Non-Law Degree? CLC Graduate Conversion vs the SQE: 5 Differences in Cost, Time and Career

If you have a non-law degree and want a career in property or probate law, the CLC Graduate Conversion Exemption is the quicker and cheaper route. You study one Level 4 unit (Land Law) and the Level 6 Diploma, for about £2,475 in tuition at Access Law Online, plus 1,200 hours of supervised experience. The SQE route to becoming a solicitor costs more than £5,000 in exam fees alone and needs two years of qualifying work experience. What it gives you in return is a much broader licence. The right choice depends on whether you want to specialise.

How do the CLC Graduate Conversion route and the SQE compare?

SQE fees are the SRA's figures for sittings booked from October 2026. PGDL example: BPP online PGDL, 2026 to 2027. Course prices vary by provider.

1. Which route costs less?

The CLC route, by a wide margin. Under the Graduate Conversion Exemption you pay for two things: the Land Law unit at £555 and the Level 6 Diploma at £1,920, which you can spread from £160 a month at 0% interest. Assessments are included. The CLC charges its own licence fees when you apply.

On the SQE route, the SRA's assessment fees alone come to £5,092 for sittings booked from October 2026. Most candidates also pay for preparation courses, and a non-law graduate often adds a law conversion course such as the PGDL. You don't strictly need one, but it is a common step. Those can run well into five figures.

2. How long does each route take?

The biggest difference is the work experience. The SRA requires two years' full-time (or equivalent) qualifying work experience for the SQE route, which can be spread across up to four organisations. The CLC requires at least 1,200 hours of supervised practical experience, completed within a 24-month window, and you build those hours while you study Level 6.

At around 35 hours a week, 1,200 hours is about eight months of full-time work. Our guide to the CLC practical experience requirements explains what counts and who can supervise you.

3. What do you actually study?

The SQE tests a broad sweep of English law, from contract and tort to criminal practice and dispute resolution, because a solicitor can work in any area. The CLC route is focused. Land Law gives you the property foundation, then the Level 6 Diploma covers either:

• Conveyancing: Conveyancing Law and Practice, Landlord and Tenant, and Managing Client and Office Accounts; or
• Probate: Wills, Succession and Grants of Representation, the Administration of Estates, and Managing Client and Office Accounts.

Everything you study is something you will use every day in practice.

4. What can you do once you qualify?

This is where the solicitor route earns its extra cost and time. A solicitor can practise across the whole of English law. A Licensed Conveyancer is a fully regulated specialist property lawyer who can carry out reserved conveyancing work, handle client money and run or own a CLC-regulated firm. A Licensed Probate Practitioner does the same for probate and estates.

If you already know property or probate is where you want to be, the CLC licence gives you full professional standing in that field without paying for breadth you won't use. For a fuller comparison, read Licensed Conveyancer vs Solicitor.

5. Which route is easier to fit around a job?

Both can be done while working, but the CLC route is designed for it. At Access Law Online you study online at your own pace, start straight away or in 14 days, and spread the cost with interest-free instalments. Many students are already working as conveyancing or probate assistants and gain their supervised hours in the same job.

Which should you choose: CLC or SQE?

Choose the CLC Graduate Conversion route if you:

• want to specialise in residential or commercial property, or in probate and estates;
• want to qualify for a fraction of the cost;
• are already working in a conveyancing or probate team, or want to be;
• prefer a shorter work experience requirement that runs alongside your studies.

Choose the SQE route if you:

• want the option to practise in litigation, family, employment or corporate law;
• have the time and budget for two years' qualifying work experience and the SQE assessments.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading: How to become a conveyancer with a non-law degree in 4 steps · 2 new CLC exemptions explained

Sources: CLC, Graduate Conversion Exemption; SRA, SQE update, April 2026 and qualifying work experience; BPP, PGDL fees.