Influence real change with our immersive and expert-led Law degree.
Get ready to think on your feet, build strong arguments, and make life-changing decisions with our Law degree. You’ll dive into fascinating topics like criminal law, human rights, business, and family law while getting real-world experience. It’s your chance to learn how the law shapes every part of our lives – and how you can make a real impact.
Our course is a Qualifying Law Degree (QLD), so you can become a barrister through the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) or a solicitor through the Solicitor’s Qualification Exam route (SQE).
Why St Marys?
Bring your learning to life
You’ll get practical, real-world experience — and exclusive volunteering opportunities that let you work on actual cases.
- Support through Court - only at SMU can you take clinical modules that see you working at the Royal Courts of Justice and the Central Family Court.
- At St Mary’s Law Clinic, you’ll collaborate with the leading law firm Hodge, Jones & Allen to analyse real legal problems and advise the local community.
- You can help Amicus – a legal non-profit organisation fighting for those in the US facing a death sentence – make a difference protecting human rights. You'll help real people facing the death penalty. Amicus can also train you in US capital defence law and procedure, legal research, evidence, and professional conduct.
You’ll also attend exciting talks and workshops to build your network, understanding, and practical skills.
- We host a variety of guest speakers including Judge Connell (an Isleworth Crown Court judge), Sneh Aurora (the Executive Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative) who discussed the role of non-state actors in human rights, and practitioners who talk about becoming qualified lawyers.
- We also offer commercial awareness workshops to boost your employability.
Our wide range of assessment methods on top of traditional exams cover practical skills of lawyering to equip you in the job market. As a result, you’ll translate your learning to the courtroom and beyond. Plus, you’ll join the 96% of SMU students in employment, vocation, or further study within 15 months of graduation (HESA, 2024).
Supportive and expert lecturers giving high-quality teaching
During your Law course, you’ll get clinical ‘real-world’ expertise, individual guidance, and consistent feedback to ensure you reach your full potential. Many of our lecturers are still practising in the UK and abroad, so they’ll teach and support you on current issues around non-governmental organisations (NGOs), mental health, domestic violence, and UN law – which you’ll be ready to tackle when you graduate.
We’re a small university, and Simmies (AKA St Mary’s students) feel valued here: lecturers will get to know you and be committed to your development. At SMU, you’ll get:
- a personal tutor for academic support
- a pastoral tutor dedicated to your wellbeing
- learning and development lecturers to help you build solid study skills
- a university wellness team.
One Simmie, Muksaan, shares that “lecturers go out of their way to help and provide guidance”, while another, Sophie, says she "feels as though [she] can speak to the lecturers at any time".
- We are 1st in London for Academic Support (National Student Survey (NSS), 2024).
- We’re also the UK’s top 10 for Teaching Quality (Good University Guide, 2025).
- 100% of SMU Law students say teachers are good at explaining things (NSS, 2024).
- 96% say teachers have supported their learning well (NSS, 2024).
Legal training with the best of both worlds
The SMU campus is a London oasis - we've got plenty of greenspace, which Simmies say really helps their mental health. And being in the capital, we’ll take field trips to prominent institutions like:
- The Supreme Court
- Isleworth Crown Court
- the Houses of Parliament.
About the Placement Year
A placement year enables you to undertake a year of experience in an organisation between your second and final year.
It will enable you to:
- apply the knowledge and skills you gain from your course in a work setting
- build your commercial awareness and insights into organisations and industries you might want to work in
- develop your professional skills through company training, networking skills and confidence in the workplace
- get some great experience for future job applications or even land a graduate job.
Support from St Mary’s every step of the way
Securing a placement can really help you develop your job search skills and the Employability Service placement and Careers Teams can support you to find and apply for available opportunities.
Please note: in the event that you cannot secure a placement you will be able to transfer onto the three year version of your degree programme.
Please note: this course is subject to validation.
Charley Dugdale
Senior Lecturer in Law
Chat to us
Chat to us
Applying to university can be daunting, and you may have questions about applying, student life, or your course.
Course content
Modules
These modules are the modules that were available to students in the 2023/24 academic year and are illustrative of what may be offered for 2024/25.
Please note: it is possible that a module listed on the website will not be able to run due to reasons beyond our control. For more information please refer to our course information disclaimer.
Entry requirements
96 - 112
Inclusiveness is one of our core values and we are committed to widening participation. We actively encourage applications from all students as we firmly believe that helping more people from a wide mix of backgrounds to access education contributes positively to individuals and society.
We understand that sometimes barriers you can't control get in the way of academic achievement. You are more than just your grades. We'll consider your application as a whole, taking into account things like:
- subjects studied at Level 3
- your GCSEs (or equivalent) profile
- non-academic achievements you mention in your personal statement
- your references and motivation.
GCSE
GCSE grade 4/C or above in English and Maths, or an equivalent qualification, is required.
We offer GCSE equivalency tests for those who need to improve their GCSE grades.
UCAS Personal statement support
Create your UCAS personal statement through our online builder and we'll email you a copy of your completed version at the end.
Further Information
For more information about entry requirements please email apply@stmarys.ac.uk.
Fees & funding
Tuition fees
Home
£9,250
International
£17,100
(£1200 during placement year)
*Please note: these fees are annual and may increase in line with inflation each year subject to the Government's review of Higher Education Funding.
Information about tuition fees, student loans, and funding your studies can be found within our fees and funding section.
Additional costs
Your tuition fees will cover the cost of all mandatory elements of your programme.
Additional costs could be incurred depending on optional modules chosen and other projects undertaken.
For further information about additional costs please see our additional costs webpage.
Scholarships
Find out more about our range of scholarships and bursaries available to undergraduate students .
Living costs
A guide to your living costs has been created by our Student Funding Team.
Accommodation costs vary depending on whether you opt for an en suite room and on-site catering. Take a look at our accommodation options and the prices you can expect to pay.
How the degree is taught
Teaching methods
You'll be taught on our beautiful and historic campus located in Twickenham, London.
The degree makes use of a wide range of learning and teaching strategies. Law is predominantly taught in a classroom environment through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials.
Lectures are held weekly and provide a guide to a topic, highlighting important areas and providing information on matters that may not be readily available from other sources.
Seminars are normally held once a week for each module. The seminars provide opportunities for you to consolidate your learning.
Tutorials are provided for weekly and allow you to discuss a piece of prepared work, for example, a single problem question on a one-to-one basis. Tutorials will also be used as a way of providing feedback to draft plans and also completed assignments.
In addition to these formal sessions, you will be expected to organise meetings with other students in the form of study groups and to prepare for group assessments.
You will also have an opportunity to take part in field trips to the local courts.
We make extensive use of Moodle, the University’s virtual learning environment. It's used as a to share important information and resources and for encouraging learning engagement.
In the first year there is an emphasis on tutor-led learning, moving towards a greater degree of self-directed learning in the second year, culminating in a self-managed research project in the third year.
Assessment methods
Assessment types and criteria are clearly linked to the learning outcomes of course. Assessment criteria are used to ensure that you understand the knowledge and skills each assessment is seeking to develop.
You will encounter a variety of different assessment methods, each used to test your subject knowledge, skills and understanding:
- written examinations
- reports
- essays
- oral assessments
- log
- work placement supervisor assessment
- poster presentation
- portfolio
- practical legal skills
- multiple-choice question exams (MCQs).
Feedback
We adhere to the university’s policy of providing feedback on assessments within 15 working days.
Career opportunities
With our Law degree, you will develop crucial transferrable skills, including critical thinking, communication, and leadership.
96% of St Mary's students are in employment, vocation, or further study within 15 months of graduation (HESA, 2024).
We also offer lifetime career support. Contact our Career Services at careers@stmarys.ac.uk for further information on work and postgraduate opportunities.
Some examples of job roles and areas of work for graduates of undefined include:
More from St Mary's
Thinking about whether St Mary's is the right place for you? Come and visit it us on campus.
Find out more about the extensive support system available to you at St Mary’s.
Discover the many areas in which our academies are currently researching.
Discover what life is like on our London campus.