Jurica
Three chapters, built from UCAS figures, Glasgow’s own pages and its replies to FOI requests.
Glasgow requires the LNAT for its four-year LLB degrees and reads the Section A score against a cut-off that changes every year. Using Glasgow’s replies to Freedom of Information requests, this chapter shows you what the cut-off and the offer holders’ scores have been, whether Glasgow reads the essay and when to sit the test.
Put what you’ve read into practice with a free diagnostic test and a full LNAT mock exam.
Try Jurica for freeYes. For 2027 entry, everyone who applies for a four-year LLB at Glasgow, Scots Law or Common Law, must sit the LNAT by 25 January 2027, unless they already hold a degree.[1][2][3] Only the two graduate-entry degrees (M115 and M900) are outside the rule.[4][5]
Glasgow has used the LNAT since the 2005 test (for 2006 entry), although it is not a member of the LNAT Consortium.[8][9] The one recent exception was 2021 entry, when Glasgow dropped the test after the lockdown of December 2020 and selected on the UCAS application alone.[10]
Note two points about who must sit. First, the exemption for applicants who already hold a degree rests on one sentence on the course pages, while Glasgow’s 2027 booklet says that all applicants to LLB degrees except the Accelerated LLB must take the test.[1][3] If you are a graduate applying for the four-year degree, we recommend confirming with Glasgow before you decide not to sit. Second, Glasgow considers an exemption for other applicants only in exceptional circumstances, such as having no test centre within reach, and not because you feel you performed badly on the day.[11]
Glasgow says it uses the LNAT score together with the standard and additional entry requirements to select applicants for offer, and that the cut-off score varies from year to year.[3][12] It publishes no cut-off, no average and no weighting.[11]
When Glasgow refers to your “LNAT score”, it means your Section A mark out of 42; the essay is sent to Glasgow as well, but it does not count towards the score.[11] Its course pages say only that LNAT results are taken into account in deciding whether to make offers, along with the entry requirements.[1]
Glasgow’s replies to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests say more. There are three things to take from them:
Note that these replies are five and seven years old, and Glasgow’s current pages do not repeat them. In general, however, they fit what its 2027 documents say: the LNAT is one requirement among several, with a cut-off that moves.[3]
Not routinely, on the latest evidence we have. In October 2021 Glasgow said it took only the multiple-choice score into account and did not routinely read the essay, although it might use the essay to separate borderline applicants.[13]
The 2021 reply gives an example of when the essay is used. If several applicants have borderline Section A scores and equally strong results, and a fixed number of offers remains to be made, the essay may be used to decide between them.[13] The 2019 reply tells a similar story: Glasgow read the essays up to the cycle for 2017 entry, though not always for every applicant, and did not consider them in deciding offers for 2018 and 2019 entry.[14]
Glasgow’s current pages say nothing either way. The School of Law’s LNAT page says only that the essay is sent to the universities, which are free to use it as they wish.[11] The Consortium, for its part, says that different universities place different emphasis on the two sections.[9]
What does this mean for you? We recommend putting most of your preparation into Section A, since that is the score Glasgow compares with its cut-off. Even so, you should still write a careful essay, for two reasons. First, the essay is the tie-breaker Glasgow has described for borderline cases, which is exactly where a weak essay would cost you. Second, the other universities on your list receive the same essay, and some of them may give it much more weight than Glasgow does.[9]
Glasgow does not say, and the cut-off changes every year.[3] The figures it has released under FOI, however, show where the bar has been: a cut-off of 18 and an offer holders’ average of 20 in the “2020-2021” cycle, and offer holders’ averages of 25 for Common Law and 21 for Scots Law for 2019 entry.[13][14]
The table collects every figure Glasgow has released. Note that for most years Glasgow did not record an average at all: in October 2019 it said it held averages only for the 2018/19 cycle.[15]
| Year | Degree | Cut-off or lowest score with an offer | Offer holders’ average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 2017 | Scots Law | Generally 17 (a few offers at 15 or 16) | Not recorded |
| 2019 entry | Common Law | 24 | 25 |
| 2019 entry | Scots Law | None given | 21 |
| “2020-2021” (entry year not stated) | All LLB degrees | 18 | 20 |
| 2021 entry | All LLB degrees | LNAT not required | n/a |
| 2023 entry | All LLB degrees | Lowest score with an offer: 5 | Not given (middle band 23) |
There are three things to notice here:
The newest figures are for the 2022-23 cycle (2023 entry), across all LLB degrees together. Glasgow was asked for quartiles and replied with three bands of scores, giving the lowest, highest, mean and median in each, for all applicants and for those who received an offer.[7]
| Band | Applicants (range) | Applicants (mean) | Offer holders (range) | Offer holders (mean) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest | 5 to 18 | 14 | 5 to 19 | 16 |
| Middle | 18 to 27 | 22 | 19 to 27 | 23 |
| Highest | 27 to 37 | 29 | 27 to 35 | 30 |
Glasgow called the bands the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile but did not define them.[7] The numbers fit one reading, which is our own and which Glasgow has not confirmed: that the bands are the bottom quarter, the middle half and the top quarter of each group. On that reading, half of all applicants scored between 18 and 27, and half of the offer holders between 19 and 27.
As you can see, the offer holders’ means are only one or two marks above the applicants’ means in each band (16 against 14, 23 against 22 and 30 against 29).[7] On our reading of the bands, the overall averages would be about 22 for all applicants and about 23 for offer holders, a gap of roughly one mark. At Oxford, by comparison, offer holders for 2026 entry averaged 30.48 against 24.94 for all candidates, a gap of more than 5 marks.[16] This suggests that the LNAT separates offer holders from other applicants much less at Glasgow than at Oxford, which fits Glasgow’s description of the test in 2019 as a secondary consideration after grades.[14]
Note also that the offer holders’ lowest band starts at 5, so some applicants received offers with very low scores. The reply does not say how (adjusted offers and other routes are not shown separately), so we would not read anything into those offers for your own application.[7]
It has been lower than at the English universities we have figures for. For 2020 or 2021 entry, Glasgow’s offer holders averaged 20, against 22.3 at Bristol, 24.1 at Durham, 25.4 at LSE and 27.2 at UCL.[13][17][18][19][20]
| University | Cycle | Offer holders’ average |
|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | “2020-2021” (all LLB degrees) | 20 |
| Bristol | 2020 entry (Law, M100) | 22.3 |
| Durham | 2021 entry | 24.1 |
| LSE | 2021 entry (LSE gave 26 in another reply) | 25.4 |
| UCL | 2021 entry | 27.2 |
We chose these years because they are the only ones for which all five universities have released a figure. Note that the figures are not perfectly comparable. Bristol’s is for its main Law degree only, the LSE and UCL averages are our own calculations from the lists of scores they released, and Glasgow’s covers every LLB degree.[17][19][20][13] Even so, the gap between Glasgow (20) and UCL (27.2) is far larger than any of these differences could explain.
What score should you aim for? No score guarantees an offer, and the cut-off moves each year. In general, though, we recommend aiming for at least 25, which would have been at or above the offer holders’ average in every cycle Glasgow has reported, and above the threshold Common Law used for 2019 entry.[14][13] A score above 27 would have put you in the top band of offer holders for 2023 entry.[7] If you are also applying to Oxford, Cambridge or UCL, you will need a higher score for those in any case.
For 2027 entry, sit the LNAT between 1 September 2026 and 25 January 2027. Glasgow says that a test taken in an earlier cycle will not be considered.[6][11]
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 August 2026 | Registration and booking open |
| 1 September 2026 | Testing starts |
| 13 January 2027, 18:00 | UCAS deadline for Glasgow |
| 20 January 2027 | Book your test before this date |
| 25 January 2027 | Last day to sit the test for Glasgow |
The dates are the Consortium’s and match Glasgow’s booklet.[6][3][12] There are four practical points to add:
If you apply from outside the UK, note that Glasgow’s international deadline is 30 June, but it does not say until when it will accept an LNAT taken after January.[1][6] We therefore recommend sitting by 25 January 2027 wherever you apply from.
Since Glasgow compares your Section A score with its cut-off and has said it does not routinely read the essay, most of your LNAT preparation should go into Section A.[3][13]
Every numerical claim above ends in a [n] superscript that links here.
The course page for 2027 entry. Its entry requirements tab (choose your country) gives the standard offers shown to UK applicants: AAA at A-level with A-level English at A*/A; IB 38 with 6,6,6 at Higher Level and HL English at 6; AAAAB from S5 as the minimum to be reviewed for an S6 offer and typically AAAAAA at Higher by the end of S6, with Higher English at A and Advanced Higher English or a Humanities subject at B; and the adjusted Highers offers (MD20 and other target groups ABBBB, MD40 AAABB with an ABB S5 minimum, plus a pass in Reach or Top-Up). The LNAT is listed beside every route. The page says applicants to all LLB degrees who do not already hold a degree must take the LNAT, except applicants to the Fast Track LLB; that LNAT results are taken into account with the entry requirements in deciding whether to make offers; that applicants should apply for the Scots Law LLB or the Common Law LLB, not both, and cannot transfer once admitted; that the degree takes three years to Ordinary level and four to Honours; and that it is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland. Applicants outside the UK are shown different wording (A-level English or Humanities at A, GCSE English at B/5). Deadlines: 15 October, 13 January and 30 June for international students. Read 10 October 2026.
The four-year Common Law degree, designed for those who plan to practise in common-law jurisdictions such as England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Canada, and not suitable for entering the legal profession in Scotland (it is not accredited by the Law Society of Scotland). Ten further codes combine it with a language or a second subject. The entry requirements match the Scots Law standard offers and add GCSE English at B. The LNAT rule is the same as for Scots Law. Read 10 October 2026.
Dated August 2026. Its Law table gives the standard Highers requirement (AAAAB S5 minimum for consideration; AAAAAA Higher or AAAA plus BB Advanced Higher) and the adjusted requirements: ABBBB, a guaranteed offer, for applicants in SIMD deciles 1 and 2 and five named groups (care experience, estranged, carer, asylum seeker, refugee), with no S5 minimum; AAABB, a prioritised offer, for SIMD deciles 3 and 4, with an ABB S5 minimum. Additional requirements: Higher English at B, the LNAT at the cut-off score or better, and successful completion of Reach or Top-Up. Its LNAT note says all applicants to LLB degrees except the Accelerated LLB must take the test by 25 January 2027 and book by 20 January 2027, that the score is used with the standard and additional entry requirements to select applicants for offer, and that the cut-off points vary from year to year.
A two-year fast-track Ordinary degree for graduates of any discipline, including Law. Minimum requirement: a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent. Application deadline 13 January. The LNAT is not required.
A two-year accelerated Ordinary degree for graduates who plan to practise outside Scotland. Minimum requirement: a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent. Glasgow says it satisfies the Bar Standards Board’s requirements for the academic stage of training and is not an approved pathway to legal practice in Scotland.
The 2026/27 calendar (2027 entry). Booking opens 1 August 2026 and testing starts 1 September 2026. Oxford and Cambridge: sit by 15 October 2026. King’s, LSE and UCL: sit by 31 December 2026. Bristol and Durham: book and sit by 13 January 2027. All other LNAT universities, Glasgow among them: UCAS form by 13 January 2027 at 6pm UK time, book before 20 January 2027, sit by 25 January 2027. Late applicants (usually international) may sit up to 31 July 2027, but universities may not accept results that late. The LNAT can be taken before or after the UCAS form is sent, a candidate may sit it only once in a cycle, and results cannot be carried forward to another year.
Reference FOI 464421, for the 2022-23 UCAS cycle (2023 entry), all LLB programmes together. Asked for quartiles, Glasgow gave three bands it called the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile without defining them. All applicants: 5 to 18 (mean 14, median 15), 18 to 27 (mean 22, median 22), 27 to 37 (mean 29, median 29). Applicants receiving an offer: 5 to 19 (mean 16, median 16), 19 to 27 (mean 23, median 23), 27 to 35 (mean 30, median 29).
The Consortium’s list of changes since the 2004 test names three new participating universities for the 2005 test (2006 entry): Glasgow, King’s College London and Manchester Metropolitan.
Lists the universities that use the LNAT. Nine are in the UK: Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Glasgow, King’s College London, LSE, Oxford, SOAS and UCL. Seven are marked as Consortium members; Glasgow and SOAS use the test without being members. Also says that different universities place different emphasis on the multiple-choice score and the essay.
A letter from the Head of Admissions, May 2021, about selection for 2021 entry. After the lockdown of late December 2020 the LNAT was not required for that cycle, and selection used only the UCAS application: a first stage, run centrally, scored each applicant’s academic profile with a weighting on certified study (Higher, National 5, GCSE and so on) and a review of pending study; a second stage, run by the School of Law’s admissions tutors, looked at the personal statement. Non-widening-access applications from Scotland rose by 45%, and Glasgow offered places to only 23% of its non-widening-access Home applicants.
Undated. Glasgow uses the LNAT along with academic qualifications, the personal statement and the other information in the UCAS application. The test lasts 2 hours 15 minutes: a 95-minute multiple-choice section of 12 passages with 3 or 4 questions each, marked by computer out of 42 ("your LNAT score"), and a 40-minute essay that is not marked by the test centre and that participating universities are free to use as they wish. The score and the essay are both sent to the universities. Applicants must sit in the test cycle that runs from September to the January before entry, not earlier, and need a UCAS personal ID first. Exemptions are considered only in exceptional circumstances (for example, no test centre within reach) and not for a performance believed to be affected on the day.
University-wide guidance for the 2026/27 cycle (entry in 2027, or 2028 if deferred). The standard entry requirements are the grades required to be considered for an offer, and applicants with predicted grades below them may still be considered. General Studies is not accepted, all students must have at least four different Highers, and grades A and B at Advanced Higher count as an A at Higher. The selection process for Law involves the LNAT, and for HND applicants the guidance says the cut-off score fluctuates year by year. Law is not among the subjects that interview. For highly competitive programmes the personal statement may be used to distinguish between similarly qualified applicants. The UCAS deadline is 13 January 2027 at 18:00 UK time and late applications are not considered; deferred entry to 2028 is allowed for Law. Priority 1 (MD20 and named groups) and Priority 2 (MD40) widening-participation applicants are said to be guaranteed an offer on meeting the adjusted requirements. Graduates applying to a standard degree need at least a 2:2 and the current school-leaver requirements. Read 10 October 2026.
Reference FOI 2021/270 (a corrected letter replaced an earlier one numbered 2021/301). The cut-off for applicants in "year 2020-2021" was 18, but applicants with excellent certified study and a score below it were not automatically excluded; the average score of successful applicants was 20. Glasgow took only the multiple-choice score into account and did not routinely read the essay, which might be used to separate borderline applicants of equal standing when a defined number of offers remained. The score influences both whether to make an offer and whether to admit a student who has missed the offer conditions, and no minimum is set in advance. The reply does not say which year of entry "2020-2021" means.
Reference FOI 2019/267. The primary consideration in offers is A-level performance (or equivalent) and the LNAT is secondary; no specific LNAT score must be attained, although a low score might lead to a rejection despite high grades and a high score to an offer despite grades slightly below the normal threshold. Up to 2017 (Scots Law only) the lowest score with an offer was generally 17, with a few offers at 15 or 16. For the Common Law LLB for 2019 entry, applications were more than ten times the places, and offers went to applicants able to get three As who scored 24 or better (decided after the 15 January deadline). Offer holders in 2018/19 averaged 25 (Common Law) and 21 (Scots Law). Essays were read up to the cycle for 2017 entry and were not considered in deciding offers after that.
Reference FOI 2019/407. Gives the same 2018/19 offer-holder averages, 25 for Common Law and 21 for Scots Law, and says average LNAT scores were not recorded for any other year of the ten requested.
The report on the round for 2026 entry: 2,115 applicants, 630 shortlisted and 252 offers. The average Section A score was 24.94 for all candidates, 29.37 for those shortlisted and 30.48 for those who received an offer.
For the 2020 admissions cycle (2020 entry), the average multiple-choice score of offer holders for Law (M100) was 22.34.
Average multiple-choice score of Law (M101) offer holders: 24.7 for 2019-20, 24.1 for 2020-21 (2021 entry) and 24.0 for 2021-22.
Every Law applicant’s LNAT score and decision for the 2021 admissions cycle (2021 entry). The 345 offer holders with a score averaged 25.37 (our calculation from the spreadsheet). LSE gave 26 as the average in a separate reply about the same cycle.
The multiple-choice scores of all 658 Law offer holders in the 2020/21 admission cycle (2021 entry). Their average is 27.22 (our calculation).
The fee is £75 at UK and EU test centres and £120 at centres outside the EU, set by where the centre is, not where the candidate lives. A bursary waives the fee for UK and EU candidates on certain state benefits and must be applied for before booking. The page is still headed "2025-25"; the figures have not changed since at least 2021-22.
Section A has 42 multiple-choice questions on 12 argumentative passages, with 95 minutes to answer them. In Section B candidates have 40 minutes to answer one of three essay questions.
Glasgow’s LLB has an admissions system of its own. These pages cover the rest of the picture.
Applications and offers for Law, the four LLB degrees and how the Scottish system differs.
Open overview →The A-level, IB and Highers requirements, the English requirement for 2027 and adjusted offers.
Open grades page →What applicants and offer holders scored in each of the three bands Glasgow gave.
View the scores →