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updated on 16 December 2013
The number of full-time LPC students has shrunk by over eight percent for the 2013-14 academic year.
The reduction in the number of people willing to enrol on the LPC is likely due to awareness of just how intense the competition for a limited number of training contracts has become, The Law Society Gazette reports. Data from the Central Applications Board reveals that 6,500 course places that have been theoretically approved by regulators currently remain unfilled, meaning that courses are only 44% full on average. In 2012-13, the number of LPC students also fell 4% from the number in 2011-12, while the total number of LPC applications has fallen some 37% since the financial crisis began in 2008.
Peter Crisp, chief executive of BPP Law School, said: "The figures reflect a market correction, with the number of students enrolling on courses beginning to match more closely the number of training contracts available."