Requirements for Law Schools in Canada: Complete Guide

This is the most comprehensive and accurate information that can be found on the internet regarding the admission requirements for each of the 23 law schools in Canada. Every year 25% of applications to law schools are rejected because not all the requirements are met.

The admission requirements are similar between the different law schools and are categorized here in the priority of what an applicant must submit to be considered:

Academic

1. Minimum number of years of undergraduate study required
2. GPA

Non-Academic 

1. Law School Admission Test
2. Personal Statement/ Essays
3. Reference Letters
4. Interview

Each law school in Canada has different requirements within each of the above categories.

This blog post compares and contrasts the law school admission requirements for all 23 law schools in Canada in one place to help you determine which school is the best fit for you. It will also help guide your undergraduate studies by helping you to figure out which courses you should be taking.

Requirements for Law Schools in Canada: Minimum Years of Undergraduate Study

Most law schools in Canada require a minimum of 3 years of an undergraduate degree, or more, to be completed before applying. Most accepted students to law school will have all 4 years of an undergraduate degree required. However, some schools do give exceptions to degree requirements for mature applicants.

Unlike other professional school programs, there is usually no prerequisite coursework required for applying to individual programs. For your initial undergraduate degree, select the program that you will enjoy studying since no subject is better than another for getting into law school. You are not obligated to obtain your initial undergraduate degree at the university where the law school is located, it is better to choose the institution that is the best fit for you for your initial degree.

Requirements for Law Schools in Canada: Undergraduate and GPA Requirements

If you’re looking for tricks to improve your undergraduate grades check out our post on the top study habits to get maximum grades in minimum time!

Requirements for Law Schools in Canada: LSAT Requirements

Law School Admission Tests

• Some law schools in Canada have the LSAT as an optional test. This is due to the holistic nature of admissions. However, it is recommended that those who are serious about going to law school take the test to open them up to more school options.
• If an applicant has taken the LSAT multiple times, some Universities will take the highest score and some will use the most recent scores
• Each university has different deadlines for LSAT submissions. Use the links at the bottom of this post to access specific information on the University you are looking to apply to.

Requirements for Law Schools in Canada: Interview, Personal Submission, and Reference Letters

Most universities require specific personal statements to be submitted with your application. This gives the admission committee a chance to know your personality traits and better understand if you are a right fit for their school. Additionally, most schools require two reference letters to be submitted with your application, with one usually being preferred as an academic reference.

All law schools in Canada require an interview in their admission process, which is granted to the most qualified applicants. There are two main types of interviews, multi-mini interviews and traditional interviews. If you are looking for interview practice check out our posts on both MMI Practice Questions and Standard Interview Practice Questions.

Requirements for Law Schools in Canada: Final Admission Decisions

Every law school weighs each section of your application differently when making the final admission decisions. This will play a large role in your application process and should be taken into consideration. All this information will be able to be found below in any of the links listed below for the university you are interested in.

Law School Acceptance Rates

In-Depth Look at the Requirements for Each Law School in Canada:

If you would like an in-depth view of the law school requirements for a specific law school in Canada, including average admitted GPA and LSAT scores as well as detailed information about the interview, autobiographical sketch, and admissions weighting statistics, this information will be posted below:

• University of Toronto – Faculty of Law
• McGill University – Faculty of Law
• University of British Columbia – Faculty of Law
• York University – Osgoode Hall Law School
• Université de Montréal – Faculté de Droit
• University of Ottawa – Faculty of Law
• Queen’s University – Faculty of Law
• Dalhousie University – Schulich School of Law
• University of Western Ontario – Western Law
• University of Alberta – Faculty of Law
• Université du Québec – Faculté de Science Politique & Droit
• University of Victoria – Faculty of Law
• Université Laval – Baccalauréat en Droit
• University of Calgary – Faculty of Law
• University of Saskatchewan – College of Law
• Lakehead University – Faculty of Law
• University of Manitoba – Robson Hall Faculty of Law
• University of New Brunswick – Faculty of Law
• University of Windsor – Windsor Law
• Université de Moncton – Faculté de Droit
• Toronto Metropolotin University – Faculty of Law
• Thompson Rivers University – Faculty of Law
• Université de Sherbrooke – Faculté de droit

For those interested in applying for other professional schools in Canada out our pages on the requirements for medical schools in Canada and the requirements for dental schools in Canada.

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