Top Law Universities in the UK
Reem Mohamed
11 April, 2023
8 mins read
University Life
Law is one of the most sought-after degrees among students everywhere. In the UK specifically, legal education is of particularly high quality that attracts not only local but also international students to pursue a degree in the field. Additionally, it is a field with high employability and more than reasonable pay.
As a diverse field with many branches and disciplines, you can choose to pursue a degree in a variety of legal fields, including Criminal Law, Contract Law, International Law, Land Law, EU Law, Commercial Law, Medical Law, Environmental Law, Media Law, and so much more!
If you have a passion for studying law and holding up the reigns of justice, you can join one of the best law universities in the UK and build your future career! You can choose your future profession as a jurist, a judge, a solicitor, a barrister, an advocate, a judicial clerk, an attorney, or a lawyer!
Best Law Universities in the UK
Once you’ve decided to pursue a degree in law and legal studies, the next step is to choose the right institution to get your degree. Here are some of the best law universities in the UK for you to consider!
1. The University of Oxford - Faculty of Law
Quick Facts and Figures
QS Ranking: 4
Best Law Degree Programme: BA in Law with Law Studies in Europe
Application fees for International Students: £75
International Students’ Course Fees: £35,080
The University of Oxford’s faculty of law offers multiple degrees, including three undergraduate degrees, a diploma, and nine postgraduate degrees. Some even consider it the best UK university for law, here are some of its most notable law programmes!
This three-year programme is equivalent to the LLB in some other universities. Considered a highly-regarded undergraduate law degree in the UK, it qualifies you to work as a barrister or a solicitor in England or Wales or in other non-legal professions that require professional analysis. Not only will you memorise data and read very long statutes and cases, but also you will participate in creative legal debates and tutorials which inspire you and develop your accuracy skills.
The programme is non-modular, however, there are some compulsory courses you have to take and optional subjects from which you can choose in your final year. For example, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Contract Law, Land Law, and Jurisprudence are some of the compulsory courses you study throughout your degree. In your third year, you have the chance to choose two subjects from a range of areas such as Environmental Law, Commercial Law, Advanced Criminal Law, Medical Law and Ethics, Media Law, History of English Law, and more.
Public exams take place in your first and final year, however, you will submit an essay in jurisprudence in your second year, and its mark counts towards your final degree result.
The shortened version of the regular law degree is the BA in Jurisprudence with Senior Status. If you have at least one other university degree, this programme is suitable for you. Unlike the regular law degree, you will join the programme after the first public examination, meaning that you will skip one term of the programme in which undergraduates consolidate their work.
Similar to the regular law degree, you will study Administrative Law, Jurisprudence, Land Law, Contract Law, and additional compulsory subjects. In the third year, you may choose two optional subjects such as the History of English Law, Copyright, Patents and Allied Rights, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Family Law, Human Rights Law, and much more. However, you should take Criminal Law and Constitutional Law as the two optional subjects in your final year if you want your degree to have a "Qualifying Law Degree" which exempts you from academic training and allows you to proceed with your professional training directly.
The four-year Bachelor of Arts in the Final Honour School of Jurisprudence: English Law with Law Studies in Europe is the extended version of the regular law degree as you will spend an extra year studying abroad at one of Oxford's partner universities in continental Europe.
Besides studying the same courses as the regular Law degree, you will study additional subjects that will prepare you for studying abroad. Choosing to study German Law, Dutch Law, French Law, Italian Law, or Spanish Law during your third year, you will travel to Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, or Spain, respectively. After graduation, the degree title will contain the specialisation, i.e. English Law with German Law, English Law with Italian Law, etc. will be written on your certificate.
It is important to note that you will study the law of the country you are in, not the language. European Law studies are taught in English, however, all the specialisations are taught in the local language. So advanced competence in this language is tested during the admissions process. After passing the year abroad, you will obtain the Law with Law Studies in Europe degree. Returning to the UK, you will study in the final year of the regular law degree.
As with the exchange agreements with Oxford's partner universities in continental Europe, this three-term full-time diploma is only available to students coming through the German Universities of Bonn and Munich, the Dutch University of Leiden, the French Panthéon-Assas University, the Italian University of Siena, or the Spanish Pompeu Fabra University.
This is not a full degree, and its content is derived mainly from the regular law degree, you will study three subjects of the regular law degree and will have an exam in each subject at the end of the third term. In the first and second years, you will participate in the Faculty's Legal Research Skills Programme, where you will develop your research and IT skills.
2. The University of Cambridge - Faculty of Law
Quick Facts and Figures
QS Ranking: 2
Best Law Degree Programme: LLM (Master of Laws)
Application fees for International Students: £60
International Students’ Course Fees: £43,687
The University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Law offers a BA Tripos Degree in Law, a Master of Law, a Master in Corporate Law, and a Doctorate in Law. It is the best UK university for law, according to many.
During the BA Tripo degree in law, you will develop your understanding of the law principles from an academic rather than a vocational perspective. You will develop your critical thinking skills and explore how laws have developed over time, how these laws apply in novel situations, the purposes of these laws, and more.
Throughout the three-year BA Tripo degree in law, you will study a wide range of subjects. In Year 1, you will investigate Criminal Law, Civil Law, Constitutional Law, Law of Tort, and Legal Skills and Methodology. In Year 2, you have the option to choose five subjects from a wide range of options, including Contract Law, Land Law, Family Law, Human Rights Law, Comparative Law, Criminology, Sentencing, and the Penal System. In the final year, you also select five subjects from a wider range of options, including Equity and European Union Law, Labour Law, and Jurisprudence.
You may also choose certain half papers like Law of Succession, Banking Law, Personal Information Law, and Landlord and Tenant Law. Additionally, you can submit a dissertation or participate in a seminar course in which the topic varies each year.
3. University College London (UCL)
Quick Facts and Figures
QS Ranking: 8
Best Law Degree Programme: LLB (Hons)
Application fees for International Students: £90
International Students’ Course Fees: £21,200
Holding its position as one of the best law universities in the UK, UCL's Faculty of Law offers a three-year law undergraduate degree (LLB). This degree is accredited by the Bar Standards Board and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. You will be taught through a range of lectures, seminars and tutorials by professional academics and visiting practitioners. Combining research and theory with practical application, these degree courses prepare you to become a solicitor or a barrister as well as work in government and political service industries.
In Year 1, you will study these four compulsory courses: Criminal Law, Contract Law, Property Law, and Public Law. If you joined one of the "Law with" language programmes, or the LLB English and German Law programme, you will also take European Legal Studies in French, German, or Spanish.
In Year 2, four courses are compulsory too. These courses are Property Law, European Union Law, Tort Law, and Jurisprudence and Legal Theory. Enrolled in one of the "Law with" language programmes, or the LLB English and German Law programme, you can choose to study European Legal Studies in German, French, or Spanish in place of Jurisprudence and Legal Theory.
Upon completing Year 2, you may choose to study abroad for one year in Australia, the USA, Singapore, or Hong Kong. During Year 3 (or 4 if you studied a year abroad), you will choose four subjects from various optional modules. These modules include Employment Law, Family Law, Criminology, Health Care Law, Conflict of Law, Unjust Enrichment. and many more.
4. King's College London (KCL) - The Dickson Poon School of Law
Quick Facts and Figures
QS Ranking: 37
Best Law Degree Programme: LLM (Master of Laws)
Application fees for International Students: £75
International Students’ Course Fees: £24,750
Recognised as one of the best law universities in the UK and worldwide, the KCL's Dickson Poon School of Law offers undergraduate and postgraduate law degrees. Providing excellent teaching through lectures, seminars, and tutorials, the college's three-year degree programme requires 360 credits of compulsory and optional modules, with 120 credits yearly. You will be assessed through examinations, essays, and coursework in the compulsory modules throughout the three years. However, in the optional modules, you may be assessed through examinations, moots, essays, or negotiation exercises.
During Year 1, you will only study compulsory subjects. These subjects are European Law, Public Law, Criminal Law, Elements of the Law of Contract, and Legal Reasoning and Legal Services.
In Year 2, you will study the Law of Property, Law of Tort, and Law of Trusts as compulsory modules. You will choose one optional module from a wide range of options, including Anti-Discrimination Law, Law and Social Theory, Moral Philosophy, Transnational Company Law, Insurance Law, and Consumer Protection.
In Year 3, you will only study Jurisprudence and Legal Theory as a compulsory module. Furthermore, you will choose three optional modules from a wide range of options, including the optional modules of the second year, Student Law Clinic, British Legal History, Medical Law, and International Commercial Arbitration.
After completing your first year, you may choose to study abroad or apply for a dual degree. You may choose to study in one of the available pathways; including Law with Transnational Legal Studies LLB, English Law with Australian Law, Law with European Legal Studies LLB, English Law and American Law LLB and JD, and Law LLB with a year in Singapore. In some cases, your degree may extend to four years.
Other top law universities in the UK you may be interested in exploring include the following:
University of Edinburgh (QS Ranking: 15)
Durham University (QS Ranking: 92)
University of Warwick (QS Ranking: 144)
Queen Mary University of London (QS Ranking: 125)
University of Glasgow (QS Ranking: 81)
London School of Economics (QS Ranking: 56)
Pursuing a career in law or a legal field requires lots of training and experience that can only be achieved through a good, trusted, and solid law degree programme. The UK is home to a number of top-ranked universities and world-renowned institutions that offer some of the best quality legal education in the world. Using this extensive list as a guide, you can pick and choose from the best law universities in the UK and enrol in your programme of choice at the best UK university for law!
Frequently Asked Questions
What university has the best law program UK?
The best universities offering law programmes in the UK include the following:
University of Cambridge
University of Oxford
London School of Economics
University College London
University of Glasgow
Durham University
King's College London
University of Edinburgh
Can foreigners study law in UK?
Yes, foreign students can study law in the UK. You just have to meet the academic requirements of the UK law schools that you are applying to. Many international students choose the UK as their study destination every year and enrol in a legal degree programme there. However, as a foreigner, you must obtain a student visa.
Which law is the best to study?
Several fields of law and legal studies are on the list of top laws to study, they include the following:
Civil Rights
Animal Rights
Immigration Law
Sports and Entertainment Law
Labour Law
Family Law
Elder Law
Criminal Law
Environmental Law
Commercial Law
Medical Law
Is law a good job in the UK?
Yes. Studying law opens up many career opportunities for students after graduation. Becoming a solicitor, for example, is one of the offered job opportunities, which is the most common job for LLM freshers, and earn a potential of at least £25,000 per year in the UK.
