Qualified Person

Approved Universities – Australia and New Zealand

The information set out in the Institute’s webpages is for reference only, and is not a substitute for the applicable legislation. For Approved Universities in Australia and New Zealand, please refer to rules 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules, as well as the First, Third and Fourth Schedules.

To be a Qualified Person, a person must:

1. Be a citizen or permanent resident of Singapore.

2. Be conferred an Applicable Law Degree from the above Institutions of Higher Learning in Australia or New Zealand. The applicable dates for the relevant degrees are set out below:-

   Schedule of the QP Rules	Country	Approved Universities	Applicable Law Degree	Applicable Dates
   First Schedule	Australia	Monash University University of Melbourne University of New South Wales University of Sydney	LL.B, LL.B (Honours)	Commenced reading on or after 1 January 1994 as a LLB candidate.
   			Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.)	Conferred the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence on or after 1 December 2017.
   	New Zealand	University of Auckland Victoria University of Wellington	LL.B, LL.B (Honours)	Commenced reading on or after 1 January 1994 as a LLB candidate.
   Third Schedule	Australia	Australian National University Flinders University University of Queensland University of Western Australia	LL.B, LL.B (Honours)	Commenced reading on or after 28 July 2003 as a LLB candidate.
   			Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.)	Conferred the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence on or after 1 December 2017.
   Fourth Schedule	Australia	University of Tasmania Murdoch University	LL.B, LL.B (Honours)	Commenced reading on or after 1 August 2005 as a LLB candidate.
   			Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.)	Conferred the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence on or after 1 December 2017.

    

3. Be ranked by the Institution of Higher Learning as being amongst the highest 70%, in terms of academic performance, of the total number of graduates in the same batch who have been conferred the applicable law degree.

4. Pass Part A of the Singapore Bar Examinations.

5. After passing the final examination for the Applicable Law Degree, undertake the relevant legal training/practice/work.

Important Notes:

1. The person must read the course leading to the Applicable Law Degree as a full-time internal candidate of the Approved University. “External degrees” are not recognised. (See rule 10).

2. The course of study leading to the Applicable Law Degree cannot be an accelerated course i.e. it cannot be commenced and completed within a period of less than 3 academic years. (See rule 11).

3. The course of study in question cannot be a dual degree course (even though the Applicable Law Degree is a component of the dual degrees conferred). (See rule 11).

4. The course of study in question cannot be a combined degree course (i.e. it cannot relate to 2 or more different disciplines of study, such as a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Accountancy. (See rule 12).

Exemptions

A person who does not meet the above requirements, or whose course of study does not meet the above requirements, may apply for exemption.

Last Updated: 30 July 2025