Applying and Entry Requirements

To apply to UCL Laws you must submit your UCAS application by 14 January 2026 at 18:00 UK time (UCAS equal consideration deadline). We will not consider any applications submitted to UCAS after this deadline.

When you apply through UCAS, you will be able to track the progress of your application and stay up to date with responses from universities as decisions on your application are made. Key deadlines are also published on the UCAS website. The UCAS website is also excellent source of information and advice for students applying for degrees.

• Find out more on the UCAS site

Deadlines

All applicants to undergraduate degree programmes at UCL Laws must take the LNAT alongside the UCAS application. You must take the test no later than 31 December 2025.

Please note that applicants who register for the LNAT just before the registration deadline may experience difficulties obtaining an available test slot by 31 December 2025 due to high demand. We recommend registering and booking the test as early as possible to avoid this problem.

If you do not take the LNAT by the 31 December 2025 deadline, your application will be regarded as a late application, and therefore we will not be able to consider you for a place on one of our LLB degree programmes in the relevant admissions cycle, even if your original application was submitted by the UCAS deadline of 14 January 2026.

Test Centres

You can register to take the LNAT at a test centre near you: the LNAT has 500 test centres in 165 countries around the world.

If you are unable to take the LNAT because there are no test centres in your home country, please contact laws-admissions@ucl.ac.uk before 31 December 2025 and include your UCAS ID number so we can make appropriate checks. We will be able to provide an alternative test if you are unable to book a test at an official test centre.

LNAT bursaries

LNAT have a bursary system under which they waive the test fee altogether for those in receipt of certain state benefits in their country of residence. This applies to UK and EU applicants only, sitting at UK and EU test centres only.

For more information please visit the LNAT bursaries website.

Reasonable adjustments

If you require special arrangements for the LNAT please follow the instructions on the LNAT website well in advance of the deadline. If you are struggling to get a test arranged, please get in touch with us via email ahead of the LNAT deadline to discuss the possibility of alternative arrangements.

If you decide to sit the test without finalising your access arrangements, please note that we are unable to accept requests to retrospectively take your requirements into account when reviewing your LNAT results.

Extenuating circumstances

We are unable to take special considerations for the LNAT into account as we will have no way of knowing how you would have performed otherwise. Therefore, if you believe extenuating circumstances (for example illness or a disruptive incident at the test centre) have significantly impacted your performance, we strongly advise you to contact the LNAT Administrator to enquire about an authorised resit.

If you feel unwell (physically or mentally) before your test, we recommend you rearrange your booking rather than proceed. If you choose to sit the test, you are confirming that you are fit to do so, and we will not be able to accept subsequent requests for special consideration due to illness or other personal circumstances.

If an incident occurs during the test (for example, disruption at the test centre or sudden illness), you must report this to test centre staff and obtain an incident number before leaving the test centre. You must then contact the LNAT Consortium promptly so the matter can be investigated and a resit can be offered where appropriate.

Please note, if you take an authorised resit we will disregard your first attempt and use your resit score, even if your original score is higher than your resit.

More information on test day problems can be found on the LNAT website.

About the LNAT

The LNAT measures the reasoning skills at the heart of legal education, including:

• comprehension
• interpretation
• analysis
• synthesis
• induction
• deduction

The LNAT is a two-part test. The first part includes multiple-choice questions based on passages of text, and the second part requires you to answer one of three essay questions. The LNAT is a computer-based test and lasts for two hours and 15 minutes.

When you have completed the test, your scores from the multiple-choice section are checked by computer, and a mark out of 42 is created. This mark is known as the LNAT score. Your LNAT score and your essay will be sent to participating universities, including UCL. Your results from the LNAT are then used to supplement your university application and demonstrate your aptitude for studying undergraduate law.

You are advised to familiarise yourself with the style and the format of the test before you take it. The LNAT website provides lots of resources and information to help you prepare for the test and what to expect.

 Please visit our LNAT Advice and Guidance page to find out more about the LNAT and how to prepare for the test.

• Find out more about how to register and book a test on the LNAT website.

Visit the following UCL prospectus pages for full details of our academic entry requirements (including A levels, GCSEs and international qualifications):

• LLB Law
• LLB Law with French Law
• LLB Law with German Law
• LLB Law with Hispanic Law
• LLB Bachelor of Laws (UCL) and LLB Bachelor of Laws (HKU)

All accepted school leaving qualifications and the grades required will be listed in the above prospectus pages. If you are currently completing, or have completed a UK qualification (other than A levels) to meet our entry requirements, please check your individual qualification on our prospectus to see if we accept it for entry to our LLB programmes. Additionally, if your school leaving qualification is not listed on our prospectus, we will not be able to accept it. 

For applicants whose school leaving qualification does not meet our entry requirements but who have since completed (or are completing) degree level studies, please check the graduate requirements on our country pages for information on degree level entry requirements. UCL Laws requires Upper Second-Class (2:1) (or international equivalent) for entry into our programmes.

If English is not your first language, you are required to show that your command of the English language, both spoken and written, is adequate to meet the demands of the degree programme. UCL Laws requires applicants to demonstrate a Level 4 in English in addition to all other requirements detailed by UCL.

UCL’s preferred English language qualifications are GCSE English Language and the British Council International Language Testing System (IELTS). Requirements for these qualifications and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), are:

• GCSE/IGCSE English Language: pass at grade 6 (or B).
• IELTS Academic: overall grade of 7.5 with a minimum of 7.0 in each of the subtests.
• TOEFL: 109 overall with 27/30 in reading and writing and 23/30 in speaking and listening.

A full list of the other acceptable qualifications can be found on the Acceptable English language qualifications page of the UCL Prospective Students website.

In accordance with UK Visas and Immigration requirements, students who require a Student Visa to enter the UK must meet these English language requirements.

Access to Higher Education Diploma
Pass in Access to HE Diploma, with a minimum of 36 credits at Distinction and 9 credits at Merit, all from Level 3 units.

Birkbeck Certificate of Higher Education in Legal Studies
Successful completion of the Birkbeck Certificate of Higher Education with 70% overall including 75% in (each module of) two relevant subjects

King’s International Foundation (KIF) Programme
Successful completion of the programme at grade A (70%), with A/75% in [subject one] and A (70%) in [subject two]. Final mark of B+ (65%) in the English for Scientific Academic Purposes or Academic Expression & Critical Thinking modules is acceptable proof of English language proficiency.

Queen Mary University of London International Foundation Programme
1) Humanities and Social Sciences
Completion of the programme with Distinction (70% average) with at least one module at 70% and remaining modules at 65%.
2) Science and Engineering
Successful completion of the Programme with Distinction with 80% in at least two modules of the same subject and at least 70% in all remaining subject modules.

Royal Holloway University of London University International Foundation Programme
Successful completion of the programme with 70% overall including 70% in one relevant core module and 75% in the pathway module. Pass required in the IELTS component at UCL English Language ‘Advanced’ level. The UCL Advanced level is equivalent to IELTs overall grade of 7.5 with a minimum of 6.5 in each of the subtests.

SOAS Intermediate Certificate Course in Comparative International Studies
Successful completion of the programme with 67% overall, with a minimum of 72% in one optional subject and a minimum of 67% in a second optional subject. Pass in the Intensive English for Academic Study module with 75% overall is acceptable proof of English language proficiency.

UCL Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates
Award of UPC for Humanities or Science and Engineering with an overall mark of 70%, plus 76% in one elective unit, and 70% in a second elective unit.

University of Warwick International Foundation Programme
Successful completion of the programme with 75% overall and 85% in at least one full-year module and 80% in one further full-year module (or two half modules). Pass in the English for Academic Purposes module with Distinction (80%) overall and High Credit (60%) in each component of the EAP module overall is acceptable proof of English language proficiency.

University of London Certificate of Higher Education in Common Law
Successful completion of the programme with minimum 60% in each module.

University of Cambridge Foundation Year
Successful completion of the University of Cambridge Foundation Year (Cert HE) with 70% overall including 75% in two modules.

No other foundation courses or foundation years meet the benchmark or general entrance requirements.

If you wish to undertake undergraduate study in the UK and are not a UK or Irish citizen or covered by the citizens’ rights provisions of the EU Withdrawal Agreement, you will need to apply for a Student visa. We recommend that you start to familiarise yourself with the immigration requirements as soon as you decide to apply for university in the UK to ensure that you can be fully prepared for the visa application process.

We strongly recommend that you read the information regarding the application process on the UCL International Students website and the UK Visas and Immigration website before you begin your application.

NOTE: Students on our dual degree programme with the University of Hong Kong (M103) will only receive a visa for the two years you are studying at UCL. 

Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS)

A CAS is a 14-digit reference that is given to you by UCL and confirms to the UK Visas and Immigration Service that you are a genuine student.

If you are made an offer to study at UCL Laws and it is expected that you will need to a visa to study in the UK, we will send you an email asking you to log into the UCL Portal to confirm the personal details we hold for you.

It is important that all the names that appear on your passport are included in our records (the order of the names does not need to match that on the passport, as long as they are all present). If your current passport is due to expire before the end of your studies, it is important to check with the relevant visa application services whether you need to renew your passport before confirming your details with UCL and making your visa application.

We are only able to provide a CAS once an applicant is in receipt of an unconditional offer that has been firmly accepted via UCAS, and only once we have been provided with proof of the necessary academic qualifications and English language proficiency.

Please note that we are only able to issue a CAS 90 days prior to enrolment on the degree programme. It is for this reason that we do not begin this process until late June.

UCL will assess your English language proficiency as part of the admissions process. However, as part of your visa application, you will also have to demonstrate evidence of sufficient funds to pass a maintenance test and of your educational qualifications, academic progression and English language proficiency by providing proof of your results, for example, your school-leaving certificates.

Please see the UCL English language requirement webpages for further information (please remember to look under Advanced for the level required for the LLB degree programmes).

• Find more information about applying for a Student visa on the GOV.UK website

You will find practical advice for EU nationals regarding Brexit on our Brexit FAQs page.

Once we receive your application from UCAS, one of the first things we look at is whether your application meets our minimum academic entry requirements. These are published on our prospectus and on our website. Unfortunately, due to the level of competition for places on our programmes, if you are not predicted to meet or exceed the academic entry requirements, and/or have not previously met the entry requirements, we will not be able to consider your application further.

The LNAT is a vital part of your application to UCL Laws. Once we have assessed that you meet the minimum academic criteria, we will look at your LNAT performance. The LNAT is a two-part test, a multiple-choice test and an essay. Each year, UCL looks at the average MCT score of applicants from the previous year or years and sets a benchmark threshold score for the current admissions cycle. Applications from candidates who meet that threshold will then be considered by Admissions Tutors. In the academic year 2024/25, the average LNAT score of test results received by UCL was 23, and the average LNAT score of candidates who received an offer at UCL was 29. For contextual offers, the average LNAT score of candidates who received an offer at UCL was 26. Please note that there is no score that will guarantee an offer.

Once we have determined that you meet the academic requirements, and that you have obtained a competitive LNAT score, your application is then passed to an Admissions Tutor for consideration. The Admissions Tutor will mark your LNAT essay. The essay part of the LNAT provides academic selectors with a genuine example of a candidate’s own written work and with an invaluable tool in assessing the applicant’s writing skills and ability to formulate, develop and defend argument, skills which are essential to undertaking legal studies. The essay therefore carries considerable weight in the selection process at UCL.

An Admissions Tutor will consider all information provided in your UCAS application. This includes academic history; the motivation demonstrated towards studying law, extra-curricular activities, the academic reference, the LNAT multiple-choice score and LNAT essay. We are primarily looking for candidates that can demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and aptitude for studying law.