LPC Course Comparison Table

Where To Do An LPC?

The LPC is still an active professional qualification course for those who began their legal study before 1 September 2021, until 2032 (when the new SQE qualification becomes compulsory). It’s the compulsory course for aspiring solicitors in England and Wales. If you’re considering taking the LPC route for now, the next step is to consider which provider you’d like to complete your preparation course with – there are a range to choose from.

Deciding where to do an LPC in the UK depends on several factors. For example, do you want to study an accelerated/full-time LPC, or would you prefer a part-time LPC (enabling you to work at the same time)? Where you want to study is also a consideration – for example having to relocate from another city to London. The cost of the LPC preparation course is a major factor that many will put at the top of their priority list. Entry requirements are another factor that can vary between law schools. Finally, you could also consider the reputation of your awarding institution.

How Much Is The LPC?

When choosing an LPC course, the cost is likely to be a big factor. LPC course fees vary between LPC providers and depend on whether you want to study a full-time LPC or a part-time LPC. The full-time Legal Practice Course tend to cost tens of thousands, while LPC course fees for part-time study are lower initially, but are charged per year, meaning a part-time LPC will ultimately cost a similar amount.

You will also have to think about any travel, accommodation and living costs while you’re studying, which can vary depending on where you study your LPC in the UK. If you are an international student, LPC course fees are significantly higher compared to UK students (as they are with standard university tuition as well).

In short, the LPC is always going to be an expensive course and thus a significant investment in your education and future career – but costs will vary between institutions (see our comparison table below). It’s also worth remembering that many institutions will offer scholarships/bursaries to cover some of the costs (see individual websites below for exact details), whether means-tested or based on academic ability.

How Long Is A LPC?

The length of an LPC course might be another important factor in where you choose to study the LPC. An accelerated LPC takes 7 months to complete, a full-time LPC takes one year and a part-time LPC takes two years. Most aspiring lawyers who are already on training contracts will be asked to complete an accelerated LPC course (if their providers have not already changed to the SQE as the compulsory route). If you’re interested in a longer course, you’d be able to work part-time as well (thus making it a potentially more affordable route for some).

LPC Teaching Location

Many will feel that they would like to (or need to) relocate from more rural hometowns to cities with law school campuses (this no longer just means London – there are a variety of northern campuses too, for example). Not only is this an important decision in regard to your lifestyle (for example being close/further away from family and friends), but this will also significantly affect your living costs during the LPC – thus feeding into the cost point again.

Reputation of Different Providers

There is some debate over whether law school reputations are important. It’s certainly felt that, in the eyes of an interviewer at a law firm training contract assessment centre, for example, the law school you went to is far less important than the university you attended for your undergraduate degree. However, going with trusted name brands such as BPP or the University of Law is favoured by some applicants over smaller independent courses elsewhere. This is not to say that you shouldn’t apply elsewhere, of course, but it is something to be aware of.

Entry Requirements

Different LPC courses will sometimes have different entry requirements – although there isn’t usually a huge difference. Most courses are going to want you to have completed a bachelor’s degree (plus a conversion course like the GDL or PGDL if it wasn’t a qualifying law degree) and achieved a minimum of a 2.2 (or sometimes 2.1, especially if you’re looking at the accelerated courses). You should also note that, given the intensive nature of reading and writing within these courses, English language requirements are often set by law schools as well.

LPC Courses UK: LPC University Course Providers

The information in the table below is regularly updated, but is subject to change. Therefore, we cannot guarantee information accuracy at all times. We recommend contacting LPC providers directly for the most up to date details.

LPC courses in the UK are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) – the courses listed below are the only ones officially approved by the SRA on their website. Our LPC course comparison table outlines details of LPC university course providers – such as the LPC University of Law course – including cost, length, location, and entry requirements.

Finally, note that the list of providers offering the LPC is gradually dwindling as the SQE takes over – many of the institutions that would have been on this list have now moved to embrace the SQE instead (or LLM courses which fuse elements of multiple courses), and so it’s more important than ever to complete thorough research.

Conclusion

In short, it’s worth doing thorough research into which provider you choose for the LPC. Considering factors such as location, cost, entry requirements, length and institution reputation are useful starting points for starting to compare your options, but ultimately the choice will come down to your own personal preferences and needs.