Bucerius Law School (pronounced ) is a private law school located in Hamburg, Germany. The school is the first private law school in Germany. It admits approximately 100 undergraduate students per year. Origins and structure Bucerius Law School was founded in 2000 by one of Germany's largest foundations, ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius following the model of law schools in the United States, and bearing the name of Gerd Bucerius, a noted German judge, attorney, journalist, politician and founding publisher of Germany's leading weekly newspaper, Die Zeit. Organized as a non-profit GmbH, its mission statement is "Freedom of Thought – Academic Renewal – Social Responsibility". There are specific institutes for corporate and capital market law, the law of foundations and non-profit organizations, dispute resolution and for IP and Media Law. The school attracts a large number of visiting scholars and speakers from all over the world and hosts conferences on various topics. Programs of study The school offers two different degree programs of study: The general law program, leading to a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and to the German First Judicial Examination (Staatsexamen), and the Master of Law and Business (M.L.B.) program (in cooperation with WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management). Moreover, it grants doctoral (Dr. iur.) and habilitation titles, offers four summer certificate programs. Admission Admission to the school is highly competitive. Applicants for the LL.B. must first take a specially designed written exam with essay and multiple choice components. The test is made and assessed by an independent outside evaluator. Approximately the top 232 applicants are then invited back for an oral component of two personal interviews, a prepared presentation, and group discussions. All applicants must have English proficiency supported by a minimum score of 95 on the TOEFL, which is equivalent to that required of many American LL.M. programs. Approximately 116 students are then admitted each year. Bucerius is known as the most selective law school in Germany, and one of the most selective post-secondary institutions generally. 8.68% of students are scholars of the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes). This figure is the highest percentage of any institution of higher education in Germany. Rankings and reputation Bucerius Law School is generally ranked the number one law school in Germany. Apart from its overall first-place ranking, it is ranked first in the following sub-categories: best professors and lecturers, course offerings, qualifications, from student-to-student, lecture