Universities churn out record numbers of top class LLB students
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The number of law students graduating with first or upper second class degrees has rocketed by over 100 per cent during the last 20 years, according to a new survey published this month.
Southampton Solent university topped the survey with the number of LLB students achieving firsts and 2:1s jumping by an astonishing 496.4 per cent between 1987 and 2007. The University of Exeter came in second place with an increase of 196.1 per cent followed by Manchester Metropolitan University, which saw the number of firsts and 2:1s awarded to law students rise by 148.1 per cent during the same period.
The head of Exeter’s school of law Professor John Usher said: “I don’t think standards have gone down, we’re just attracting better students and our teaching has significantly improved.”
The minimum entrance requirements for Exeter’s law degree is 400 UCAS points, which is the equivalent of three A grades at A-Level under the old ranking system.
London Metropolitan University, meanwhile, bucked the trend with the number of its law students achieving top marks during the last 20 years dropping by 22.3 per cent. In contrast to Exeter, London Met’s entrance requirements are 200 UCAS points.
Of the universities that participated in the research, Oxford had the highest number of students (93.1 per cent) graduating with a first or 2:1 last year. Buckinghamshire New University came bottom of the rankings with no students achieving a first or 2:1. Just ahead of Buckinghamshire was London Met, which has 20.9 per cent of its law students graduating with top marks.
London Met was unavailable for comment.
The research was conducted by Norman Baird and Clive Campbell Smith, the authors of the legal blog QED law. They collected the information by submitting requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Source: QED LAW
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Readers' comments (34)
Anonymous | 9-Nov-2009 4:51 pm
In the early 1960s when I graduated in Engineering half the class got "the General Degree", half the remainder got Thirds, and the remainder got Seconds not given as 2.1s or 2.2s. A First was given for the truly exceptional student and between 1945 and 1963 only 3 had been given out. (Two became world renowned engineers and the other a real waster...).
Having done the Bar relatively late in life I have concluded that smooth and confident delivery does not always mean mastery of the subject matter, and that the law is prone to giving prominence to delivery. It is of course difficult to have an objective or absolute standard of attainment with law, either in practice or in study/training. Ten years after qualification possession of a First or whatever is not truly relevant anyway.
Rampant oversupply will sort the sheep from the goats quickly enough in the coming years.
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Anonymous | 9-Nov-2009 4:54 pm
Of course they are worth less now. For starters there's been a massive increase in the number of law students, and among those students there's been a massive increase in those receiving 2.1s or firsts. Which frankly devalues the degrees massively - scarcity in the market equals value. And a lot of the lower ranked (and universities we wouldn't recruit from, frankly) universities just started giving everyone a first, claiming it was the same as one from the higher ranked unis, and the better unis felt under massive pressure to do the same. It is a shame for everyone.
It also leads into the huge problem now of "I've got a first class law degree, I must be guaranteed a training contract/pupillage. Mustn't I?" Hahahahaha.
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Andy | 12-Nov-2009 3:50 pm
I think people saying law is easy are missing what the table is saying - look at Nottingham, which is one of the very top rated Unis. It gives only half of its students 2:1s, whilst other, worse Universities award a far higher percentage a 2:1. In turn, their degrees are treated equal as far as the "2:1 required to apply to this firm" is concerned, despite the fact that someone could work harder, be more intelligent and better at law and still only get a 2:2 from Nottingham. It's a disgrace.
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Anonymous | 12-Nov-2009 10:25 pm
Perhaps everyone just works a lot harder nowadays and takes a degree seriously rather than as a pleasant interlude.
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