Admissions to selective UK law schools

13 July 2020

Students from lower socio-economic backgrounds need higher A-level grades than their peers to attend top UK law schools

The legal profession remains dominated by individuals from higher socio-economic backgrounds with students from lower socio-economic backgrounds half as likely to attend the top English law schools as other students, according to research conducted by the Bridge Group in collaboration with York Law School of the University of York, and supported by leading international law firm Clifford Chance.

The research, which looks at UCAS data for 20 of the most selective law schools in England, as well as the admissions criteria and processes employed by a wider group of the top 30 UK law schools, found that students from lower socio- economic backgrounds comprised only 24% of applicants to the law schools and 23% of those who were accepted onto their programmes. This is considerably lower than the proportion of people from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds in the wider UK population (40%).

The difference in admission rates and progression through different stages of the process becomes more apparent when looking at the requirements of the individual law schools, with 16 of the 20 (80%) law schools less likely to accept students from lower socio-economic backgrounds than higher on their courses.

While the biggest barrier to being accepted across both groups is predicted low grades, applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds were less likely to receive an offer with qualifications other than A-levels (e.g. vocational qualifications such as BTECs) – vocational qualifications alone were only accepted by two-thirds (65%) of top UK law schools. Even those with A-Levels were required to have higher grades (AAB+) than their peers from higher socio- economic backgrounds. This is surprising given the widespread use of contextual admissions, which in many cases reduces the entry grade requirements for applicants from lower socio-economic neighbourhoods.

The research also found considerable differences in the use of information in addition to that provided in UCAS applications. More than a third (35%) of the top UK law schools used the LNAT, with variations in how the components of the LNAT are assessed. There was also significant variation in the use of interviews, including whether interviews are required for all, some, or any applicants, and the degree to which they are structured.

Dr Penelope Griffin, Director of Higher Education and Impact at the Bridge Group, said “It is surprising that applicants from lower socio-economic neighbourhoods need higher A-level grades. We recommend that law schools investigate the impact of their admissions requirements and processes.”

Despite the obstacles, interviews with admissions personnel demonstrated a strong commitment amongst interviewees to recruiting a more diverse student body and to supporting the development of a more diverse legal profession. To support the shared commitment to socio-economic diversity in law, the report recommends that law schools undertake some of the following actions:

• Establish a Law Admissions Network for law admissions tutors and professional admissions staff, that would support entry by students from less advantaged backgrounds.

• Develop more evidence-based approaches to setting admissions requirements and making decisions about applicants. Each law school should review its own admission data to assess whether applicants from less advantaged backgrounds have an equal chance of success and explore the reasons for any inequalities.

• Develop a better understanding of contextual admissions. Linking in with employers of law graduates will promote greater consistency of approach between higher education and employers.

• Share admissions policy, practice, internal evaluation and research internally with colleagues in other professional social science subjects, such as economics and business.

• Consult with university colleagues responsible for marketing and outreach relating to student diversity. This is particularly important for law schools attracting low numbers of applicants from less advantaged backgrounds or converting a lower proportion of such offer holders to accepts.

Dr Laurence Etherington, Senior Lecturer and Admissions Tutor at York Law School commented, “Our research found many committed people working to provide equal access to ‘elite’ law schools. We hope that initiatives such as the Law Admissions Network can foster better evidence-based practices, improving opportunities for applicants from all backgrounds with the long-term result a profession that is more representative of the community it serves.”

Laura Yeates, Head of Graduate Talent at Clifford Chance, added “As founding partners of Rare’s Contextual Recruitment System in 2015, we’ve worked hard to understand the context in which a candidate’s experience has been gained and to identify outperformers from the widest talent pool. This research highlights how much more both the university sector and employers still need to do to level the playing field.”

You can read the full report and recommendations here

You can read the executive summary and recommendations here