How do I apply for undergraduate study?
All applications must be made through the UCAS system.
Can I visit the School of Law?
The university holds open days in June/July and in September.
Applicants who are offered a place at the School of Law will be invited to attend an offer-holder day.
In the case of overseas students who are visiting this country, they may wish to contact the university's International Team.
Can I apply for entry to the second year if I have already started my law degree elsewhere?
We accept entry only to the first year of our courses.
How many hours a week will I be working?
As a first year student, you would typically have 10 to 12 hours of lectures per week and four to five hours of seminars/tutorials per fortnight.
In your second and final years of study, the exact hours will depend on whether you choose modules taught by lectures and tutorials or seminars.
You will also undertake independent learning and study during the week, for example, in preparation for small-group teaching.
Do you hold interviews?
We do not normally include an interview as part of the admissions process.
Can I practise law with your degrees?
All our undergraduate law degrees allow exemption from the academic stage of qualification as a Barrister. Graduates wishing to qualify as barristers may proceed directly to the vocational stage of legal training - the Bar Training Course.
Students who begin their course in 2022, or thereafter, and who wish to become a solicitor must undertake the Solicitors Qualifying Examination.
There are no exemptions conferred on students who have an undergraduate law degree. A number of institutions offer courses preparing students to pass the SQE. Some of these institutions guarantee a place for Nottingham graduates with at least a 2:2 degree.
Overseas students who intend to use their degree as a part of the training to practise law in another country should check acceptability with the authorities in that country. Our understanding of the current position in certain markets is as follows:
Hong Kong - Any of our degrees will be accepted to the extent that the course has covered subjects necessary to satisfy the PCCL. Subjects that have not been covered (as well as the HK specific subjects) must be completed in Hong Kong.
India - The three (or four) year LLB degree will be accepted, and are recognised by the Council of India. The BA Law degree will not be accepted..
Malaysia - The three (or four) year LLB degree is acceptable. The BA Law degree is not accepted.
Pakistan - The three (or four) year LLB degree will be accepted, and are recognised by the Pakistan Bar Council. The BA Law degree is not accepted.
Singapore - The three (or four) year LLB degree is accepted provided it is awarded with at least 2nd Class Honours. The BA Law degree is not accepted.
Applicants should not rely only upon this information and are advised to check the position of the course they are interested in with the relevant professional associations in the country in which they intend to practise.
What is the difference between the LLB and the BA Law?
The LLB degree usually consists entirely of law subjects taken over three or four years of the course. (A limited amount of non-law subjects may be taken in the second and final years of the course.)
The BA Law degree is a mixed degree in which law subjects are studied in conjunction with other non-law subjects, but it is essentially still a law degree because at least two-thirds of the subjects must be law subjects. There is no restriction on the non-law subjects that may be selected, but timetable requirements will often mean that subjects should be chosen from the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Which A levels do you accept?
The school accepts all A levels apart from general studies and critical thinking.
The school does not distinguish between 'traditional' and 'non-traditional' A levels in terms of their general acceptability. We do not want to discourage those who wish to follow a non-traditional interest at A level from doing so.
However, law is a highly academic discipline and so our policy is that at least two of the three A levels upon which the typical standard offer will be based must be 'traditional', which means for these purposes A levels with a very high academic content.
A levels we judge to be 'non-traditional' in this sense include the following:
- Art
- Art and design
- Business studies
- Computer and information technology
- Dance
- Media and communication studies
- Sport and physical education studies
- Drama and theatre studies
Candidates who apply presenting more than one of these subjects (if doing three A levels) or two (if doing four A levels) will not be made an offer.
BTEC and VCE A levels have been developed as a vocational qualification equivalent to GCE A level.
However, the law degree courses are highly academic courses where the emphasis and approach is more academic than practical or vocational. Vocational qualifications will not, therefore, be regarded as appropriate.
Although general studies and critical thinking A levels will not be included in any conditional offer, the attainment of a high grade in either may be taken into account in a borderline case in the August review of results. Critical thinking, taken at AS level, may be an advantage to students who are subsequently required to take LNAT.
Do you consider candidates offering maths and further maths?
We are willing to consider candidates who are offering both maths and further maths. However, we would point out that for people intending to study and to practise law a wide range of knowledge and training is probably an advantage.
Do you accept A levels set by UK exam boards which have been taken in a foreign country/language?
Where an applicant is applying from a foreign country, and is presenting an A level set by a UK Examination Board to be taken in the language of that country, that subject will not be accepted as a qualifying A level.
What is your resit policy?
Our undergraduate programmes typically require students to study four subjects at the same time. The school can be confident that, by successfully completing three A levels within one examination period, applicants demonstrate an ability to manage the significant workload involved in the undergraduate study of law. Therefore, applicants should sit or resit three A levels in one examination period.
However, applicants who have taken an A level a year early because they have been fast-tracked by their school or college can be made an offer based on completing two further A levels to meet the entry requirements. Extenuating circumstances in a particular case may lead to the relaxation of this policy for that applicant.