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Rankings

Best Countries to Study Law Abroad

The countries with the deepest options for studying law abroad are United States, United Kingdom, Canada — scored by BrightKey on the strength of each country's universities across six dimensions. But "most options" is not the same as "best fit for you": cost, visa, and outcomes matter just as much (see the honest note below).

Law schools and JD/LLB/LLM programs across BrightKey's coverage — for international students considering legal careers in their home country, the country of study, or both.

  1. 1

    United States

    14 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Duke University, Northwestern University, University of Michigan

    Universities for law in United States

  2. 2

    United Kingdom

    9 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: King's College London, London School of Economics, University of Bristol

    Universities for law in United Kingdom

  3. 3

    Canada

    7 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: McGill University, University of Victoria, University of British Columbia

    Universities for law in Canada

  4. 4

    Japan

    3 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Waseda University, Keio University, University of Tokyo

    Universities for law in Japan

  5. 5

    Netherlands

    3 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Erasmus University Rotterdam, University of Amsterdam, Leiden University

    Universities for law in Netherlands

  6. 6

    Switzerland

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Zurich, University of Geneva

    Universities for law in Switzerland

  7. 7

    South Korea

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Korea University, Seoul National University

    Universities for law in South Korea

  8. 8

    Germany

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

    Universities for law in Germany

  9. 9

    Europe (Other)

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Sciences Po

    Universities for law in Europe (Other)

  10. 10

    Ireland

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Trinity College Dublin

    Universities for law in Ireland

  11. 11

    Singapore

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Singapore Management University

    Universities for law in Singapore

  12. 12

    Hong Kong

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Hong Kong

    Universities for law in Hong Kong

  13. 13

    New Zealand

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Victoria University of Wellington

    Universities for law in New Zealand

  14. 14

    China

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Peking University

    Universities for law in China

  15. 15

    Australia

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Melbourne

    Universities for law in Australia

How we ranked these

Each country is scored on the depth of its universities offering law programs, rated across BrightKey's six dimensions (network strength, curriculum relevance, employability, teaching quality, institutional health, student experience; S=3, A=2, B=1). A higher score means the country offers more strong institutions for this field — not a single famous school.

An honest note

This list measures how many strong universities a country offers for law — which naturally favours countries with larger datasets (like the US). The "best" country for YOU also depends on cost, visa, language, and graduate outcomes — a country with fewer universities but lower fees and a friendlier post-study visa may be the better fit. Treat this as a starting point for exploration, not the final answer.

Reviewed by Priscilla Han. Editorial standards.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best country to study law abroad?

By depth of strong universities, United States, United Kingdom, Canada lead. But the "best" country depends on your budget, visa, and goals — see the honest note above.

How is this ranking calculated?

Each country is scored on the depth of its universities offering law programs, rated across BrightKey's six dimensions (network strength, curriculum relevance, employability, teaching quality, institutional health, student experience; S=3, A=2, B=1). A higher score means the country offers more strong institutions for this field — not a single famous school.

This ranking is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. BrightKey takes no payment from schools or universities. Our method →