LLB Degree Planning

To plan and complete your degree successfully, you need to be proactive about finding information, and seeking advice from the Student Hubs to make sure you're on track.

Find your nearest Student Hub and see the overview of the LLB Programme.

Course Planning and Enrolment

Enrol early to get into the courses and class times you want. You can change your mind after you have enrolled as long as you swap or drop your course before the enrolment closing date.

The list of available law courses and the timetable are available by the end of October, year prior to enrolments opening in November for the next academic year.

Find more information on law timetables, how and when to enrol in courses and enrolment deadlines.

Workload

It’s important to take into consideration what workload you work best at, whether you will be working, as well as whether you have other commitments/responsibilities.

Term Normal Workload Maximum Workload
Summer School   30 points
Semester One/Two 60 points 80 points

On paper, the total number of points you are enrolled for may look manageable, but it is important to also take into consideration the number of exams and assessments you may have.

Special permission is required to exceed the enrolment limit. Only students in their final or penultimate term of study with a minimum cumulative GPA of 6.00 will be considered. If you believe you have met this requirement, please apply for a concession.

Total workload expectations:

  • 10-point courses: 100 hours
  • 15-point courses: 150 hours
  • 20-point courses: 200 hours

The total workload includes attendance at lectures, workshops, seminars and/or tutorials as well as preparation for classes, review of classes, research and completion of assignments, exam preparation etc.

As a general guideline, the workload expectations are three hours outside of the classroom for each hour spent in class.

Find more information on how many courses to enrol in, and eligibility for student loans and allowances.

Tutorials, Clinics and Workshops

Compulsory courses consist of lectures as well as fortnightly tutorials, clinics, or workshops. As many of the tutors are legal practitioners, the majority of tutorials are held between 8am and 9am, and 5pm and 6pm.

Find more information on tutorial rounds and timetables.

Tutorial preferences for carer responsibilities

A student who has childcare or carer commitments may apply for specific tutorial times ahead of the general sign-up. Please email lawstudentsupport@auckland.ac.nz providing evidence of your carer commitments.

Requests will be accommodated wherever possible.

Enrolment Concessions

Plan your enrolments carefully, as not all concessions will be approved. Students may apply for only one concession per lecture stream or workshop.

Timetable Clashes – these requests are typically declined if they involve:

  • Repeated courses
  • Enrolment restrictions
  • Summer school courses
  • Law seminars or workshops
  • Enrolments exceeding 80 points

In other cases, students must have a cumulative GPA of ≥4.00 for a timetable clash to be approved, with a maximum enrolment of 60 points.

For students enrolling in 60-80 points, a cumulative GPA of ≥6.50 is required.

Requirements Not Met – Requisite waivers are not permitted. If SSO does not recognise you have met the requisites, please apply for a concession.

Class Full –Due to health and safety regulations, we cannot override class limits. Enrolments are first-come, first-served, so please register early to secure your preferred classes. There are no waiting lists for law courses; if a class is full, check back later for availability.

Law electives are not mandatory, and requests to enrol in full courses will be declined.

If you can’t enrol in LAW 316 and it’s your final semester or you’re going on exchange, please apply for a concession.

Third Time Repeat - Special permission is required; to request this, please email undergradlaw@auckland.ac.nz providing the following:

1. Reasons why you did not pass previous attempts

2. Whether you did not submit any assignments and why

3. What has changed/will change to ensure you pass on this attempt

4. Provide any supporting documentation for circumstances mentioned

Exceed Enrolment Limit - Special permission is required. Only students in their final or penultimate term with a minimum cumulative GPA of 6.00 will be considered. If you meet these criteria, please apply for a concession.

Exchange

To be eligible for a law exchange, you must have completed your compulsory LLB Part III courses prior to exchange. Generally this in your fourth year, or for conjoint students, this may be your fifth year or final year. 

Compulsory LLB Part III Courses
LAW 301AB       Land Law
LAW 306AB       Equity
LAW 316           Jurisprudence

Students normally complete 60 points of law electives while on exchange so it is important to factor this in when planning your degree structure as you may need to shuffle courses around or add time to your degree.

Students planning to go on exchange in their final semester must enrol and complete the LAW 498 requirements in their penultimate semester before the exchange semester.

Students wishing to go on exchange for their other degree component, please note you are unable to go on exchange in your first year of LLB Part II unless you forfeit your place in the programme and reapply as these are full-year courses.

If you have completed LAW 298 and have remaining full-year courses, you cannot enrol for these concurrently with an exchange and will need to either focus on your other degree that year or take law electives.

Find more information on exchange and LAW 498 requirements. For degree planning, please contact Student Hubs.

Sample Degree Structures

Below are some examples on how you may structure your LLB degree/conjoint. How you structure your degree may look different depending when you begin LLB Part II, your preferred workload as well as other commitments/responsibilities.

The LLB has gone through a few changes over the years. If you began LLB Part II prior to 2018 or have any questions regarding your programme requirements, ensure you contact Student Hubs to make sure you're on track.

Find more information on LLB Part II-IV degree planning.

Programme Duration of programme Workload
Single LLB degree 3.5 years Heavier in 2.5 of the years
  4 years Normal
LLB conjoint or the BE(Hons) conjoints 5 years Heavier in 4 of the years
  5.5 years Normal
Single LLB(Hons) degree 4.5 years Normal
LLB(Hons) conjoint or the BE(Hons) conjoints 5.5 years Heavier in 4 of the years
  6 years Normal

Alternative Degree Structures:

ProgrammeVariationDuration of ProgrammeWorkload
Single LLB degreeLAW 298 + 3/4 LLB Part II courses taken upon admission into LLB Part II4 yearsHeavier in 2 of the years
  4.5 yearsNormal
LLB conjoint or the BE(Hons) conjointsLAW 298 + 1/4 LLB Part II courses taken upon admission into LLB Part II5 yearsHeavier in 4 of the years
  5.5 yearsNormal