Are you thinking of applying to law school in the United Kingdom, but you’re not sure how to? In this article, I’m going to talk about my experience applying to law schools in the UK and answer any questions that you might be thinking of—something I wish I had when I was looking into it. It can be extremely challenging trying to get answers when it comes to visas, student accommodations, how to apply, how to choose your offer and all that kind of stuff. I will go over these topics in this article, but I will not go too much into detail about what the process would be like to practice law in Canada after completing your degree in the UK or what some of the benefits may be (it’s a lot of information that I will save for my next article).
How do I apply?
So, first things first, you need to get yourself familiar with a website called UCAS. There are two ways that you can utilize this website: on your own or with a centre. Since I was navigating this entire process on my own, I reached out to a centre to assist me. I used SI-UK but there are many others such as Canada Law From Abroad. These centres are specialists who assist Canadian students on applying to law schools in the UK. They explain step by step what you’ll need and what you need to do. I will more or less cover that information in this article, but they can help you even further by providing you with a list of schools you are more likely to get into, the requirements to get into them and even applying for your student visa.
When you’re on UCAS, you will have the option to start an application. One thing that confused me at first is your law degree is considered an undergraduate programme there rather than a master’s or other post-undergraduate degree. For your application you will need similar information to what you need when applying in Ontario (personal statement, work history, references, your educational background, etc.). But, it differentiates in the sense that you do not need to take the LSAT, you are not to attach your transcripts, and you only need one reference, but you will need your high school transcripts. Although you don’t need to take the LSAT, depending on what school you apply to, you might need to take what is known as the CAAT. Also, after you submit your applications, universities will reach out to you individually and ask you to send them official transcripts directly.
You will be able to explore the schools and programs on this website, as well as on each schools’ unique website (UCAS is like OLSAS). You will have the choice to apply to 5 schools for $40 CAD.
When do I apply?
Applications open sometime in September and close in January. I’ve been told that it is extremely beneficial to apply as early as possible, so your application isn’t at risk of being missed. The golden time would be from September to the end of October. I started preparing my applications in August and I would suggest doing this so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
When will I hear back?
In my experience, I applied in the middle of October and received all my offers within three weeks. One of them I even received only days after. You will receive this news by email, and it will also be updated on the UCAS website.
Conditional vs Unconditional Offers?
When you receive an offer, it will be “conditional” or “unconditional.” An unconditional offer means that your spot is guaranteed in the school, for that program, at the allotted time, no matter what, unless you decide you no longer want to attend. You are only given this offer if you have already finished your undergraduate degree (2-year law program) or secondary school (3-year law program). Otherwise, you will receive a conditional offer. A conditional offer holds your spot in that school and will keep it for you, but you will be required to meet the conditions. For example, the school might give you the condition of finishing your undergraduate degree with a “B” average. In that case, once you finish your final semester of your undergraduate degree and receive your transcripts, you must send that to the school you chose to prove you met those conditions. If you fail to meet the conditions, the school might deny you from starting the program with them.
However, when you accept an offer, you also get an “insurance” choice. So, if you don’t end up meeting the requirements of your first and firm choice, your dreams of studying law in the UK for the upcoming term are not completely crushed. I would recommend choosing your insurance choice to one that has lower demands that way in case your grades slip, you will still have a spot in another school that you wish to attend. Not only that, if you do not meet the requirements for your firm and insurance choices, you have the option for “clearing,” which I will discuss in a later article.
How do I accept my offer? What happens next? How do I get my visa? Why should I go to the UK? What if I didn’t get into the school I wanted?…
I’m sure these are all still questions that you have, and you might even have more. Applying to study abroad can be confusing and scary, especially when you don’t have help from anyone. I wrote this article for those who might be thinking of studying law in the UK but have no idea how to start. I will try my best to cover all questions around this topic in later articles!