Law graduate Abdullah Alghamdi has been awarded the Andrew Coddington Prize for his outstanding academic performance, something he hopes will ‘inspire prospective international students’.

The 23-year-old, from Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, graduated Lancaster’s Law LLB degree in July with first-class honours.

He was awarded the £1,000 Andrew Coddington Prize by Lancaster University Law School for being the best final year undergraduate law student who is staying on to study for the Master of Laws (LLM) at Lancaster, in International Business & Corporate Law.

The prize, first offered in 2012, recognises academic excellence and is the gift of alumnus Andrew Coddington (BA European Legal Studies 1999).

Speaking on the award, Abdullah said he is ‘particularly proud’ to represent Saudi students and to ‘demonstrate what [we] can achieve at leading international universities.’

He said: “As a Saudi international student, receiving this recognition was an especially proud and meaningful achievement for me.

“My time at Lancaster has been a very important chapter in my life, both academically and personally.”

During his three years at Lancaster, Abdullah was active in the student community, serving as President of the Saudi Society and Social Secretary of the Arab Society.

His academic interests include commercial and business law, corporate governance and international arbitration.

“I am grateful to Lancaster University, the Law School and everyone who supported me throughout my studies,” he said. “I will always look back on my years at Lancaster with great pride and appreciation.”

Head of the School of Law, Professor Bryan Clark, added: “Many congratulations to Abdullah who put in an outstanding academic performance to win this longstanding and important award. We are delighted he is returning to us and look forward to seeing his progression in his LLM studies.”