Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work licencesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

United Kingdom · Professional exam

SQE qualification: what you need to become a solicitor

You need four things: a degree or equivalent, passes in both parts of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), SQE1 and SQE2, two years’ qualifying work experience (QWE), and to meet the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA’s) character and suitability requirements. The SQE qualification route is open to anyone, with or without a law degree, and you don’t need a degree to sit the assessments, only to be admitted at the end.

  • 4Requirements for admission
  • Any subjectDegree you can qualify with
  • 30 daysSRA’s aim for admitting you
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What does SQE qualification involve?

The SRA Authorisation of Individuals Regulations make you eligible for admission as a solicitor when the SRA is satisfied that you:

  • have passed the SQE, both SQE1 and SQE2
  • hold a degree, or qualifications or experience the SRA accepts as equivalent
  • have completed qualifying work experience that meets regulation 2
  • meet its character and suitability requirements
  • have shown proficiency in English or Welsh

Solicitor apprentices meet the degree and work experience requirements through the apprenticeship itself.

SQE qualifying work experience →SQE apprenticeships →

The degree requirement

The degree can be in any subject. A level 6 or 7 apprenticeship or professional qualification counts as equivalent, and if you have neither, the SRA may count work experience. Before you apply for admission you have your degree checked through mySRA by Atlantic Data, the SRA’s validation service, which aims to answer within 10 working days. International degrees are checked against a UK level 6 degree, and if you also hold a UK master’s, the SRA asks you to use that one.

How long does the SQE take?

The SRA doesn’t give one figure, because the parts can overlap. QWE has to add up to at least two years full-time or equivalent, but it can come before, during or after the assessments. SQE1 is two days of papers, and SQE2 is 16 stations over five half-days in the SRA’s 2021 outline. Each sitting then has its own results day.

Two time limits apply. You have six years from your first SQE assessment to pass the rest, and if you qualify through the Legal Practice Course (LPC) route instead, you must qualify by 31 December 2032. A solicitor apprenticeship takes five to six years from A levels, or two to three years for graduates.

SQE results and resits →LPC or SQE →

Character and suitability, then admission

You tell the SRA about any character and suitability issues when you apply for admission, not when you start studying. It looks at matters such as criminal convictions and cautions, dishonest or discriminatory behaviour, cheating in education assessments, insolvency and serious debt problems, and regulatory or disciplinary findings.

If you’re worried about something, you can ask for an early assessment, though the SRA isn’t bound by it later. That application was closed from 1 August to 31 October 2026, the SRA’s busiest admission period; the SRA aims to decide within 120 days. When you’re ready, you complete background screening, then apply for admission in mySRA.

SQE cost, including admission fees →

Qualified lawyers and international candidates

Lawyers already qualified in another jurisdiction can apply for an exemption from SQE1, SQE2 or both. You can’t apply for an exemption from a part you’ve failed or are waiting for results on. Qualified lawyers don’t need QWE, and solicitors from Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland are exempt from the SQE assessments altogether.

If you’ve had an SQE2 exemption, you have to show your English or Welsh proficiency before applying for admission. For anyone else, international candidates included, the SQE route is the same: QWE can be gained overseas, and SQE1 can be taken at test centres outside the UK. The Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS) has been replaced; its last transitional deadline for admission was 31 March 2024.

Sources: SRA and 11 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewCoursesBookingCostSQE1SQE2DatesResults

About the assessments

SpecificationSample questionsPass rates

Routes and funding

Work experienceLPC or SQEApprenticeshipsLLM and funding