School of Law, Gender and Media

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Start date
Duration
4 years
Attendance mode
Full-time
Location
On Campus
Fees

Home: £9,535
International: £22,870

Course code
M104
Entry requirements

AAA

Contextual: ABB

Applicants with standard qualifications such as A levels, IB or other high school qualifications considered equivalent to A levels) are not required to take the Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT), but the School of Law will consider making lower offers ( eg AAA, AAB, ABB or 37, 36, 35 in International Baccalaureate) to candidates who do so and perform promisingly in the test.

We also encourage applicants with non-standard qualifications (including Access to Higher Education Diploma and Foundation Courses) all of whom are required to take the LNAT. We also encourage students taking the SOAS Foundation Course at IFCELS to apply. Students offering level 3 BTEC qualifications either on their own or in combination will be required to take the LNAT. 

See undergraduate entry requirements and English language requirements for international and alternative entry requirements.

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The LLB with Year Abroad is a cutting-edge undergraduate degree. This degree programme is aimed at enabling students to study at a law school at a partner institution to understand the legal system in that country or region, Partner institutions will largely be located in the global south, giving SOAS law students a unique perspective on law. 

This is qualifying law degree. Students must take the introductory, non-credit bearing ‘Introduction to Law and Legal Processes’, seven foundation subjects (Criminal Law, Contract Law, Property I, Public Law, Law of Tort, Property II, Introduction to EU Law) and the unique SOAS School of Law module ‘Legal Systems of Asia and Africa’. The year 2 modules are designed to offer students a choice of options in key subject areas and to reflect the School of Law’s vision of a research led, critically engaged, decolonised curriculum.

The SOAS Law LLB with Year Abroad programme produces highly skilled, civic minded and critically engaged graduates, who can effectively contribute to their communities and societies through the knowledge and skills gained on this course.

In an increasingly interconnected world, law is no longer the preserve of single jurisdictions as legal issues are no respecters of national borders. A SOAS Law degree addresses this need by providing our students with an educational experience that equips you with a distinctive set of skills far beyond what is offered by most traditional Law Schools.

In the third year students study Law or Language modules in a partner university abroad.

Why study Law LLB with Year Abroad at SOAS?

  • SOAS is ranked 14th in the UK for Law (QS World University Rankings 2024)
  • We're ranked 11th for Academic Reputation (QS World University Rankings 2024)
  • Our research publications have been rated first in the UK - and our School of Law rated sixth in the UK - in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Year 2 entry to the LLB

We will consider applications for transfer direct to the second year of the SOAS LLB from students who are currently studying the first year of LLB programmes at other English or Welsh universities. These applications must be made through UCAS.

Applicants are generally required to meet our standard high school entrance requirements but those who have taken the LNAT test and performed well and/or are working towards at least 2.1 level in their current LLB studies may also be considered. Each case will be considered by the admissions team on an individual basis taking into account all aspects of the application including the personal statement and reference which must be from the current university. The personal statement should include the motivation for transferring.

Students on the University of London External Programme must pass all four papers of the Intermediate examination of the LLB degree. These papers must all be taken on one occasion, and candidates must obtain a total of at least 200 marks overall. Candidates who meet this criterion are not guaranteed admission to the School, as the School considers the whole UCAS application, not just examination results.

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Students take 120 credits per year composed of core and optional modules, which allows for students to design their own intellectual journey while maintaining a strong grasp of the fundamentals.

In Year 1 students are introduced to the core elements and principles of the English legal system, and provided with the key analytical skills necessary for undertaking a demanding law degree program. During this first-year students’ will also be introduced to elements of legal principles and practice from other countries.

In the second and fourth years our students will be even more fully immersed in the distinctively SOAS program. Our students can choose from a wide array of optional courses that draw on the unique research expertise of our staff. The emphasis we place on choice, and research-led teaching, will allow our students to pursue a number of distinct specialisms as their degree progresses, but whichever path they choose to focus on the courses they study will all be imbued with that distinctive SOAS dimension, that stresses critical engagement and understanding of the role of law in the world at large.

In the third year students study Law or Language modules in a partner university abroad. Those enrolled on a named pathway will choose from the following partner universities for the pathway:

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. 

However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Year 1 - Core

Year 2 - Core

Year 2 - Guided options

30-60 credits from guided options

Year 4 - Core

Year 4 - Guided options

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Modules are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials, usually two hours lecture and one hour tutorial a week. Sometimes, one follows the other in a three-hour bloc. Sometimes, the tutorial is at a different time or on a different day than the lecture .

Tutorials are sessions in which students are expected to present reports and take a lead in discussions.

Depending on the size of the class, some intermediate and final year  modules are less strictly divided between a formal lecture and a tutorial discussion, and instead, the topic is briefly introduced by the lecturer, followed by a seminar discussion.

Contact hours

All full-time undergraduate programmes consist of 120 credits per year, in modules of 30 or 15 credits. They are taught over 10 or 20 weeks. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. In the Department of Law, many undergraduate modules have a weekly two hour lecture or seminar. Some modules may also had an additional hour of smaller group classes weekly or fortnightly.

The Independent Study Project (ISP)

This can be taken by final-year students only. Like the Special Subject dissertation, its aim is to provide an opportunity for students to conduct original historical research on their own initiative, to engage in in-depth analysis of particular subjects and to use a range of primary historical sources. It involves no formal classes and is assessed by a single 10,000-word dissertation (including notes but excluding bibliography).

Learning resources

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

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Fees for 2025/26 entrants per academic year

ProgrammeFull-time
Home studentsOverseas students
BA, BSc, LLB£9,535£22,870
BA/BSc Language year abroad£1,385£11,430

See undergraduate fees for further details.

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SOAS Law graduates leave SOAS as civic minded and critically engaged individuals who can effectively contribute to their communities and societies. With a thorough understanding of the legal dimensions underlying many of our global challenges today, our Law students are valued by employers due to their analytical skills, specialist knowledge, and global perspective.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

  • PwC LLP
  • BLM Law
  • BloombergNEF
  • British Medical Association
  • Clifford Chance
  • DAC Beachcroft LLP
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • EY
  • HM Treasury
  • Latham & Watkins
  • Legal Cheek
  • Simpson Millar Solicitors
  • The Economist
  • Travers Smith
  • Vodafone
  • World Cancer Research Fund

Find out about our Careers Service.