QLTS School package covers both SQE1 and SQE2; with exam fees it will slash total cost of qualifying as a solicitor to just over £7k; students can pay more for additional support
A legal training provider has gone public with its Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) prep course fees, offering both SQE1 and SQE2 for a combined £3,080.
QLTS School has announced three online-only course packages to prepare students for the upcoming assessments, with the lowest priced option, which includes no tutor support, priced at £1,490 for SQE1 and £1,590 for SQE2.
With the total SQE exam fees set at £3,980, this means students could potentially qualify as a solicitor for just over £7,000, which is less than half the price of the most expensive Legal Practice Course (LPC) on the market.
QLTS School is also offering more expensive courses that unlike its ‘Basic’ option feature video library access and tutoring. They cost an additional £400 to £800 per course and are geared towards law graduates wanting more guidance or non-law graduates.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) new two-part assessment is due to come into force from September next year, with the first SQE1 sit scheduled for November. QLTS School will begin its SQE1 prep course from next month.
So far BARBRI is the only other legal education provider to go public with its SQE fees. BARBRI is offering a £6,000 SQE prep course, with SQE1 and SQE2 each costing £2,999. Both QLTS School and BARBRI aim to challenge traditional law schools ULaw and BPP — who are yet to reveal the costs of their new SQE offerings. Legal Cheek understands that a number of other universities are mulling entering the lucrative SQE market, including Staffordshire University and Arden University, the latter which is headed by former BPP chief Carl Lygo.
New SQE market entrant QLTS School has long been on the legal training scene with its prep course for the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS) assessments.
Nir Chanoch, managing director of QLTS School, said:
“We have designed and developed our SQE preparation courses by benefiting from the invaluable and unique experience we have gained in our QLTS training since 2011.”
The SQE assessments are substantially modelled on the QLTS assessments; both include a multiple-choice test and a practical legal skills exam.
Chanoch continued: “We are therefore uniquely positioned to offer high quality and affordable training for SQE candidates which will ensure their success in the SQE assessments.”
The SQE received the green light to go ahead from the Legal Services Board (LSB) earlier in the autumn.
