StepEx

How to fund the Bar course

The Bar course as a diploma gets no student loan; as an LLM it does. Inns of Court scholarships, the BSB fee, and the ways to pay.

  • No Master’s Loan

    Bar course as a diploma

Find courses you could afford

It depends on which version you take. A Bar course awarded as a postgraduate diploma gets no Master’s Loan. A Bar course awarded as an LLM is a full master’s and qualifies for up to £13,206. Scholarships from the four Inns of Court are the other large source of funding, and the deadline is a year before the course starts.

ItemFigure
Bar course as a diplomaNo Master’s Loan
Bar course as an LLMMaster’s Loan up to £13,206
Bar Standards Board fee from September 2026£1,190 per student, usually inside the provider’s fee
Inns of Court scholarshipsApply to one Inn; closing dates late October to early November the year before
University of Law Bar LLM, 2027/28£21,850 London, £19,900 outside London (includes the BSB fee)

Courses for this guide

Bar courses in the finder

Diploma and LLM versions. Enter your details once to see the loan position and the ways to pay for each.

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We have filled in figures for a typical applicant so you can see how the finder works. Change them to yours and every result updates.

Courses with a StepEx loan

StepEx Lender Ltd offers loans for these courses. Approval is not guaranteed.

The University of Law

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Bar LLM Non London Full Time

LLM · Full time · 1 year

StepEx loan: 48 months · 6.4% APR representative

Fee
£19,900

Fee for 2027/28

£6,694 more than the SLC master's loan covers
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 90%

The University of Law

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Bar LLM London Full Time

LLM · Full time · 1 year

StepEx loan: 48 months · 6.3% APR representative

Fee
£21,850

Fee for 2027/28

£8,644 more than the SLC master's loan covers
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 90%

The University of Law

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Bar training Non London Full Time

Bar course · Full time · 1 year

StepEx loan: 48 months · 6.1% APR representative

Fee
£17,050

Fee for 2027/28

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 90%

Our ranking is impartial: whether a course has a StepEx loan is not a factor. All courses are ranked by affordability, then graduate pay at 5 years. Courses with a StepEx loan are also shown in a separate section above.

More about how we rank

All 5 courses

3 likely affordable · affordable first, then highest graduate pay at 5 years

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Northumbria University

Bar Course LLM

LLM · Part time · 2 years

Fee
£16,500

Fee for 2027/28 · whole course, over 2 years

£3,294 more than the SLC master's loan covers
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 81%

The University of Law

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Bar LLM Non London Full Time

LLM · Full time · 1 year

StepEx loan: 48 months · 6.4% APR representative

Fee
£19,900

Fee for 2027/28

£6,694 more than the SLC master's loan covers
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 90%

The University of Law

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Bar LLM London Full Time

LLM · Full time · 1 year

StepEx loan: 48 months · 6.3% APR representative

Fee
£21,850

Fee for 2027/28

£8,644 more than the SLC master's loan covers
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 90%

The University of Law

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Bar training Non London Full Time

Bar course · Full time · 1 year

StepEx loan: 48 months · 6.1% APR representative

Fee
£17,050

Fee for 2027/28

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 90%

The University of Law

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Bar training London Full Time

Bar course · Full time · 1 year

StepEx loan: 48 months · 6.0% APR representative

Fee
£18,750

Fee for 2027/28

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 90%

Open Affordability or Outcomes on any course for the detail. Courses with a StepEx loan are marked and get no preference in the order. How we work it out

Paying the university directly assumes three instalments: at the start, after 4 months and after 7 months. Estimates based on the figures shown, not advice. A StepEx loan is subject to identity, affordability and credit checks; approval is not guaranteed.

Diploma or LLM

Providers offer the vocational Bar course two ways. The version without the LLM (for example the University of Law’s Bar Practice Course at £18,750 in London, £17,050 outside London, 2027/28) is not a full master’s, so GOV.UK’s rule excludes it from the Master’s Loan. The LLM version adds a dissertation or extra modules and is a full master’s, so the loan applies. At the University of Law the LLM costs £3,100 more in London (£21,850), and unlocks £13,206 of loan.

The Bar Standards Board fee

From September 2026 the Bar Standards Board charges training providers £1,190 per student for the vocational component. Providers pass it on; the University of Law states its Bar course fees include it. Check whether a fee you are quoted elsewhere includes it.

Inns of Court scholarships

Gray’s Inn, Inner Temple, Lincoln’s Inn and Middle Temple each run a scholarship round for the Bar course. You may apply to one Inn only; most Inns require that you have not started the course by the interview (check each Inn’s rule); and the closing dates are in late October or early November of the year before you start (Middle Temple closed on 30 October 2026 for 2027 starters; Inner Temple closed on 30 October 2026 with references due by 6 November 2026). Inner Temple says it has over £1.8 million available for 2026. Each Inn publishes its own criteria and dates.

Ways to pay

  • Student loan. Where the course qualifies, the Master’s Loan of £13,206 (England; other UK nations differ, see the nations guide).
  • Pay the university. Ask about paying in instalments across the year; the university’s own page sets the dates.
  • Employer. Some employers pay all or part of a fee, usually with a condition that you stay for a period afterwards.
  • Scholarships and discounts. University scholarships and alumni discounts, see the scholarships guide.
  • StepEx loan. On the courses listed on the finance availability page, credit from StepEx Lender Ltd lets you pay the fee in monthly repayments after a deposit. Approval is not guaranteed. The representative example for each course is on the provider’s page.

A StepEx loan is credit from StepEx Lender Ltd, available on the courses listed on the finance availability page. Approval is not guaranteed. The representative example for each course is on the provider’s page.

Ways to pay

  • SLC

    The government SLC master's loan. The amount depends on where you live.

    How the SLC master's loan works

  • Pay the university directly

    Usually in three instalments: at the start, after 4 months and after 7 months.

  • StepEx loan

    Available on some courses here. See the representative example on the provider page.

    Check finance availability

Questions people ask

Yes, if the Bar course you take is a full LLM and you have not already held a master’s degree or a master’s loan. A PGDL does not count against you.

No on its own: £13,206 against £21,850 in London leaves £8,644, before living costs. See Is the Master’s Loan enough?

Related guides

Sources and dates

Checked 7 November 2026. Figures are for UK students and change each year; check the university's page before you apply. Not advice.

Estimates, not advice.

Questions about these guides? Contact us.