Entry trends

Undergraduates and graduates in law

In 2020-21, 31,585 UK students applied to study law at undergraduate level in England and Wales, out of whom 21,650 UK students were accepted on to courses.

9,330 overseas students applied to study law at undergraduate level in England and Wales, out of whom 4,640 overseas students were accepted on to courses.

Of the UK students accepted onto courses:

  • 15,375 are female and 6,275 are male
  • 9,190 are from minority ethnic groups

Of the ethnic minority students accepted onto courses:

  • 6,500 are female and 2,690 are male

Of the overseas students accepted onto courses:

  • 2,865 are female and 1,775 are male

Period of recognised training

In the year ending 31 July 2021, 5,495 new traineeships were registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Admission to the roll

The Solicitors Regulation Authority is required to collect and maintain records of all qualified solicitors on the roll.

6,981 individuals were admitted to the roll in the year that ended 31 July 2021.

Of these qualified solicitors:

  • 4,181 are female and 2,284 are male
  • the average age entered onto the roll in 2020-21, across both genders, is 29.9 years
  • the average for males is 30.1 and the average age for females is 29.4

It's no longer viable to report ethnicity information for those admitted to the roll since this was available for only 25% of individuals admitted.

Solicitors on the roll

As of 31 July 2021, there are 209,215 solicitors on the roll.

Of these solicitors on the roll:

  • 110,118 are women and 98,573 are men
  • 28,565 of solicitors are from minority ethnic groups (based on the proportion of admissions where ethnicity is known)

In 2021,153,282 solicitors held current practising certificates.

Of these solicitors holding practising certificates:

  • 80,881 are held by women and 72,080 are held by men
  • 21,618 are from minority ethnic groups (based on the proportion of admissions where ethnicity is known)

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