Bachelor of Laws

Our LLB has two routes and your choice will depend upon whether you have a degree or not.

• Do you hold a degree that makes you eligible for Graduate Entry? (Study 9 modules to complete, instead of the usual 12).

Standard Entry Route

Graduate Entry Route

• If you are not eligible for the LLB, can you access an approved local teaching centre? This may allow you to study the CertHE Common Law and progress to the LLB.

We recommend that you check the requirements of the professional body in the jurisdiction in which you wish to practise before committing to the degree.

The Programme Specification and Programme Regulations contain information and rules regarding what modules may be chosen and the order in which they must be studied.

• Download the Programme Specification
• View Programme Regulations

This programme has two intake dates per year: May and November.

Local teaching support

Our programmes are designed to be studied independently, but if you would like to attend classes, you can enrol at one of our approved local teaching centres around the world and benefit from local study support and the facilities of a campus-style environment.

To receive teaching support, you must apply directly to an approved teaching centre. Teaching centres may set earlier deadlines than the programme deadlines listed above.

Study materials

We will send you study materials developed by academics from the Laws consortium. These include:

• Module guides
• Statute books, provided for all modules where they are permitted in the examination.

Online support

When you register, we will give you access to your Student Portal. You can then access your University of London email account and other key resources:

• The Laws Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) enables access to programme materials, resources, and audio and video lectures.
• An Online Induction is available twice a year offering live Q&A sessions on the VLE, study skills, the Online Library and Level 4 modules.
• Discussion forums for each module, where you can share perspectives with fellow students from all over the world.
• The Online Library provides access to over 100 million academic electronic items comprising E-books, E-journals, conference proceedings, etc. In addition, students can request items which are not held in the library via the library's Inter-Library loans service with the British Library. Access more than 10 legal databases, including Lexis/Nexis, Westlaw and other valued materials.
• Senate House Library provides free reference access for all registered distance and flexible learning students.
• Lecture Plus: for some modules, you can view a recorded lecture and engage afterwards in a dedicated discussion forum.
• Practice exam questions: for some modules, you have an opportunity to receive feedback on how you are performing against the criteria applied by examiners.
• Multimedia module guides: for each module these guides use multimedia resources to breakdown the topics in each chapter of the module guide.

Study events

• The London Study Support Event provides you with academic guidance from a University of London-approved tutor. Usually held in November, the event focuses on the core content of the first half of each module guide. Each day includes an overview of key topics, learning activities and guidance on planning your studies.
• The London Revision Event typically takes place in March and focuses on revision for your examinations. Each day includes an overview of core topics and guidance on what examiners are looking for in an examination answer.

Student support

We are committed to delivering an exceptional student experience for all of our students, regardless of which of our programmes you are studying and whether you are studying independently or with a teaching centre.

You will have access to support through:

• The Student Advice Centre – provides support for application and Student Portal queries.
• TalkCampus – a peer support service that offers a safe and confidential way to talk about whatever is on your mind at any time of day or night.

Assessment

All modules (except the Dissertation) are assessed entirely by written examination. These are held in May/June and October at local examination centres around the world. You can sit a maximum of two modules in the October session.

Our examinations are set and marked by academics appointed as examiners. They reflect the same standards as those who study on-campus at the University of London Law Schools.

More about examinations

What qualifications do you need?

To register for the LLB, you will usually be aged 17+ by the date of registration and satisfy the University’s General Entrance Requirements.

Each application is considered on an individual basis. If you do not have the standard requirements, our Admissions Panel will consider factors such as alternative or incomplete qualifications (e.g. diplomas / degrees) and relevant work experience.

If you are not eligible for the LLB, you may be able to study the CertHE Common Law and progress to the LLB. This programme must be studied at an approved local teaching centre.

Alternatively, you might be interested in our International Foundation Programme. This pre-university programme is equivalent in standard to qualifications studied in Year 13 (i.e. A levels) and must also be studied at an approved local teaching centre.

Graduate entry route

For graduate entry, you will need an acceptable undergraduate degree rather than a professional qualification.

What do I need for Graduate Entry?

English Language requirements

You need to demonstrate a good level of English to be admitted to our programmes. We accept a range of evidence, including proficiency test scores. If you don’t have evidence but believe you can meet the standard, we may consider your case.

Do I meet the language requirements?

Computer requirements

We set minimum basic computer requirements because your study resources are accessed via the Student Portal and it is vital that you can access this regularly. For this degree, you will also need Adobe Flash Player to view video material and a media player (such as VLC) to play video files.

More about computer requirements.

If you have studied material as part of a previous qualification that is comparable in content, level and standard to our Bachelor of Laws (LLB) modules, you might be exempted from the equivalent course of our degree. This is known as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) or Exemption. You will not need to study or be assessed in the module(s) to complete your award.

To be considered for RPL you should make a formal request within your application when applying online. Alternatively, this can be done through an online enquiry, once you have submitted your application.

You must satisfy the entrance requirements for the Standard Entry LLB and have successfully completed studies at an appropriate level to be considered. We do not consider credit transfer or RPL for any module of the Graduate Diploma Commercial Law or Graduate Entry LLB.

RPL can only be granted for a maximum of four of our LLB modules at FHEQ Level 4.

Your prior learning must be from whole modules equivalent to FHEQ Level 4 (or above).

RPL can only be awarded for modules successfully completed within three years prior to the date of application and you must:

• have passed all the necessary assessments and examinations in any full year of study
• have not failed any part of the degree programme.

To award RPL is at the discretion of the University. A formal application is required and an RPL application fee is payable (currently £119 per module). The RPL application fee is non-refundable, even if your prior learning is not recognised.

Note: The application/ request for Discretionary RPL and all required supporting evidence must be received before the deadlines stated, for the intake that you apply, to be processed.

Further information on rules regarding RPL is covered in the Recognition of Prior Learning section of the appropriate Programme Regulations and Section 3 of the General Regulations.

The fees below relate to new students registering for the 2022-2023 session. These are subject to annual increases of up to 5% per annum.

Disclaimer: Currency conversion tool.
You pay as you progress rather than in a single payment. The indicative costs are a guide to what you would pay if you allow for average fee increases and complete your qualification within the minimum time (with no resits).

*The online examination administration fee is charged for each examination paper held online, including resits. This does not apply to any coursework submissions. This fee will be charged at the point of exam entry and is in addition to the exam entry fee listed above.

More about programme fees.

See the Programme Regulations for more details.

Additional Costs

You may also need to budget for:

• Textbooks (could extend to around £300 per year);
• tuition costs (if you choose to study at an approved local teaching centre); and
• examination centre fees, which are paid directly to the venues where you sit your examinations.

We accept most traditional payment methods, including debit/credit card, international money order, and Western Union.

How to pay your fees.

Please note: all student fees shown are net of any local VAT, Goods and Services Tax (GST) or any other sales tax payable by the student in their country of residence. Where the University is required to add VAT, GST or any other sales tax at the local statutory rate, this will be added to the fees shown during the payment process. For students resident in the UK, our fees are exempt from VAT.

Further information on Sales Tax.

Your payment provider may apply additional transaction fees (if in doubt, please check with them before making a payment).

Further information about fee payment options can be found in the “How to pay your fees” link above.
 

The University of London was the first to offer a degree in English Law in the 1890s, and continues to offer the security of an internationally recognised 'gold standard'.

Upon graduation, you will join a distinguished group of solicitors, barristers and judges from all over the world who began their careers with a University of London LLB.

What do employers think of our graduates?

In some countries, qualifications earned by distance and flexible learning may not be recognised by certain authorities or regulators for the purposes of public sector employment or further study. We advise you to explore the local recognition status before you register, even if you plan to receive support from a local teaching centre.

The academic direction of the LLB is provided by a Consortium of outstanding University of London Law Schools: Birkbeck, King's, LSE, Queen Mary, SOAS and UCL.

Three of these (UCL, King’s and LSE) are ranked in the top 20 worldwide for Law (QS World University Rankings 2022) and in the UK's top ten (The Complete University Guide 2022).

Programme Deans

Simon Askey is Dean of Undergraduate Laws. Simon is responsible for the strategic direction of undergraduate programmes in law and the academic co-ordination of the assessment process and matters relating to student progression and performance. He began teaching law in 2001, with a primary focus on legal methods and legal skills, and he is co-author (with Ian McLeod) of Studying Law, which is in its fourth edition.

Patricia McKellar is Associate Dean of Undergraduate Laws. Patricia drives the learning, teaching and assessment strategy for e-learning technologies and interactive learning, supporting college-based academic staff to create distance learning resources and to implement technology enhanced learning in their modules. She oversees the extensive student support initiatives employed by the programme and promotes and develops student engagement. She presents at national and international conferences and has published articles on legal education. She was in legal practice for a number of years and, prior to her appointment at University of London, was a Senior Lecturer in Legal Practice at the Glasgow Graduate School of Law at the University of Strathclyde, where she developed a number of innovative e-learning initiatives.

Without the cost of moving to London, studying for your University of London degree anywhere in the world represents excellent value for money. However, there are additional sources of support depending on where you live and how you choose to study.

UK-based students may be entitled to apply for an undergraduate Student Loan or the City’s Business School Scholarship. Equally, some of our approved local teaching centres around the world offer discounts or scholarships for the face-to-face tuition they offer. (Check with your teaching centre for details.)

More on funding your study