Bristol or Exeter law?

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(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 1

According to Times Higher Education, 51% of Exeter staff are known to have a teaching qualification, 31% at Bristol. Although if that was always an important thing to students, nobody might risk going to Cambridge, where only 3% are known to have a teaching qualification and it's not known whether 95% of them do or not.

The highest pre-1992 university is Manchester, where at least 68% are known to have a teaching qualification.

Bristol and Exeter each say that they admit 400 Law students per year.

In Chamberstudent 2019 report, Exeter was catching up to Bristol for numbers of trainee lawyers, with no university inbetween them.

Bristol still seems slightly more respected on average (and is harder to get in to) but Exeter has a higher percentage of private school students, which I have no reason to think wouldn't extend to its Law faculty too.

Visit both and see which you prefer. That you enjoy your 3 or 4 years is important.

Reply 2

ExeterStudentRep

Hi hjhjgfyt,

I am currently a second-year Law and French Law student here at Exeter, so I hope I can provide you with some good insight into what life is like here studying Law.

Fundamentally, Exeter placed Top 20 for Law per the Complete University Guide for 2025, making it one of the finest institutions in the UK to study law at. The high ranking here truly does show in real life, though, and studying here is a decision I certainly don't regret.

One of my favourite things about Exeter is that the staff really love what they do, and it is communicated through engaging lectures. This really allows you to get the best out of your time here as you will have a better starting point for assignments since your lecture notes are more detailed and easy to understand. And, if you have any queries about any part of the modules that you study, you can very easily contact the lecturers to get a question answered quickly online, or you can arrange to meet them in-person during office hours.

Another thing I love about the course here is that it is so diverse. There are several compulsory modules covering different areas of law - such as contract, criminal, and tort - but there are also a lot of opportunities to branch out into modules that suit you more. The standard LLB course has a completely flexible final year, that is to say it is completely made up of optional modules. Some of these include family law, AI and ethics, consumer law, medical law, and human rights law. This really allows you to study exactly what you are more passionate about.

The facilities here are also worth noting - there are moot courts here, with mooting competitions happening throughout the year. And, there are law careers fairs, where Magic Circle, Silver Circle, and local firms host stands so that you can ask them any questions and gauge an idea of what you'd like to do post-graduation, or even before then. These are invaluable opportunities and are just another reason to choose Exeter.

Lastly, there are a few law-related societies here, which let you engage with other law students, or just those interested in the law. Some societies include the Law Society, International Law Society, and Women and Law Society, though there are many more. And, don't feel pressured to join a law-related society. In fact, many people only bother with societies that are extrinsic to their course; they are truly a great way to feel like a part of the community.

If you have any queries about student life, do respond to this message.

Grace
University of Exeter Student Ambassador.

Reply 3

cksiu

Universities Forum Helper

Maybe you could look into the course structures/modules to see which you like more. Bristol and Exeter have different foci on specialist modules.

Past statistics could be helpful, but 2019 data might be a bit ...

Do not always rely on "prestige" in comparing unis nless there is a huge gap or there is general consensus (e.g. nobody would argue on Oxbridge's lead) because very individual has his/her own perception on "prestige". Even if you insist, Bristol and Exeter law schools have different foci on specialisations so their relative "prestige" might not be directly comparable.

Choose the uni that you like more. You are going to spend 3 years there.