halls and seminar rooms, library, computer and internet, overall conditions, study environment, handicapped accessibility, relevance of studies to practice, foreign exchange program, and feel-good factor of the campus. The elite status of the school is supported by the graduates academic performance on the German bar exam (Staatsexamen) in which its students have consistently performed at the top since its founding: "What counts in the competition with other universities is substance and results. One was proud accordingly when in 2004 the first students of the law school took the state exam: more than 90 percent achieved an exam with distinction, while the national average was below 20 percent. The Bucerius Law School had finally established itself at the peak of the judicial university landscape." Correspondingly, graduates have very strong career opportunities, with most students having multiple job offers upon graduation. Approximately 60% of the class begins their careers with large international law firms, with the balance joining leading companies and pursuing further academic qualifications, such as an LL.M. or Dr. iur. The unique prestige that sets Bucerius apart from other universities has led a scholar to describe it as a "German Ivy". LL.B. and Staatsexamen program The three-and-a-half-year LL.B. program is divided into ten trimesters. After its completion, students focus on preparation for the German First Judicial Examination (the regular law degree) in order to be admitted to legal traineeship. The entire program lasts 4.5 to 5 years and includes a mandatory trimester or semester abroad. Besides the extensive legal education, the school places special importance on the required Studium generale as well as an emphasis on foreign languages and economics. Students must complete internships at law firms, businesses or organizations, many of which support the school as donors. Students are required to spend at least one term abroad and study law in a language other than German. The school has formed extensive international partnerships with more than 90 law schools in 32 countries, including leading institutions such as Stanford University, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Columbia University, University of Texas School of Law, the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of York, Cornell University Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, New York University School of Law, Sciences Po, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, The University of Queensland, The University of New South Wales, The University of Sydney, Osgoode Hall, Universität St. Gallen, Singapore Management University, National University of Singapore,