Level 7 Apprenticeships: What the Funding Shake-Up Means for Future Solicitors.

For the past year, we have been proud to offer a Level 7 solicitor apprenticeship - an alternative route into the legal profession that allows aspiring solicitors to earn while they learn and gain professional qualifications without the traditional university-only path.

With the recent introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) and Qualifying Work Experience (QWE), the pathway to qualification has supposedly become more accessible. Coined a “super exam”, the SQE is now the only way to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales — provided you commenced your law degree in September 2022 or later. The traditional route of taking the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and securing an ever-competitive training contract is slowly becoming a thing of the past.

If a university graduate wants to take the SQE with the aim to qualify as a solicitor, there are significant costs attached to this when wanting to study privately. The SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) has recently announced that from September 2025, SQE fees will rise to £1,934 for SQE1 and £2,974 for SQE2, totaling £4,908. In addition to the exam fees, the SQE also comes with significant costs, excluding expenses for study materials and preparation courses, which can exceed £10,000.

Level 7 solicitor apprenticeships include all of the costs associated with the SQE, taking many of the financial stresses off candidates, allowing them to fully focus on the necessary study required.

So - I felt it important to highlight the recent announcement from the Department for Education (DfE) that public funding for Level 7 apprenticeships will be restricted in a way that impacts many candidates aged over 21.

What’s changing?

From January 2026, the government’s apprenticeship levy funding for Level 7 apprenticeships (which include the solicitor apprenticeship route) will apply only to new apprentices aged 21 or under.

For those aged 22 and above, new starts on a Level 7 apprenticeship will no longer be publicly funded via the levy — employers or the apprentices would need to cover the full cost. Existing apprentices enrolled before the deadline will continue under current funding rules.

There are exceptions (for example, care leavers or those with an education, health and care plan may retain funding up to the age of 25) - but these are very specific.

Why the change?

According to the government, the aim is to “rebalance” the apprenticeship budget towards lower-level programmes (Levels 2 - 5) and target younger learners, presumably on the logic of broadening participation and earlier career intervention.

However, many industry bodies have expressed concern that this cuts off a vital route into high-level professional roles, and risks undermining social mobility.

What this means for candidates:

If you are considering pursuing a solicitor apprenticeship, here is how you are affected:

• Aged 21 or under: You are still eligible to start the Level 7 apprenticeship with levy funding and this remains a very good opportunity. It will always be available to under 21s under the current rules; it will only affect those that are 22 and over. However, gaining an employer and starting before your 22nd birthday requires an understanding employer and depending on your birthdate, enrolling straight after graduation. Those who have a birthday later in the academic year gain a significant advantage over those born September onwards.
• Aged 22 or above: You still can undertake the Level 7 apprenticeship, but it will not be levy-funded for new starts after the cut-off date - so employer and/or apprentice will need to cover costs.

If you are close to 22 or older, you may want to act quickly because the changes take effect on 20 January 2026.

These changes are significant — not just for individual apprentices and firms, but for the legal profession as a whole. By narrowing the age eligibility for publicly funded Level 7 apprenticeships, the door may close for some, and the pathway to a solicitor qualification via an apprenticeship becomes more complex for those over 21.

When I joined Lanyon Bowdler in 2022, immediately after completing my A-Levels, I began my own career through the paralegal apprenticeship before progressing onto the Level 7 solicitor apprenticeship, taking the non-university route from start to finish. It has been an accessible and effective pathway into the profession, and I am keen to see it remain available to those who want to qualify in the same way. Whatever changes lie ahead, the value of this route - in widening entry and developing capable future solicitors - should not be underestimated.