Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the ICCA Bar Course. If you are unable to find what you are looking for here, please contact us and we will be delighted to help.
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About the ICCA and The Inns of Court
The Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) was the title used for all postgraduate Bar Vocational Training courses until 2019. The BPTC has been replaced by a number of new Bar training courses approved by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) – one of which is the ICCA Bar Course.
Bar Courses are titled differently depending on where you study. They are delivered in one or two parts and vary in location, fees, in-person teaching time, as well as teaching and learning approaches.
The ICCA Bar Course is a vocational training course which, on successful completion, allows you:
- to be called to the Bar of England & Wales (subject to completing Qualifying Sessions with your Inn and passing a ‘fit and proper person’ check
- earns you a Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Practice (PGDip) from King’s College London.
No. Student membership of an Inn is distinct from admission as a student on to the ICCA Bar Course and must be applied for separately and independently.
The ICCA does not take any part in the decision of any Inn to admit a student member and does not use the Inns as a conduit for information to their students.
No. Joining the ICCA as a Bar Course student is separate and distinct from joining an Inn as a student member.
On the ICCA Bar Course, you must join an Inn before commencing Part Two, although joining an Inn earlier is highly recommended. It is important to remember that you must apply to your chosen Inn at least 12 weeks before commencing Part Two of the ICCA Bar Course.
You can find more details about joining an Inn of Court below:
No. Student application or registration on the ICCA Bar Course does not afford any preferential status (in comparison to any other Authorised Education and Training Organisation) in relation to Call to the Bar.
Call to the Bar is determined by objective and transparent criteria as published by the Inns, including completing Inns’ Qualifying Sessions, passing a ‘fit and proper person’ check, and passing the vocational component of training (your Bar Training Course), the last of which can be fulfilled with any Bar Training Course provider (AETO).
Yes. Joining the ICCA as a Bar Course student is separate and distinct from joining an Inn as a student member.
The Inns undertake a unique and essential role in the training of barristers which is separate from the Bar Course of the ICCA. The educational and professional development role of the Inns includes the provision of professional development events known as ‘Qualifying Sessions’.
Applying for a place on or registration on the Bar Course of the ICCA confers no advantage (in comparison to any other Authorised Education and Training Organisation) in relation to Inns’ Qualifying Sessions.
No. The ICCA prescribes no preference nor affords any preferential treatment to any current or prospective student of the ICCA Bar Course based upon their choice of Inn.
Students are encouraged to visit the Inns (The Honourable Societies of Gray’s Inn, Lincoln’s Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple) and read the information contained on their websites. Each Inn has its own unique character and part of the excitement of training to become a Barrister is making the decision for yourself as to which Inn suits you best.
It is a student’s responsibility to join an Inn of Court before commencing Part Two of the ICCA Bar Course, although many students will choose to join an Inn before commencing Part One and this is encouraged and recommended. You will need to apply at least 12 weeks before commencing Part Two.
You can find more details about joining an Inn of Court below:
An Authorised Education and Training Organisation (AETO) is a provider who is authorised to deliver Bar Vocational Training (i.e. a Bar Training Course provider). To become an AETO, providers must be authorised by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). The ICCA is an Authorised Education and Training Organisation of Bar Vocational Training..
Pupillage providers (principally chambers) are also AETOs, although their authorisation is for the provision of pupillage rather than Bar Vocational Training.
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is the independent regulatory body established by the Bar Council for the regulation of legal services by Barristers and BSB authorised entities in England & Wales. The BSB regulates the conduct of practising barristers and pupils. It also regulates the training of prospective barristers on Bar Vocational Training courses.
The BSB’s powers arise from various statutes and regulations including the Legal Services Act 2007.
The BSB is responsible for setting the education and training requirements for those who wish to practise as Barristers at the Bar of England and Wales.
The BSB approves Authorised Education and Training Organisations (AETOs) who provide vocational training and pupillage and other forms of work-based learning for those training for the Bar in accordance with its regulatory framework.
Within its regulatory role, the BSB sets the education and training requirements for becoming a barrister, the continuing training requirements for barristers and the standards of conduct for the profession.
Useful BSB links:
Application process
The ICCA ensures that all students are taught in small groups, regardless of how many students are on the ICCA Bar Course. We aim to offer places on either of our course cycles to all students who meet the criteria we apply during the application process.
Rear more here about:
The ICCA Bar Course (including Course Cycles) >
No. We have specifically designed the application process to widen participation and seek candidates from all walks of life and from all backgrounds. You will not be placed at a disadvantage if you do not have any lawyers among your family, friends or wider network. Our application process follows the ICCA Fair Admissions Policy.
Read more here about:
Yes. Applying for the ICCA Bar Course does not prevent you from applying for Bar Vocational Training Courses run by other course providers (AETOs), although you should not accept an offer to study on more than one Bar training course.
Yes. The ICCA welcomes international students and charges precisely the same fees for UK/EU and overseas students.
The ICCA is not a Student visa sponsoring institution. International students coming to the UK for courses lasting less than six months (such as Part Two of the ICCA Bar Course) without any placement or work requirements will usually need to obtain a Standard Visitor Visa. Many students (including those from the European Union and other eligible countries) won’t need a visa for courses lasting less than six months (such as Part Two of the ICCA Bar Course).
Helpful information on student visas can be found on the British Council website.
If you come to the UK as a Short-term Student, you are only able to study on a course which lasts for 6 months or less, and you will not be able to extend this visa in the UK.
For students who are coming to the ICCA to study on Part Two of our Bar Course, you can request a letter confirming your studies once you have completed enrolment onto Part Two.
All students are required to meet the minimum Entry Requirements for the ICCA Bar Course and, in the event of being shortlisted, attend a selection event which can be arranged online.
No. The ICCA attracts students and career changers from over 50 universities. We are committed to equality of opportunity and the promotion of diversity. We adopt a fair and transparent admissions and selection processes. One of our guiding principles is to encourage a more diverse entry into the profession.
During the Application Process and in accordance with our Fair Admissions Policy, none of our trained admissions assessors will have information relating to your name, address, school or university, or protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
If you reach the selection day stage of our selection process, where certain individual characteristics may be obvious, your school or university background will not be made known to the assessors.
We think it is our responsibility to point out to any prospective Bar student the fierce competition that exists to secure a pupillage.
The BSB Bar Training 2023 Report provides details of entry figures for Bar training and the number of students entering pupillage. During the academic year 2020/21, some 2116 students enrolled on Bar Vocational Training Courses across all course providers. Some of these students will have graduated in 2021, others will graduate at a later stage (the BSB prescribes a maximum period of 5 years to complete Bar Vocational Training). Some students will fail the course and others will simply not complete it.
Following graduation, Bar Course graduates then have 5 years in which to obtain pupillage. For these reasons, it takes a considerable period of time to analyse how many students have succeeded into pupillage following enrolment on their Bar training course. Matters are complicated somewhat by the fact that many international students do not seek pupillage in England & Wales. Of the 2116 students enrolling on Bar training courses in 2020/21, 43% were international students.
Since Bar Vocational Training Course graduates have 5 years to secure pupillage and many are unsuccessful at their first attempt, a bottleneck builds up, with many students applying each year for a relatively small number of pupillage vacancies. Between 450-600 pupil barristers start pupillage each year, although 2020/21 saw a reduction compared to previous years, which may be at least partly due to the impact of the COVID pandemic. The total number of applicants during the 2021/22 recruitment round was 2,782. The number of applicants per Pupillage Gateway advertisement (all pupillage vacancies must be advertised on this) was 10.8 applicants per vacancy advertised to commence in 2021/22 and 11.4 per vacancy in 2022/23. (Source: Bar Council Pupillage Gateway Report 2022)
The cost of Bar training
Bar Vocational Training is expensive. Fees can vary considerably between providers. Some charge international students considerably more than domestic students.
In addition to the cost of the course is the cost of accommodation and subsistence and, for non-law students, the cost of the GDL (or equivalent law conversion course).
The cost of qualifying at the Bar can exceed £130,000. This has to be balanced against the risk of not getting a pupillage.
As a not-for-profit provider, the ICCA sets its fees at the lowest sustainable level commensurate with ensuring the highest educational standards. The ICCA seeks to reduce the risk of Bar training by delivering its course in two parts. If a student were to leave the course on Part One or fail the BSB assessments, then the cost to them would be the Part One fee alone. With other single courses, a student who fails a module or otherwise does not complete the course, may find themselves liable for the full course fees imposed by their Bar training course provider.
Who gets pupillage?
According to the BSB in their review of 2019, intellectual ability and academic history were found to be the most important selection criteria across chambers when sifting applications for pupillage.
Examples of intellectual ability cited by chambers included evidence of academic achievement, including a first class or upper second-class degree (or equivalent), Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) grades, and a few references to high marks for A-Level (or equivalent).
At paragraph 160 of the BSB’s research from January 2019, it is stated that those from BAME backgrounds were far less likely to attain pupillage when controlling for other variables.
The ICCA has taken the Bar Council’s Fair Recruitment Guide as a starting point and worked with an author of that guide to develop a Fair Admissions Policy for selection on to the ICCA Bar Course. You can read more here about our clear and transparent Application Process.
We are committed to contributing to a more diverse entry to the profession and continually monitor the success of our approach against BSB diversity data.
Studying for the Bar is expensive and carries risks
You should be sure that you have the intellectual capacity to cope with the demands of the course and the means with which to support yourself during the period of study.
BSB statistics
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) publishes statistics on Bar training and the most recent data available is the BSB Bar Training 2023 Report (see above).
After each sitting of the BSB centrally set assessments the BSB publishes a Central Examinations Board Chair’s Report. This independent report allows you to assess the success of Bar Vocational Training Course students on the BSB centrally set assessments across all course providers. The most recent report at the time of writing is the BSB CEB Chair’s Report published 6 February 2023. A full breakdown of success rates is contained in paragraphs 5.4 and 5.5. As set out in this report, “ICCA remains as the most successful AETO in terms of the percentage of candidates entering for a centralised assessment securing a pass, almost 30% ahead of the second placed AETO.”
Teaching delivery
Part One of the ICCA Bar Course is delivered entirely online. Your learning is through self-study at your own pace or by following a guided pathway (over 12-14 weeks). There are no timetabled sessions or attendance requirements, so Part One can be studied at times to suit your personal circumstances and from any location.
Part Two is delivered in person in London over 17 weeks (March to July) or 19 weeks (September to January). All teaching takes place within the exceptional training facilities of the Inns of Court (Gray’s Inn, Inner Temple, Lincoln’s Inn and Middle Temple). Please see About the ICCA Bar Course for more information.
No. Part One of the ICCA Bar Course is delivered entirely online. Your learning is through self-study at your own pace or by following a guided pathway (over 12-14 weeks). There are no timetabled sessions or attendance requirements, so Part One can be studied at times to suit your personal circumstances and from any location.
You will experience interactive study, supported by regular self-testing after each module, a wealth of questions to continually test your understanding and multiple professional courtroom films demonstrating the practical application of the legal procedures you will be learning. You will have access to online forums for tutor and peer support and a number of pre-assessment revision webinars. Part One students are in regular communication with one another and are assigned a personal tutor for pastoral support. As a Part One student, you have full access to careers support and our considerable Careers Hub.
No. Part One of the ICCA Bar Course is an online course on which you will be studying for the Bar Standards Board (BSB) centrally set assessments of Civil Litigation, Evidence and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Criminal Litigation, Evidence and Sentencing. Assessments are written and marked by the BSB (hence ‘centrally set’). You can choose to take your assessments in December, April or August.
Following the BSB announcement on 5 May 2023, from August 2023 online assessments will no longer be permitted in any country. For this reason, all BSB centrally set assessments must be taken in person. Students who choose to sit overseas are responsible for finding a suitable venue, confirming its availability, and any costs related to sitting the Bar Standards Board assessments at an approved overseas venue. This includes, and is not limited to, invigilation costs and room hire, but does not include courier costs which will be covered by the ICCA. Any venue must be approved by the BSB before it can be confirmed.
Part Two is delivered in person in London over 17 weeks (March to July) or 19 weeks (September to January). All teaching takes place within the exceptional training facilities of the Inns of Court (Gray’s Inn, Inner Temple, Lincoln’s Inn and Middle Temple). There is no online-only or part-time option for Part Two and attendance in person is required. Please see About the ICCA Bar Course for more information.
Part One of the ICCA Bar Course is an innovative online course, designed specifically to enable you to study following a guided pathway or, alternatively, in your own time and from any location. For this reason, people with work or caring commitments are able to extend the time they take to complete Part One, although we recommend you complete this within one year (and the whole course – both Parts One and Two from commencement to conclusion – must be completed within 3 years).
For example, if you commence Part One in September, you can take your BSB centralised assessments in December, or in the following April or August. If you pass your BSB assessments in December, you can start Part Two in March; if you pass your exams in April, you can start Part Two in September; and if you pass your BSB exams in August, you can start Part Two the following March.
Part Two of the course is taught in person at the Inns of Court in London from either March-July, or September-January. Although this in-person part of the course lasts for under six months, there is no online-only or part-time option for Part Two and attendance in person is required. Please see About the ICCA Bar Course for more information.
No. Part One of the ICCA Bar Course is delivered entirely online and as such can be studied from any location. Part Two requires full-time attendance over 17 or 19 weeks and is taught within the precincts of the Inns of Court in central London.
As such, students will need to make their own living arrangements in a location which allows them to reach central London for the Part Two period.
The following links may help you in your search for short-term accommodation, together with advice on living and studying in London:
- Airbnb– an online marketplace which lets people rent out their properties or spare rooms to guests.
- Fresh student living– Fresh Student Living has four sets of student accommodation near Ealing, Vauxhall, King’s College London and between Clapham and Brixton.
- Student stay– Short lets available up to 6 months.
- Unite students– Short stays available.
- Liberty Living
- Home to go– Holiday rental search engine.
- Gumtree– Student rental properties advertised.
- Londonist– Londonist DMC is a destination management centre company and student accommodation agency, offering services in every area of London.
- Britannia students– Short-term student accommodation in London.
- Spare room
- IQ Student Accommodation– short lets available.
- UKCISA – The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) is the UK’s national advisory body serving the interests of international students and those who work with them. They have links to studying and living in the UK, searching for housing and advice for preparing and planning to live and study in the UK.
- National Union of Students – Top Tips for avoiding crime as a student.
- Gov.uk– How to Rent guidance.
Assessments/examinations
Following the BSB announcement on 5 May 2023, from August 2023 online assessments will no longer be permitted in any country. For this reason, all BSB centrally set assessments must be taken in person. Students who choose to sit overseas are responsible for finding a suitable venue, confirming its availability, and any costs related to sitting the Bar Standards Board assessments at an approved overseas venue. This includes, and is not limited to, invigilation costs and room hire, but does not include courier costs which will be covered by the ICCA. Any venue must be approved by the BSB before it can be confirmed.
Part Two assessments are taken in various formats. Some (such as Advocacy and Conference Skills) are taken in person within the teaching spaces within the Inns of Court and others (such as Drafting and Opinion Writing & Legal Research) at a location of your choosing over a set period of time.
You can read about the individual assessments and formats on Parts One and Two in About the ICCA Bar Course.
Successful completion of the ICCA Bar Course (both Parts One and Two) leads to a Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Practice (PGDip) from King’s College London. Successful completion also enables you to be called to the Bar (subject also to completing Inns’ qualifying sessions and a ‘fit and proper person’ check) and to commence pupillage.
The ICCA Bar Course attracts 120 credits at Masters level (40 credits for Part One and 80 credits for Part Two). If you successfully complete Part One of the ICCA Bar Course you will not receive an award from the ICCA, although you may be able to use the 40 credits achieved to continue your study with another Authorised Education and Training Organisation or Higher Education provider, subject to their individual policies on recognition of prior learning and experience.
Fees and funding
Payment for Part One is taken upon enrolment and there is a 14-day cooling off period during which you can decide not to proceed with the Part One course and receive a full refund (of both the ICCA fee and the BSB intake fee).
If you do not commence Part Two of the ICCA Bar Course (for whatever reason) you will not be charged a fee for Part Two.
For Part Two, the ICCA fee can be paid in whole when you enrol on Part Two or by instalments. If you leave Part Two before or up to the halfway stage you will be liable for only half the ICCA fee, although the Part Two BSB intake fee, which is payable on Part Two enrolment, will not be refunded.
We do not take a deposit from students for either Part One or Part Two.
See our Fees and funding page for more information.
The ICCA provides its Bar Course on a not-for-profit basis and ensures that the cost to all students is maintained at the lowest sustainable level.
The ICCA has launched Bursary Schemes with the generous support of The Chancery Bar Association and the Commercial Bar Association to offer support to students on the ICCA Bar Course.
Those applying to commence their studies with the ICCA from September 2024 onwards are eligible to be considered for the award of a bursary, of up to £10,000 towards the ICCA Bar Course fees.
Bursaries are aimed at those who have:
- A demonstrable commitment to the work of either The Chancery Bar OR the Commercial Bar.
- Significant financial difficulty taking up a place on the ICCA Bar Course without a bursary; and
- A background that is under-represented at the Bar generally, or at The Chancery Bar or Commercial Bar particularly.
In addition, the Inns of Court provide over £5m of scholarships for Bar Course and GDL candidates regardless of where they choose to do their training. The requirements and application deadlines for these scholarships can be found on the Inns’ websites.
No. Applying for a place on or registration on the Bar Course of the ICCA confers no advantage (in comparison to any other Authorised Education and Training Organisation) in relation to Inns’ scholarships or awards, Inns’ membership, Qualifying Sessions or Call to the Bar.
The ICCA and the Inns have a Policy which sets out clearly the independence of the ICCA from the Inns of Court in relation to Call, Qualifying Sessions, Outreach and Scholarships. You can read the Independence Policy here.
Remember that there will be additional costs to you in taking the ICCA Bar Course which are not ICCA fees. These will include the following:
- Living accommodation (for up 17 or 19 weeks on Part Two)
- Travel expenses
- Joining an Inn (before Part Two enrolment, although recommended before Part One) £100-£110 one-off payment
- The cost of 10 Inns’ Qualifying Sessions. These act as a bridge to pupillage, providing you with the chance to meet practitioners and experts, gain knowledge and experience and improve your skills. Provided at an affordable cost to students. See Inns’ websites for details.
- The cost of Call to the Bar £75 – £125
- Visa fees (where applicable)
It is vital that you factor in your living accommodation and travel expenses. Part Two is a face-to-face course, so you will need to attend in person for up to 19 weeks in central London. This means you will need to pay for accommodation in a location from which central London is accessible on a daily basis. You will also have to pay for travel and subsistence during this time.
