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Students

Eligibility

The requirements for admission to the Inns of Court are set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Inns of Court and the Bar Standards Board (BSB), the Guidelines for determining if a person is Fit and Proper to become a practising barrister (Schedule 1 of the MOU) and the Bar Qualification Manual.  Click here for links to these documents.
 
In short applicants must:
a) meet the academic requirements set out below and
b) be fit and proper in accordance with schedule 1 of the MOU.
An Inn must admit an applicant who has completed all required processes, is eligible for admission and has paid any prescribed fee. 

 

To apply for Inn membership, an applicant must either be:

a) studying a law degree which includes the foundations of legal knowledge and skills associated with graduate legal work as set out by the BSB; or
b) studying on, or have been accepted onto, a course (e.g. Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)) which includes the same knowledge and skills as set out in a) above; or
c) have been exempted from, or have successfully completed, the academic component of training.  

 

  • Certified copies of degree or conversion course certificates or proof of study on a degree or conversion course or the relevant waiver documentation from the BSB will be required at the point of application for admission.
  • Degree and conversion course qualifications older than 5 years are considered stale for the purposes of Inn membership and Bar qualification.  Applicants with stale qualifications will need to seek advice from the BSB as to what action they will need to take to reactivate their qualifications. Note: Law degrees started before the 2019/20 academic year are required to be Qualifying Law Degrees i.e. QLD; specific requirements can be found in the Bar Qualification Manual.
  • Graduates of universities outside the UK: you must obtain a Certificate of Academic Standing from the Bar Standards Board before you can be admitted. Please include a copy with your application.
     

Deadline for applications

Inn membership must be secured prior to the start of the vocational component of Bar training. 

Persons wishing to apply for membership must do so at least 12 weeks prior to the start of the vocational component of their training.  Where the vocational component is split into two parts membership must be applied for 12 weeks prior to the start of Part 2. 

Applications will be processed in the order they are received (providing they are complete).  If you submit an application after this deadline there is no guarantee that you will be admitted in time to start your course.
 

Admission fee

The Admission fee to join the Middle Temple is currently £125. Please note that this fee is reviewed annually and changes to the fee apply from January each year.

Payment is required as part of the application process. If, for any reason, an application is not processed a full refund will be issued. 

How to apply

1. In order to apply for admission, you must first register on our website.

2. Once you have registered, log in.

3. Click the link below to start your application.

If an application is still incomplete 6 months after it has been submitted (e.g. amendments were requested by the Inn and not provided) it will be cancelled.

Click here to apply for admission as a student 

For general enquiries regarding student admission, please contact us on 020 7427 4800 or admissions@middletemple.org.uk.
 

Termination of membership

Student members must commence the vocational component of training for the Bar within six years of admission to the Inn and complete the vocational component within five years of commencing that component. Failure to comply with either of these requirements will cause their membership to cease on the expiration of either period, except where there has been a successful application to the Inn for the relevant time limit/s to be extended.