University of KwaZulu-Natal School Of Law How to Apply

University of KwaZulu-Natal School Of Law How to Apply


Applicants need to pay an application fee of R175:

  • either by cheque or postal order direct to the Central Applications Office (CAO) on submission of  your completed application form. The cheque or postal order must be made out to the Central Applications Office and the cheque must be crossed. No cash payments are accepted., or
  • by direct deposit at any branch of ABSA Bank or via the Internet.

After 31 October a late application fee of R400 is charged.
Applications are processed by the CAO which is a central office that handles applications to all universities in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. For the most up-to-date information, visit the University’s website at www.ukzn.ac.za
Each application must contain the following information: 

  1. A filled out and signed application form.
  2. The applicant’s academic record.
  3. A one-page personal statement, giving background on the applicant and his/her motivation for wanting to do the particular LLM.
  4. A curriculum vitae.
  5. An example of academic or professional writing, done within the past three years.
  6. All the documentation required by the University to prove that the applicant is financially able to pay for his/her intended studies and support himself/herself during the course of said studies.
  7. For a research LLM, the candidate must also submit a concept note.

PhD Thesis/Masters dissertation: Research Intent (RI)
Every PG research student is required to submit a brief Research Intent/Concept Note to assist in ascertaining your research interest and assigning a suitable supervisor.
Please prepare your research intent (concept note) under the following headings and according to the guidelines in each section (not all the guidelines need necessarily apply). The length of the RI should not exceed 3 pages for a master’s dissertation and 5 pages for a doctoral thesis. You will be required to develop a more detailed Research Proposal under the guidance of your research supervisor, and which you will present at the School Higher Degrees and Research committee for approval of your study.

  1. Short descriptive title (15 words)
  • title: subtitle only where strictly necessary (e.g. case study)
  • avoid academic clichés: “analysis of/ study of/ investigation into …”
  • remember: title must direct a potential researcher to your
  1. Background and outline of the research problem
  • a little more detailed explanation of the research problem indicated in (1 above)
  • pose the research question/problem/hypothesis (state what the dissertation/thesis will deal with)
  1. Preliminary literature study (if possible), and reasons for choosing topic
  • provide a rationale for the research project and explain whether these or related questions have been asked before, and what answers have been obtained – i.e. outline, evaluate and synthesise current state of critical/ theoretical debate
  • identify limitations of past research, and explain your point of entry into the debate (identify gaps/misinterpretation/ errors/ contradictions/ particular critical or theoretical problems)
  1. Research problems and objectives: Key questions to be asked
  • these are the questions essential for consideration of the main topic
  • clarity is all-important so you need to reduce all you want to discover to a series of  specific questions
  • avoid a ‘fishing’ approach to research ie collecting material, applying a number of statistical techniques ‘to see what will come out’
  1. Principal theories upon which the research will be constructed (research design)
  • select an appropriate research design, e.g. an empirical study using primary data (survey, experiment, case study) or an empirical study using analysing existing data
  • a non-empirical study: philosophical analysis, conceptual analysis, theory building, literature review
  1. Research methodology
  • sketch the research approach; identify the appropriate population which you will sample; describe procedures to collect data
  • identify the techniques, methods, and instruments you will use for measurement
  1. Structure of dissertation/thesis
  • list the expected chapters in the thesis/dissertation
  1. References (Optional)
  • list similar or parallel work done in your discipline, in cognate disciplines in the University, other universities in South Africa, and  abroad, where relevant (unpublished masters dissertations and doctoral theses)
  • a select, not full, bibliography to demonstrate that you have done SOME  literature search for the research topic

Closing dates for Application Admissions

Round 1 – End August
Round 2 – End October
Round 3 – 13 December (including late applications)