Less than half of UK bar students secure pupillage, new figures reveal

Success rates vary widely across providers

Fewer than half of UK bar students secure pupillage within five years of enrolling on their training courses, new figures released by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) have revealed.

The regulator’s latest Bar Training report found that just 41% of UK-domiciled students who enrolled in 2020-21 had commenced pupillage by the end of 2025, highlighting the fierce competition facing aspiring barristers.

The figures also reveal significant differences between training providers, with pupillage rates ranging from a high of 67% at the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) to just 11% at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Meanwhile, BPP Manchester recorded a pupillage rate of 55% among its UK students, compared with 44% at City St George’s, University of London, and 34% at both BPP London and The University of Law’s London campus.

The stats relate to students who enrolled in 2020-21, with comparisons between providers requiring caution given differences in student profiles and cohort sizes.

The report also highlights the challenges of passing the bar course itself. Of the 2,111 students who enrolled in 2020-21, 78% had successfully completed all ten assessments within five years, with pass rates varying considerably between providers.

The highest pass rate was recorded at The University of Law’s Nottingham campus, where all eight students passed, while BPP Bristol recorded the lowest at 63%, with 40 students enrolled.

More recent figures show that undergraduate degree classification continues to have a significant bearing on bar course performance. Among students who enrolled between July and October 2024, 92% of those with a first-class degree had passed all ten assessments by December 2025, compared with 78% of those with a 2:1 and just 56% of those with a 2:2.

The regulator also found that only 51% of students in this cohort passed all ten assessments at the first attempt.

The latest statistics come as the cost of training for the bar continues to rise. Average tuition fees increased in real terms to £17,600 in 2025-26, up from an inflation-adjusted £16,700 the previous year. However, fees remain below the £21,100 average recorded in 2019-20, before the introduction of the new bar training regime.

A total of 2,449 students enrolled on bar training courses in 2025-26, a slight decrease from 2,488 the previous year.

Commenting on the findings, BSB chair professor Christopher Bones said:

“The bar training course is a significant financial and personal commitment. Finding pupillage after passing the course remains very competitive. Students should look at their prospects of passing and obtaining pupillage before making their decisions about pursuing a career at the bar.”

He continued: “We have established a new Education and Training Committee, which will oversee standards of Bar training. Given some of the disparities highlighted in this report, the Board has decided to launch a full review in the coming year to consider the fitness and purpose of the current system.”