The PhD in Laws is the most advanced degree awarded by the Faculty of Law. The PhD Programme is a research programme generally open only to those students committed to a career in legal research and teaching and able to write a thesis of publishable quality making an original contribution to knowledge.
In addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School, applicants must:
- possess a Juris Doctor (JD) degree or a Master of Laws (LLM) degree awarded by a recognized university with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above; or
- possess an equivalent degree (including non-law related) awarded by a recognized tertiary educational institution.
Applicants must satisfy the English Language Proficiency Requirement by:
- possessing a degree awarded by a recognized university in Hong Kong or an English-speaking country, or taught primarily in the English Language; or
- achieving a result of Band 7.5 or better in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) . IELTS test results must be obtained not more than two years prior to the date of applying for admission to the PhD Programme; or
- achieving at least a score of 600 (Paper Based Test) or 100 (Internet Based Test) in the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) . TOEFL test results must be obtained not more than two years prior to the date of applying for admission to the PhD Programme; or
- providing alternative evidence of English Proficiency equivalent to one of the preceding measures.
All applicants are required to submit as part of their application a PhD research plan not exceeding 5,000 words. The research plan should address the following: title of the research, research objectives, major problems to be explored, outline of subject-matter content of the proposal, literature review, research methodologies, and expected contribution of the resulting thesis to knowledge in the field of law. The proposal should include relevant bibliographical references. Applicants should also submit a personal statement not exceeding 1,500 words and a brief curriculum vitae.
Details of the programme and admission requirements can be found at www.law.cuhk.edu.hk.
Main Round: 1 December 2025
Clearing Round: 31 March 2026
(Applications in Clearing Round will only be considered subject to availability of places.)
(for PhD programmes only)
Research Programme Team
Faculty of Law,
6/F, Lee Shau Kee Building,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong