StepEx

Law conversion course funding: PGDL or MA/LLM?

The same conversion content comes as a diploma with no loan, or a master’s with one. How the fees and funding compare.

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Key facts

PGDL (diploma)
No Master’s Loan; £12,950 to £16,050 at the University of Law, 2027/28
MA Law (Conversion), University of Law, 2027/28
£18,350 in London, £15,150 outside London; Master’s Loan up to £13,206
Conversion in Law LLM, Birmingham City University, 2027/28
£13,330; the loan leaves £124
LLM Law Conversion Master’s, BPP, 2027/28
£19,200 in London, £17,100 elsewhere or online; loan leaves £5,994 or £3,894

A master’s conversion (MA Law or LLM) qualifies for the £13,206 Master’s Loan; a PGDL does not. Without a loan, the diploma is the cheaper of the two at the University of Law and takes the same time. Both lead into the SQE or the Bar course.

Courses for this guide

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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
PGDL Non London / Online Full Time

PGDL · Full time · 1 year · Online

StepEx loan: 48 months · 6.1% APR representative

Fee
£12,950

Fee for 2027/28

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 90%

The University of Law

StepEx loanSee the representative example
PGDL Non London / Online Part Time

PGDL · Part time · 2 years · Online

StepEx loan: 60 months · 4.9% APR representative

Fee
£12,950

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

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 90%

The University of Law

StepEx loanSee the representative example
MA Law (Conversion) Non London Full Time

MA · Full time · 1 year

StepEx loan: 48 months · 9.0% APR representative

Fee
£15,150

Fee for 2027/28

£1,944 more than the SLC master's loan covers
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

Top 5 of 15 courses

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

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Brighton

Law Conversion LLM

LLM · Full time · 1 year

Fee
£11,808

Fee for 2027/28

The SLC master's loan covers the fee
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

BPP University

LLM Law Conversion with SQE1

LLM · Full time · 1 year

Fee
£17,300

Fee for 2027/28

£4,094 more than the SLC master's loan covers
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 92%

BPP University

LLM Law Conversion Master's

LLM · Part time · 2 years

Fee
£19,200

Fee for 2027-2028 · whole course, over 2 years

£5,994 more than the SLC master's loan covers
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: 92%

Chichester

LLM Law Conversion

LLM · Full time · 1 year

Fee
£10,620

Fee for 2027/28

The SLC master's loan covers the fee
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

St Mary's

Law (Conversion) LLM

LLM · Full time · 1 year

Fee
£12,150

Fee for September 2027 entry

The SLC master's loan covers the fee
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

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.

Side by side

  • University of Law. PGDL £16,050 in London (£12,950 outside London or online) with no loan, against MA Law (Conversion) £18,350 in London (£15,150 outside London) with the loan. Fee difference £2,300 in London and £2,200 outside; loan difference £13,206.
  • Birmingham City University. Conversion in Law LLM at £13,330, £124 above the loan amount, so the loan covers all but £124 of the fee.
  • BPP. LLM Law Conversion Master’s at £19,200 in London and £17,100 elsewhere or online; the loan leaves £5,994 or £3,894.

All figures are the 2027/28 home fee as published on 7 November 2026; the University of Law figures include its £250 deposit.

What the loan changes

The Postgraduate Master’s Loan from Student Finance England is £13,206 for courses starting on or after 1 August 2026. It is paid to you, not the university, in three instalments a year (33%, 33% and 34%), and the amount does not depend on your income or your family’s. You repay 6% of what you earn over £21,000 a year (£1,750 a month); interest is currently 6% a year. The 2027/28 amount has not been published.

Because the loan is paid to you, the cash arrives in three instalments across the year, and you pay the university on its own schedule. Check the university’s instalment dates against the loan dates before you rely on it for the first payment.

Inns of Court scholarships

For intending barristers, the Inns of Court award conversion-course scholarships with early-May deadlines in the year the course starts. Apply to one Inn only.

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

It adds a dissertation or extra modules on top of the same core content. Ask the provider what the extra work is and when it falls.

Neither route changes your eligibility for the SQE or the Bar course. It does affect the loan: if you take the loan for the conversion master’s, you cannot take a second Master’s Loan for a later LLM.

Related guides

  • Student loan for the PGDL

    No. The PGDL is a postgraduate diploma, and the Master’s Loan is only for a full master’s. The ways round it, and what they cost.

    Read the guide: Student loan for the PGDL

  • Funding 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.

    Read the guide: Funding the Bar course

  • Paying for the SQE

    SQE1 is £2,006 and SQE2 £3,086 from September 2026. Which prep courses get the Master’s Loan, and what the loan leaves over.

    Read the guide: Paying for the SQE

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.