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There are 35 institutions across the UK offering part- and full-time, Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) accredited LPC courses. Choosing where to do an LPC course is a big decision. The cost of the course, living expenses, and location are all things you will have to think about.
To help you choose the right LPC provider for you, this guide covers some of the courses that offer the most LPC places and those locations with the highest and lowest LPC costs.
The Lawyer Portal works in partnership with the University of Law. The LPC University of Law course is available in several locations across the UK, including Birmingham, Bristol, Chester, Exeter, Guildford, Leeds, Liverpool, London Bloomsbury, London Moorgate, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Online, Reading, and Sheffield. They also offer an LPC course online in Hong Kong.
The University of Law is one of the biggest providers of LPC courses, with regular start dates in July, September and January.
The BPP LPC course is available in several locations, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, London Holborn, Manchester, and online.
BPP University Law School is the preferred choice for more than 150 organisations, with many leading law firms sending their trainee solicitors to study the LPC exclusively with BPP.
If you don’t have a training contract with a law firm, an LPC scholarship, a grant via the Law Society Diversity Access Scheme, or you are an international student, you probably want to keep your costs down because you are self-funding your LPC course. As an international student, most LPC universities will charge you higher tuition fees.
The most expensive LPC full- and part-time courses are run by LPC providers in London, including those run by the University of Law. Course providers in other major UK cities, such as Liverpool and Manchester charge some of the more affordable fees outside London..
The lowest cost LPC course provider is the University of Sunderland, which offers full- and part-time tuition for £7,850.
If you have secured a training contract or LPC funding elsewhere, and your LPC costs are covered, LPC London courses are probably the most popular.
To learn more about LPC costs, see our dedicated LPC Funding Guide.
If you want the best chance of securing a place on a full-time LPC course, it might be worth applying to LPC universities that offer the most full-time study places.
The LPC Nottingham course at Nottingham Trent University offers the most full-time LPC places with 280, followed by the LPC Cardiff course run by Cardiff University with 180 places and the LPC Sheffield course run by the University of Sheffield, also with 180 places.
The City Law School in London offers 176 full-time LPC places and Manchester Metropolitan University completes the top 5 list of institutions offering the most number of full-time LPC courses with 168. Bottom of the list is the University of Sunderland. Although it is the lowest cost LPC course provider, it does not disclose the number of places it has available on its LPC course.
If you want to study a part-time LPC, it’s worth looking at the LPC providers with the most part-time places available. Top of the list for the most number of part-time LPC places is the Northumbria LPC offered by Northumbria University, which has 100 part-time places. De Montfort University in Leicester is next on the list, offering 80 part-time LPC places.
Third on the list is the LPC Liverpool course offered by Liverpool John Moores University with 72 part-time LPC places, with Manchester Metropolitan University also offering 72 places. The top 5 list of institutions offering the most number of part-time LPC courses is completed by the Bristol LPC course run by Bristol Law School at UWE with 70 places available.
Doing an LPC in London is popular because it is home to hundreds of major law firms – especially corporate law firms. There are countless opportunities to gain legal work experience through vacation schemes, attend law fairs and conferences, all while studying an LPC. Universities in London running LPC courses also boast some of the most state of the art facilities and LPC modules in the UK.
The most popular LPC providers in the city are London Metropolitan University, the University of West London and the University of Westminster. Other excellent providers include City University London, BPP University and the University of Law.
While there are only three Birmingham LPC courses – run by Birmingham City University, BPP University and The University of Law – they are among the most affordable outside London, and the city offers a number of unique opportunities to gain legal work experience while studying your LPC.
All three Birmingham LPC course providers have strong connections with several local law firms and charitable organisations, offering the opportunity to get involved in pro bono projects. There are also a number of Tier 1 legal firms in Birmingham as named by the Legal 500, including – Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP, DLA Piper and Gowling WLG.
Competition for vacation schemes is also much lower in Birmingham compared with London, making the city a great destination for combining legal work experience and studying for your LPC.
Manchester LPC course providers include Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), BPP University and The University of Law. LPC courses in Manchester are among the most affordable outside of London and the city offers a low cost of living, making it an ideal destination to study your LPC. Full-time LPC students at MMU benefit from two days of face-to-face teaching every week.
Manchester Metropolitan University is among the top 5 LPC universities to offer the most full- and part-time LPC places. If you want to combine a part-time job with part-time study, then a Manchester LPC course could be the right fit for you. Or if you want a greater chance of securing an LPC course place, Manchester is a good option.
Bristol is home to three LPC course providers – Bristol Law School at UWE, BPP University and The University of Law. The Bristol LPC course at UWE in particular offers an impressive choice of electives.
In addition to the electives on offer by most LPC providers – including commercial law, personal injury law, clinical negligence, criminal litigation, employment and family law – UWE offers electives in media and entertainment law, public child care, housing law practice and public company finance – all of which are niche in LPC terms.
The UWE law school underwent a massive £55 million makeover in 2017 and offers state of the art facilities for students studying on its LPC course.
Bristol has attracted some top law firms – including a variety of commercial law firms – such as Burges Salmon, Simmons & Simmons, TLT, Osborne Clarke, Bond Dickinson and Irwin Mitchell. The city has been described as the ‘Capital of the West’ and has one of the strongest legal hubs outside London and therefore, is an ideal destination for studying an LPC course.
With so many LPC courses to choose from, the best LPC provider for you will be based on what the most important factors are for you. If it’s keeping costs down, then perhaps the best university for LPC courses for you is outside London.
If you have secured LPC funding and you want the opportunity to combine gaining legal experience and studying, then the best LPC provider for you could be in London. Whatever LPC course you choose, it is the final educational stage you need to pass before becoming a solicitor.
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