Which universities require the LNAT for 2027 entry?
The current list of UK and international LNAT institutions, with course exceptions, deadlines and links to official requirements.
Put what you’ve read into practice with a free diagnostic test and a full LNAT mock exam.
Try Jurica for freeFor 2027 entry, nine UK universities use the LNAT for at least one undergraduate law course: Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Glasgow, King’s College London, LSE, Oxford, SOAS and UCL. Three universities outside the UK also use it in certain circumstances. Whether you need to sit the test depends on the course you apply for and, at SOAS and Glasgow, on the qualifications you already have. Each university also sets its own deadline. In this guide we give the list for 2027 entry, with links to the official pages, which we recommend checking before you book a test.
Which UK universities require the LNAT?
Nine UK universities require it for 2027 entry, and the table below shows which applicants at each one need it and by when. However, a university’s place on the list does not mean that every course or every applicant there needs the test, so you should check the requirement against the UCAS code and entry route on your own application.
| University | Who needs the LNAT | Sit the LNAT by (2027 entry) |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford | All applicants to its undergraduate law courses, including Senior Status and the Foundation Year in Law | 15 October 2026 (passed) |
| Cambridge | All Law applicants | 15 October 2026 (passed) |
| UCL | All applicants to its undergraduate law degrees | 31 December 2026 |
| King’s College London | All applicants to its seven undergraduate law courses | 31 December 2026 |
| LSE | Applicants to the LLB (M100) only | 31 December 2026 |
| Bristol | All undergraduate law applicants | 13 January 2027 |
| Durham | Law (M101) and Law with Foundation (M102) | 13 January 2027 |
| Glasgow | All LLB degrees except the two graduate-entry LLBs, for applicants who do not already hold a degree | 25 January 2027 |
| SOAS | Applicants with an Access to HE Diploma, a BTEC, a foundation course or another non-standard qualification; optional with A levels or the IB | 25 January 2027 |
The dates come from the LNAT Consortium’s timetable for 2026-27, read on 24 October 2026. Two groups of applicants have later dates than the one shown for their university: applicants to Oxford’s Foundation Year in Law must sit the test by 13 January 2027, and Cambridge allows mature applicants in its January round to sit it until 25 January 2027. The Consortium advises you to check with each university for changes. We also recommend booking well before the final day, because the Consortium says that the earlier you book, the more likely you are to get an appointment on the day you want.
Does Cambridge require the LNAT?
Yes, Cambridge requires every Law applicant to take the LNAT, and it has done so since 2023 entry.
For 2027 entry, you had to register by 15 September 2026 and sit the test by 15 October 2026, so these deadlines have passed; the only exception is for mature applicants in the January round, who can book until 20 January 2027 and sit the test until 25 January 2027. Cambridge’s Faculty of Law says that it uses the LNAT, along with all the other information it has, to decide which applicants to invite to interview and then which to select, and that it marks the essay centrally. See our Cambridge LNAT score guide for the admissions data that is available.
Which universities outside the UK use the LNAT?
The Consortium lists three, each of which uses the LNAT in certain circumstances. None of them admits students through UCAS, so you would apply to each one directly.
- O.P. Jindal Global University in India uses the LNAT for admission to the five-year B.A., B.B.A. and B.Com. LL.B. (Hons.) degrees at Jindal Global Law School, and it does not accept any other law admissions test.
- Applicants to Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) for its July 2027 intake can sit the LNAT between 1 September 2026 and 15 March 2027.
- IE University in Spain accepts an LNAT score of 22 or above in place of its own admissions test, as it does SAT and ACT scores.
These rules can change from one cycle to the next, so it is worth confirming them with the university before you pay for a sitting. The deadline planner lists all three alongside the UK deadlines.
How does each university use the result?
There is no pass mark: the Consortium sends your Section A score (out of 42) and your essay to the universities you choose, and each one applies its own policy. The table below gives what each university says on its own pages.
| University | How it says it uses the LNAT |
|---|---|
| Oxford | Both scores count towards the shortlisting rank (for 2026 entry, 10% each, with 80% from the contextualised GCSE score for applicants who had one); the essay is marked in Oxford |
| Cambridge | Used with all other information to choose whom to interview and whom to select; the essay is marked centrally at Cambridge |
| UCL | A threshold on the multiple-choice score, set each year and not published; an Admissions Tutor then marks the essay, which “carries considerable weight” |
| King’s College London | Its course pages do not say how either section is used |
| LSE | Only the multiple-choice score for most applicants; the essay is read for some, such as applicants with less well-known qualifications |
| Bristol | The score is considered with your GCSEs and A-levels; the essay is marked by Bristol staff |
| Durham | Both the score and the essay are always considered; no minimum multiple-choice score |
| Glasgow | Used with the entry requirements to decide offers; its 2027 guidance says the cut-off score varies from year to year |
| SOAS | May make a lower offer to A-level or IB applicants who sit the test and “perform promisingly” |
Read on each university’s own pages in October 2026, except Oxford’s weighting, which comes from its Law Admissions Report 2025-2026, and UCL’s policy, which comes from a copy of its page for the 2027 cycle saved in August 2026. UCL notes that no score guarantees an offer, and at Oxford and Cambridge shortlisted applicants are also interviewed.
What if none of my universities requires the LNAT?
Then you do not need to sit it, because a score adds nothing to an application at a university that does not use the test.
Most UK law schools, including fifteen Russell Group universities, select without the LNAT. See our list of law schools that do not require the LNAT for what each of them asks for instead.
Check the course code, the university and the deadline together. A general list of universities may not show an exception for a particular course, such as LSE’s other degrees or Glasgow’s graduate-entry LLBs, or a deadline that comes earlier than those of your other universities.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Russell Group law schools require the LNAT?
No. Eight of the nine UK universities that use the LNAT are in the Russell Group (SOAS is not), but fifteen Russell Group universities teach law without it: Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Queen Mary, Queen’s University Belfast, Sheffield, Southampton, Warwick and York.
Can I take the LNAT after submitting my UCAS application?
Yes, as long as you sit it by the deadline of each university you apply to. The Consortium states that the test may be taken before or after you send your UCAS application. Note, however, that you must add your UCAS Personal ID to your LNAT profile before you submit your UCAS application, because the universities use it to download your results.
Can I sit the LNAT twice in one application cycle?
No. The Consortium allows one sitting per cycle, and if you sit it twice the later result is void. In addition, results cannot be carried over to a later year, so if you reapply you must sit the test again in the new cycle.
What LNAT score do universities want?
There is no single cut-off that applies to all universities. We suggest starting with our guide to a good LNAT score and then reading the page for each university, which gives recent applicant and offer-holder figures where these have been published.
How we checked this
We checked which universities use the LNAT, the course exceptions and the dates against the LNAT Consortium’s list of universities, its list of courses (which is still worded for 2026 entry) and its dates and deadlines page, all read on 24 October 2026. We then checked each university against its own pages for 2027 entry: for example, Cambridge’s admissions guidance, Bristol’s LNAT guidance, Glasgow’s Scots Law and Common Law course pages, SOAS’s LLB page and Oxford’s Foundation Year course page. UCL’s website does not allow automated reading, so its requirement comes from a copy of its page for the 2027 cycle saved in August 2026. The three universities outside the UK were checked on their own admissions pages, except SUSS, whose dates come from the Consortium.