Law Weblog

Proportion of top Law degrees has increased since 1987

Tuesday 17 June 2008 at 10:15 pm | In News | 1 Comment

A new study reveals that although there is some evidence of inflation in the level of law degrees being awarded by UK universities there is a great deal of variation between institutions.

Relying on information provided by UK universities following a request under the Freedom of Information Acts 2000 and 2002, Norman Baird and Clive Campbell Smith have compared the awards of students graduating with LLBs in 1987, 1997 and 2007.

Not all the universities held the information requested and a few are yet to provide it. Based on the information received to date, the largest increases in the proportion of firsts and upper seconds awarded between 1997 and 2007 range between 52.7% at Plymouth University and 541% at Wolverhampton University. At a number of universities the percentage of first class and upper seconds class awards has decreased over the same period. The largest relative decrease was at Greenwich where the proportion of firsts and upper seconds awarded to graduates in 2007 was less than 50% of that awarded in 1997.

Roughly half of the universities were able to provide data relating to 1987. Of those the largest increases in the proportion of firsts and upper seconds awarded between 1987 and 2007 were at Southampton Solent (496.4%), Exeter (196.1%) and Manchester Met (148.1%). The smallest increases were at Nottingham (0.4%), Warwick (24.9%) and Oxford (30.4%). The only University reporting a decrease was London Metropolitan where the proportion of firsts and upper seconds in 2007 was 22.3% lower than in1987.

To read the results please visit http://qedlaw.wordpress.com