Juris

There are two Law courses at Oxford: Course I is a three-year course and Course II is a four-year course which follows the same syllabus, with the extra year being spent abroad following a prescribed course at another university within the European Union.

The Oxford Law degrees aim to develop in their students a high level of skill in comprehension, analysis and presentation. Students are expected to read a good deal, mostly from primary sources (such as cases and statutes), rather than to take other people’s word for things. They are expected to think hard about what they have read, so as to develop views not simply about what the law is, but also about why it is so, whether it should be so, and how it might be different. Students are asked to process what they read, together with their own thoughts, and to prepare essays and presentations for discussion in tutorials.

The Oxford syllabus comprises topics chosen primarily for their intellectual interest, rather than for the frequency with which they arise in practice. Nevertheless, the skills of researching, thinking and presentation developed by the Oxford Law courses are eminently suited to practical application, and employers recognise this. Oxford is one of the very few leading law schools in the world where the teaching mainly consists of small group discussion (tutorials) between one, two or three students and a tutor.

The modern, purpose-built Bodleian Law Library holds more books than almost any other comparable library in the UK. Colleges also have collections of law books for student use.

European opportunities

The BA in Law with Law Studies in Europe is an extended version of our BA Law programme including an extra year spent at one of our partner universities in continental Europe.

There are five variants to the course: Law with French Law (with the year abroad spent at Panthéon-Assas University (Paris II)), Law with German Law (with the year abroad spent at either the University of Bonn or the University of Munich), Law with Italian Law (University of Siena), Law with Spanish Law (Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona) or Law with European Law (University of Leiden in the Netherlands).

During the first two years, students on the Law with Law Studies in Europe programme follow the same courses as those on the regular BA Law programme, with the addition of weekly classes preparing them for the year abroad. The year abroad is the third year. Students then return to Oxford to rejoin the final year of the regular BA Law programme. To be awarded the Law with Law Studies in Europe degree students have to pass the year abroad which is assessed locally on the basis of a set of examinations and essays.  However the degree is classified on the basis of the Oxford final examinations only. 

During the year abroad students study the law, not the language, of the country they are in. They study what amount to foundation courses in French, German, Italian or Spanish Law, or, in the Netherlands, they study a range of topics in European Law (but which may also include courses in international and Dutch Law). Since in France, Germany, Italy and Spain these legal studies are taught in the local language an advanced competence in that language is required (usually the equivalent of a grade A at A-level). This is tested as part of the admissions process. (The exception to this language requirement is for students applying to study the Law with European Law option (in the Netherlands) where the teaching is in English.)

Like our regular BA in Jurisprudence, the BA in Law with Law Studies in Europe is a 'qualifying law degree' for the purpose of practice as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales, but it does not provide any qualification for legal practice in the other European countries concerned.

Law Careers

There is no assumption that our Law graduates pursue a legal career: around 75% of Oxford Law graduates go on to the legal profession. Although Oxford Law graduates gain a BA in Jurisprudence rather than an LLB, each of the Oxford Law courses counts as a qualifying law degree so Oxford Law graduates can immediately go on to the Legal Practice Course (for solicitors) or the Bar Professional Training Course (for barristers).

Many Oxford Law graduates go on to successful careers practising law outside England and Wales. The Oxford Law courses naturally focus on English law, but the fundamental principles of English common law play a key role in other jurisdictions. Graduates of the four-year course also gain important international knowledge during their year abroad. If you want to know the status of an English law degree in another jurisdiction, please contact the relevant local regulatory body.

Amal is a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in London specialising in international law, human rights, extradition and criminal law. She was previously a lawyer for the United Nations in the Middle East and at various international courts in The Hague. She says: ‘Studying law at Oxford taught me to identify what is important, challenge accepted wisdom and not be intimidated. These skills helped me follow an unusual career path that I have found fascinating and meaningful.’

Colleges have the discretion to teach subjects in different terms, but students learn through a form of directed research into one or more different subjects each term, as well as by going to faculty lectures and seminars given by some of the world’s leading legal scholars. This system is academically demanding, but at the same time very rewarding.

The content and format of this course may change in some circumstances.

• Attestat o Srednam Obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education) would not be sufficient for candidates to make a competitive application. If your qualification is listed as being insufficient to make a competitive application to Oxford, then you will need to undertake further study if you wish to apply.You could take British A-levels (the British Council may know where you can take A-levels in your country), the International Baccalaureate (IB), or any other qualifications listed as acceptable on this page. The first year of a bachelor's degree from another university could also be an acceptable alternative.
• IELTS: overall score of 7.0 (with at least 7.0 in each of the four components)
• TOEFL (paper-based): overall score of 600 with a Test of Written English score of 5.5
• TOEFL (internet-based): overall score of 110 with component scores of at least: Listening 22, Reading 24, Speaking 25, and Writing 24.
• Cambridge English: Advanced, also known as the Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): grade A if taken before January 2015, or a score of at least 185.
• Cambridge English: Proficiency, also known as the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): grade B if taken before January 2015, or a score of at least 185.
• English Language GCSE, or O-level: grade B (for IGCSE, please see below)
• International Baccalaureate Standard Level (SL): score of 5 in English (as Language A or B)
• European Baccalaureate: score of 70% in English.

Hill Foundation Scholarship

Russian nationals wishing to study for a second undergraduate degree. 

Palgrave Brown Scholarship

Students must be ordinarily resident in and/or educated in the following countries:

Albania; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Czech Republic; Estonia; Georgia; Hungary; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyz Rep.; Latvia; Lithuania; Macedonia;  Moldova; Montenegro; Poland; Romania; Russia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Tajikistan; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; Uzbekistan.