Can you become a solicitor without going to university?

Yes. The solicitor apprenticeship is a six-year Level 7 route that takes you from A-levels to qualification, covering a law degree and the Solicitors Qualifying Examination along the way. You qualify as a solicitor with the same practising rights as anyone who took the university route.

How does the SQE fit into a solicitor apprenticeship?

SQE1 forms part of the on-programme assessment, and SQE2 is the end-point assessment, taken in the last six months. Passing it, alongside completing the apprenticeship, is what qualifies you. The qualifying work experience requirement is satisfied by the apprenticeship itself.

Which firms run solicitor apprenticeships?

Several magic circle firms run six-year Level 7 programmes — A&O Shearman, Linklaters, Slaughter and May and Freshfields among them — alongside a growing number of national and regional firms, in-house legal teams and public sector bodies. The regional and in-house programmes are considerably less contested.

What are the entry requirements?

Typically strong A-levels, often ABB to AAA at the commercial firms, plus GCSEs including Maths and English at grade 4 or above. A law A-level is not required and is rarely asked for. Level 7 apprenticeships are open from 18, including school leavers and career changers — subject to the funding restriction below.

How do you get a solicitor degree apprenticeship?

A six-year Level 7 apprenticeship that takes you from A-levels to qualified solicitor, covering a law degree and the SQE, paid throughout and with no tuition debt. It is among the most competitive programmes in the country — and since January 2026, government funding for it is restricted to applicants aged 21 and under.

The funding change, first

This is the most important thing to know before planning around this route. The solicitor standard is Level 7, and the funding rules now only fund a Level 7 apprenticeship where the apprentice is aged 16 to 21 at the start of training, or aged 22 to 24 with an Education, Health and Care plan or experience of local authority care. From 25 there is no funded route at all — see the age limit page for the full wording.

If you are 22 or over, the route is not closed but it now depends on the firm choosing to fund it themselves. Some will; many will not. Anyone already on a programme keeps their funding to completion. If you were treating this as a mid-twenties career change into law, that plan needs revisiting — see the age limit page.

How the six years work

You are employed by the firm from day one, working in real teams while studying part-time towards a law degree. The structure varies, but broadly:

Years 1–4 — paralegal-level work alongside study towards a qualifying law degree, usually one day a week with a partner university or provider
Years 4–5 — SQE1 preparation and assessment, forming part of the on-programme assessment
Year 6 — SQE2, taken as the end-point assessment in the final six months
On completion — you qualify as a solicitor, with the apprenticeship itself satisfying the qualifying work experience requirement

The comparison worth making: the university route is three years of degree, then a year of SQE preparation, then two years of qualifying work experience — roughly the same six years, but with tuition fees and without a salary for the first four.

Who runs them

Several magic circle firms run six-year Level 7 programmes, including A&O Shearman, Linklaters, Slaughter and May and Freshfields. Beyond them, national and regional firms, in-house legal teams at large companies, local authorities and government legal services all run solicitor apprenticeships.

The competition is concentrated almost entirely on the first group. Regional firms and in-house teams receive a fraction of the applications for programmes that qualify you identically — the SQE is centralised, so the qualification does not vary by employer. If you want to be a solicitor rather than specifically a City solicitor, that is where the odds are.

What they ask for

A-levels — typically ABB to AAA at commercial firms, lower elsewhere. Law A-level is not required and is rarely requested.
GCSEs — including Maths and English at grade 4 or above, and commercial firms often weight the overall GCSE profile heavily.
Evidence of commercial awareness — the thing that most distinguishes strong applications from weak ones in this sector specifically.
Written communication — assessed throughout, and disproportionately important here.

How it differs from other degree apprenticeships

It is six years, not four. A long commitment made at eighteen, and worth taking seriously as such.
The end point is a regulated qualification, not just a degree. That makes the university name matter less here than almost anywhere else — the SQE is the same exam for everyone.
The salary outcome is unusually strong. Newly-qualified solicitor salaries at commercial firms are among the highest available from any route at that age, which is part of why these programmes are so heavily applied to.
The application process is closer to a City graduate scheme — commercial awareness questions, written exercises, and interviews with partners.

If you are over 21

Realistic options: find a firm willing to self-fund the Level 7, take a Level 6 chartered legal executive route and qualify through CILEX, or do a law degree and follow the standard SQE path. The apprenticeship route to solicitor has narrowed considerably for this group, and it is better to know that now than after a year of applications.

Next: is there an age limit, what grades you need, or browse live roles.