Law Degree in the UK vs the University of London LLB in Lahore: Cost

Three years of law in London cost an overseas student about £137,019 before flights and housing extras: £92,850 in tuition at Queen Mary University of London, plus the living money the UK visa asks you to show, the visa fee and the health surcharge. The University of London LLB taught at Blackstone in Lahore costs Rs 2,225,000 in Blackstone fees plus £6,600 in University of London fees over three years, and your child lives at home.

The living money is the minimum the UK Home Office asks you to show in a bank account for a visa, not a full budget. Outside London it is £1,171 a month. Flights, deposits and summer months are extra.

Not the same course, but the same standard. The University of London LLB is awarded by the University of London; its study materials are written by academics from its Laws Consortium, which includes Queen Mary, King's College London, LSE and UCL, and the University says its exams reflect the same standards as for students on campus at its London law schools. In Lahore, Blackstone's faculty teach the classes.

• Campus life in London and the chance to build a network there.
• Everyday contact with the UK legal world, such as court visits and law firm events.
• Time abroad that some families value for independence and English.

Families in Canada and the USA can follow Blackstone's University of London LLB classes online: see the LLB online page. Before choosing any route, check what the regulator where your child wants to practise says about the degree.

Rules on which law degrees can be used to practise in Pakistan are set by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Bar Council, and they can change. Before you enrol, confirm the current position for your intake with HEC and the Bar Council. The University of London gives the same advice: check with the regulator where you want to practise, and get the answer in writing, before you apply.