The University of Groningen was founded in 1614 and became a state university in 1815. The University of Groningen has a staff of about 5,500 and provides higher education for about 21,000 students, several hundred of whom are foreign students.

Law has been taught at the University of Groningen since its foundation. The Faculty of Law has about 3,000 students, 35 professors and 150 other staff members. Of the more than 250 courses offered in the Faculty, more than 30 can be taken in English. Particular areas of strength include International Economic and Business Law, International Law and the law of International Organizations, and European Law. Students fluent in Dutch may be able to obtain permission of the Exchange Program Coordinator and instructor to take law courses in Dutch.

The Faculty of Law has a number of research centres, including the Groningen Centre for Law and Governance, the Groningen Centre of Energy Law, and twelve Legal Area Specific Research Programmes.

Students going on exchange to Groningen have the option of returning to complete a shorted LLM. Students take compulsory courses from one of the LLM programmes during their exchange semester, and return to Groningen (after graduation from Queen's), in the second semester of the next academic year, as a registered fee-paying LLM students. Students can then complete the remaining courses of the LLM they aim to achieve. Students will be awarded an LLM degree from the Groningen upon completion of the second semester.

Sessional Dates

The University of Groningen's academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester has a total of 15 to 16 weeks of lectures, immediately followed by a five- to six-week examination period. A week of midterm examinations is held part-way through each semester.

  • First Semester: September to mid-December (exam period ends early February)
    Note: Queen's students are expected back for the beginning of classes in January. Students may therefore only select courses with a final paper, or courses with an exam scheduled before or in December. Students may choose courses from term 1A, or courses from terms 1A+1B or 1B that will be completed before the end of December. Students are not permitted to select courses with examinations scheduled for January. Rewrites will not be accommodated at Queen's unless the student fails on the first attempt.
  • Second Semester:  February to May (exam period ends early July)
    Note: Groningen requires winter term exchange students to complete both terms 2A and 2B.

Full-time Course Load

Students must complete successfully courses equivalent to at least 30 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits in order to obtain 15 transfer credits.