SQE Funding, Scholarships and Courses: LLM vs Diploma

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Paying for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is one of the least clearly explained parts of qualifying as a solicitor, and it is where candidates without family money or professional connections tend to lose ground, not because they lack ability but because nobody explained which costs are theirs and which are not. From September 2026, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) charges £5,092 in assessment fees alone, and preparation courses add anything from a few thousand pounds to nearly £19,000. This guide covers who pays if you have a training contract, how the postgraduate loan changes the arithmetic, which scholarships exist, and how to choose between an LLM, a diploma and standalone preparation.

How much does the SQE cost, and who pays? From September 2026 the SRA charges £2,006 for SQE1 and £3,086 for SQE2, a total of £5,092, and preparation courses cost between about £1,500 and £18,850 on top. If you hold a training contract offer, your firm usually pays for preparation. Without one, the main routes are a postgraduate loan, a scholarship or an apprenticeship.

How much does SQE preparation cost in 2026/27?

SQE preparation fees run from about £1,500 for online self-study to £18,850 for a London LLM at The University of Law (ULaw). Full programmes covering both stages mostly cost between £12,000 and £15,000 outside London, though some charge less. The £5,092 in SRA fees is never included in a course fee, so it needs adding to every figure below.

These are each provider's published prices, and they move every year, so confirm the current figure before you apply. Every one of these courses aims at the same SRA assessments, which means the questions that matter are how much live teaching you get, how the provider supports SQE2 (which is harder to self-assess), and what evidence it offers for its pass rates, remembering that a provider's own figure is self-reported. If you don't have a law degree, our GDL vs PGDL guide explains how conversion fits in.

Will your employer pay for the SQE?

For most candidates who have accepted a training contract at a large commercial firm, yes. The firm normally pays the preparation fees, usually chooses the provider, and often adds a maintenance grant towards living costs. Smaller and regional firms vary, so get the details in writing before you enrol anywhere.

Most large commercial law firms fund SQE preparation fees in full for candidates who have accepted a training contract offer. Magic Circle firms and many Silver Circle firms also provide maintenance grants of £15,000 to £20,000 per year during the preparation period. US firms tend to offer similar or higher maintenance grants.

If you have a training contract offer, you should receive a clear breakdown of what your firm covers before you need to commit to a preparation provider. Do not pay for SQE preparation independently if your firm will cover it.

A maintenance grant is a payment towards living costs during the study period before your training contract starts. Our salary guide sets grants alongside trainee pay at each tier. Before you commit to a provider, you need to confirm four things:

• Exam fees. Whether the £5,092 in SRA fees is covered, or only the course.
• Provider and course. Which provider, and whether it is an LLM or a diploma.
• Resits. Who pays if you need one, since retaking a single SQE1 paper costs £1,003 and SQE2 costs £3,086.
• Conditions. Whether you would repay anything if you leave before or shortly after qualifying. BPP notes that sponsorships commonly come with a commitment to work at the firm on qualification.

Not every firm funds the SQE, and BPP says so on its own funding page, so a smaller firm's offer, or a paralegal role that will count as qualifying work experience (QWE), needs checking line by line. Our paralegal guide explains how QWE works in those roles, and how to get a training contract covers the offer itself.

Can you get a student loan for the SQE?

Yes, if you study an LLM. Students in England can borrow up to £13,206 through the Postgraduate Master's Loan for courses starting in 2026/27, but only for a full master's degree, so a postgraduate diploma does not qualify. The money is paid to you rather than the provider, and repaid at 6% of income above £21,000.

The £13,206 is a single pot for the whole course, paid in instalments, and you decide how to divide it between tuition and living costs. Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish students should check their own schemes, and everyone else applies through Student Finance England.

The sums show why this matters. Take a law graduate in England with no training contract offer, choosing between BPP's online diploma and its online LLM. The diploma costs £12,200, which with £5,092 in exam fees is £17,292, all of it from savings, family or a private lender, because the loan can't be used. The LLM costs £14,900, or £19,992 with exam fees. Take off the maximum loan of £13,206 and £6,786 remains to be found. The LLM costs £2,700 more in fees but £10,506 less upfront.

That doesn't make the loan free money. It is repaid alongside any undergraduate loan, and at a salary of £45,000 the postgraduate portion alone is £1,440 a year. What it does is turn a bill you would need to find in advance into one you repay from earnings. At the cheapest end, the College of Legal Practice lists its LLM at £7,245, which with exam fees comes to £12,337, inside the loan limit before living costs.

What is the difference between an LLM and an SQE diploma?

Both prepare you for SQE1 and SQE2, and neither is required to sit the exams. An LLM is a master's degree, so it qualifies for the postgraduate loan, and it usually runs longer and costs more. A postgraduate diploma is shorter and cheaper but not loan-eligible. Your funding position usually decides between them.

Timings differ by provider. BPP's LLM takes 12 months full-time or 24 part-time and adds a module on the practice-ready skills employers look for, while its diploma takes 8 months full-time or 16 part-time. The SRA sets the same assessments for everyone, so the title on your certificate doesn't change what you sit. What changes is how you pay for it, and if you can't claim the loan, because you live outside England for example, the diploma or a standalone course is often the cheaper route. Our SQE guide sets out what each stage tests.

What scholarships and grants exist for SQE preparation?

Scholarships for SQE preparation come mainly from course providers and from access schemes such as the Law Society's Diversity Access Scheme (DAS). Provider awards range from £2,000 to full tuition, and DAS supports lower-income candidates with fees, mentoring and work experience. All are competitive and run to fixed deadlines, so apply when you apply for the course.

BPP's SQE Future Lawyer Scholarship offers £3,000, half tuition or full tuition on a merit basis. It generally requires a 2:1 (or a 2:2 with mitigating circumstances), a separate application by the deadline for your intake, and it isn't available to anyone whose fees are already fully sponsored by an employer. Loan recipients can still apply. ULaw's scholarships page lists Excellence Scholarships of £2,000 and Law First Scholarships of £5,000 for its LLM Legal Practice, decided by an online assessment once you hold an offer.

The Diversity Access Scheme is aimed at aspiring solicitors from lower socio-economic backgrounds, including those from care backgrounds and disabled candidates who meet the criteria. It sets household income limits of £25,000 outside London and £28,000 in London, expects you to have no access to savings, gifts or loans for your studies, and asks you to meet at least two further background criteria. Awards go towards fees rather than living costs, and numbers are small, with around 15 planned for 2026. Applications run in an annual round, so check the Law Society's page for the current one.

The SRA has also put money towards exam fees. In August 2025 it distributed £360,000 from its SQE Access and Reinvestment Fund among 11 organisations, including DAS, ULaw and the College of Legal Practice, to cover assessment fees for candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds, so ask your provider whether any remains.

Are there ways to qualify without paying for a course?

Yes. A Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeship is funded by your employer and the government, so you pay no tuition and earn a salary while you study, but you must be employed in an eligible legal role. Otherwise, part-time study alongside paid work and self-study with a question bank reduce the cost, though SRA exam fees still apply.

Our apprenticeship guide compares that route with university in detail. For everyone else, part-time programmes spread the cost and let you keep earning, with BPP's LLM stretching to 24 months and Nottingham Law School's to 18. Some providers also offer interest-free instalment plans, and BPP advises comparing interest rates and repayment terms carefully before taking any private loan.

How do you choose a course if you are paying yourself?

Work through these in order, because each answer narrows the next.

1. Check whether an offer is coming. If you expect a training contract offer within the current cycle, wait. A firm that would have paid for your course can't refund one you have already bought.
2. Check loan eligibility. If you live in England, an LLM opens up the £13,206 loan, and the sums above show it can leave you better off upfront than a cheaper diploma.
3. Match the course to your degree. Non-law graduates need a conversion route first, and combined LLM courses such as BPP's and Nottingham Law School's cover SQE1 only, so SQE2 preparation is a separate later cost.
4. Add the whole bill. Fees, £5,092 in exam fees, a resit allowance and living costs.
5. Sit the exam when you are ready, not when you are booked. A failed attempt costs £1,003 per SQE1 paper or £3,086 for SQE2, so thorough preparation before a first sitting is cheaper than a second.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a student loan for a postgraduate diploma in the SQE?

No. The Postgraduate Master's Loan covers full master's degrees, not postgraduate diplomas or certificates. If you want loan funding, choose an LLM that includes SQE preparation. For 2026/27 the maximum is £13,206, available to students who normally live in England.

Do law firms pay for the SQE?

Most large commercial firms fund SQE preparation in full for trainees who have accepted an offer. Magic Circle firms, many Silver Circle firms and US firms add maintenance grants of £15,000 to £20,000 a year or more. Smaller and regional firms vary, so confirm what is covered, including exam fees and resits.

How much does it cost to resit the SQE?

From September 2026, resitting one SQE1 paper costs £1,003 and both papers cost £2,006. Resitting SQE2 costs £3,086, the same as a first attempt. Sponsoring firms may or may not cover resits, so ask before you start rather than after a fail.

Do I need to take a course before sitting the SQE?

No. You need a degree in any subject or an equivalent level 6 qualification, and you can prepare however you choose. In practice most candidates need structured preparation for SQE1, because it tests a wide syllabus in depth, and SQE2 is best practised with feedback.

Want the training contract offer that pays for all of this?

Firm sponsorship can remove most of the cost of qualifying, which makes the offer itself the most valuable thing to work towards. The Future Trainee Academy covers the full training contract and vacation scheme application process, taught by a recruiter who has interviewed over 10,000 candidates, and it is free to access.