgraduate internships, graduate research assistant posts and legal traineeships all count, so a year spent as a research assistant is not wasted time. For DAAD, the bar rises to two years and your current employer has to write a letter.

The money, stated plainly

€39,500 for the 2026/2027 class, covering one academic year of two semesters. It is payable in three instalments, and the first is a non-refundable guarantee payment due within four weeks of admission. Housing, living costs and travel sit outside that figure entirely.

There is also a €50 application fee, non-refundable, charged on every application including scholarship applications, payable by wire transfer only. No cards, no PayPal, you cover the bank charges, and your name must appear in the reference.

Two funding routes exist and they are not equal. The DAAD EPOS scholarship is a full fee waiver, usually around six each year, for applicants from developing countries. The MIPLC fee waiver is partial only and awarded in small numbers. If you need the full amount covered, one door exists, and it closes in October.

What you have to produce

Every applicant submits a signed application form, a Europass CV in English, a signed letter of motivation of at most 1,000 words, two recommendation letters — one academic, one professional, sent directly by the referees, diplomas and transcripts with grading scales and ranking information for every degree, a school leaving certificate, a completed Grade Conversion Sheet, proof of professional experience, a portrait photo, and proof of the application fee.

Everything goes in as PDF through MIPLC’s Cryptshare system, and incomplete applications are disregarded.

Two referees who must send letters themselves is the item that sets your timeline, and our guide on asking a professor for a reference letter covers how to brief them. A thousand words of motivation is also tighter than it sounds, and our personal statement guide covers getting an argument into that space. Build the Europass CV properly rather than reformatting an old one, and our free CV builder gives you a clean start.

One detail worth a sigh of relief: the APS certificate requirement applies to applicants from India, Vietnam and China. Pakistan does not appear on that list in MIPLC’s instructions.

English

Scores must come from the last three years. TOEFL iBT 85, IELTS Academic 6.5, or Cambridge C1 Advanced 185. MIPLC has no TOEFL institution code, so handle that directly.

MIPLC waives the test for native speakers and for anyone whose degree it accepts as taught in English. If you studied outside the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, you need written confirmation from your university saying so, which takes longer to obtain than most people allow.

Eligibility criteria

1. A degree of at least 240 ECTS credits, generally a four-year bachelor’s or longer.

2. One year of full-time professional experience after that first degree. Two years for DAAD applicants.

3. Very good English, evidenced by TOEFL 85, IELTS 6.5 or C1 Advanced 185, unless waived.

4. Two referees willing to send letters directly, one academic and one professional.

5. For DAAD: developing-country eligibility under DAAD’s own criteria, plus the employer letter.

6. A complete file. MIPLC disregards anything short of one.

MIPLC caps the cohort at 38 students, which tells you something about the odds and something better about the teaching.

Step-by-step application process

Step 1, today: check your ECTS credits. A degree below 240 shuts this programme to you, and the honest move is to stop here and look elsewhere.

Step 2, this week: decide which calendar you are on. Funded means June to October 2027 for an October 2028 start. Self-funded or partial waiver means 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 for October 2027.

Step 3, November: book the English test if you need one, or request the written confirmation from your university if your degree was taught in English. The confirmation letter is the slower of the two.

Step 4, November: approach both referees. One academic, one professional, and both send directly.

Step 5, December: write the 1,000-word motivation letter. Build it around a specific IP problem you have met at work rather than a general interest in the field. If you have no IP vocabulary yet, the free WIPO DL-101 course takes six weeks and costs nothing, and finishing it before you write is time well spent.

Step 6, January: assemble transcripts, grading scales and the Grade Conversion Sheet. Pakistani universities take weeks over ranking information, so start early.

Step 7: pay the €50 by wire transfer and keep the proof.

Step 8: submit through Cryptshare, complete. Decisions on the regular route typically come within two to three weeks.

Step 9, if you are on the DAAD track: diaries 1 June 2027. Everything above still applies, with two years of experience and an employer letter on top.

FAQ

How much does it cost?

€39,500 for the academic year, plus a €50 application fee. Housing, living and travel sit outside that.

Is there a full scholarship?

Yes, the DAAD EPOS scholarship, a full fee waiver, usually about six a year, for applicants from developing countries.

When does the DAAD window open and close?

1 June to 15 October, over a year before the programme starts.

When does the regular window run?

1 November to 30 April, for a start that October.

Can I apply for DAAD during the regular window?

No. The DAAD application covers both admission and the scholarship and must go in during the June to October window.

What degree do I need? At least 240 ECTS credits, generally a four-year bachelor’s or longer.

How much work experience?

One year for MIPLC, two years for DAAD, both after your first degree. Internships, research assistant posts and traineeships count.

What English score?

TOEFL iBT 85, IELTS Academic 6.5, or Cambridge C1 Advanced 185, from the last three years.

Do Pakistani applicants need an APS certificate?

MIPLC’s instructions name India, Vietnam and China. Pakistan is not on that list.

How long is the programme?

One academic year, two semesters, taught in English in Munich.

How many students are admitted?

MIPLC caps the cohort at 38.

Is the first payment refundable?

No. The first instalment is a non-refundable guarantee payment due within four weeks of admission.