SRA uses £360k Kaplan fine fund to help disadvantaged students’ SQE exams

The SRA has distributed £360,000 to 11 organisations to help aspiring lawyers from disadvantaged backgrounds cover the cost of sitting the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

The amount comes from a fund built up from performance-related fines on SQE provider Kaplan under its contract with the regulator. This is the first time the fund has been tapped since the SQE replaced the Legal Practice Course in 2021.

The fund

The cash from the SQE Access and Reinvestment Fund will be used to pay entry fees for SQE1 and/or SQE2 (just under £2,000 and £3,000, respectively) - potentially benefitting up to 190 candidates from January 2026.

The 11 initiatives which will apportion the funds to students include Black and Proud CIC, the Legal Social Mobility Fund and The Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme, as well as a range of law schools (including the University of Law and the College of Legal Practice) and other organisations. Each will run their own selection processes.

What they said

Paul Philip, CEO of the SRA, said: "One of the objectives of the SQE is to promote a diverse profession by removing artificial and unjustifiable barriers. Our decision to distribute the fund in this way reflects our commitment to meeting the SQE objectives. The fund recognises that talent, not financial circumstances, should determine who can become a solicitor."

Bigger picture

Kaplan has faced criticism over its handling of the SQE. Last year, 175 students were wrongly told they had failed the assessment, only to be informed a month later that they had actually passed. Kaplan apologised and offered £250 goodwill payments to those affected.

Future lawyers have also been expressing their discontent with the exam. In July, a trainee at an international firm launched a petition to reform the SQE, citing concerns around its difficulty and perceived impact on candidates’ wellbeing. The petition has now received nearly 1,200 signatures and, last week, even attracted the attention of former home secretary Suella Braverman - who blasted its supporters "snowflakes".