UNB Law – a Detailed Review for Prospective Students

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UNB Law is a prestigious law school based in Atlantic Canada, which offers courses to Canadian and international students. On this page, you will learn about special qualities, admission requirements, enrolment statistics, tuition fees, scholarships, and the curriculum of UNB Law JD programs.

Law School Summary

There are various factors that make New Brunswick Law School different compared to other schools in Canada.

Strengths of UNB Law

Statistics from 2016 confirmed that 90% of the Law School’s graduates secured articling clerkships in either private corporations or public bodies. This is owed to the learning and development opportunities presented to students, namely in developing a business understanding through the combined Law and Business (JD/MBA) program.

You can also develop your potential at the University of New Brunswick Legal Clinic with focus on employment law, tenant law and social benefits, plus the historical Law Journal. Finally, students are able to enjoy a broad variety of societies, such as the Business Law Society, Criminal Law Society, Environmental Law Society, International Law Society and the OUTlaw and Pro Bono Students Canada.

Find out about Every Type of Law Degree in Canada.

Special Qualities of UNB Law

The University of New Brunswick Law has established exchange programs with partnering institutions from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the West Indies, Australia and New Zealand.

When it comes to connections with law firms, the University of New Brunswick attracts a formidable bundle of law firms as its financial aid sponsors. They include: Border Ladner Gervais, Stewart McKelvey, Gowling WLG (Canada), McInnes Cooper and Blake, Cassels & Graydon. Aspiring lawyers. Watch out as your sponsors will be keeping an eye on your performance in academia and extracurricular activities!

First-year classes are split into groups of approximately 45 students. There is no better way to use the more personalized teaching as an asset in getting ahead of the competition to enter the legal industry.

UNB Law Admissions

The final application deadline by which all documents forming one’s application package must be received by the admissions office is March 1 of the intake year.

Check out possible alternatives with a 2-Year Accelerated LLB Degree in the UK.

Undergraduate Degree

To be eligible to apply, one must have a degree from a recognized Canadian university or a degree from a non-Canadian university acceptable by UNB Law. The degree would typically equal 90-credit three-year programs or 120-credit four-year programs.

GPA

The grade point average (GPA) one would likely need to secure a place at the UNB Law School is 3.7 out of 4.3, albeit the minimal GPA is 2.7. The New Brunswick Law School calculates its GPA as follows: A- to A+ (3.7 to 4.3); B+ to A+ (3.3 to 4.3); B- to B+ (2.7 to 3.3) and C+ (2.3) and above.

LSAT

GPAs are weighted at 40%, whereas one’s LSAT score would be taken at 60%. The University does not accept LSAT scores below 150, although in practice those with results of 158 and above tend to be the highest achievers. The LSAT is to be sat by February of the intake year at the latest.

Resume

Resumes detailing one’s education, work experience and community involvement must be forwarded to the Admissions Committee.

Personal Statement

Moreover, personal statements also form part of UNB Law requirements. Most tend to be around one-two pages, but there are no minimal/maximum length frameworks.

Minority candidates (e.g. Indigenous or applicants with impairments) can disclose any circumstances relevant to their UNB Law School application, e.g. Indigenous community engagement and disabilities.

Enrolment Statistics

The UNB Law School is a smaller educational institution, therefore, enrolment rates are unsurprisingly lighter as well.

• 92 students are principally accepted each year.
• 715 applications were submitted in 2017 and under the above-mentioned volume of offers.
• Other than that, there are a total of 265 students across the New Brunswick Law School and a faculty staff of 21 (having previously been 16).

Thus, the UNB Law acceptance rate stands around 13%.

Interestingly, the proportions between students and teachers come down to 14:1 – a ratio very few other North American universities can mirror. The University of New Brunswick Law receives many applications from local graduates from: St. Stephen’s University, McKenzie College, Crandall University, Lansbridge University, and Université de Moncton.

Student Finance Information

Tuition

We have presumed that the upper-year fees would be the same as those for the entry year because they are not officially listed. UNB Law tuition estimates are listed below:

Scholarships

In principle, first-year applicants are automatically entered in the draw for the next scholarship recipients, although some UNB Law scholarships may require individual applications. Only full-time University of New Brunswick upper-year students (i.e. excluding other categories, such as exchange students) can also apply for scholastic aid. The University of New Brunswick has more than 115 different scholarships, bursaries, prizes and medals to reward the academic and extracurricular accomplishments of its students.

Application-based scholarship incentives include:

• The Lord Beaverbrook Scholarships in Law of $54,000 CDN per student awarded to three people;
• Two $14,000 CDN scholarships each under the Honourable Charles J. A. Hughes and Edith B. Hughes Scholarships fund;
• The $10,000 CDN Tore Grude Scholarship;
• The $10,000 CDN Stephen Smith Scholarship;
• The Cherrill Edwina Shea and Carl Robert Aron Law $7,500 CDN Scholarship; and
• Other scholarships with value as low as $500 CDN.

There are several non application-based scholarships, including:

• The Wayne Carson Scholarship in Law ($5,000 CDN);
• The Law Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador Centennial Entrance Scholarship ($3,000 CDN);
• The Law Foundation of Nova Scotia Entrance Scholarship ($2,000 CDN); and
• The Stewart McKelvey Diversity Scholarship ($1,000 CDN).

Upper-year financial assistance is available in the form of these scholarships:

• The Border Ladner Gervais Professional Excellence Award ($1,500 CDN);
• The Blake, Cassels & Graydon Scholarship ($5,000 CDN);
• The Canadian Bar Association (NB Branch) Award ($1,000 CDN);
• The Cape Breton Barristers’ Society Scholarship ($1,000 CDN);
• The Case Family Scholarship in Business Law ($2,500 CDN);
• The David Covert Scholarship ($2,500 CDN);
• The Frank Covert Scholarship ($5,000 CDN);
• The Kelly A. Driscoll Prof. Cor. Scholarship ($2,500 CDN);
• The France and Mario Giamberardino Scholarship ($1,750 CDN);
• The D. Gordon Hunter and Lawson A. W. Hunter Excellence in Law Scholarship ($6,000 CDN);
• The Frank McKenna Scholarship ($3,000 CDN);
• The Zoe Odei Scholarship ($6,500 CDN);
• The Pei Law Foundation Centennial Scholarship ($2,000 CDN);
• The A. Frederick Richard Scholarship ($5,000 CDN);
• The Honourable William F. Ryan Scholarship ($12,000 CDN);
• The Stewart McKelvey Scholarship ($4,500 CDN); and
• The Frederick D. Toole Memorial Scholarship ($4,500) amongst other smaller scholastic awards.

Bursaries are also available. For instance, the $2,000 CDN Blanche Fowler Bursary and the $1,000 CDN Charles Richards Bursary, but their value does not replicate the maximum of that of the scholarships.

The final category of awards includes:

• The Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP Prize in Advocacy ($1,500 CDN);
• The Law Faculty Prize ($1,000 CDN);
• The Lawson A. W. Hunter, Q.C. Prize in Conflict of Laws ($1,200 CDN);
• The McInnes Cooper Prize in Corporate Law & Taxation ($500 CDN); and
• The McInnes Cooper Prize in Trial Practice ($500 CDN).

The Curriculum at UNB Faculty of Law

Many UNB Law courses allow students to explore various areas of law, develop an interest in one, and potentially specialize in it. It offers programs for full-time/part-time studies.

First-Year

No optional modules are incorporated in the first-year curriculum. Although the syllabus is designed to include all key elements to legal education, which are:

• Foundations of Law;
• Constitutional Law;
• Criminal Law;
• Contracts;
• Property;
• Torts; and
• Legal Research and Advocacy (featuring a mooting segment).

Upper-Years

The following courses are to be mandatorily completed at the Law School of the University of New Brunswick during Years Two and Three:

• Administrative Law;
• Evidence;
• Civil Procedure;
• Commercial Law;
• Business Organizations;
• Conflict of Laws; and
• Professional Conduct.

A change of the syllabus affecting everyone commencing the Juris Doctor program in September 2021 meant that three courses from these compulsory study channels must now be taken:

• A single module from the Perspectives and Theories stream; accompanied by
• Twice the number of modules from the Core Competencies study field.

Students can select their electives from this next list of optional modules:

• Corporate Law; or
• Commercial Law; and
• Labour and Employment Law;
• Tax Law;
• Property Law; plus
• International Law.

Although not officially listed as elective modules, performing well in the following modules may supplement your degree score and student experience:

• Clinical opportunities;
• The UNB Law Journal;
• Competitive mooting; and
• The Law Internship scheme.

More About UNB Law School

New Brunswick’s metropolitan capital Fredericton is home to just over 100,000 inhabitants, of which less than 300 are current law students at the School of Law. UNB Law Library is conveniently located on campus and is named after Gérard V. La Forest.

Initial hopes to establish a credible legal education provider were placed in Saint John’s King’s College Law School. However, it was later substituted by Fredericton’s facilities, stemming from the generous sponsorship of the Canadian-British newspaper magnate and politician Lord Beaverbrook. He was also very closely affiliated with Winston Churchill.

The University is close to the Knowledge Park for research cybersecurity and technology. It is also a close contestant for the oldest Commonwealth’s university – it comes just second following its creation in 1892.

The University of New Brunswick School of Law has produced many capable public personnel with local contributions, namely, regional Premiers and Chief Justices, and some Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada staff.