Taking the SQE with a non-UK degree

If your degree was awarded outside England and Wales, you can still sit the SQE. The SRA doesn't require a UK degree, or even a UK-recognised one in the way you might expect. It asks for a degree, or an equivalent qualification or experience, from any jurisdiction.

This post is for people who aren't already qualified lawyers: you have a non-law (or law) degree from another country and want to know whether it counts, how equivalence gets checked, and whether English-language rules or a conversion course change the picture.

If you already practise law in another jurisdiction, your situation is different and mostly about exemptions rather than degree equivalence; the foreign lawyers guide covers that route instead.

What the SRA actually asks for

To qualify as a solicitor through the SQE, you need three things: a degree or equivalent, a pass in both SQE1 and SQE2, and two years of qualifying work experience (QWE).

The degree requirement is deliberately broad. It doesn't have to be a law degree, and it doesn't have to be from a UK university. Any subject, from any country, can in principle satisfy it, provided the SRA accepts it as equivalent to a UK degree when it reviews your eligibility.

That word "equivalent" does the real work here, and it applies in two directions: subject (you don't need law) and jurisdiction (you don't need a UK institution). It's the same underlying rule that lets non-law graduates sit the SQE, just applied to where you studied rather than what you studied.

How degree equivalence gets assessed

This is the part that trips people up, because there isn't a simple published checklist saying "this qualification from this country automatically counts." Equivalence is assessed by the SRA on an individual basis as part of your eligibility check when you apply.

In practice this generally means the SRA looks at:

• Whether your qualification is recognised as a degree-level award in the country where you studied.
• The level and duration of study involved, roughly comparable to a UK bachelor's or above.
• Supporting documentation: transcripts, degree certificates, and sometimes an official translation if the originals aren't in English.

Because this is assessed case by case, the safest approach is to check your specific qualification against the SRA's current guidance before you commit to a study timeline or book an assessment. Rules can be updated, and a forum post or a friend's experience from a few years ago isn't a substitute for the current official position on your exact qualification.

If you don't have a degree at all, don't assume you're automatically excluded either. The SRA's language covers "equivalent qualification or experience," which leaves room for non-degree routes to be assessed too, again on an individual basis.

Does the subject of your degree matter

No, not for eligibility. A non-UK degree in engineering, medicine, business, or literature sits on the same footing as one in law, once the SRA has confirmed it's equivalent to a UK degree.

The two questions (is my degree from the right country, and is it in the right subject) sometimes get conflated. They're separate. Subject is a non-issue everywhere; jurisdiction is the piece that needs an equivalence check when your qualification isn't from the UK.

English-language considerations

The SQE itself is sat and assessed in English. SQE1's 360 multiple-choice questions and SQE2's skills stations, from client interviews to legal drafting, all happen in English, and there's no separate-language version of the assessment.

That's worth being honest with yourself about, separate from the degree-equivalence question. Even fluent conversational speakers can find the density of legal English, precise terminology, and speed reading required under time pressure a real adjustment. If English isn't your first language, build extra prep time specifically for reading speed and legal vocabulary, not just legal content.

Beyond the exam itself, admission as a solicitor in England and Wales doesn't currently require a separate, standalone English-language proficiency certificate as part of the SQE process. Requirements can still be case-specific, so it's worth confirming directly with the SRA whether anything applies to your situation, rather than assuming none does.

Does a conversion course help if your degree is non-UK

A law-conversion course (commonly the PGDL) is not required by the SRA for anyone, UK-educated or otherwise. It never was mandatory under the SQE system.

For a non-UK degree specifically, a conversion course can still be useful, for a slightly different reason than for a UK non-law graduate. It gives you:

• A structured introduction to the substantive and procedural law of England and Wales, which is what SQE1 and SQE2 actually test, regardless of what legal system your original degree covered.
• Exposure to UK legal English and case-citation conventions, which can be unfamiliar even if you already hold a law degree from another jurisdiction.
• A recognised UK qualification on your CV, which can matter for employer expectations the same way it does for domestic non-law graduates.

If your original degree was in law but from a different legal system (civil law rather than English common law, say), a conversion course or a dedicated SQE1 prep course that builds English and Welsh law from the ground up serves a similar purpose: not remedial, just different substantive content than your original degree covered.

Whether it's worth the cost is the same trade-off the PGDL guide walks through for domestic non-law graduates: not required to sit the exam, but a factor in how confident you feel walking into SQE1 and how some employers assess your application.

What this means for your study plan

Once your degree equivalence is confirmed, your path to sitting SQE1 and SQE2 looks the same as any other candidate's. The SQE costs breakdown and SQE dates posts cover the fees and sitting windows you'll be working against.

Two things are worth building into your timeline because you're coming in with a non-UK degree:

1. Get your equivalence question answered early, ideally before you commit to a course provider or a sitting. If the SRA needs more documentation (translations, verification), that can take time you don't want to lose close to a booking deadline.
2. Budget extra reading time for legal English, even if your spoken and written English are strong. Legal terminology and exam-style phrasing are a specific skill that compounds with everything else SQE1 tests.

A free SQE study planner can help you map prep time around both of those, alongside the usual FLK1/FLK2 study blocks, once you know your sitting date.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sit the SQE with a degree from outside the UK?

Yes. The SRA accepts a degree or equivalent qualification from any jurisdiction, not only UK institutions. Whether your specific qualification counts as equivalent is assessed by the SRA individually, so confirm your case against their current guidance before you plan around it.

Does my non-UK degree need to be in law?

No. The subject doesn't need to be law, whether the degree is from the UK or elsewhere. The eligibility bar is a degree (or equivalent) in any subject, assessed for jurisdictional equivalence if it wasn't awarded in the UK.

Do I need to prove my English-language ability separately to sit the SQE?

The SQE is sat and assessed entirely in English, so strong legal-English reading and writing are essential in practice. Whether any separate, formal language-proficiency requirement applies to your situation is worth checking directly with the SRA, since this can be case-specific.

Will a conversion course help if my degree is from another country?

It can, particularly if your degree (or your home jurisdiction's law, if you studied law elsewhere) didn't cover English and Welsh law. It isn't required by the SRA, but it gives a structured route into the content SQE1 and SQE2 test, which the PGDL guide covers in more depth.

How long does SRA degree-equivalence assessment take?

This isn't fixed and depends on your documentation and qualification. Because it can take time, especially if translations or extra verification are needed, start the equivalence check well before you plan to book SQE1, rather than leaving it until close to a sitting deadline.

Your non-UK degree is very unlikely to be the thing standing between you and the SQE. The bigger planning questions are getting SRA equivalence confirmed early and being realistic about the legal-English demands of the exam itself, both of which are solvable with enough lead time.