Graduate Diploma Law
Your pathway to a career in Law
Year of entry: 2026 (September)
Our Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) provides a route to qualification as a solicitor or barrister for graduates of any discipline.
This graduate diploma is an ideal stepping stone for graduates who are seeking a career in Law but have a degree in a different discipline. You'll not only develop essential legal skills but also meet the requirements for further legal qualifications. You'll learn through our unique problem-based learning approach, based on real-world, practical legal scenarios and supported by expert tutors.
By gaining a practical understanding of the foundations of English Law, you'll complement your previous studies. Lawyers come from all kinds of backgrounds, and your breadth of knowledge will allow you to become a confident legal professional.
You will also have active, individual support towards your career goals from our dedicated employability tutor.
Course content
The core modules that you'll study over the course of a year will cover the foundations of English law and legal skills as required by professional bodies. You'll work collaboratively with around 12 other students on a series of real-life legal problems. These will develop your knowledge of the core legal subjects:
- Criminal Law
- Obligations (Contract, Tort and Restitution)
- Property Law (Land Law, Trusts and Equity)
- Public Law (Constitutional and Administrative Law)
- European Law
You will develop an understanding of how professional ethics guide and inform practice. You'll also gain vitally important legal skills such as research, case analysis, teamwork, and written and oral communication.
Modules
Core modules:
- Foundations in Law 1 - GDL
- Foundations in Law 2 - GDL
- Foundations in Law 3 - GDL
- Foundations in Law 4 - GDL
- Foundations in Law 5 - GDL
- Foundations in Law 6 - GDL
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
Learning outcomes
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
Learning outcomes for this course
- Critically analyse facts in a range of legal scenarios to identify key facts, client and stakeholder interests, and legal issues.
- Systematically identify and critically evaluate primary and secondary legal sources located through the application of advanced research strategies.
- Critically and systematically analyse concepts and principles of the foundation subjects of English law, the relationships between them, and interests, perspectives and contexts relevant to law.
- Apply principles and rules of law to develop comprehensive, reasoned and sophisticated analyses of, and solutions to, legal problems.
- Communicate, in a structured and coherent manner, and with high levels of clarity and precision, orally and in writing, the results of your research and work, advising on evidenced arguments and reasoned solutions.
- Demonstrate a deep and systematic understanding of the foundation subjects of English law.
- Demonstrate a positive and significant contribution to your learning and development, and those of others.
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees for 2026/27
| Study mode | UK (home) / International and EU |
|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £12,000 |
Additional costs
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
Funding information
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
Funding opportunities
Teaching and assessment
You’ll work with expert tutors, many of whom are also qualified legal practitioners, experienced in vocational and professional legal training. Your learning activities and assessments will provide a foundation for further professional training programmes, and legal practice.
Teaching format
The Graduate Diploma in Law is built around problem-based learning (PBL). This involves you working for virtual clients in small "student law firms" on simulated legal problems which mirror actual practice. PBL teaches you a distinct method to analyse problems, identify relevant legal principles, carry out applied legal research, and apply your findings to the issues that lie at the heart of the problem. As in legal practice, problems can involve more than one area of law and differing client interests. You will also learn how to translate your legal analysis into client advice.
The skills and understanding that you develop on the programme will provide you with a solid foundation for the professional exams you have to do to be a solicitor (the SQE) or a barrister (the BTC) as well as for real-life legal practice.
Your learning will be supported by a range of resources and learning guidance, available in our virtual learning environment.
Facilities
The York Law School has a purpose-built space for problem-based learning with classrooms that offer a modern, professional learning environment. As a student you'll also have the opportunity to participate in advising members of the public in the Baroness Hale Legal Clinic.
Teaching location
York Law School is located on Campus East. Your teaching will take place within the Law and Sociology building or nearby on Campus East.
About our campus
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
Assessment and feedback
We use a variety of assessments which replicate problem-based learning activities, including problem-analysis, application of relevant law and client advice. There will also be multiple choice questions, of the type that are used in the SQE assessments.
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Careers and skills
Our pioneering Careers and Development programme will help to ensure you are ready to pursue your chosen career path. Created through collaboration with leading local, national and international firms and key vocational providers, the programme includes professional skills workshops, personal development, mentoring schemes and link days.
We also have a dedicated full-time Employability Tutor, who can give you advice on a wide range of matters, from CV and assessment centre techniques to general career planning.
We have established a wide range of professional links and partnering arrangements. Through these you benefit from 'real world' lawyers as part of the teaching team and gain access to practical, work-based learning opportunities that can help you to prepare for your career.
Career opportunities
Qualifying as a solicitor or a barrister
If you wish to qualify as a solicitor (in England and Wales), the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) requirements are that you:
• have a degree-level qualification or equivalent;
• pass two solicitor qualification examinations – SQE1 and SQE2;
• complete two years of qualifying work experience (QWE); and
• meet character and suitability requirements.
Your undergraduate degree will fulfil the first requirement. Your Graduate Diploma in Law from York Law School will help you to progress to an SQE preparation programme by providing you with the knowledge of the foundations of English Law that underpin SQE1, as well as starting to develop a number of the legal skills that are assessed in SQE2.
If you wish to qualify as a barrister, the first stage of qualification is to meet the academic requirements of the Bar Standards Board (BSB). Your Graduate Diploma in Law from YLS includes the seven foundations of legal knowledge required by the BSB for the academic component of barrister training.
Qualifying as a lawyer in another jurisdiction
If you want to qualify as a lawyer in another jurisdiction your Graduate Diploma in Law from York Law School may be recognised as contributing to the entry requirements of the professional stage of legal training. We recommend checking the local requirements within the particular jurisdiction.
Undertaking further study or research
Our LLM Professional Legal Practice (SQE1 and SQE2) has been specifically designed for those who wish to qualify as a solicitor. It will prepare students for both parts of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. It also offers a range of practical, simulation-based options in a variety of practice areas.
Transferable skills
- Time management
- Research skills
- Communication and presentation skills
- Analytical and problem-solving skills
- Project management
- Reasoning and judgement
- Document and case analysis
- Advising
- Teamwork
Turn ambition into achievement with our expert guidance and connections. From your first day here to life after graduation, we'll help you find your career advantage.
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
English language
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Qualification | Minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Oxford Test of English Advanced | 136, minimum 126 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 478-509, with 444-477 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
If you haven't met our English language requirements
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
Next steps
Contact us
Get in touch if you have any questions
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