North America

Entry Requirement

Undergraduate

Postgraduate Taught

Postgraduate Research

For entry to Research degrees, please refer to the entry requirements for the course that you are interested in.

An undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK 2:2 (see the information above), and a master’s degree with a good grade is required for most PhD programmes, in addition to a well-developed research proposal in a field in which we can offer supervision. Please have a read through our information for PhD applicants and check the course details for your chosen programme for further information about entry criteria.

Returning to Canada after UK Law studies

If you plan on heading back to Canada to work after gaining your Law degree in the UK, you'll need to demonstrate competence to the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA), who assess the qualifications of anyone with legal qualifications obtained outside of Canada, and who wish to be admitted to a common law bar in Canada.

If you graduate from your LLB Law (Senior Status) with a 2:2 (50%) or above, without any of your modules graded below 50% (roughly a C average in a Canadian university), you'll normally have to take seven extra exams. Then, once you've successfully completed the NCA requirements, you'll be awarded a Certificate of Qualification, accepted by most Canadian law societies for entry to their bar admissions process. Please note that this information is only provided as a guideline, for further information please contact the NCA:

• NCA website (external link)

Scholarships and funding

Academic Excellence Senior Status Law Scholarship offers £3,000 scholarships to international students studying the Law LLB M103 (Senior Status) in 2025. Please visit the link for further details about deadlines and eligibility. 

Our Essex Global Talent Scholarship, worth 50% of the first year tuition fee, is available for international undergraduate or master’s students.

International Baccalaureate Excellence Scholarship offers £2,000 scholarships to students who start at Essex in 2025-2026 and achieve academic excellence in their International Baccalaureate. 

Academic Excellence International Masters Scholarship offers £3,000 scholarship to international students who took undergraduate degree overseas or in the UK and are self-funding their postgraduate studies. Please visit the link for further details about deadlines and eligibility. 

We also offer generous Performance Sports scholarships and bursaries, with up to a 100% tuition fee discount and other exclusive benefits included for talented athletes playing at national, regional or international level.

Essex is approved to receive U.S. Federal Aid/Direct Loans, GI Bill and Marshall Scholarships. 

Deadlines and terms and conditions apply. Please visit our Scholarships pages for information about additional funding opportunities.

Student Life

Our largest campus is located just outside the historic city of Colchester, which is an hour away from London. It's a vibrant and international campus, with a range of services within the safety of a parkland location. Our smaller campus in Southend brings together a central city location and the best of British seaside life, and our East 15 Acting School campus in Loughton is a purpose-built haven just 30 minutes from Central London. Find out more about life on our three campuses.

At Essex, we encourage students to get involved inside and outside of the classroom. Whether that's joining our Model UN society, learning a new language, playing sport or getting a part time job, there's lots of opportunities to develop your skills, meet people and start new, or continue existing interests. See our range of societies and sports clubs.

Considering where you could live is an important factor when choosing that university to be 'home'. In Colchester, we have a range of accommodation to suit your budget and needs, all within walking distance to campus. Even better - it's guaranteed for international students, and for the duration of your course if undergraduate.

Meet with us

In country

Unfortunately, we don't have any events planned in your region in the near future. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us at americas@essex.ac.uk.

Chat to us online

You can also book a meeting with me virtually or chat to our staff and students.

Hear from our students and alumni