Frequently Asked Questions

This part of the website allows you to view some frequently asked questions about admission to study law in Oxford as an undergraduate. Before reading them, you should remember that you should always check the Undergraduate Prospectus for authoritative information on current admissions procedures.

The frequently asked questions are split into three groups, each corresponding to the different types of undergraduate law courses offered by Oxford. Links to the questions are set out below, after this introduction to the three different groups of undergraduate law course offered by Oxford:

1. the three-year Law course;
2. the four-year Law with Law Studies in Europe courses;
3. the two-year Senior Status Law course;

The three-year Law course leads to a BA degree in Jurisprudence. That degree functions like the LLB awarded by other Universities. It is a Qualifying Law Degree and so, if you complete the three year course and want to practise law in England and Wales, you can then go on directly to professional training. The UCAS course code for the three-year course is M100. Each year, there are around 220 places available for students to begin the three year course. Unless otherwise stated, all the information on admissions set out below applies to applications for the three year course.

The four-year Law courses lead to a BA degree in Law with Law Studies in Europe.  That degree functions like the LLB awarded by other Universities. It is a Qualifying Law Degree and so, if you complete the three year course and want to practise law in England and Wales, you can then go on directly to professional training. Each year, a total of approximately 35 places are available across the four year Law with Law Studies in Europe courses. This means gaining entry to one of the four year courses is very competitive. However, it is vital to remember that, if your application for a four year place is unsuccessful, you may still be considered for a place on the three-year Law course. This means that an application for one of the four year courses includes, in effect, an application to the three-year Law course. So, if you are undecided as between applying for a four year or three year course, you should apply for a four year course, as you have nothing to lose by doing so.

The key difference between the three-year and four-year courses is that, if you follow one of the four-year courses, you will spend your third year studying at one of our partner universities in Europe. There are four different four-year courses: each involves study at a different partner university, and each has a different UCAS course code.

The course code for Law with Law Studies in Europe (European Law) is M190 – the third year of this course is spent in Leiden, in the Netherlands, studying European Law. The course code for Law with Law Studies in Europe (French Law) is M191 – the third year of this course is spent in Paris, studying French Law. The course code for Law with Law Studies in Europe (German Law) is M192 – the third year of this course is spent studying German Law in Bonn or Regensburg. The course code for Law with Law Studies in Europe (Italian Law) is M193 – the third year of this course is spent in Siena, studying Italian Law. And the course code for Law with Law Studies in Europe (Spanish Law) is M194 – the third year of this course is spent in Barcelona, studying Spanish Law.

Unlike the three and four year courses, the two-year Senior Status Law course is available only to applicants who have already completed an undergraduate degree (or will have completed such a degree before beginning the Oxford course). The course can function as a Qualifying Law Degree: by choosing particular options in your second year, you can complete the two year Senior Status course and then go on directly to the professional stage of training for legal practice in England and Wales. The course code for the two-year Senior Status Course is M100 – when filling in your UCAS form you must also indicate Year 2 as your Year of Entry.

Applicants who have already completed an undergraduate degree are also eligible for the three year BA in Law and the four-year BA in Law with Law Studies in Europe.  The information set out here in relation to the three and four year courses applies to applicants who already have a degree. One difference is that, whether applying for the two year, three year, or four year courses, applicants with a degree must send their degree transcript to the college considering their application.

Frequently asked questions about the three-year Law course

Frequently asked questions about the four-year Law with Law Studies in Europe courses

Frequently asked questions about the two-year Senior-Status Law course