Number of Students on the LPC Drops

The number of students taking the full-time Legal Practice Course (LPC) has fallen by 8.4% this year, as reported in the Law Society Gazette. The figures demonstrate a reaction to the limited number of available training contracts with law firms and ever-increasing competition for positions.

The Central Applications Board (CAB) stated that 5,198 students enrolled with the 27 LPC providers for the 2013/2014 entry year. This is a drop of 475 compared to last year’s figures.

This reduction reflects a trend in recent years; since 2009/2010 there has been a decrease of 37.5% in people applying for the LPC course.

Though there are reports of an increase in part-time LPC applications at some institutions, implying students are aiming to manage the weighty costs of the course, it seems that more and more students are  may be considering the competition stakes for training contracts before investing in the LPC.

Chief executive of BPP Law School Peter Crisp said: “The figures reflect a market correction, with the number of students enrolling on courses beginning to match more closely the number of training contracts available.”

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