Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (DPLP)Applicant scoring system
Academic session 2024/25
Important information for all applicants - please read. You'll be asked to confirm you have read these guidance notes when you submit your application.
How to use this document
- All Applicants: see Sections 1, 4 & 5
- If Four Year LLB: see Sections 2.1 & Section 2.2
- If Accelerated LLB: see Section 2.1 & Section 3
Contents
Section 1: Overview
This guidance seeks to explain how the University of Strathclyde (“Strathclyde”) will process applications for the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (“the Diploma”) for the academic session 2024/2025.
We understand that the other Diploma providers in Scotland will allocate based principally on an applicant’s Grade Point Average (“GPA”). The GPA is calculated based on an applicant’s performance in the core foundation LLB subjects – namely, the subjects that all LLB students in Scotland must study. The GPA is an applicant's average percentage across these subjects.
The GPA is calculated by adding all the marks obtained (at first sitting) for each of the foundation subjects and then dividing that mark by the total number of subjects. When an applicant applies for the Diploma, Diploma providers (other than Strathclyde) will rank principally according to the applicant’s GPA in foundation subjects.
Strathclyde has a different approach. We have designed this to give credit to applicants for factors other than their GPA.
Applicants to Strathclyde will be scored based on the criteria detailed below. Please refer to the sections relevant to your application for detailed information.
We will consider an applicant’s GPA – but rather than being ranked against the GPA of all other candidates from all other institutions, applicants will first be ranked according to their performance compared against the peer group where they undertook their LLB. Each LLB institution will provide ten GPA bandings. Applicants will be assigned a ‘band’ based on the percentile of their year group their GPA falls within (i.e., top 10% of GPAs = 90-100% percentile = Band 1). Each band is awarded a score.
We will also consider other factors to determine an applicant's final score. These include an applicant’s final degree classification at Honours (or if an applicant exits the LLB in the third year) and whether an applicant holds a traineeship offer.
All applicants will then be ranked according to their final score.
In the event that applicants have the same score, consideration will be given to GPA, any personal circumstances detailed at the application stage, and whether or not the applicant was originally offered a place at university in the context of widening participation.
Note: before allocating scores to each applicant, it will be considered whether or not the applicant has put Strathclyde as their first or second choice of provider. Places will be prioritised to those applicants who have selected Strathclyde as their first choice.
Section 2.1: Foundation subjects
This section details the score to be awarded against each of the bands for those applicants who have undertaken either the undergraduate LLB (whether full-time or part-time) or an accelerated LLB. The applicant’s undergraduate institution will provide us with the GPA range for each of the bands. You do not need to seek this information from your undergraduate degree provider.
For example, University A’s GPA range for Band 3 might be 65% to 72% whereas for University B the GPA range for Band 3 might be 60% to 69%. Each applicant falling within Band 3 would then be awarded a score of 8.
Scoring
| Foundation subjects | ||
|---|---|---|
| Band | Applicant percentile | Score |
| 1 | 90% to 100% | 10 |
| 2 | 80% to 90% | 9 |
| 3 | 70% to 80% | 8 |
| 4 | 60% to 70% | 7 |
| 5 | 50% to 60% | 6 |
| 6 | 40% to 50% | 5 |
| 7 | 30% to 40% | 4 |
| 8 | 20% to 30% | 3 |
| 9 | 10% to 20% | 2 |
| 10 | 0% to 10% | 1 |
For an applicant who has completed the undergraduate LLB,the score from the foundation subjects will be added to the score achieved in their ordinary/honours years (section 2.2).
For an applicant who has completed the accelerated LLB, the score from the foundation subjects will be added to the score outlined in section 3.
Section 2.2: Undergraduate Year LLB - Ordinary/Honours Years
For applicants who have completed the undergraduate LLB (whether full-time or part-time), scores will then be awarded for the degree classification each applicant has achieved.
This score is then added to the score from Section 2.1.
Scoring
| LLB result | Score |
|---|---|
| First | 10 |
| 2:1 | 8 |
| 2:2 | 6 |
| Third | 4 |
| Ordinary | 2 |
Section 3: Accelerated LLB
Each accelerated LLB applicant will have a score of 8 added to their score from section 2.1.
This is in recognition that these applicants have already completed an undergraduate degree but have not completed an LLB with honours.
If an applicant has undertaken an accelerated LLB but then goes onto complete the honours degree, they will not be awarded the automatic score of 8 and instead the score in section 2.2 will be added to their score from section 2.1.
Scoring
Accelerated LLB: 8
Section 4: Traineeship
Any applicant who has secured a training contract will be awarded a score. Any offer will be conditional on the applicant providing written evidence from the law firm/organisation confirming the offer of the training contract.
If applicable, the additional 5 points will be added to overall score
Scoring
Secured traineeship: 5
Applicant A
Applicant “A” has the following:
- A GPA which places them in band 1 of their institution’s LLB cohort
- A 2:1 Honours classification
- No traineeship
Applicant A scores 18.
Applicant B
Applicant “B” has the following:
- A GPA which places them in band 1 of their institution’s LLB cohort
- No LLB Honours, as a graduate entry student
- No traineeship
Applicant B scores 18.
Applicant C
Applicant “C” has the following:
- A GPA which places them in band 3 of their institution’s LLB cohort
- A 2:1 Honours classification
- A traineeship
Applicant C scores 21.
Applicant D
Applicant “D” has the following:
- A GPA which places them in band 5 of their institution’s LLB cohort
- A First Honours classification
- No traineeship
Applicant D scores 16.