3 year LLB or 5 year LLB Course | Integrated 5-year LLB Course

It is really an important point to discuss because new students get confused in 3 year LLB or 5 year LLB Courses, They will be thinking like what is the difference between them? and their advantages and disadvantages, so read this article carefully and get rid of all of your confusion. 

3 year LLB or 5 year LLB Course:

One question that repeatedly haunts and confuse every law aspirant is what to choose? A Five Year Integrated BA-LLB or BBA-LLB/ B.Com LLB or opt for a three year LLB Course. Law is one of the desired fields of education and there is always been a demand for a great lawyer. In India, currently, there are two ways to pursue an undergraduate degree in Law:

• 3 year LLB course
• 5 year integrated law course

There is a lot of confusion in the mind of aspirants that what they should opt for because every course has its own importance and the career prospectus of every course is different. So in this article, you will get to learn about which is better a 3 year LLB or 5 year LLB course.

Difference Between 3-year LLB And 5-year LLB Integrated Course:

Features	3-year LLB	5-year LLB Integrated
Level of Programme	3-year LLB is a graduate programme. Scholars can pursue this course only after they have completed their 12th.	5-year LLB is an integrated programme. This programme includes a graduate programme such as BA, BBA, B.Com etc. along with the core LLB degree.
Duration	3 years	5 years
Course objective	The objective of the course is to focus on various aspects of law education and prepare the learners to practise law or work as legal advisers in the corporate sectors.	The objective of 5 year LLB is not different from the 3-year LLB programme. The only difference is that this programme also focuses on basic graduation level subjects apart from core law education.
Curriculum	In this programme, a learner will study the fundamentals of law and the constitution of India. All the semesters in this programme are dedicated to law education.	5-year LLB is an integrated course that comprises subjects related to the graduation programme (eg. BA, BBA, B.Com, etc.) as well as core law subjects.
Admission Criteria/ Eligibility	Scholars must have passed graduation with at least 45% marks. Admission to most of the institutes is done based on entrance exams such as the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).	To take admission in this programme, aspirants must have passed 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks. Students willing to take admission will have to appear for exams like Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), All India Law Entrance Test (AILET), Symbiosis Entrance Test (SET) etc.
Opportunities	The value of the programme depends on the institute from which the course is pursued. If it is pursued from reputed colleges such as NLUs, the course has a bag full of career opportunities.	The value of the programme is the same as the 3-year LLB programme in terms of job opportunities as both programmes are considered equivalent.

Advantages and Disadvantages of 3 Year LLB Course:

Elaborating on the first option available to aspirants, the pros and cons of pursuing a three year LLB degree are as mentioned below:

• A three-year LLB Course is pursued after possessing any graduation degree and it is imperative that the student has pursued graduation in any discipline and then shall be eligible for a three-year law course. Earlier, the age limit set by the Bar Council of India (BCI) was 30 years, but after facing criticism from the Apex court, BCI decided to increase the age limit from 30 years to 45 years for 3-year law courses.
• In a three year course, learners undergo dual graduation i.e. one in their respective discipline i.e. B.Com/ BA/ B.Sc/ B.Tech etc. and then a three-year course in Law. This mostly happens when people decide to change their careers.
• Most aspirants who are aware of a five-year course, still opt for a three-year course to gain a better perspective in each field. In three years of the LLB Course, students do not have the option to choose any subjects but have to study the formal 3-year syllabus prescribed by the Universities.
• It is considered a drawback because scholars get less exposure to legal education in comparison to the five year LLB course. After all, five-year law students get longer time and experience in the field.
• In numerous colleges, scholars are practised in the courtroom. Students also undergo internships every semester with top law firms, corporates, NGOs and the likes and further enhance their knowledge of the practical aspects of the law.
• Students learn the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (Crpc), Civil Procedure Code (CPC), Labour Law, Company Law etc. within months of joining the course, whereas five-year students usually study in their third or 5th year of law school.
• You can also read about "HOW TO BECOME A LAWYER?"

Advantages and Disadvantages of 5 Year LLB Course:

Elaborating on the second option available to scholars, the pros and cons of pursuing an integrated LLB degree are as mentioned below:

• 5 year LLB is an integrated course where the scholars do not have to undergo graduation twice, i.e. 3 years of graduation in any stream and then again 3 years of law but in this case, aspirants consolidated “BA LLB” degree upon finishing the course in a period of 5 years. Earlier, the Bar Council of India (BCI) had an age limit of 20 years to pursue five year LLB course, but after facing criticism from the Supreme Court, the age limit was increased to 22 years.
• It offers scholars a blend of BA subjects, coupled with Law straight from the first semester of admission. Applicants gain exposure to legal education from a young age and streamline their thought process in that direction.
• Under 5 year LLB, integrated course aspirants learn contract law, Legal Research Methodology and numerous other legal subjects which most scholars don’t get who are opting for 3 year LLB.
• Apart from this aspirants have a wide range of subjects to choose from in five-year courses which three-year applicants cannot avail themselves. For eg, BA LLB, B.Com LLB, B.Sc LLB, BA LLB (Hons), BBA-LLB (Hons), B.Com LLB (Hons), B.Sc LLB (Hons) etc.
• By pursuing this 5 years integrated course scholars get early access to courtroom practise in college. It also includes Moot Courts, research submissions, Mock Trial courts in their curriculum.
• Students must choose reputed Universities of their choice which offers a 5 year LLB course and before taking admission one must seek the placement opportunities, rankings, campus, facilities etc. before taking admission in that course.
• The degree doesn’t come in two parts of BA and LLB but is consolidated as BA-LLB. Students study relevant subjects like Economics, Legal History, Political Science Sociology, Psychology etc. as part of this course, which improves their knowledge of relevant issues and provokes constructive thinking.

Which is Better 3 year LLB or 5 year LLB Course?

Deciding on a thriving career path in the Law field must depend on the aspirant's priorities. If one is stalwart and dedicated to making a career in law, then the 5-year LLB programme is the best option for an individual. This course not only saves one year of education as compared to 3-year LLB programmes but also offer the same educational merit to the applicants. Students should understand "3 years LLB Vs 5 year LLB Course".

However, if one wants to gain experience in a divergent field of education or if one is sure about pursuing law, then he can pursue a 3-year graduation course such as B.A, BBA, B.Sc, B.Com, etc. and then apply for the 3-year LLB programme.