Do you still need the PGDL before the SQE?

Short answer: no, the SRA does not require a PGDL (or any law conversion course) before you sit the SQE. Any degree subject, or equivalent qualification, is enough to make you eligible.

Longer answer: skipping it can still cost you. Most law firms build their recruitment around candidates who have done a conversion course, so a non-law graduate who goes straight to SQE prep without one may be competing at a disadvantage, depending on the route into the profession they're aiming for.

This post is about that gap between the rule and the reality, and how to decide what makes sense for you.

What the PGDL actually is

The PGDL, or Postgraduate Diploma in Law, is the standard law conversion course for graduates whose first degree wasn't law. It typically runs one year full-time or two years part-time and covers the foundational legal subjects a qualifying law degree would normally include.

Under the old training contract and LPC system, a PGDL (or its predecessor, the GDL) was effectively compulsory for non-law graduates. The SQE changed that requirement, but it didn't change what SQE1 actually tests.

Why the SRA dropped the requirement

When the SRA designed the SQE, it deliberately built a single assessment route that doesn't check your academic history, only whether you can pass SQE1 and SQE2. The reasoning was to widen access: a candidate who taught themselves the material, took an apprenticeship route, or came from a completely different academic background can, in principle, sit the same exams as a law graduate and qualify on the same terms.

So legally speaking, if you hold a degree in any subject (or an equivalent qualification the SRA accepts), you can go straight into SQE1 preparation with no conversion course at all. That's the part search results often stop at. It's true, but it's not the whole picture.

Why the PGDL still matters in practice

SQE1 tests functional legal knowledge across a wide range of subjects, similar in breadth to what a qualifying law degree or a PGDL would cover. If you've never studied contract law, tort, criminal law, land law, equity and trusts, EU law fundamentals, or the English legal system before, SQE1 prep is where you'll be learning all of that content for the first time, on top of learning exam technique for 360 multiday multiple-choice questions.

A PGDL spreads that same foundational content over a year (or two, part-time), with structured teaching, coursework, and time to actually absorb it. Trying to compress the same ground into an SQE1 prep course, which typically runs a few months, is a heavier lift for someone starting from zero.

There's also the employer side. A widely cited 2023 University of Law and Legal Cheek survey found around 98% of firms surveyed still expect non-law graduates to complete a conversion course before or alongside SQE study, even though the SRA doesn't require it. Firms haven't necessarily updated their graduate recruitment criteria just because the regulator relaxed its own rule.

That matters most if you're applying through a training contract-style graduate scheme or a solicitor apprenticeship pathway where a firm is sponsoring your route to qualification. Their entry criteria, not just the SRA's, decide what you need.

When it makes sense to do a PGDL

A conversion course is probably worth it if:

• You're a non-law graduate applying to City or large regional firms through structured graduate recruitment, where a conversion qualification is often listed as an expectation.
• You have little to no background in core legal subjects and would rather learn them properly over a year than compress everything into SQE1 revision.
• Your intended employer (if you already have one lined up) has told you directly that they expect it.
• You want the option of an integrated PGDL-plus-SQE1 course, which some providers now offer as a combined pathway, so you're not duplicating study time.

When it's reasonable to skip it

Going straight to SQE prep without a PGDL can make sense if:

• You already have a law degree, so this question doesn't apply to you at all.
• You're self-funding and building your own qualification route (for example through paralegal work and independent QWE), rather than applying through a firm's structured graduate scheme with fixed entry criteria.
• You're confident in your ability to learn unfamiliar legal subjects at speed, perhaps because you've studied a closely related discipline, or you've already spent time working in a legal environment and picked up groundwork informally.
• Cost and time are the deciding factors and you'd rather put a full SQE1 and SQE2 prep budget together than add a year of conversion-course fees first.

Neither path is "the right one" in general. It depends on how you're getting into the profession and what the people hiring you expect.

The cost trade-off

This is where the decision gets concrete. A PGDL adds a meaningful amount of time and money before you even reach SQE1 prep and the SRA's own assessment fees.

Conversion course fees vary by provider and by full-time versus part-time study, and they've moved over the past couple of years, so check the current fee page of whichever provider you're considering rather than relying on an old number. As a rough shape of the decision: a PGDL is roughly a year of tuition fees and, usually, a year without full-time earnings, before you start on SQE1 and SQE2 preparation and the SRA's assessment fees on top.

Skipping it saves that time and cost outright, but if you then need noticeably longer to prepare for SQE1 because you're learning the underlying law from scratch, some of that saving gets absorbed back into a longer prep period. It's worth being honest about which category you fall into before committing either way.

How this interacts with timing

If you do decide on a PGDL, it sits before your SQE1 prep in the sequence, not alongside it, given how demanding both are. Most people complete the conversion course first, then move into a dedicated SQE1 study block once it's finished.

If you're mapping a full timeline from "starting a conversion course" through to admission as a solicitor, it's worth laying out QWE, SQE1, and SQE2 on a single calendar early on rather than deciding on each stage as it comes up. A free SQE study planner can help you see how a conversion year, SQE1 prep, SQE2 prep, and qualifying work experience fit together. Current SQE1 and SQE2 sitting dates are also worth checking early, since booking windows close well ahead of each sitting.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a PGDL to sit the SQE? No. The SRA requires a degree in any subject, or an equivalent qualification, but not specifically a law degree or a law conversion course. The PGDL is not a legal prerequisite for SQE1 or SQE2.

Why do firms still ask for a PGDL if the SRA doesn't require one? Because the SRA sets the minimum bar for sitting the exams, not the bar individual employers use for recruitment. Many firms built their graduate recruitment around conversion courses for years and, based on recent surveys, most still expect one from non-law applicants, even though it's no longer an SRA rule.

Is the PGDL the same as the SQE? No. The PGDL is a taught qualification covering core legal subjects, typically over one year full-time. The SQE is the two-part assessment (SQE1 and SQE2) the SRA requires everyone to pass to qualify as a solicitor, regardless of whether they've done a PGDL.

Can I do a combined PGDL and SQE1 course? Some providers offer integrated pathways that teach PGDL-level content alongside SQE1 preparation in a single course structure. Whether this suits you depends on your starting knowledge, budget, and timeline, so it's worth comparing the specific structure of any course against a standalone PGDL followed by separate SQE1 prep.

What if I already have a law degree? Then this decision doesn't apply to you. A qualifying law degree already covers the foundational subjects a PGDL exists to teach non-law graduates, so you can move straight into SQE1 preparation.

The regulatory answer to "do I need a PGDL" is a clean no. The practical answer depends on your academic background, how you're applying to the profession, and what the firms or routes you're targeting actually expect. Worth deciding deliberately rather than defaulting either way.