BPC Bar Practice Course

To be eligible to take up your place, you must comply with the requirements for commencing a Bar Practice Course (BPC) set out by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). The Bar Qualification Manual – https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/training-qualification/bar-qualification-manual.html – gives you full information about these requirements.

•  You will be required to pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test by August of the year you commence your studies. Further details on this test can be found on the Bar Standards Board website
• You will need either a qualifying law degree (QLD) 2:1 minimum or an undergraduate degree in any other subject (2:1 minimum*) and a Graduate Diploma in Law/CPE
• For qualifying law degrees, all offers based on predicted grades will be conditional upon achieving a 2:1 or above
• All applicants who meet the basic eligibility criteria will be required to attend a Selection Interview at one of our centres

* For non QLD applicants with a 2:2, offers based on predicted GDL grade will be conditional upon achieving distinction or commendation

Selection interview

It is your responsibility to ensure you fulfil all eligibility requirements for the BPTC.

English language requirement

You must be fluent in English and you will need to be able to demonstrate your oral and written English is equivalent to:
– IELTS (academic): Score of 7.5 in all four areas
– ISE IV (Trinity College London): Pass in all four components
– Pearsons (academic): Score of 73 in all four areas
– Cambridge English: First Certificate, Advanced and Proficiency (test taken before January 2016): Overall 191 with no one component below 191
– Cambridge English: First Certificate (test taken before January 2016): Pass at Grade A and Exceptional in all four components
– Cambridge English: Advanced (test taken before January 2016): Pass at Grade B or C and Borderline in all four components
– Cambridge English: Proficiency (test taken before January 2016): Pass at Grade C1 and Weak in all four components
UK or Republic of Ireland award:
– Qualifying Law Degree – 1st or 2:1
– GDL – distinction or commendation
– Medical, dentistry, veterinary degree – pass

Please note: The University will not accept TOEFL English Language test as a proof of students’ English proficiency until further notice due to Home Office investigation.

You must join an Inn of Court before you can start the BPC. The closing date for application to an Inn of Court is 31 May of the year your BPC is due to commence. Please contact the relevant Inn for further details:

• Gray’s Inn
• Inner Temple
• Lincoln’s Inn
• Middle Temple

If you are a non-EEA student you will also require a visa covering the full duration of your course (see below)
Again, you must fulfil all eligibility requirements by the start of the course – failure to do so may result in you being prevented from joining the course. If you think that this may be a problem (for example, if you have late assessment results), please contact our Admissions Team as soon as possible on 0800 289997 (UK), +44 (0)1483 216000 (international) or e-mail admissions@law.ac.uk

Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT)

Candidates seeking entry to the BPC are required to pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) before being allowed to enrol on the course. We strongly recommend you sit the test as soon as possible and we will guarantee to hold your offer open until you have successfully passed the test. Should you fail to pass, you are able to re-sit the test after 30 days. As you must successfully pass the test before you can enrol on the BPC course, we encourage you to sit the test as early as you can – this will allow plenty of time should you need to take it again, before the deadline. For further information please check the Bar Standards Board website.

The University of Law fully complies with equal opportunities legislation and actively encourages diversity within the legal profession. Our admissions process acts fairly and aims to enable students to make the best use of their talents. You are encouraged to tell us about any special requirements at the earliest opportunity. This will allow us to discuss how we may go about meeting your requirements.

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