BPP Law School, The College of Law and Kaplan Law School are all coming in for a bit of flack for hiking their prices in the midst of this rather fearsome recession. The schools have made significant increases to their fees, at a time when rest of the profession (and most other businesses) are looking to cut costs in every nook and cranny of their operations. Some observers have suggested that this might affect diversity by reducing opportunity for the less well off. So what’s the damage?

Topping the scales is BPP which has hiked annual fees for its London LPC students by more than 9% to £12,500. The college’s branches in Leeds and Manchester will also see an slightly smaller increase at 4.7%, from from £9,550 up to £9,995. The College of Law is introducing a fee increase of 8.8% as from September, meaning a cash increase from £10,340 to £11,250 in its London branches. Fees for the College’s GDL will also see an 8.5% increase in London, up from £7,330 to £7,950 although the College’s Manchester fees will be a bit cheaper at £6,650. Kaplan Law School has also implemented a 9% fee increase, meaning a hike from £10,500 to £11,500 a year. Its GDL prices will go up from £7,800 to £8,100 as of September.

Whilst these fees hikes are quite substantial, the law schools have recently introduced a variety of measures to increase the flexibility of their courses (although as far as Solictr is aware, the changes have not been directly associated with the increases). Fast-track and part-time course have been made available giving much more choice to would-be lawyers. However, at a time when fears over job prospects in the profession have become somewhat elevated, the hikes are unlikely to be good news for individuals considering their options right now. So, are the fee increases justified?