Jurica
Three chapters, built from primary admissions data.
Bristol’s standard offer for Law is A*AA or A*A*B, but most of its offer holders were predicted more. This chapter explains which qualifications count, what Bristol’s offer holders and entrants had, what happens if you miss your offer, how Bristol reads your GCSEs and how the contextual offer works.
Put what you’ve read into practice with a free diagnostic test and a full LNAT mock exam.
Try Jurica for freeFor 2027 entry, Bristol’s standard offer for LLB Law (M100) is A*AA or A*A*B at A-level, in any subjects. The IB offer is 38 points with 18 at Higher Level, and the contextual offer for eligible Home applicants is AAB (or 34 points with 17 at Higher Level).[1]
Note that meeting the offer does not guarantee you a place.[3] Most of Bristol’s offer holders were predicted more than A*AA: of the offer holders for 2025 entry whose predicted A-levels Bristol listed, 61% were predicted A*A*A or better.[4] Having said that, Bristol also accepted 128 of its 498 entrants for 2025 (26%) below the terms of their offer.[4] This chapter explains which qualifications count, what offer holders and entrants had, what happens if you miss your offer, how Bristol reads your GCSEs and how the contextual offer works.
Bristol asks for A*AA or A*A*B with no required subject, and it scores your best three A-levels.[1][5][3] It does not accept General Studies or the Extended Project (EPQ) as part of the offer.[5]
| Qualification | Standard offer | Contextual offer |
|---|---|---|
| A-level | A*AA or A*A*B | AAB |
| International Baccalaureate | 38 points with 18 at Higher Level | 34 points with 17 at Higher Level |
| Scottish Highers | AA at Advanced Higher and AAAAA at Higher | Not available |
| BTEC | D*DD in an Applied General Extended Diploma | Not available |
| Access to HE Diploma | 45 graded level 3 credits, at least 30 at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above | Not available |
Contextual offers are made only to applicants taking A-levels or the IB, which is why the other rows have none.[2] There are three things to notice here:
Law and Modern Languages (MR20) asks for the same grades, with at least a B in the language you intend to study.[6] Here is how Bristol’s standard offer compares with those of other universities that use the LNAT:
| University | Standard A-level offer |
|---|---|
| Bristol | A*AA or A*A*B[1] |
| Cambridge | A*AA[7] |
| Durham | A*AA[8] |
| King’s College London | A*AA[9] |
| LSE | A*AA[10] |
| UCL | A*AA (2026 entry)[11] |
| Oxford | AAA[12] |
As you can see, Bristol asks for the same grades as most of these universities, and one grade more than Oxford. Durham, King’s, LSE and UCL also make contextual offers of AAB.[8][9][10][11]
Most offer holders were predicted above the standard offer. For 2025 entry Bristol listed the predicted best three A-levels of 784 offer holders: 282 were predicted A*A*A*, 200 A*A*A and 180 A*AA, so 668 (85%) were predicted A*AA or better, counting the 6 predicted A*A*B.[4]
Note that these 784 are only the offer holders whose main qualification was A-levels, and that combinations held by fewer than five offer holders are left out. Bristol made 1,663 offers in that cycle, and many of the rest went to applicants with other qualifications, such as the IB.[4] The 116 offer holders predicted below the standard offer (A*AB, AAA or lower) include contextual offer holders, whose offer is AAB.
The grades that entrants achieved were spread more widely. Bristol split them by the kind of offer the entrant held:[4]
There are three things to notice here:
Older figures point the same way. For entry in 2013/14 to 2016/17, offer holders were predicted on average between 0.9 and 1.4 A* grades, against 0.9 to 1.0 for all applicants.[13] In general, this means that Bristol’s applicants are a strong field on paper, and that most decisions are made between candidates with similar grades and different LNAT scores.
You may still be accepted. Bristol’s admissions statement says that offer holders are not automatically unsuccessful if they narrowly miss the terms of their offer, and that all near misses are reviewed in August after the A-level results.[14] For 2025 entry, 128 of the 498 entrants (26%) were accepted below the terms of their offer: 74 on a standard offer and 54 on a contextual offer.[4]
Bristol says these are often applicants who narrowly missed their offer on a course that still had room for more students, or whose results were affected by extenuating circumstances.[4] Its admissions policy adds that contextual information may also be taken into account at this stage.[3] For overseas applicants Bristol has given figures for three years:[15]
As you can see, between 73 and 121 overseas offer holders missed their conditions in each year, and Bristol accepted between 32% and 46% of them.[15] For 2025 entry Bristol also gave the grades of overseas applicants with A-levels: 32 who missed their conditions were accepted, the largest groups with AAB (7), A*BB (5) and AAA (5), and 16 were not.[16]
Accepting near misses is not new at Bristol. For 2018 entry it accepted 133 firm offer holders who had missed their offer, with grades such as AAA (24), AAB (19) and ABB (18).[17]
Bristol scores your eight best GCSEs as part of your application, but it sets no GCSE grade requirement and no required subjects for Law.[3][5][1] In the statements for the 2021 to 2025 cycles GCSEs made up 20% of the score.[18]
There are three things to notice here:
Bristol has released GCSE averages for one period only, entry in 2013/14 to 2016/17, when GCSEs were graded with letters:[13]
| Year of entry | A* grades (applicants) | A* grades (offer holders) | A grades (applicants) | A grades (offer holders) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013/14 | 3.36 | 3.42 | 3.71 | 3.75 |
| 2014/15 | 3.27 | 3.36 | 3.78 | 3.83 |
| 2015/16 | 3.02 | 4.30 | 3.05 | 3.02 |
| 2016/17 | 2.94 | 4.25 | 3.24 | 3.13 |
As you can see, offer holders had about one more A* grade than applicants on average for 2015/16 and 2016/17 entry (4.3 against 3.0), although the difference was very small in the two years before.[13] These figures are old, and Bristol has released nothing newer, but they suggest that strong GCSEs help even though no grade is required.
For example, consider two applicants predicted A*AA with similar LNAT scores. The first has six grade 9s and two grade 8s at GCSE; the second has two 9s, an 8, two 7s and three 6s. Both can apply, and neither is ruled out. Since Bristol scores the eight best GCSEs, the first applicant’s academic score is likely to be higher, and the second may need a stronger LNAT score to match it.[3]
If you are eligible and Bristol makes you an offer, it will be AAB instead of A*AA, two grades lower.[1][14] There is no separate application: Bristol checks your eligibility from your UCAS form.[2]
For 2027 entry you are eligible if you meet at least one of the following five criteria:[2]
Note that contextual offers are only for applicants with Home fee status who are taking A-levels or the IB and apply through UCAS.[2] Eligibility does not guarantee an offer: Bristol says that eligible applicants may not receive one on courses where offers are made according to academic scores.[4]
For 2025 entry, 1,187 applications were eligible for a contextual offer, and Bristol made 412 contextual offers (35% of the eligible applications). 143 students enrolled with a contextual offer, 29% of all entrants.[4] Since contextual offers go only to Home applicants, they made up 47% of the 875 Home offers that year; this is our arithmetic from Bristol’s figures.[4][2] In Bristol’s published statistics for 2022, which cover all of the Law School’s courses, the share was 38% (250 of 660 Home offers).[20]
Note also that at least three of the five criteria (your postcode, time in care and free school meals) apply whatever school you attend. In 2022, 240 of the Law School’s 255 contextual offers went to state-school applicants, 10 to independent-school applicants and 5 to others.[20]
As you can see, Bristol made more contextual offers for 2019 and 2025 entry than in 2016 to 2018.[17][19][4] Note that the criteria have changed several times since the scheme began in 2009, so the years are not strictly comparable.[21] Two replies also give slightly different figures for 2018 (307 and 305); the chart uses the first.[17][19]
Access to Bristol is a one-term programme for Home fee students at state schools and colleges who live in a BA, BS or other local postcode within an hour’s journey of the University, in their first or second year of A-level study. It consists of one online study-skills session and five on-campus sessions on Wednesday afternoons, and Law runs in both the autumn and spring terms. If you complete it and apply for Law, you are guaranteed a contextual offer, provided you also score above a threshold in the LNAT. Applications for the 2026-27 programme have closed.[22]
Bristol Scholars is a nomination scheme for schools and colleges in the City of Bristol. Headteachers and heads of post-16 nominate Year 13 or Access to HE students, and eligible nominees receive a guaranteed, tailored offer, which Bristol treats as separate from the contextual offer.[23][2]
Bristol also runs a guaranteed offer scheme, separate from contextual offers, for Home applicants who are local and state-educated, who take an Access to HE course, who complete a Bristol widening-participation programme or who were eligible for free school meals. For Law you must score above a threshold in the LNAT to receive the guarantee, and Bristol does not publish the threshold.[24] A guaranteed offer does not lower the grades in itself: it is made at the published offer level, or at the contextual level if you are eligible for that.[3][24]
Check your UCAS form. Bristol decides your eligibility from the information on your UCAS application, so make sure that your home postcode, your school and any time in care or eligibility for free school meals are recorded correctly.[2]
Bristol scores your GCSEs, your A-levels and your LNAT and does not interview, so by the autumn of Year 13 your GCSEs are fixed and your predictions are largely set.[14] What you should concentrate on depends on your position.
You are in the largest group of Bristol’s offer holders: 482 of the 784 listed for 2025 entry were predicted A*A*A or A*A*A*.[4] Even so, the Home offer rate was 37% that year, so Bristol is not a safe choice for anyone.[4]
What we recommend. Prepare for the LNAT seriously, aiming for a Section A score above the offer holders’ average of 24.
You meet the standard offer, as 186 of the listed offer holders for 2025 entry did exactly.[4] Since many applicants have similar grades, the LNAT is likely to decide your application.
What we recommend. Put most of your preparation time into the LNAT, including timed essays, which Bristol staff assess.[14]
If you are predicted AAB and meet one of the criteria above, the contextual offer fits your grades. Bristol made 412 contextual offers for 2025 entry.[4]
What we recommend. Check the criteria before you apply, and prepare for the LNAT as fully as anyone else, since eligibility lowers the grades you are asked for but does not guarantee an offer.[2][4]
80% of overseas applications received an offer for 2025 entry, but the offer is still A*AA or its equivalent, and contextual offers are not available to you.[4][2]
What we recommend. Check Bristol’s equivalent for your qualification early, and aim to meet your offer in full, since Bristol accepted under half of the overseas offer holders who missed their conditions in each of the last three years.[14][15]
Every numerical claim above ends in a [n] superscript that links here.
Course page for 2027 entry (UCAS code M100, three years). A-level standard offer A*AA or A*A*B; contextual offer AAB. IB 38 points with 18 at Higher Level (contextual 34 with 17). Scottish: Advanced Higher AA and Higher AAAAA. BTEC D*DD. Access to HE: 45 graded level 3 credits with at least 30 at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above. The Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills can replace a non-subject-specific grade. GCSE: no specific subjects required; GCSE English Language at grade B or 6 is one way for applicants whose first language is not English to meet the language requirement. The LNAT is required. Fees for the first year: £10,050 (Home) and £26,500 (international).
The five criteria for 2027 entry: an aspiring state school or college; a home postcode in IMD quintile 1 or 2; completing a Bristol widening-participation programme; three months or more in local authority care; eligibility for free school meals during secondary education. Contextual offers are only for applicants with home fee status who are taking A-levels or the IB and apply through UCAS, and eligibility is taken from the UCAS form. Bristol Scholars receive a tailored offer instead.
University-wide policy for the 2027/28 cycle. Applications are scored on the three best A-levels and the eight best GCSEs; meeting the entry requirements does not guarantee an offer; contextual information is taken into account when assessing attainment and when deciding whether to make an offer, and may also be considered for offer holders who miss their offer; a guaranteed offer is made at the published offer level.
Reply to Faatihah Ogunfemi’s request of 21 September 2026, with the spreadsheet "FOI2627 173 Response Data.xlsx". Honours Law (LLB), the 2025 admissions cycle (2025 entry), Clearing excluded and deferred applications included. By fee status: Home 2,359 applications, 875 offers and 293 enrolments; Overseas 991, 788 and 205; total 3,350, 1,663 and 498. 1,187 applications were eligible for a contextual offer; 412 contextual offers were made and 143 students enrolled with one. 128 enrolments were accepted below the terms of their offer (74 on a standard offer, 54 on a contextual offer). Predicted best three A-levels of offer holders (A*A*A* 282, A*A*A 200, A*AA 180, AAA 49, AAB 27, ABB 22, A*AB 11, BBB 7, A*A*B 6) and achieved best three of enrolments, split by contextual offer. Section A (out of 42) of offer holders: standard offers average 24 and lowest 7; contextual offers average 23 and lowest 9. Counts below 5 are withheld.
About 400 students are admitted each year, on average 260 Home and 140 international and EU. Typical offer A*AA or A*A*B, contextual AAB. No specific A-level subjects are required; Bristol looks at the best three A-levels and eight best GCSEs and does not accept General Studies or the EPQ. All applicants take the LNAT. Answering over 50% of Section A correctly counts as doing well. The essay is marked by members of staff. There is no minimum LNAT score: your score is compared with those of other applicants in your year, and a poor result may lead to an unsuccessful application. The LNAT cannot be resat in the same year. Mature students with old or non-standard qualifications may be interviewed.
Four-year degree with French, German or Spanish. A*AA or A*A*B including B in the language (contextual AAB including B in the language). Applicants must sit the LNAT.
For September 2027 entry: A*AA; contextual offer AAB.
A-levels A*AA; contextual offer AAB; at least grade B (6) in GCSE English Language and Mathematics.
For 2026 entry: A*AA; contextual offer AAB. Internet Archive copy captured 7 January 2026.
The entry requirements for BA Jurisprudence are AAA at A-level or equivalent.
Reply to John Dimitroulopoulos’s request of 8 December 2017. For entry in 2013/14 to 2016/17: average numbers of GCSEs at A*, A, B and C of applicants and offer holders (offer holders’ average A* grades 3.42, 3.36, 4.30 and 4.25), predicted A-level grades and IB points, and applications, offer holders, firm choices, offer holders who met their offer and near misses. The LNAT score stored by Bristol is the combined total of the multiple-choice test and the essay; the multiple-choice part cannot be retrieved on its own.
Version 1.0 of 14 May 2026, for M100 and MR20 (and two courses entered by transfer). All applicants must take the LNAT. Bristol takes into account GCSE results, achieved or predicted A-level results and the LNAT score, and applications are primarily assessed on scores based on GCSE and A-level results. The essay is read and assessed by Bristol staff, who look for the ability to make and sustain a persuasive argument and a strong command of language. The personal statement and reference are not normally considered, but may be used if many applicants have the same academic score. No routine interviews. Contextual offers are usually two grades lower. Near misses are reviewed in August. The January LNAT deadline is described as final.
Reply to a request of 29 April 2026, with the spreadsheet "FOI2526 442 Response Data.xlsx". LLB Law (M100) applicants with overseas fee status, by academic year of entry (deferred applications included). Conditional offers 432, 512 and 642 for 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26; firm responses 227, 250 and 310; offer holders who missed their conditions and were not accepted 42, 69 and 65; who missed them and were accepted 31, 33 and 56. Also the achieved A-levels and Section A scores of those who missed their conditions; in 2025/26 accepted applicants who had missed their conditions scored from 9 upwards, and the largest groups scored 19 (5), 20 (10) and 21 (6).
Reply to a request of 20 May 2026, with the spreadsheet "FOI2526 472 Response Data.xlsx". Overseas applicants to Honours Law (LLB) in the 2025 admissions cycle whose main qualification was A-levels: 199 applications, 67 firm responses and 17 rejections, by best three A-level grades; 32 who missed their offer conditions were accepted and 16 were not.
Reply to George Mounokoliavitz’s request of 27 February 2019 about LLB Law (M100). Firm offer holders accepted despite missing the terms of their offer (near misses): 15 in 2016, 40 in 2017 and 133 in 2018; in 2018 their grades included AAA (24), AAB (19), ABB (18) and A*AB (11). Contextual offers: 174 in 2016, 140 in 2017 and 307 in 2018. Bristol had not formally entered Clearing for Law in those cycles.
The last statement to publish a weighting: applications were scored and ranked with GCSEs at 20%, A-levels at 40% and the LNAT at 40%. The same sentence is in the 2021 to 2024 statements; the 2026 and 2027 statements give no percentages. Internet Archive copy captured 25 June 2025.
Reply to J Singh’s request of 17 May 2020 about LLB Law (M100). Contextual offers: 305 in the 2018 cycle and 459 in 2019. The lowest best-eight GCSE combination among 2018 offer holders with eight or more GCSEs was CCCCDEEF. There are no fixed GCSE restrictions, and GCSEs contribute to an overall application score. Offer holders’ LNAT results are given only as percentages.
Bristol’s admissions statistics for the 2018 to 2022 cycles (undergraduate data as at 1 December 2022), with CSV files by applicant category, school type, ethnicity, gender, POLAR3 quintile, disability and age. The figures are for every undergraduate course in the Law School together, not M100 alone; they count applications, not applicants; and they are rounded to the nearest 5. 2022: 3,235 applications, 1,255 offers, 255 contextual offers, 460 accepted and 405 registered. Bristol recommends that the statistics are not used as a guide to whether you might receive an offer. No later edition has been published.
Notes on the statistics. University-wide, about 45% of Home conditional firm offer holders met the terms of their offer in the 2019 cycle and about 74% in the 2021 cycle, which led to a larger student body in 2021/22. The contextual offer scheme began in 2009 and its criteria have been revised several times.
For Home fee students at state schools and colleges in a BA, BS or other local postcode within an hour of the University, in their first or second year of A-level study. One online study-skills session and five on-campus Wednesday afternoons in one term; Law runs in autumn and spring. Completers are guaranteed a contextual offer for courses that do not interview, provided they score above the threshold in any admissions test such as the LNAT. Applications for 2026-27 have closed.
Headteachers and heads of post-16 at institutions in the City of Bristol nominate Year 13 or Access to HE students, who receive a guaranteed, tailored offer if eligible. Nominations are open between September and January.
A scheme separate from contextual offers, for Home applicants who are local and state-educated, take an Access to HE course, complete a Bristol widening-participation programme or were eligible for free school meals. Where a course requires a test such as the LNAT, applicants must score above a threshold, which is not published, to be considered for the guarantee.
Applications and offers, the LNAT, and contextual offers.
Applications and offers since 2015, Home and overseas applicants, and who gets in.
Open Overview →Offer holders’ Section A averages, the lowest scores with an offer and the essay.
Open LNAT →Bristol made 412 contextual offers for 2025 entry. See who qualifies for AAB.
View contextual offers →