The 20 Best Universities Southeastern Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo) to Law in 2026

Preliminary Note: Ranking Methodology

The preparation of this ranking has been based on a combined analysis of different aspects that help us better understand each university and the education it provides. We have examined their curricula, the structure of their programmes and the way each institution organises teaching, paying particular attention to the quality and up-to-date nature of the content, as well as its connection to students’ needs and the challenges facing society.

We have also taken into account the teaching methods, resources and facilities available at each university. These elements help shape the environment in which academic life takes place and can directly influence students’ experiences. In addition, we have reviewed information published on the institutions’ own websites, their news and their presence in the media, as complementary ways to understand their initiatives, development and the image they project.

The analysis has been complemented by exploratory consultations conducted on a random basis among young people and students. The aim was to understand how they perceive the education they receive and what they think of the university they attend. These impressions offer a perspective rooted in students’ everyday experiences and complement the examination of institutional information. We have also considered, as supplementary material, assessments and references produced by other institutions and specialised organisations, without allowing them to replace our own analysis.

The competitiveness of universities and their ability to respond to current academic and professional demands also form part of the assessment. However, we believe that the quality of an institution cannot be measured solely by its market position, resources or international profile. We have therefore chosen to pay particular attention to the human dimension: honesty, a humanistic approach to education, ethics, learning and the transmission of values.

In our view, a university fully fulfils its purpose when, in addition to preparing students for professional practice, it contributes to their personal and civic development. Academic excellence is inseparable from responsibility, respect, critical thinking and the ability to act with integrity. With this approach, the ranking seeks to offer a broad view of universities, considering both the strength of their educational offering and the principles that guide the education they provide.

The University of Ljubljana leads the ranking compiled by Impact Lawyers, followed by the University of Zagreb and the University of Belgrade.

How the ranking was compiled

The University of Ljubljana leads the first edition of the Impact Lawyers ranking of the best universities in Southeastern Europe for studying Law. The University of Zagreb and the University of Belgrade take second and third place, while the University of Bucharest, Babeș-Bolyai University and the University of Rijeka complete the top six.

The ranking compares universities in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. This diverse region includes four European Union member states and several countries at different stages of the accession process.

To prepare this editorial selection, consideration has been given to the diversity of educational offerings and the track record of faculties in the field of legal studies in the region.

The international visibility of universities in this region is uneven, so an institution's lower external profile is not interpreted as a lack of quality. In this editorial selection, special attention is paid to the national recognition of each faculty and the characteristics of its academic programmes.

The qualitative assessment covers five dimensions:

• National and international academic reputation.
• Quality and impact of legal research.
• Breadth of legal education.
• Connections with the legal professions and public institutions.
• Internationalisation, practical training and engagement with European law.

Institutions offering only programmes in public policy, international relations, security or public administration, without a substantive legal curriculum, were excluded.

A region encompassing different legal systems

Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Croatia are members of the European Union. Their law faculties integrate EU law directly into national programmes and participate in European mobility, academic recognition and judicial cooperation mechanisms.

Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are EU candidate countries. Alignment with the acquis communautaire increases the importance of European law, judicial reform, competition, public procurement, human rights and institutional independence. The Council of the European Union provides current information on the position of each candidate.

Kosovo has a specific international status. Its inclusion is based exclusively on academic and geographical criteria. The designation is used without prejudice to positions on status and follows the formula employed by EU institutions in connection with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, as stated by EUR-Lex.

University of Ljubljana: balance and European integration

The University of Ljubljana occupies the first position in this selection. Its academic profile combines research activity, institutional standing, teaching quality and integration into the European legal area.

Founded in 1919, its Faculty of Law is the oldest and largest in Slovenia. It is particularly strong in European, constitutional, international, commercial, civil and human rights law.

The Slovenian pathway combines a four-year first-cycle degree with a subsequent master’s programme. The university explains that the master’s completes the academic education required to sit the State Examination in Law and subsequently enter certain regulated professions. The structure is described on the university’s official programme page.

Ljubljana also provides an especially favorable environment for European mobility and for comparing the legal systems of Central Europe, the Adriatic and the Western Balkans.

University of Zagreb: tradition and academic breadth

The University of Zagreb ranks second. Its Faculty of Law is one of the oldest, largest and most influential legal institutions in the region.

The university offers an integrated undergraduate and graduate Law programme, specialist courses and doctoral studies. Its main areas include European, public, civil, commercial, criminal, employment, tax, international and administrative law.

The faculty also provides clinical legal education and maintains extensive international links. Its degree structure is available on the Faculty of Law’s official programme page.

Its location in the Croatian capital facilitates access to senior courts, government departments, law firms, companies, regulators and diplomatic missions.

University of Belgrade, the main Serbian reference

The University of Belgrade ranks third and is the leading university in Serbia to study law.

Founded in 1808, its Faculty of Law has exercised exceptional historical influence over the legal profession, judiciary, public administration and political life of Serbia.

It offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral studies and has strong traditions in constitutional, civil, criminal, international and commercial law, as well as jurisprudence. It has also expanded its international portfolio through programmes addressing European integration and contemporary legal issues, according to its official website.

Belgrade provides access to Serbia’s largest legal market and to the institutions involved in reforms connected with the country’s EU accession process.

Bucharest and Babeș-Bolyai lead in Romania

In this selection, the University of Bucharest ranks fourth. Its Faculty of Law has an extensive professional network in Romania, linked to its proximity to the Constitutional Court, High Court, various ministries, regulators and law firms.

It is particularly strong in Romanian, European, constitutional, civil, commercial and criminal law. Its position in the capital provides a clear advantage for placements and graduate employment.

Babeș-Bolyai University ranks fifth. Based in Cluj-Napoca, it combines a strong research reputation with a multilingual, Central European academic environment. Its Faculty of Law is prominent in private, public, European, business and international law.

Babeș-Bolyai may be especially attractive to those seeking an international university experience outside Bucharest and a growing connection with Cluj’s technology and business sectors.

Rijeka: legal research and an Adriatic outlook

The University of Rijeka ranks sixth. Its Faculty of Law has a particularly visible research profile in European, comparative, maritime, commercial, administrative and human rights law.

Rijeka’s location, one of the Adriatic’s main ports, favours training related to transport, international trade, logistics and maritime law.

Its more compact size may provide a closer academic environment than Zagreb while retaining a strong research presence.

Sofia University: Bulgaria’s major law faculty

Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski ranks seventh and leads the Bulgarian institutions.

Its Faculty of Law is a historical benchmark for the judiciary, the legal profession, public administration and the country’s political life. Its curriculum encompasses the main areas of Bulgarian and European law.

Studying in Sofia provides access to Bulgaria’s largest legal market, as well as courts, government ministries, international companies, regulators and non-governmental organisations.

Novi Sad and the Serbian alternative to Belgrade

The University of Novi Sad ranks eighth. Its Faculty of Law has a strong regional position and established teaching in public, private, criminal, economic, international and European law.

The university can be an attractive alternative for those seeking a more manageable university city than Belgrade. Vojvodina’s multicultural position also adds interest to the study of minorities, decentralisation and multilingual legal systems.

The University of Niš, ranked 13th, completes the Serbian representation. It is particularly influential in southern Serbia and in preparing professionals for the regional judiciary, public administration and legal profession.

Sarajevo, Law in a complex constitutional system

The University of Sarajevo ranks ninth and is the top university in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Its Faculty of Law is particularly relevant for studying constitutional law, human rights, international law, transitional justice and institution-building.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s complex constitutional organisation makes it a distinctive environment in which to study territorial divisions of power, community protection and the domestic application of international law.

The University of Banja Luka and the University of Mostar rank 19th and 20th. Both have considerable regional influence, although their academic and professional networks are more geographically concentrated than those of Sarajevo.

Split, Maribor and Sibiu

The University of Split ranks tenth. Its Adriatic coastal location supports specialisation in maritime law, tourism, transport, environmental regulation and commercial activity.

The University of Maribor ranks 11th. It is Slovenia’s second major option and provides solid teaching in national and European law within a more compact university environment than Ljubljana.

Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu ranks 12th. Its inclusion is supported especially by its continued research activity in the legal field and its relevance within the Romanian university environment.

Prishtina, Skopje, Tirana and Podgorica

The University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina” ranks 14th. Its Faculty of Law is the largest in Kosovo and provides bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral education. The faculty highlights its continuing alignment with European and international higher education standards in its institutional presentation.

Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje ranks 15th. Its Iustinianus Primus Faculty of Law is the oldest university-level legal institution in North Macedonia and offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes. Its academic structure is described on the faculty’s official website.

The University of Tirana ranks 16th and constitutes the main public reference of Albania. Founded in 1954, its Faculty of Law maintains departments of civil, public and criminal law, according to institutional information.

The University of Montenegro ranks 17th. Its Faculty of Law in Podgorica benefits from proximity to the country’s principal institutions and from Montenegro’s advanced negotiations with the European Union.

New Bulgarian University and a different model

New Bulgarian University ranks 18th. Unlike the large historic public faculties, it offers a private, flexible and interdisciplinary model.

Its location in Sofia supports professional connections, while its approach may appeal to students seeking to combine law with business, public administration, technology or the social sciences.

Students intending to enter a regulated profession should nevertheless carefully verify the recognition of the specific programme and all subsequent national requirements.

Language and access to the profession

Most programmes leading to national legal professions are taught in Romanian, Bulgarian, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Macedonian or Albanian.

Courses, exchanges and some master’s programmes are available in English, particularly in European law, international law, human rights, business and international relations. Studying in English, however, is not normally sufficient to practise as a lawyer, judge, prosecutor or notary.

Professional access generally requires a recognised legal qualification, command of the national language, supervised training or professional experience, successful completion of a professional examination and, for lawyers, admission to the appropriate bar. The precise requirements differ substantially between countries.

European integration as a defining regional specialisation

EU enlargement is one of the most important forces shaping legal education across the region.

In Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Croatia, EU law is already an integral part of the national legal system. In candidate countries, legislative alignment with the acquis communautaire creates demand for lawyers specialising in competition, public procurement, data protection, the environment, financial regulation, judicial independence and human rights.

Southeastern Europe is therefore a particularly valuable region for studying constitutional transformation, institutional transition, European integration and interaction between national and international legal orders.

There is no perfect university for everyone

Ljubljana offers a balanced academic offering and particularly solid integration into the European legal area. Zagreb stands out for the breadth of its education and Belgrade for its tradition and professional influence.

Bucharest offers access to Romania’s largest legal market, whereas Babeș-Bolyai provides a multilingual and Central European environment. Rijeka and Split are especially attractive for maritime law and Adriatic commercial activity.

Sarajevo has distinctive value for constitutional law, human rights and transitional justice. Prishtina, Skopje, Tirana and Podgorica allow students to closely examine legal systems undergoing reform processes and European integration.

The choice should consider the country in which one wishes to practise, the language, programme duration, professional recognition, placements, living costs and the specific specialisation of each faculty.

A legal region in transformation

The main conclusion of this editorial selection is that Southeastern Europe brings together faculties with prominent national influence and a fundamental role in the legal education of their respective countries.

The University of Ljubljana leads through its academic balance, its research and its European integration. The University of Zagreb provides one of the broadest legal offerings in the region, while the University of Belgrade retains an extraordinary historical and professional influence.

The universities of Bucharest, Cluj, Rijeka, Sofia, Novi Sad and Sarajevo complete a group of institutions with strong domestic connections and clearly differentiated specialisations.

Considering the different educational models and academic offerings provides a balanced overview of a region in which language, professional access and the European integration process are fundamental elements in legal education.