The UK's first for-profit private company to gain the power to award its own degrees, BPP College, is to offer a two-year law degree alongside a standard three-year course.

BPP, which reflects growing interest in two-year degrees across the sector, will run the course from 2009-10. It is expected to charge in the region of ?10,000, although it has not set its prices.

Peter Crisp, dean of BPP Law School, said: "We think mature students will find the accelerated programme very attractive. It's not suitable for all students as it will require a lot of focus and discipline."

He added: "We are not trying to compete for the 19-year-old school-leaver market. We want mature individuals who missed out on higher education earlier in life and have made a clear commitment to becoming a lawyer."

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He pointed to the success of the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Buckingham, a private institution that has been squeezing the academic content of a three-year degree into two years for decades.

Like Buckingham, BPP will not distinguish between British and overseas students in terms of fees.

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David Palfreyman, director of the Universities and Colleges Education Law Network, said: "It will be very interesting to see how the market responds to this offer.

"Students could be looking at two years for ?10,000 as opposed to ?6,000-7,000 for a three-year degree at a Russell Group institution. How will universities price the undergraduate in a genuine higher education marketplace?"

Two-year degrees are being trialled at other universities: Staffordshire 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Derby 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Leeds Metropolitan 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Northampton and The Medway Partnership in Kent.

The scheme, which has cash from the Higher Education Funding Council's strategic development fund, has been extended to Gloucestershire 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ and the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Plymouth for the 2008-09 academic year.

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melanie.newman@tsleducation.com.