Update comes as law school giant ranks number one for LLB acceptances
The University of Law (ULaw) has gone public with details of its new super exam-focused law courses.
The law school giant says it will offer a range of “blended and online” prep courses which will enable aspiring lawyers to sit part one of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) assessment from November 2021.
Students will also have the option to complete a new masters programme that ULaw says will have SQE1 and SQE2 “at its core” along with a range optional modules covering key practice areas and skills.
The SQE assessment will be split into two parts: SQE1 focusing on black letter law and taking the form of a computer-based, multiple-choice assessment, while SQE2 will test prospective solicitors’ practical legal skills such as advocacy and interviewing. It will replace both the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) when it comes into force in September 2021.
ULaw confirmed an anticipated launch date for the SQE1 prep course of July/August 2021 but was unable to say when the full masters programme would be available. The law school was also unable to confirm at this stage the costs of the new offerings.
The update follows a similar announcement from BPP University Law School, which confirmed it was in the process of creating a new Law Conversion Course (PGDL) that will help non-law students meet the “specific demands” of the SQE. This will be available from September 2020.
Other big legal education players including BARBRI are expected to follow with their own SQE course updates in the coming months.
In other ULaw-related news, it is now ranked number one for undergraduate law course acceptances after welcoming a record number LLB-ers through its doors last year. This equates to a whopping uptick of 60% in just two years, according to the latest UCAS data.
Commenting on the achievement, Professor Andrea Nollent, vice chancellor and CEO at ULaw, said:
“We are incredibly proud of the growth in our undergraduate intake in such a short space of time. To grow the number of undergraduate acceptances by almost 60% in just two years is a tremendous achievement. This success is a real testament to the hard work, passion and dedication of our staff who work to ensure that we offer the very best teaching standards to our students.”
