Law (LLB)
- Subject area: Law
- UCAS code: M100
- Next intake: September 2024
- Duration: 3 years
- Mode: Full time
Why study this course
Complement your academic studies
We offer a range of pioneering pro-bono projects where you can work with clients under professional supervision.
Professional accreditation
Course accredited by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
Law in context
Explore contemporary issues in environmental law, human rights law and discrimination and law.
A year abroad or on placement
Expand your horizons; gain experience with study abroad options or a professional placement.
Our flagship LLB Law programme is a full time, three-year course that is both challenging and stimulating.
Study foundation modules (which constitute the academic stage of training that is currently necessary to become a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales) together with a wide selection of exciting, optional modules that include Environmental Law, Human Rights Law, Media Law and Family Law.
In addition to the broad-based academic training we provide, studying Law at Cardiff will offer you unique opportunities to see Law in action in a social context.
We are committed to providing an outstanding teaching and learning experience that is underpinned by excellent research activity.
We are the only Russell Group University to offer both courses currently required to qualify as a barrister or solicitor – the Bar Professional Training Course and the Legal Practice Course – which means that you have the option to stay with us in Cardiff to complete your entire legal education.

Subject area: Law
Entry requirements
We accept a combination of A-levels and other qualifications, as well as equivalent international qualifications subject to entry requirements. Typical offers are as follows:
A level
AAA-AAB
Extended/International Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ/IPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.
Our grade range covers our standard offer and contextual offer. We carefully consider the circumstances in which you've been studying (your contextual data) upon application.
- Eligible students will be given an offer at the lower end of the advertised grade range.
- Where there is no grade range advertised and/or where there are selection processes in place (like an interview) you may receive additional points in the selection process or be guaranteed interview/consideration.
Learn about eligible courses and how contextual data is applied.
International Baccalaureate
36-34 overall or 666 in 3 HL subjects.
Baccalaureate Wales
From September 2023, there will be a new qualification called the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales (level 3). This qualification will replace the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (Welsh Baccalaureate). The qualification will continue to be accepted in lieu of one A-Level (at the grades listed above), excluding any specified subjects.
Other essential requirements
You must have or be working towards:
- English language or Welsh language at GCSE grade B/6 or an equivalent (such as A-levels). If you require a Student visa, you must ensure your language qualification complies with UKVI requirements.
If you’d like to progress to either the Legal Practice Course or the Bar Training Course after you graduate, we urge you to first read the fitness to practise requirements of the relevant professional body to make sure you’d be eligible to register with them:
- Bar Standards Board handbook
- Solicitors Regulation Authority period of recognised training
We do not accept Critical Thinking, General Studies, Citizenship Studies, or other similar equivalent subjects.
We will accept a combination of BTEC subjects, A-levels, and other qualifications, subject to the course specific grade and subject requirements.
English language requirements
GCSE
Grade B or grade 6 in GCSE English Language.
IELTS (academic)
At least 6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and a minimum of 6.0 in all other subskills.
TOEFL iBT
At least 90 overall with a minimum of 22 for writing and 20 in all other subskills.
PTE Academic
At least 69 overall with a minimum of 69 in writing and a minimum of 62 in all other communicative skills.
Trinity ISE II/III
II: a Distinction in Writing and at least one Distinction and two Merits in other components.
III: at least a Pass in all components.
Other accepted qualifications
Please visit our English Language requirements page for more information on our other accepted language qualifications.
Criminal convictions
You are not required to complete a DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check or provide a Certificate of Good Conduct to study this course.
If you are currently subject to any licence condition or monitoring restriction that could affect your ability to successfully complete your studies, you will be required to disclose your criminal record. Conditions include, but are not limited to:
- access to computers or devices that can store images
- use of internet and communication tools/devices
- curfews
- freedom of movement
- contact with people related to Cardiff University.
Other qualifications from inside the UK
BTEC
DDD in a BTEC Extended Diploma in any subject.
T level
Acceptance of T Levels for this programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Academic School. Consideration will be given to the T Level grade/subject and grades/subjects achieved at GCSE/Level 2.
Please see our admissions policies for more information about the application process.
Tuition fees for 2024 entry
Your tuition fees and how you pay them will depend on your fee status. Your fee status could be home, island or overseas.
Learn how we decide your fee status
Fees for home status
Year | Tuition fee | Deposit |
---|---|---|
Year one | £9,000 | None |
Year two | £9,000 | None |
Year three | £9,000 | None |
Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland
If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national, your tuition fees for 2024/25 be in line with the overseas fees for international students, unless you qualify for home fee status. UKCISA have provided information about Brexit and tuition fees.
Fees for island status
Learn more about the undergraduate fees for students from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Fees for overseas status
Year | Tuition fee | Deposit |
---|---|---|
Year one | £22,700 | None |
Year two | £22,700 | None |
Year three | £22,700 | None |
Learn more about our tuition fees
Financial support
Financial support may be available to individuals who meet certain criteria. For more information visit our funding section. Please note that these sources of financial support are limited and therefore not everyone who meets the criteria are guaranteed to receive the support.
Additional costs
Accommodation
We have a range of residences to suit your needs and budget. Find out more on our accommodation pages.
Living costs
We're based in one of the UK's most affordable cities. Find out more about living costs in Cardiff.
Course structure
In each year of the course, you will take modules to the value of 120 credits.
As well as the foundation modules required in year one, we offer a wide range of optional modules in years two and three that cover both traditional and contemporary legal subjects. This gives you flexibility to follow your interests.
The level of degree qualification that you are awarded is based on the grades you achieve in the modules that you take in years two and three.
In your second year you will have the opportunity to apply for a work placement which will be carried out in the third year of your LLB Law degree. The full-time, salaried placements will be open to you via a competitive application process which aims to replicate the graduate recruitment processes you will encounter after leaving university. During your placement, you will undertake legal practice as paralegals, and will be performing graduate level roles. You will develop both key practitioner skills such as case management, legal research and legal writing in addition to generic employability skills such as time management, team working and commercial awareness. Placements will be located in Cardiff and will count for 10% of degree classification.
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2024/2025 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2024.
Year one
You will study four compulsory 30 credit modules in year one, providing you with a solid base for the next two years of your degree programme.
Module title | Module code | Credits |
---|---|---|
Contract [30] | CL4301 | 30 credits |
Criminal [30] | CL4302 | 30 credits |
Legal Foundations [30] | CL4303 | 30 credits |
Public Law [30] | CL4304 | 30 credits |
Year two
In year two, you will study modules amounting to 120 credits, chosen from the list of optional law subjects. Our module options are designed to give you flexibility. If you wish to obtain a qualifying Law degree, we advise you to take the 30 credit options of Tort and Land Law.
This list is reviewed on an annual basis taking into account staff resources, student demand and changes to legal practice.
Module title | Module code | Credits |
---|---|---|
Land Law [20] | CL5201 | 20 credits |
Tort [20] | CL5202 | 20 credits |
Discrimination and Law [20] | CL5205 | 20 credits |
Cyfraith Tir [20] | CL5221 | 20 credits |
CAMWEDD [20] | CL5222 | 20 credits |
Welsh Devolution | CL5223 | 20 credits |
Datganoli yng Nghymru | CL5224 | 20 credits |
French Law I | CL5255 | 20 credits |
French Law II | CL5256 | 20 credits |
Land Law [30] | CL5301 | 30 credits |
Tort [30] | CL5302 | 30 credits |
Discrimination and Law [30] | CL5305 | 30 credits |
Crime, Law and Society | CL5313 | 30 credits |
Media Law [30] | CL5318 | 30 credits |
Cyfraith Tir [30] | CL5321 | 30 credits |
CAMWEDD [30] | CL5322 | 30 credits |
Welsh Devolution [30] | CL5323 | 30 credits |
Datganoli yng Nghymru [30] | CL5324 | 30 credits |
Legal Practice: Foundation Skills | CL5327 | 30 credits |
Miscarriages of Justice: The Cardiff Innocence Project | CL5328 | 30 credits |
Public International Law | CL5329 | 30 credits |
Law, Technology and Society | CL5330 | 30 credits |
Employment Law | CL5331 | 30 credits |
Law and Poverty | CL5332 | 30 credits |
Criminal Law [30] | CL5380 | 30 credits |
Year three
In year three, you will study modules amounting to 120 credits, chosen from the list of optional law subjects. Our module options are designed to give you flexibility.
If you wish to obtain a qualifying Law degree, we advise you to take the 30 credit options of Law of the European Union and Equity and Trusts. This list is reviewed on an annual basis taking into account staff resources, student demand and changes to legal practice.
The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.
Learning and assessment
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials and seminars.
Lectures take a range of forms but generally provide a broad structure for each subject, introduce key concepts, and convey relevant up-to-date information. You will also have access to recorded versions of lectures.
In tutorials and seminars you will have the opportunity to discuss particular legal themes or topics, to consolidate and get feedback on your individual learning and to develop skills in oral presentation. Communication skills are developed in tutorials, where you will make individual contributions to group study, for example by summarising a particular judgment or article for the group.
You will practise and develop legal, intellectual and presentational skills by participating in diverse learning activities, such as solving legal problems, small-group discussions, debates, moots, oral presentations, independent research tasks and written assignments. You will also enhance your team-working skills.
How will I be supported?
You will be allocated a personal tutor who will help you reflect on your performance on the course and advise you on study techniques, module selection and career planning (in conjunction with the University’s Career Service). They will also provide a first point of contact if you experience any difficulties.
An extensive programme of careers lectures and workshops is delivered within the School and an in-house Law Careers Consultant is available.
A range of staff are available to provide further support, including an academic support tutor, a pro-bono scheme co-ordinator and specialist law librarians. A member of academic staff acts as a designated Disability and Diversity Officer and ensures that reasonable adjustments are made for students with disabilities.
All modules within the Law programme make extensive use of the University’s Virtual Learning Environment, Learning Central, where you can access discussion forums and find course materials including recordings of lectures, links to related materials, multiple-choice tests, past exam papers and examples of student work from previous years.
How will I be assessed?
Modules are assessed through examination or coursework or by a combination of the two. The format of coursework varies encompassing standard essays, extended essays, portfolios of work produced across a whole academic year and written solutions to legal problems. Examinations typically take place during the summer. Coursework is submitted on designated dates during the academic year.
During the academic year, you will complete various pieces of work which do not count towards your final module mark but are designed to help you to achieve the learning outcomes for your modules and to prepare for your examinations and coursework. This work might be written or oral and may be submitted formally to a tutor or presented during tutorials or seminars. This work will normally be done during your independent study time. Feedback on this work is given frequently and in a wide variety of formats and is intended to help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your learning, as well as give indications of how you might improve in your performance in examinations and coursework.
We’ll provide you with frequent feedback on your work. This comes in a variety of formats including oral feedback during tutorials, personalised feedback on written work, feedback lectures, generic written feedback and feedback on tutorial performance.
What skills will I practise and develop?
A law degree develops your ability to organise facts and ideas in a systematic way, identifying relevant information and evaluating these to formulate advice for a client or a legal argument.
You will also:
- enhance your ability to argue in an objective, reasoned, professional manner, with due regard to authority and acceptable citation methods
- develop your ability to undertake independent learning and effectively manage your time
- enhance your team-working skills, contributing constructively and reliably
- develop your communication skills , both orally and in writing
- learn how to use subject specific electronic sources, databases and the Virtual Learning Environment to gather evidence and to research legal questions.
Other information
We offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities, some unique to Cardiff University, which equip our students with a competitive edge over other law graduates.
Mooting
Our students are encouraged to enter annual mooting competitions. These competitions give you an opportunity to present legal issues before a judge, against an opposing counsel.
Mooting is a great skill to be able to add to your CV and provides an invaluable experience of public speaking in a formal court setting.
Client interviewing competition
Our students are encouraged to take part in an annual client interviewing competition, which has Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC as its President. You will gain crucial experience interviewing in a simulated setting and will be assessed against specific criteria that include interpersonal skills and your ability to handle legal problems.
Careers
Career prospects
Students who have chosen to work immediately following their degree have obtained roles as negotiators, paralegals, mortgage handlers and lawyers with law firms such as Hugh James Solicitors, Admiral Law, Eversheds LLP and NHS Wales Legal and Risk Services.
A law degree doesn’t restrict graduates to careers within the legal profession. Each year a number of law graduates enter professions as diverse as finance, sales and marketing, digital communications and recruitment.
You will have access to a dedicated Careers Consultant at the School of Law and Politics. They arrange practical employability workshops throughout the year which cover topics including writing CVs and covering letters, preparing for employer selection days and interviews, job search strategies and sourcing work.
Studying in Welsh
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HESA Data: Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2021. The Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data. Data is from the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, published by HESA in June 2022.