Anyone that is looking to get into a legal career such as a solicitor or barrister in the UK may be considering undertaking a law degree at a UK university. While completing a law 
degree is not a necessity in order to build a career within the legal sector, it is something that can provide valuable skills and knowledge for those that want to enter into this type of career.
There are various choices that you have to make when you decide to undertake a law degree. For instance, you need to think about whether you want to do a standard law degree or a joint one that enables you to specialise in a particular area of law. Another important decision that you need to make is which university you want to study at.
Considerations when choosing a university to study law
There are various factors that you will need to consider when it comes to choose the right university at which to study law. Of course, one of the things that you will need to bear in mind is that the entry requirements for a law degree can vary from one university to another. Therefore, you may find that your choices are limited based on your A Level subjects and grades.
Many students who are looking to study law at university tend to look for universities that are close to home or opt for ones that friends and family have studies at in the past. However, there are others who are keen to study at the best law universities in the UK when working towards their law degree.
You can even browse the websites of universities you’d like to attend and take a closer look at the professors, the courses, the possible timetables, the way you will be learning each section, the opportunities open to you in law. You also have to take your time briefly off the subject of law and check out how close the student bar is to your accommodation- there has to be a balance!
Using league tables to find the best law universities in the UK
Trying to determine which university to go to in order to obtain your law degree can be a challenge. If you have excellent A Level results in three or four strong subjects, you will have far more choice with regard to the university options that are open to you. If this is the case, it is well worth looking at some of the popular league tables to see which universities have been ranked the best for studying law. For instance, based on the Times University Rankings for 2018, the top universities for studying law are as follows:
- Cambridge
- Oxford
- UCL (University College London)
- Edinburgh
- KCL (King’s College London)
- Manchester
- Queen Mary University of London
- Essex
- Glasgow
- Bristol
- Kent
- Durham
- Sussex
- Sheffield
You may find slight variations in terms of the universities that make the list, as they can vary from one league table to another. However, you will find that many of the league tables have the same universities as the top ranked ones for studying law.
Looking at these league tables can prove highly beneficial if you have the results necessary to pick and choose which university you attend. These are universities that have an excellent reputation and performance when it comes to law degrees. As a result, you can boost your chances of obtaining an excellent degree education that will open up many doors for you when it comes to your future legal career.
Checking the entry requirements
Of course, it is vital that you check the entry requirements for the universities that you are interested in, as these will vary from one educational institution to another. You need to bear in mind that, as the top performing law universities in the UK, the entry requirements may be a lot stricter for these universities than for many of the lower ranked ones. Competition has become increasingly stiff when it comes to law degree placements, with 2017 seeing a four percent increase in the number of applicants for these courses.
As a result, top raking universities are often keen to encourage applications for top students with excellent A Level results in strong subjects. Oxford and Cambridge will no doubt require an AAA or an AAB at the very least to even be considered entry. This is why it’s important to knuckle down during those final 2 years at college, as one letter (or number, as they are now) can mean missing out on a top course sought after by thousands of applicants.
Before you start making your university applications, you should make sure you do your research and determine what the entry requirements are for each of the universities that you are interested in. This will save you a lot of time in terms of filling out applications but will also help to avoid disappointment in the event that you are turned down because you do not meet these entry requirements. You can research the entry requirements for individual universities online and you can then determine which of the universities you are eligible to apply to and which of these are your preferred ones.
It is also worth noting that if a university is lower down on the rankings, this does not necessarily mean that it is not a good university for studying law. In actual fact, there may only be a few points between that university and one that ranks considerably higher, so make sure you bear this in mind.