One of the defining features of the Open University is the open entry of its courses. For most undergraduate courses one does not need formal qualifications to enrol or to have studied particular subjects before.
Nevertheless, people still want to know what subjects are good to take before studying Law, whether for an OU degree or for a more traditional university with entry requirements.
If one looks around at advice available both on- and offline there's a lot of variety on suggested subjects. But the most important point seems to be that very few UK law schools have formal subject requirements. They're more concerned about applicants demonstrating skills and abilities, including getting good results, than about how many subjects one has from a particular list. So if you're contemplating A Levels and thinking as far ahead as studying Law at university then you don't need to panic.
Choose subjects you're good at (if you're already taking them) and are interested in. Don't pick a hard subject you have no interest in out of some mistaken belief that you will need it to get accepted onto a Law degree. But it certainly helps to have at least one essay based subject on your list.
Popular recommendations
That said there are some subjects that are seen as particularly good preparation for a Law degree because they overlap on the key skills, whether essay writing, handling documents, analysing texts and so forth. But if you go to seven different websites you'll get seven different lists of recommendations. However, the subjects that come up the most in recommendations are roughly as follows:
- English Literature
- History
- Politics
- Mathematics
- Sociology
- Economics
- Psychology
- Philosophy
English Literature and History come up by far the most in lists of recommended subjects because of the essay writing, dealing with texts with sometimes complex language, analysis and so forth.
Not all these subjects are offered at all schools and colleges so don't worry if you can't take them.
What about A Level Law?
Notable by its absence from this list is A Level Law, though it does still appear on some recommendations. In practice an applicant does not need this to study Law at university and in the past some university Law schools have actually been sceptical, openly preferring students who haven't studied the subject before though this hostility appears to be diminishing. This 2017 piece Legal Cheek: Should I study A-level law if I want to do a law degree? captures a sense of the debate about it nearly a decade ago, especially the comment about the few students who had taken it being told to forget everything they had already learned at the outset of their degree, but increasingly it seems the scepticism is wearing off and the A Level is no hindrance to applicants.
Many schools and colleges do not offer Law at A Level and this has not caused a problem. In 2025 14,973 people took the exam, compared to the most popular subject, Mathematics, taken by 112,138. Not everyone taking A Level Law will have applied to or been accepted to read Law at university so it's likely to still be held by a minority of Law undergraduates. There were at least 27,150 accepted that year but that figure only cover those applying through UCAS and not those who successfully apply directly, which includes many part-time and distance learners such as most Open University students. (All figures from The Law Society Gazette: A-Level results day: Law degrees more popular than ever.)
What about Fashion Merchandising?
Someone always asks this question because of a particular well known film about studying Law (which is going to come up again on this blog). I am not aware of any A Level formally called "Fashion Merchandising" but there is an A Level in Fashion & Textiles. (Here are the specifications for one version, AQA A-level Design and Technology: Fashion and Textiles 7562.) I have no idea how law schools admissions officers feel about this one beyond it being a practical subject and taking at least one essay based subject is preferred. But fashion is a massive industry with a lot of legal issues (e.g. regulations, intellectual property, contracts and more) and an aspirant fashion lawyer is to be taken seriously. Indeed one university actually offers a Master of Laws in Fashion Law.
Is the LNAT required?
The Law National Aptitude Test or National Admissions Test for Law (the website seems a little confused on the brand name; perhaps they're trying to preserve the acronym "LNAT" because it sounds like the "LSAT" taken in a number of other countries) is an aptitude test used by a handful of universities in order to deal with large numbers of applicants with similar predicted grades. It tests skills and ability, not knowledge of Law. Currently, only nine universities in the UK and three overseas universities use it - see Do I need to sit the test? on the LNAT website for the up-to-date list.
(Image created with Microsoft 365 Copilot.)
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