External Degrees
Qualifications for admission
Individuals who wish to be admitted to the Singapore Bar must:
(i) Meet all the requirements of being a "qualified person" as defined in the Legal Profession Act read together with the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules (see 'Am I a Qualified Person?'); and
(ii) Fulfil the other admission requirements set out in Sections 12 and 13 of the Legal Profession Act read together with the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2011 (see 'What Admission Requirements Must I Fulfil?').
"Full-time internal candidate" requirement
External degrees are generally not recognised for the purposes of admission to the Singapore Bar.
Under the Legal Profession (Qualified Person) Rules, the “qualified person” requirements generally include having read a law degree as a “full-time internal candidate” for at least 3 academic years at an approved university.
Under the Rules, the term “full-time internal candidate” specifically excludes, among other things, external candidates, self-study candidates and candidates under any correspondence course. Please note that external degrees conferred by the University of London are also excluded.
Does this requirement apply to me?
There are, however, some exceptions to the general rule. Please use the guide 'Am I a Qualified Person?' to check if the “full-time internal candidate” requirement applies to individuals in your circumstances. If the requirement does apply to you, then you cannot be admitted to the Singapore unless you meet the requirement. You may then wish to consider obtaining an approved law degree at an approved university, or consider alternatives for working in the legal field in Singapore (e.g. as a foreign lawyer or as in-house counsel).
Please note that qualifying to practise overseas or obtaining legal experience will not make you eligible for admission if you have an external degree that is not recognised.