My cousin, who is currently in the 11th grade, is preparing for CLAT. During a school foreign universities fair, she recently came across some information about pursuing law in the UK. Could someone please guide me to a website or a LI thread where I can find resources to research how to pursue an LLB in the UK? I would be immensely grateful. Additionally, I would like to know if it is worth pursuing studies there and what opportunities she can expect after graduation.
A three-year LLB from the UK will cost a minimum of Rs 1 to 1.5 crores, including living costs. Suitable only for those with deep pockets.
LLB graduates in the UK can either take the SQE route to qualify as Solicitors (two years training) or the Pupillage route to become Barristers (12 months).
A good LLB (upper 2nd class/1st class) will open the doors for LLM - BCL at Oxford or LLM at Cambridge, LSE, UCL, KCL etc. - and cost between 60 to 80 lakhs.
Those who secure Training Contracts (TCs) and qualify as Solicitors start with pretty decent salaries even by the UK standards - GBP 75K upwards, would be above GBP 100K in top tier firms (aka Magic Circle and Silver Circle firms).
Not too bad for those who can afford it. All the best to the young lady!
Yes sure. I applied around the same time at clat. So I have a fair idea. So your lnat scores have to be complemented with your UCAS application. This is the common application required for entry into these colleges. Usually for admission at 2024 the lnat will happen on this year’s September or October fall. Remember to apply four weeks before the application closes. It will give you some extra mileage like preparatory books and study materials online. The exam will be conducted online at a test centre. Earlier , only Cambridge separately used to take a test for ug law students internationally . Now that too has been separately done via lnat. Remember for Oxford there has been a separate deadline. You have to mandatorily apply within 15th September. They will not accept late scores. Some universities like Birmingham/Cardiff accept late scores but in rare occasions.
Remember lnat is not mandatory. Currently 12 universities require lnat. I sat for this exam last year , so around that time the number was 14. The exam is super easy. If your cousin is preparing well for clat , lnat will be a cakewalk. There will be an essay which can be a bit challenging but not at all unpredictable. Remember Lnat is just a part of a big process. The evaluation of your UCAS application matters equally. So make sure , he/she participates in a few extracurricular and ace at it. Register as soon as possible. For some links around research , here you go :-
Now coming to your additional question - is it worth pursuing studies there? I will say definitely yes. In-fact the quality is better than all the nlus combined. As for me , I personally got into a couple of good colleges but the fees was a big issue. The kind of scholarships I received were lucrative but not enough as the rate of pound sterling hit hard. And moreover my scholarships were based on lnat scores. However , it may sound like a flex but UK was honestly my backup option. Yes. I never imagined I would crack nalsar on my wildest dreams. It’s like the age old debate of IIT vs MIT. But if you think about it , your cousin can stay at india for maybe NLS or Nalsar. But even after that I will suggest him/her to opt for Oxbridge, lse , UCl , Warwick , kcl , Southampton , Bristol , Edinburgh , Lancaster. If you are getting the cut for these (and I mean only these not anything else like Manchester or Cardiff) then better stay at India and go for exchange/llm/mba abroad. You will be at a slight disadvantage here yes , but not by miles. This is what I personally think being in both shoes. You can take it or leave it.
Thank you so much. This is quite helpful. Is there a way, a pseudo email that you can share where I can contact you for more questions? Thanks once again.
Universities and College Admissions Service is a private company altogether. However this is the generally most preferred application by almost all UK university which acts as a gateway for international applicants to breakthrough. It will put you forward and universities always check UCAS applications first. They are always preferred over individual applications which are usually very hectic.
Remember taking the lnat is always preferred along with your UCAS application. Pay the fee at a requisite time. Previous year it was very reasonable for me. So that won’t cost a lot.
Coming to your question - the CLT exam which was required for Cambridge has been waived off by the university itself. They accept LNAT only. So don’t worry about it.
Yes, but wont they prefer home students compared to international students.what about companies sponsoring visas? dont you have to be exceptionally well to even be considered ?my main issue is with visa because if that doesnt work out, you have to come back to india with a gap year and a significantly higher debt that you have to give and then again indian law firms would prefer a nlu student over a uk degree and u would be at a disadvantage.also a uk law degree and an indian law degree are different , u will take time to familiarise yourself here. Idk, someone help me point out the positives or if the visa is significantly easier to get than it is advertised as.
ucas application is a common application for all UG degrees in the UK. There is an essay that you need to write where you have to say why you want to pursue this particular course. Then they give you 6 choices for unis. Each uni will assess your essay, your school leaving scores, any exam (like lnat, bmat etc.) scores and offer you conditional or unconditional offer
for oxbridge you will also have an interview for all ug discipline, most other unis only take interviews for medicine and allied subjects, although lse did take interviews for ug law a few years back
Not worth joining tho if you are getting the above colleges I mentioned. Look in UK it’s not a tier structure , so the rankings don’t really matter. This has been traditional in the UK game for law. It falls under the Russell Group yes but personally when I talked to some of the Brits ( who made it big into magic circle from UCL , LSE and Oxbridge ) - they have a general antipathy towards Manchester and even Cardiff for that matter. Hiring has slowed down in recent years in Manchester with uk students getting the top priority. International students are facing the heat and trust me this is just the beginning. ROI wise as well - it’s just not worth it as compared to the aforementioned universities.
Hi I have sat for clat this year and got Nujs. But UK still remains a distant dream. So I wanna give lnat for this fall to get into college next year. My target college is UCL and Durham. Will they better than Nujs (only if I get them)?
Ofc. See I personally don’t prefer Durham much for jurisprudence , it’s a place where people major in English. However UCL is one of the best colleges in UK rn. If you certainly get it , do take it. The process is a bit competitive. But both of these places will be better than Nujs.
Manchester is not worth it because it’s doing pretty badly recently. Also the prestige of it among the UK unis has fallen considerably. Now prestige as metric is defined under the Russell Group criteria not normal ‘prestige’. So the OP gave correct info although Cardiff is doing pretty well recently.
Regards,
Fellow Kings Alumni currently enrolled as a Barrister
A very authentic explanation I must mention. Although certain things have changed over the years , many factors remain the same. Which colleges you got into in UK apart from nalsar in clat?
KCL , Warwick , Glasgow , Edinburgh (with a scholarship - not enough at all but till date my biggest flex) , didn’t apply to Oxford and UCL because of the deadlines.
Southampton , Bristol , Durham didn’t even take my lnat scores into account and gave me a direct offer based on transcripts. I also applied to SOAS and made into some interdisciplinary programmes.
My cousin, who is currently in the 11th grade, is preparing for CLAT. During a school foreign universities fair, she recently came across some information about pursuing law in the UK. Could someone please guide me to a website or a LI thread where I can find resources to research how to pursue an LLB in the UK? I would be immensely grateful. Additionally, I would like to know if it is worth pursuing studies there and what opportunities she can expect after graduation.
Thank you.
LLB graduates in the UK can either take the SQE route to qualify as Solicitors (two years training) or the Pupillage route to become Barristers (12 months).
A good LLB (upper 2nd class/1st class) will open the doors for LLM - BCL at Oxford or LLM at Cambridge, LSE, UCL, KCL etc. - and cost between 60 to 80 lakhs.
Those who secure Training Contracts (TCs) and qualify as Solicitors start with pretty decent salaries even by the UK standards - GBP 75K upwards, would be above GBP 100K in top tier firms (aka Magic Circle and Silver Circle firms).
Not too bad for those who can afford it. All the best to the young lady!
Remember lnat is not mandatory. Currently 12 universities require lnat. I sat for this exam last year , so around that time the number was 14. The exam is super easy. If your cousin is preparing well for clat , lnat will be a cakewalk. There will be an essay which can be a bit challenging but not at all unpredictable. Remember Lnat is just a part of a big process. The evaluation of your UCAS application matters equally. So make sure , he/she participates in a few extracurricular and ace at it. Register as soon as possible. For some links around research , here you go :-
1. https://lnat.ac.uk/
2. https://www.thelawyerportal.com/lnat/lnat-guide/lnat-universities-which-unis-require-lnat/
Now coming to your additional question - is it worth pursuing studies there? I will say definitely yes. In-fact the quality is better than all the nlus combined. As for me , I personally got into a couple of good colleges but the fees was a big issue. The kind of scholarships I received were lucrative but not enough as the rate of pound sterling hit hard. And moreover my scholarships were based on lnat scores. However , it may sound like a flex but UK was honestly my backup option. Yes. I never imagined I would crack nalsar on my wildest dreams. It’s like the age old debate of IIT vs MIT. But if you think about it , your cousin can stay at india for maybe NLS or Nalsar. But even after that I will suggest him/her to opt for Oxbridge, lse , UCl , Warwick , kcl , Southampton , Bristol , Edinburgh , Lancaster. If you are getting the cut for these (and I mean only these not anything else like Manchester or Cardiff) then better stay at India and go for exchange/llm/mba abroad. You will be at a slight disadvantage here yes , but not by miles. This is what I personally think being in both shoes. You can take it or leave it.
https://www.ucas.com/
https://www.studyin-uk.in/uk-study-info/ucas/
Remember taking the lnat is always preferred along with your UCAS application. Pay the fee at a requisite time. Previous year it was very reasonable for me. So that won’t cost a lot.
Coming to your question - the CLT exam which was required for Cambridge has been waived off by the university itself. They accept LNAT only. So don’t worry about it.
for oxbridge you will also have an interview for all ug discipline, most other unis only take interviews for medicine and allied subjects, although lse did take interviews for ug law a few years back
Regards,
Fellow Kings Alumni currently enrolled as a Barrister
Southampton , Bristol , Durham didn’t even take my lnat scores into account and gave me a direct offer based on transcripts. I also applied to SOAS and made into some interdisciplinary programmes.