Where to study the GDL?

Hi all,

I've been offered all 3 of my choices to study the GDL - City University, University of Law (CoL), BPP. I'm not sure which one to choose! Can anyone suggest the best place? I did go to the open day for CoL and really enjoyed it. I don't really want to take the BPTC route (which I heard City would be the best for), I'm more leaning toward the LPC.

Which would be my best option?

You will be fine at any of them. The GDL is a standardised professional course, so the institution you attend doesn't really matter from a name on your CV perspective.

However, UOL and BPP will have stronger ties to firms who send their trainees there, and therefore you may find it easier to connect with potential employers at events.

However the careers service at City is pretty good too at arranging these type of things.


Posted from TSR Mobile

Hi all,

I've been offered all 3 of my choices to study the GDL - City University, University of Law (CoL), BPP. I'm not sure which one to choose! Can anyone suggest the best place? I did go to the open day for CoL and really enjoyed it. I don't really want to take the BPTC route (which I heard City would be the best for), I'm more leaning toward the LPC.

Which would be my best option?

The vast majority of law firms use BPP and UoL. The main difference (apparently) is BPP has open-book exams for the GDL, while UoL has closed-book. This is reversed for the LPC.

Why do people keep saying this? How do these rumours start? It's a postgraduate diploma. Do people really think the SRA or the BSB is going to let one college get away with open book exams? You don't even get to do that in your GCSEs!

You are allowed a statute book. This is because you will be penalised for imprecisely quoting statute. If you cannot remember the name of the statute or what section/sub-section a rule is in come exam time, you are going to have so many problems that paging around in a book is only going to make you sink further. In the exam you have 1 hr per question and it'll take that long for you to apply the facts to the law you already know and write it down. You need to be able to cite what you do for each kind of issue (fraud, easements etc) off by heart before you even get in the exam room, statute is not going to help you remember case law or what a dominant tenement is.

Full disclosure: I chose BPP because they had (for me) the far superior approach to disabled students compared with the other providers. YMMV.

I'm going on the basis of what I've been told by those in my (BPP) LPC cohort who did the GDL, hence the 'apparently'. Friends of mine who did the LPC at UoL could take notes into the exam, which is what people normally mean by open-book (which, incidentally, shows that your incredulity at the suggestion that the SRA doesn't have a cast-iron grip over the rudders of GDL/LPC providers may be a little misplaced).

If all BPP allows for the GDL is statute books, then that doesn't sound very open-book, you're right.

I wonder if this is related to the (true) story of the BPP student who rebound all their study notes into the cover of their statute book to sneak them into the exam? IIRC they got busted because their font was wrong. I am suprised that BPP don't allow notes for the LPC since I'd assume this is closer to practice (well as close as a exams are going to get), but I guess it may due to which firms have agreements with who and their preferences.

Anyway I wanted to set this straight as it is something I get told every single time (without exception so far!) when I meet students from other providers. The whole BPP students are 'stupid' because they have 'open-book' exams on the GDL or because more students do the LPC at BPP, or that 'a City pass is a BPP distinction' style stuff gets massively tiresome. People need to accept that if someone went to X and got a better mark and you went to Y and got a worse one, it's not because one institution is 'easier'. No matter how much you would love it because they did undergrad at a redbrick and you went 'elite'. FWIW I went to a RG uni and it's just as tiresome getting the 'Oh why didn't you go to City? It's where the smart people go!' spiel, which is also assinine on so many levels.

IMO the biggest difference GDL provider makes is in regards to private loans if you want to switch providers later as some of them did not (will not?) let you extend the same loan to cover LPC fees, living expenses or pre-graduation interest holidays at a different provider.

Hey, congratulations. I have a friend who took Law in undergrad at LSE, got a TC with Norton Rose Fulbright, which sponsored his LPC spot at BPP Law. He says BPP and University of Law are the most reputable.

Quick question: I am also in the process of applying for the GDL. I have not yet submitted my application yet though, because I am still waiting for a few documents. I am planning to by early April. The CAB website however says that there is no longer an official application deadline for GDL and LPC... So I panicked a little bit when I saw that acceptances were already being granted as that means the availability is decreasing by the day! When exactly did you submit your official application? Thank you for the help.

You will be fine at any of them. The GDL is a standardised professional course, so the institution you attend doesn't really matter from a name on your CV perspective.

However, UOL and BPP will have stronger ties to firms who send their trainees there, and therefore you may find it easier to connect with potential employers at events.

However the careers service at City is pretty good too at arranging these type of things.


Posted from TSR Mobile

It really doesn't work like that for the GDL or LPC. They are professional, standardised qualifications.

The only reason BPP and UOL get extra credit is because so many firms send their trainees to either of them. But if you have signed up to the course of your own accord, it really doesn't matter where you have studied it.


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Hey - you should be fine to submit your application in April. I attended an open day last year (middle of December) and there were still places avail at that stage for the Jan intake. I submitted my application around the start of March, it took about 2 to 3 week to receive all the offers, which was much quicker than I expected. Good luck with your application!

I'm sure it would be fine. I've known people to sign up to the GDL after the courses have started at the likes of BPP and UOL.

The only benefit of signing up earlier would be if you have TC interviews a coming up in the coming weeks and you could show your commitment to the course.


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does it matter where you study the GDL location wise? I cannot afford to live in London but I want to end up practising there (I already have 3 vac schemes under my belt so I'm confident I will get some interviews).

Not at all - it's a fairly standardised course and institutions, in terms of reputation for the GDL, are much of a muchness.


Posted from TSR Mobile

I guess if your only looking at BPP/UoL that might be true to some extent, but then again some of those regional branches are far more impressive than some in London, so I wouldn't necessarily make that judgement.


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Ok so I have narrowed it down to Manchester, Leeds or Bristol to do my GDL with BPP. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm from Scotland and do not know England at all, nor have I been to any of these places!