Getting into Law Ralph Sandland Director of Undergraduate Admissions, School of Law, University of Nottingham

The role of the UCAS form A level grades obtained or predicted Scholastic achievement to date The personal statement The referee’s statement

The Admissions Tutor’s Perspective Law schools are in competition to secure the best cohort of new undergraduates Very many applications are received Many applicants will have or be predicted to obtain the required grades The mechanism of the UCAS application form does not provide the means to make meaningful, objective, distinctions between candidates

LNAT (lnat.ac.uk) The National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT) Has been running since 2004 Is used by the law schools at Birmingham, Bristol, Durham, Glasgow, Kings College and UCL, University of London, Nottingham, Oxford Is administered at centres throughout the UK and abroad Must be sat before the deadline for the submission of applications through UCAS Costs £50 (£70 outside the EU)

The structure of the LNAT A multiple choice component, comprising 42 questions, to be answered in 95 minutes. An essay component, with a choice of 5 titles, to be answered in 40 minutes. The multiple choice component is marked centrally The essay is sent to the relevant law school(s)

Does LNAT work? A correlation was found between LNAT score and final degree performance at the University of Nottingham This finding has not always been replicated elsewhere The LNAT seems to be gender neutral There is no evidence that the introduction of the LNAT has widened participation

The personal statement and referee’s report Useful for getting a ‘feel’ for the candidate A referee’s prediction of less than the required grades will result in the application’s rejection However There is no guidance for admissions tutors as to the relative weight or importance of the various factors to be taken into account There are no clearly agreed criteria by which a judgement about individual statements or references should be made

How personal statements and referee’s statements are evaluated Localised schematic criteria ‘The qualities required to make a good lawyer’ Does consideration of these factors introduce new issues of transparency and fairness? (Yes) The fact that these components of the admissions process are only to the fore in marginal cases mitigates but does not fully answer such concerns