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The College of Law Guildford holds a particularly strong position amongst the other UK providers. With a particularly large intake and many a successful alumni, the school is obviously doing a lot of things right.

As with all branches of the College of Law, the overall level of teaching and support seems to be top notch. All of the branches follow the same syllabus and teach in exactly the same way.

They make a concerted effort to get current and ex-legal professionals on board to administer the course so that the course itself is as practical as possible. As such, the overall impression we have gathered of CoL Guildford is one of utter professionalism. Definitely a good choice for any of the courses they provide.

The College is set in a great place just outside Guildford and is part of a manor house that has been fully renovated to the highest standards in well maintained grounds. The lecture facilities are more than ample and easily accommodate even the largest classes at the school.

CoL Guildford has invested heavily in providing its students with the best facilities to facilitate the best learning experience. Guildford has its own first class law library, with a good number of books for each discipline.

There is a good amount of IT facilities on offer; their computer facilities have been invested in substantially and they strive to make a computer available to students at all times. There is also an on-campus bar for the various social functions that the school puts on for the student body.

The teaching quality is excellent, with all tutors having been in practice themselves. As a result, the teaching is very focused on what students can expect to deal with in practice. All College's of Law follow the same syllabus whether you study in Birmingham, York, Guilford, London or Chester. As such, what you learn and the way you learn is almost exactly the same.

With regard to the GDL, you will complete an on-line study programme in legal method before beginning the official programme so that you're already on your way by the time you arrive. As with all other providers, the College of Law GDL focuses on the seven foundation subjects, contract, criminal, EU, land, public, tort and equity & trusts.

Also with various 'skills', you will also be required to complete an independent essay in a particular area of law of interest to yourself. The College of Law GDL is undoubtedly one of, if not the most comprehensive programme out there.

The college itself is little more than a fifteen minute walk from Guildford train station, although the area has great links with the South East of England in general, especially in its close proximity to London. Guildford is a cosmopolitan place with a good amount of shops, bars and general amenities. It is a comfortable place to visit and live, with a large amount of housing stock for students available near the college.

Most students generally tend to live in the surrounding villages of Shalford and Godalming, all being no more than 3 miles from the college itself. Guildford and the surrounding villages all have good access to the local and national rail network, with all of the amenities expected of locations in the South East of England.

Course fees for the GDL at COL Guildford are £6,750 for the full-time course and £3,200 per year on the part-time option. It is never going to be as cheap as the north, but there are considerable financial advantages to studying in Guildford rather than at one of the city providers. The College of Law charge the most for their institutions in the South East, with London unsurprisingly topping the list. Despite this, the College of law remains competitive with all other course providers regarding fees.

The prices in the college bar are somewhat subsidised so if you want to relax with a drink or two it won’t break the bank. You can realistically expect to pay for accommodation in the area anywhere between £70 to £100 per week; not as cheap as a university in the North but considerably cheaper than living in the capital.

The Guildford branch seems to provide a lot by the way of social life. There are all types of societies running and there seems to be something for everyone. As mentioned above, the college has an on campus bar offering all of the usual options at subsidised prices.

Being a university town, Guildford has a large number of clubs and bars that are always full during term time. Rest assured, we seem to get many positive reports from the set up at Guildford by way of social activities.

The careers centre is one of the strongest suits for the College of Law. They have specially training advisors that assist with preparations for law interviews and how to set out cover letters and CV’s.

They also provide advice on tackling online applications, probably the biggest hurdle students will encounter when looking for that elusive training contract. They also send bulletins to the student body on various training contracts and other legal opportunities as and when they spring up.