Where to go for the best UK Law courses
QS World University Rankings
If you are thinking of studying Law and want to aim high, data from the QS World University Rankings 2011 is the place to start your research. This classes every university and educational institution in the world, including UK unis, by course. The QS rankings on Law courses are now available, based on how their students performed, how employable their graduates are, how prolific they are in publishing research papers and other relevant factors.
Top 10 best law degrees
1. Oxford University
One of the two longest-established universities in the UK, Oxford has a reputation for academic and teaching excellence across a wide range of subjects. Law is one of its jewels, and courses here rank third in the world as well as first in the UK, only Yale and Harvard having better rankings.
2. Cambridge University
Oxford and Cambridge are often combined in discussions and referred to simply as ‘Oxbridge’. This indicates their rivalry and their close match in terms of academic achievements. Cambridge law courses are only just behind Oxford in the 2011 rankings; only a ranking score of 1.3 units separates them. Getting in can be tricky – with students needing an average of 542 UCAS points, so 3 A* and an A at A level.
3. London School of Economics
LSE also has a tremendous reputation as a school of law, ranking third in the UK and ninth in the world. It’s the only other UK law course provider, alongside Oxford and Cambridge to make it into the world top 10. It’s a world magnet for law students too, with over 45% of its intake coming from overseas.
4. King’s College in London
Number 4 in the UK and number 18 in the world, King’s boasts the highest student throughput each year for its law courses; its current population of budding lawyers is over 1000 – and you need an average of 502 UCAS points to get in (1A* and 3 As at A level).
5. University College in London (UCL)
Although one place behind King’s because of other factors, UCL law graduates are the more employable with over 90% in a job or further training within 6 months of finals. The UCAS entry requirements also exceed King’s, with an average of 522 UCAS points needed (2A* and 2As at A level).
6. Edinburgh University
Edinburgh ranks first place in Scotland, sixth in the UK and 40th in the world. It’s highly regarded by employers and is perhaps a more flexible institution than some, with 1.6% of its students studying law on a part-time basis.
7. Nottingham University
Just one place behind Edinburgh in UK rankings and 5 places behind in world rankings, Nottingham beats all the other UK law providers in terms of student satisfaction – nearly 91% are supremely happy when they are studying law there.
8. Queen Mary, part of the University of London
Ranked 49th in the world for its law course, Queen Mary has more mature students than others in this list. It’s traditionally been a top choice for women lawyers and still has a 2:1 female to male ratio.
9. Manchester University
Another traditionally good UK university across the board, Manchester is ninth in the UK for law and 69th in the world rankings.
10. Aberdeen University
The second leading Scottish university in the law league table, Aberdeen is also in the world top 100 law schools.
