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News
Dramatic drop in LPC student numbers
updated on 07 July 2011
Central Applications Board (CAB) figures leaked to The Lawyer have revealed that LPC take-up has plummeted across the market, with most providers experiencing a double-digit decrease in students. The worst affected provider was the University of Huddersfield, which experienced a 68% drop in numbers for the 2010-11 academic year; Leeds Metropolitan fared little better, seeing a 62% fall. A Huddersfield spokesperson told The Lawyer that "[u]ndoubtedly the effects of the recession were keenly felt in our recruitment for 2010-11". But he noted that the provider had seen a "significant resurgence" in applications and recruitment for 2011-12.
The decline in numbers could be influenced by RBS and NatWest's decision to withdraw postgraduate loan facilities from April 2011, leaving many hopefuls without course-funding options.
The CAB figures also highlight the increasing dominance of BPP Law School and The College of Law in the LPC market. For the 2010-11 academic year, the two providers had 6,910 full-time validated LPC places on offer, giving them a market share of 65%.
