Call for Applications – Makerere University School of Law-Leiden University Exchange Scholarship

Call for Applications – Makerere University School of Law-Leiden University Exchange Scholarship Do you want to study European law in Leiden for a semester? The Leiden Centre for Comparative Regional Integration (CompaRe) is offering exchange scholarships to study EU law in Leiden, The Netherlands, for Makerere PhD-students or law graduates planning to pursue an EAC related PhD. The one semester long exchange programme will take place during the fall semester 2026/2027 at the renowned Leiden Law School. Students will study courses on EU law and regional integration and participate in research activities of CompaRe. The CompaRe exchange is connected to an Erasmus+ scholarship which covers travel, housing and living expenses. Please note this is not a PhD programme. The exchange programme aims to assist PhD research and train the candidate in regional integration law, but does not lead to a Leiden PhD.

The CompaRe-exchange programme: The CompaRe-exchange programme is taking place during the fall semester of the academic year 2026-2027 (September 2026 to January 2027). During this exchange, the participants are following a determined selection of legal courses at Master-level, covering inter alia EU Institutional Law and Internal Market Law. For the exchange period, participants are recognized as exchange students at Leiden University. Participants will receive a transcript of the completed courses and proof of their exchange period at Leiden University. Note, however, the CompaRe-exchange programme covers only a onesemester exchange period. It does not lead to the award of a Master degree or a PhD position at Leiden Law School. Besides following the determined courses, participants will contribute to the (research) activities of CompaRe. This part of the programme also allows work on own research, including the preparation of a PhD proposal for your home university or, preferably, work on already ongoing PhD project, where you may benefit from feed-back and academic discussions from staff at Leiden Law School.

Eligibility for the exchange programme: The exchange programme is open to 1) PhD-students that are pursuing a LLD-track Makerere University, preferably on EAC related topics, 2) LLM students at Makerere University that are preparing to engage on an EAC related topic for their dissertation, 3) early-career academics or civil servants in the area of EAC law that are engaged in or are considering a PhD. Students need to be affiliated with the University of Makerere. Furthermore, participants need to possess the necessary proficiency in the English language (TOEFL test (overall score of 100 Internet-based) or IELTS test (overall score of 7.0), or Cambridge English Proficiency certificate (CPE)) to be eligible for the exchange programme. If an applicant does not yet possess an appropriate certification of the required English proficiency, it is necessary to complete such certification prior to admission to Leiden University.

Scholarship: The exchange programme is covered by an ERASMUS+ scholarship, which consists of a monthly allowance and an allowance for travelling expenses. Furthermore, possible costs for completing the required language test as well as visa application costs are covered by the scholarship.

How to apply and Required Documents: Applicants have to send a short motivation (500 words), a CV/resume, a short PhD research proposal, previous writing samples (if possible), and the required language certificate (if already completed). LLM students should have completed their first year of study and should submit a testimonial.

Applicants should send their motivation letters and other relevant documents to dean.law@mak.ac.ug before end of day on Saturday 21st February 2026. Copy to esezab@gmail.com and naluwairo1@gmail.com

Assessment Process

The School of Law will constitute a small committee that will review the applications and select the best applicants based on focus on EAC law and regional integration, academic and professional experience, as well as overall motivation. Subsequently, CompaRe will also assess the applications. The selected candidates will be informed in early March 2026, and can then start the formal registration process with Leiden University.

Further information

For further information, please visit our website https://law.mak.ac.ug or visit the website of CompaRe. You can also contact the Dean, Makerere University School of Law Dr. Ronald Naluwairo via dean.law@mak.ac.ug/naluwairo1@gmail.com or contact prof. A. Cuyvers via a.cuyvers@law.leidenuniv.nl.

Download Call for Applications MakSoL – Leiden University Exchange Programme