Law
Law is a very popular course covering a broad range of topics, from international law to legal systems.
Below you will find information about the specific degree courses offered by Oxford University and Cambridge University to study Law, how to prepare, and how Oxbridge Interviews can help you with your application.
BOOK COURSECambridge is ranked as the top university in the UK to study Law according to the Complete University Guide.
Getting in is tough - this is one of Cambridge’s most competitive courses – only 1 in 7 applicants are successful. To be offered a place, you generally need to get A*AA at A Level (or equivalent). There are no required A-level subjects but an essay-based A-level is highly recommended.
Oxford is ranked second in the UK for studying Law according to the Complete University Guide.
They offer a variety of Law courses: Law, Law with European Law, Law with German Law, Law with French Law, Law with Italian Law, and Law with Spanish Law.
All these Law courses at Oxford are highly competitive with between 10-12% of applications successful. Students need at least AAA at A-level. To study a joint law course, students need to be studying for an A Level in the relevant modern language, except for Law with European Law.
To prepare for your Law application, you must demonstrate your motivation for the subject and specific interests. You can do this by reading beyond your school curriculum. Our interviewers recommend:
- 'What about Law?' by Catherine Barnard
- 'Learning the Law' by Glanville Williams
Practice interviews for Law applications are critical. You wouldn’t sit an exam without doing a mock, so don’t place yourself in an interview without having experienced a practice interview first.
Alistair (Law, Oxford)
Alistair completed his undergraduate degree in Law at Magdalen College, Oxford. Since graduating, he has qualified as a lawyer and now specialises in state-level litigation at one of the world's biggest law firms.
Q&A
Alistair, why did you choose Law?
"I wanted to study something which was both abstract and practical - law seemed like a good prospect. I also really wanted to do a year abroad, but didn't want to study foreign literature. Most universities offered a law course where you could go abroad and study another legal system - it seemed like a good fit."
What would you have done differently about your application?
"In retrospect I think a little bit more information about what the interviews are like could have been useful! You can't really 'revise' for the interviews, but having a little extra confidence in the process would have been good."
Applicants to Law at Cambridge are required to sit the Cambridge Law Test (CLT).
Applicants to Law and its associated courses at Oxford are required to take the Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT).