The University of Law

What The University of Law does

The University of Law (ULaw) is the UK's largest provider of legal education, founded in 1876 and incorporated in England and Wales, operating 14 owned UK campuses (Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, London Bloomsbury, London Moorgate, Manchester, Nottingham, and additional sites) alongside a network of 9 partner campuses via its ULaw@ programme, an international campus in Hong Kong, and an online delivery layer built on Blackboard ELITE. It serves prospective and practising lawyers through undergraduate and postgraduate law degrees, SQE preparation, the former LPC-equivalent PGDL/MA Law conversion pathway, Solicitor Apprenticeships (Level 7), and corporate professional training, and has begun diversifying into Computer Science, Cyber Security, Criminology, and Psychology programmes. Teaching is delivered by 250+ professional lecturers, with more than 90% being qualified lawyers.

Revenue is tuition-driven. Annual UK fees range from £9,790 to £11,750 and international fees from £16,700 to £22,800, supplemented by SQE prep, apprenticeship, and bespoke corporate training income. The proprietary ULaw SQE Revision App supports candidates preparing for the centralized SQE1 and SQE2 exams that replaced the LPC, and ULaw cites a 76% SQE1 first-attempt pass rate versus a 58% national benchmark, with 91% of postgraduates entering highly skilled employment. Quality signals include a 5-Star QS rating and TEF 2023 Silver overall / Gold for Student Experience, while operational signals include 100,000+ alumni and partnerships with the Inns of Court, GISMA Business School (Berlin), and FinTech providers Flywire, StepEx, and Blackbullion for payments and financial education. No parent company, funding rounds, or revenue are disclosed in the available data, and basic company information is the only material for the description beyond what is stated above.

Name

The University of Law

Legal name

The University of Law

Website

https://law.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The University of Law is the UK's largest specialist legal education provider, founded 1876, operating 14 UK campuses, a partner campus network, a Hong Kong campus, and online delivery, serving prospective and practising lawyers with tuition-based degrees, SQE prep, and apprenticeships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH), Online / Hybrid Law Schools & Programs (EDAHAIAE)

Keywords

• Legal education
• Professional law training
• Postgraduate degrees
• Undergraduate programmes
• Solicitor training

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees - Undergraduate: Annual tuition fees charged to undergraduate students for on-campus and online degree programmes. UK students pay between £9,790 and £11,750 per year depending on course type. International students pay £16,700-£22,800 per year.
2. SQE Assessment Preparation Courses: Postgraduate courses preparing students for Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2) assessments. Fees vary by course. Students also pay SRA assessment fees directly.
3. Professional Legal Training: Professional development courses for qualified lawyers including PSC, HRA assessments, post-qualification courses, and in-house training for law firms. HRA assessment fee is £650 + VAT.
4. Employer Sponsorship and Training Contracts: Law firms sponsor trainees paying course fees and living expenses. Some firms offer part-time study training contracts combining part-time study with full-time work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The University of Law is the UK's largest provider of legal education, delivering undergraduate degrees, postgraduate qualifications, and professional legal training programmes (including SQE preparation, BPC, LPC, and solicitor apprenticeships) in law, business, criminology, psychology, and computer science. Programmes are delivered through 14 UK campuses, a Hong Kong international campus, and the ULaw Online platform (powered by Blackboard ELITE), alongside nine partner-university delivery sites under the ULaw@ brand.

Product overview

The University of Law is a higher education institution offering a portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate courses across Law, Business, Computer Science, Criminology, and Psychology, along with professional legal training programmes. The core offering spans multiple delivery modes (on-campus, online via ULaw Online/Blackboard ELITE, and apprenticeship routes). Key product categories include: (1) Undergraduate degree programmes in Law (LLB variants), Business, Computer Science, Criminology, and Psychology; (2) Postgraduate programmes including the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) preparation courses (SQE1 Prep, SQE2 Prep, LLM Legal Practice SQE1&2), Bar Practice Course (BPC), Legal Practice Course (LPC - legacy route), Legal Technology PG Cert/Dip, and business/computing/psychology Masters degrees; (3) Professional Legal Training including Junior Lawyer Development Programme (JLDP), Professional Skills Course (PSC), Trainee Litigation Programme (TLP), and Higher Rights of Audience (HRA) assessment; (4) Solicitor Apprenticeships at Level 7 for both post-A Level and graduate entry; (5) Supporting tools including the ULaw SQE Revision App (intelligent adaptive revision), Career Pathway Selector, and Law Course Finder. The institution operates across UK campuses and internationally in Hong Kong, with the SQE Revision App providing a digital learning tool. The largest provider of legal education in the UK (HESA 2024/25), ranked Top 10 for Teaching (2024 NSS), and holding a 5 Star QS rating.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Law Degrees Undergraduate law degrees including LLB (Hons) Law, LLB Law Accelerated, LLB Law Senior Status, and LLB Law with Business, designed to prepare students for legal careers from day one.
• Undergraduate Business Degrees Undergraduate business degrees including BSc Business Management and BSc Accounting with Finance, designed with input from business professionals.
• Undergraduate Computer Science Degree BSc (Hons) Computer Science degree preparing students for careers in AI, cyber security, and software engineering.
• Undergraduate Criminology Degree Undergraduate criminology degrees designed by expert criminologists covering modern concepts and theories in the field.
• Undergraduate Psychology Degree Undergraduate psychology degrees equipping students with theoretical knowledge and practical skills for workplace excellence.
• Postgraduate Law Programmes Postgraduate law courses including PGDL, MA Law, LLM Corporate Governance, Legal Technology, Medical Law and Ethics, and various Master of Laws programmes.
• SQE1 Preparation Course Preparation course for the SQE1 assessment, part of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination route to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales.
• SQE2 Preparation Course Preparation course for SQE2 assessment covering practical legal skills including interviewing, advocacy, legal research, drafting, and writing.
• LLM Legal Practice (SQE1&2) Master's level qualification combining SQE1 and SQE2 preparation, offering guaranteed Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) and Employment Promise.
• Legal Practice Course (LPC) Legacy qualification route for solicitor qualification, available for students who started, completed, or accepted an offer by 31 August 2021.
• Bar Practice Course (BPC) Barristers training course preparing students for practice, with advocacy awards and scholarships available.
• Postgraduate Business Programmes Postgraduate business qualifications including MSc Business Analytics, MSc Corporate Financial Management, MSc Cyber Security Management, MSc HR with Employment Law, MSc Leadership and HR Management, MSc Marketing, MSc Project Management, and MSc Strategic Business Management.
• Postgraduate Cyber Security Programmes Postgraduate cyber security courses for careers in this swiftly evolving field.
• Legal Technology PG Dip / PG Cert PG Dip and PG Cert in Legal Technology covering legal tech developments and combining legal principles with technology understanding.
• Postgraduate Psychology Programmes Postgraduate psychology courses including MSc Psychology (Conversion) for those considering a move into psychology.
• Postgraduate Criminology Programmes Professionally focused Master's in Criminology and Criminal Justice for career development or direction change.
• ULaw Online Online learning platform delivering ULaw courses full-time and part-time using Blackboard ELITE, providing the same quality teaching as physical campuses with flexible study options.
• ULaw SQE Revision App Free intelligent revision app helping students prepare for SQE1 assessments via Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) training and Single Best Answer Question (SBAQ) practice. 85.4% of students classified as 'Likely' or 'Very Likely' to pass by the app actually passed.
• Junior Lawyer Development Programme (JLDP) Programme designed to prepare junior lawyers for real-life challenges, addressing individual training needs and skills gaps.
• Professional Skills Course (PSC) Final compulsory part of training for trainee solicitors before qualifying, tailored to preferred specialisms.
• Trainee Litigation Programme (TLP) Two-week course providing experience equivalent to a contentious seat for trainee solicitors.
• Higher Rights of Audience (HRA) Assessment Assessment enabling solicitors and Chartered Legal Executive Advocates to represent clients in higher criminal and civil courts. Offered in Civil and Criminal variants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of postgraduate students in highly skilled employment 15 months after graduating
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lancaster UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at Lancaster University campus for delivery of law and business programmes to students in the Lancaster region.
• Newcastle UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at Newcastle University campus for delivery of law programmes to students in the Newcastle region.
• Oxford Brookes UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at Oxford Brookes University campus for delivery of law and business programmes.
• Royal Holloway, University of LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at Royal Holloway campus in Egham for law programme delivery.
• University of East AngliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at UEA Norwich campus for delivery of law programmes.
• University of ExetercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at University of Exeter campus for delivery of law programmes.
• University of HullcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at University of Hull campus for delivery of law programmes.
• University of LeicestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at University of Leicester campus for delivery of law programmes.
• University of LiverpoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at University of Liverpool campus for delivery of law programmes.
• University of ReadingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at University of Reading campus for delivery of law programmes.
• University of SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at University of Sheffield campus for delivery of law programmes.
• University of SouthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerULaw@ partnership at University of Southampton campus for delivery of law programmes.
• FlywirecoreTechnology or IntegrationPreferred payment platform for domestic and international tuition fee payments. Allows students to pay in local currency with multiple payment methods including bank transfer, debit/credit card, and e-wallets across 240+ countries.
• Inns of CourtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartial funding available from Inns of Court for qualifying pupils, law conversion or BPC students.
• GISMA Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for delivery of programmes in Berlin, Germany for international students.
• Charles Russell SpeechlysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational law firm offering £5,000 scholarship for PGDL, MA Law (Conversion), MA Law (SQE1) and LLM Legal Practice (SQE1&2) students starting September 2026.
• Stewarts FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaniel Turnbull Scholarship for disabled students on LLM Legal Practice (SQE1&2) programme, in memory of partner Danny Turnbull.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Nottingham Law School (Nottingham Trent University): One of the largest university-based law schools in the UK, offering LPC, SQE and legal training alongside undergraduate law degrees. Directly comparable in scale and practitioner-led positioning to ULaw.
• The City Law School (City, University of London): City's law school offers SQE prep, LPC legacy programmes and Inns of Court training, located in central London. Competes directly with ULaw's London Bloomsbury and Moorgate campuses for both UK and international students.
• Kaplan UK (Kaplan International): Kaplan provides SQE preparation courses and professional training in the UK, directly competing with ULaw in the SQE prep market and offering comparable professional legal training programmes.
• BPP University: BPP University is the most direct UK competitor, offering law, business, SQE prep and professional training across multiple UK campuses. Both serve the same solicitor qualification market and compete head-to-head for SQE candidates and law firm-sponsored trainees.
• Arden University: UK-based private university specialising in online and blended learning across business, law, criminology and psychology. Most comparable online delivery competitor to ULaw Online, targeting similar flexible-study demographics.
• Queen Mary University of London (School of Law): QMUL's School of Law offers undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes including SQE pathways and has strong research credentials. Competes with ULaw London campuses for both UK and international postgraduate law students.

Others

• University of Law at.. (formerly College of Law): The historical identity of The University of Law prior to university title granting — included as a self-reference point illustrating the institution's evolution and heritage rather than as a separate peer.

Emerging players

• BARBRI: US-based legal education provider that has expanded into UK SQE preparation. Represents an emerging competitive threat leveraging technology-led adaptive learning platforms and international brand recognition.
• LawClicks: Online-focused SQE prep provider that combines legal training with technology-led delivery. Represents an emerging specialist competitor in the same SQE market segment where ULaw's Revision App competes.

Broad incumbents

• The Open University: The UK's largest provider of distance and flexible higher education, including law undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Operates at much larger scale across all subjects but competes for the same flexible/online learner segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmI9RTBcjSld6c-wbOG3KuQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversityOfLaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-university-of-law
• Instagraminstagram.com/u_law
• TikToktiktok.com/@theuniversityoflaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The University of Law