SQE funding: what are your options?
Don’t let funding stand in your way. At BPP we offer a range of SQE courses with a variety of funding options available. Find out more about studying the SQE with BPP.
There are many ways of funding your SQE preparation course. It’s most likely that you will combine a number of these options in order to fund your studies in a way that suits you.
Postgraduate loans
Opting for a master’s version of an SQE preparation course is an excellent way to fund your studies, with Student Finance England offering postgraduate loan funding of up to £12,167 for the 2023/24 academic year, though it’s worth noting that not all SQE providers are universities that can offer this option.
Whilst this sum will make up a significant amount of your course fees, you will probably need to look at some of the other options to fund the difference.
At BPP we offer two master’s programmes that are eligible for postgraduate funding: our LLM Law Conversion with SQE1 which is aimed at students from a non-law background who need to build core foundational legal knowledge before the Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) areas that are assessed in SQE1. Our LLM SQE1&2 is designed for those with a law undergraduate degree or who have completed a law conversion course and are looking to prepare for both the SQE1 and SQE2.
Self-funding through third-party loans
You may choose to self-fund your SQE by taking out a bank loan to fund your studies. As well as High Street banks, there are also other lenders who specialise in lending to postgraduate law students.
We strongly recommend that you only choose reputable loan providers that are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
SQE scholarships
There are many scholarships available to students – from small discounts to full-fee scholarships, depending on the provider.
At BPP, we operate a large scholarship fund of £1.25m+ for the 2023/24 academic year to support a wide range of future talent across all law postgraduate programmes. BPP has a strong commitment to help widen participation in and access to the legal profession, which is why a significant proportion of our scholarships fund is awarded to students from backgrounds which have been traditionally under-represented in the legal profession.
We recently launched the free Bridge Programme to help ‘bridge the gap’ between your undergraduate degree and postgraduate vocational training. One student from a socially mobile background from each participating university will be awarded a £5,000 scholarship towards their course fees, with further scholarships also being available to other participating students.
Firm sponsorship
The vast majority (if not all) of law firms who previously sponsored students for their LPC have confirmed that they will fund the SQE course fees and the centralised assessment fees of their SQE trainees. Securing qualifying work experience with one of these firms (many of whom send their trainees exclusively to BPP) is a very competitive process, but the good news is that there are many leading firms who fully sponsor their trainees (with most paying a maintenance grant alongside course and exam fees), and a number of them have an annual intake of around 100.
Work while you study
One of the benefits of the SQE is its flexibility. At BPP, our courses can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis, online or face-to-face. You can also fund your training and the exams by working while you study. Alternatively, you could choose to work full time to fund SQE1, and then work for a little more time to fund SQE2.
There’s also the option of both graduate and solicitor apprenticeships. The solicitor apprenticeship route enables future solicitors, who typically begin working in a law firm after they’ve completed their A levels, with a pathway to qualify as a solicitor in six years. By undertaking this route, you’ll have acquired six years of legal work experience, completed the SQE, and qualified without any student debt. In contrast, graduate apprenticeships, which are likely to become more popular over the next few years, will combine working for a firm, typically straight from your undergraduate degree, with completing your qualifying work experience, alongside your SQE studies and assessments.
Don’t let funding stand in your way. At BPP we offer a range of SQE courses with a variety of funding options available. Find out more about studying the SQE with BPP.
