Law Degree Entry Requirements at UK Universities

Law degree entry requirements in the UK range from A*AA at Cambridge, LSE, King's College London and Bristol down to 104 to 120 UCAS points at universities such as Portsmouth and Northumbria for 2027 entry. Nine UK universities also require the LNAT admissions test. You don't need A-level Law for any of them.

That's a wide range, which is good news: there's a law degree for a lot of different grade profiles. Below is a table of 12 universities, checked on their own course pages on 24 September 2026, plus the LNAT rules and the questions people most often ask.

What are the entry requirements for law at UK universities?

This table runs from the highest offers to the most accessible. Each row comes from the university's own course page. The "Points offer" column only shows figures the university itself states.

A few things to notice. Oxford's Law offer is AAA, lower than several other top universities, but every applicant must also sit the LNAT. Birmingham says outright that it doesn't "require or consider" the LNAT. And universities that use points often give a range, so the lower end may depend on your subjects or circumstances.

How many UCAS points is a law offer worth?

The most selective law schools make offers in grades, not points. Still, it helps to see where the grades sit on the UCAS Tariff so you can compare them with points-based offers. Here's the top of the range:

And a typical offer at a points-based university:

To check your own predicted grades against the table, use the UCAS points calculator. If you're still working out a target, our guide to how many UCAS points you need explains how offers work, and UCAS points for law shows the typical range for the subject.

Which universities require the LNAT?

The LNAT (Law National Aptitude Test) is used by nine UK universities, according to the LNAT website:

• Bristol
• Cambridge
• Durham
• Glasgow
• King's College London
• LSE
• Oxford
• SOAS
• UCL

The LNAT's list page was still showing the 2026-entry cycle when we checked, but its 2027-entry dates page and every university page we checked agree with it.

For 2027 entry, the deadline for sitting the test depends on where you apply:

Registration opened on 1 August 2026 and testing began on 1 September 2026. If you're applying to Oxford or Cambridge, the booking deadline of 15 September 2026 has now passed. For the others, book a test slot well before your deadline.

Do you need A-level Law to study law at university?

No. None of the universities in our table requires A-level Law. Cambridge is especially clear: "Law at A Level is not required, and in fact most of our students have never encountered Law in school before coming to Cambridge." Oxford says the LNAT "does not require any prior knowledge of law".

Instead, Cambridge notes that "essay-based subjects like English or History are good preparation". A few points to watch:

• Manchester asks for at least one A-level from its list of acceptable subjects, which includes Law, History, English Literature, Economics, Politics, Psychology and many more.
• King's College London doesn't accept General Studies, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills or Global Perspectives as one of your A-levels.
• Nottingham says it doesn't normally accept combinations where more than one of three subjects is "non-traditional or practical".

A-level Law is a perfectly good choice if you enjoy it. It just isn't a requirement.

Can you study law with BTECs or an Access to HE Diploma?

Yes, at many universities. Here's what the course pages say about BTECs for 2027 entry:

Northumbria also lists BTEC Diplomas and Extended Diplomas among its accepted qualifications.

The Access to HE Diploma is accepted too, usually with a set number of Distinction credits. For example, Bristol asks for 30 of your 45 graded credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above. King's asks for 39 at Distinction and 6 at Merit, and De Montfort asks for 30 Level 3 credits at Merit. Manchester wants all 45 at Distinction.

Do law degrees ask for GCSEs, and do they accept resits?

Most law course pages focus on A-levels, but GCSEs still come up. De Montfort asks for five GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above, including English and maths. Northumbria asks for GCSE maths and English Language at grade 4 (C) or an equivalent. Check the GCSE line on every course page, because it's easy to miss and hard to fix late.

Resits are the other detail to look for. King's College London asks for qualifications to be completed in the first sitting for its Law LLB, so resit results won't count there. Other universities set their own rules, and many don't mention resits at all. If you're planning to resit, email the admissions team before you apply rather than guessing.

What if your grades are below the range?

If your predictions sit below every row in the table, you still have options. Portsmouth, for example, runs a law foundation year that starts from 32 Tariff points at A-level. A foundation year adds a year to your degree, but it gives you a supported start and a route onto the full LLB.

You could also look at universities that make offers in points, where a mix of A-levels, BTECs and other qualifications can add up. Our guide to UCAS points for law covers the lower end of the range in more detail.

Do universities make contextual offers for law?

Many do. In our table, LSE, King's College London, Bristol and Manchester all list a contextual offer of AAB against a standard A*AA. Kent's contextual offer is BBB against a standard AAB, and Birmingham says its contextual offer is one grade lower than its standard AAA. De Montfort mentions a reduction of one to two grades.

Whether you qualify depends on each university's criteria, such as where you live or whether you've been in care. Our guide to contextual offers explains how they work.

What should you do next?

1. Work out your predicted points with the UCAS points calculator and see which rows of the table fit.
2. Pick a spread of five choices, with at least one comfortably within your predictions.
3. If any of your choices use the LNAT, book your test before the deadline in the table above.
4. Read each university's course page again before you apply, because offers change every cycle.

For more on individual law schools, see our pages on Cambridge's UCAS points and King's College London's UCAS points.