Law

You will need to hold A*AA at A Level, 41-42 points with 776 at Higher Level in the IB or an Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 credits at distinction.

You will be asked to submit a piece of written work as part of your application. We will send you details once we have received your UCAS application.

All applicants for Law are required to take the National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT). Full details on how to register for the LNAT can be found on the LNAT website.

Applicants for Law in the first admissions round must take the LNAT no later than 15 October 2024. You can register for the LNAT from 1 August to 15 September 2024, and the LNAT can be taken from 1 September 2024.

Applicants applying for Law to St Edmund’s as part of the second application round must take the LNAT by no later than 14 January 2026.

Please note that your performance in the assessment will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application.

You will have two interviews lasting approximately 25 minutes. Ahead of one of your interviews, you will complete a 30 minute reading task which will form the basis for some of the discussion in your interview. You will be interviewed by the Director of Studies and three other subject specialists.

You will not be required to have any prior knowledge of law for your interviews. The interviewers will be interested in your own ideas and thought processes, including your ability to form and defend a logical argument, to recognise counter arguments, and to explain any changes in your view in light of new information or new circumstances.

We are happy to accept applications from those seeking deferred entry for this course.

A small proportion of our students take gap years before starting the Law course at Cambridge. You should state your intention to apply for deferred entry on your UCAS application, and you should expect to be asked in interview about your reasons for taking a year out, or what your plans are for that year.

If you have already completed or are in the process of completing a first undergraduate degree, you can apply for this course as an affiliated student. This means that you will complete the course in two years instead of the standard three. (Please note that this does not mean that you can go directly into the second year of the course.)

We would normally expect candidates hoping to read Law as a second degree to hold a first-class honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant academic subject, although those with a very strong upper-second class degree combined with a subsequent distinction level performance in a Masters’ degree may be considered. International equivalents can be found on the University website. 

Work experience in a relevant area is welcomed, but not essential. Applicants to the affiliate course are strongly encouraged to apply by the October deadline.

As an affiliated student, you can complete the programme in two years, instead of the usual three. There are no compulsory papers set by the University for students taking the two-year programme. Those interested in pursuing a BA in Law solely out of academic interest are therefore free to select from a wide range of papers. However, if you are interested in obtaining a Law degree with the intention of becoming a solicitor or barrister, then you would be well-advised to take the seven foundation subjects; in that case, fewer optional modules will be available to you.

First year at Cambridge

1. Tort Law
2. Constitutional Law
3. Contract Law
4. Land Law
5. Option 1

Second year at Cambridge

1. Criminal Law
2. Equity
3. EU Law
4. Option 2
5. Option 3 (or Dissertation Seminar)

Although your pattern of study will be different, you will still attend lectures and supervisions alongside all other Law students. You will also sit the same exams for each module.