Europe

Law schools in the United Kingdom

This guide lists 4 law schools in the United Kingdom, in Oxford, Cambridge, Glasgow and London. The oldest founding year given is 1096.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Read this first. This guide lists a short selection of law schools in each country, from our own knowledge, with how the first law degree is studied. It is not a ranking and not a recommendation. Schools merge, rename and change, a missing founding year means we are not sure of it, and entry rules and degrees differ by country, so check the school and the national authority before you rely on anything here. It is general information, not legal or educational advice.

How law is studied

A first degree, after school

An undergraduate law degree (LLB), usually three years in England and Wales and four in Scotland; graduates of other subjects can take a conversion course. Professional training follows.

Worth knowing

England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal systems and separate professional training.

Notable law schools

University of Oxford, Faculty of Law
Oxford · Founded: 1096 · Oldest university in the country
Teaching at Oxford is recorded from about 1096; the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law
Cambridge · Founded: 1209 · Historic
University of Glasgow, School of Law
Glasgow · Founded: 1451 · Historic
A Scottish law school: Scots law is a separate system.
University College London, Faculty of Laws
London · Founded: 1826 · Notable
Founded in 1826 as London University; law has been taught there from its early years.

A short selection, not a ranking and not complete. “Founded” is the year of the school or its university.

What to remember anywhere

This is a short list, not a ranking. We list a few schools per country by a stated fact: the oldest university where we are sure of it, the main national faculty, or a school with a famous history. A school that is not listed is not worse. Never choose a school from this guide alone.
Founded means the school or its university. The year is when the school, or the university it belongs to, was founded. In the old universities law was usually taught from the early years; in newer ones the law faculty may have opened decades after the university.
A law degree is not a licence to practise. In most countries a law degree is the first step. Becoming a lawyer, judge or notary usually needs more: professional training, a traineeship or pupillage, and an examination, and the rules differ by country and by profession. See our bar admission guide for how foreign lawyers qualify.
Some countries treat law as a graduate subject. In the United States, Canada, South Korea and the Philippines, law is mostly studied after a first degree. Most of the world, including Europe, Latin America, Africa and much of Asia, studies law as a first degree straight after school.
Names and structures change. Universities merge, rename and reorganise, and new law schools open. Check the school's own website and the national authority for the current name, entry rules and recognition of its degrees.

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More about the United Kingdom

TheLawToKnow Tools’s law schools guide is an educational overview and does not rank or recommend any school. It is not legal or educational advice. Report a mistake.