If you are an aspiring lawyer or just someone interested in studying law you need to know about the variety of law schools in Canada. On this page, you will be presented with a comprehensive comparison of Canadian law schools, admission requirements, review of each law school, student finance review, and an overview of the Canadian legal profession.

Learn about Studying Law in the UK as an alternative option.

Comparison Table of Law Schools in Canada

There are several factors that you should take into account when choosing a law school. First, you should assess your chances of acceptance. For that, you need to look at the school’s entry requirements like the LSAT, GPA, and admission rate for an academic year.

Second, you must consider the tuition that you will have to pay for a Canadian JD program. The table below will help you make a better decision as to your common law education in English language.

Law School LSAT GPA Tuition (domestic) Admission Rate Application Deadline
Bora Laskin Faculty of Law 163 75% $18,019 7.8% Nov 1
McGill Law 165 3.8 $2,725 (QC residents)

$8,505

 11% Nov 1
Osgoode Hall Law School 161 3.7 $24,802 8.6% Nov 1
Queen’s Law 162 3.73 $18,321 6.7% Nov 1
Robson Hall 161 3.92 $12,400 12% Dec 1
Ryerson Law School 162 3.8 $22,460 5.9% Nov 1
Schulich School of Law 163 3.69 $12,660 12.8% Nov 30
TRU Law 160 3.65 $20,476 8.8% Feb 10
U of T Law 167 3.8 $33,040 10.2% Nov 1
UAlberta Law 160 3.8 $11,701 14.5% Feb 1
UBC Law School 166 3.8 $13,149 13.3% Dec 1
UNB Law 159 3.7 $13,522 13% Mar 1
University of Calgary Faculty of Law 162 3.65 $14,600 11.3% Nov 1
University of Ottawa Faculty of Law  160 3.7 $17,168 12% Nov 1
USask Law 159 3.52 $15,651 11.3% Nov 1
UVic Law 164 3.85 $11,565 11% Jan 15
Western Law 161 3.7 $21,803 8.7% Nov 1
Windsor Law 155 3.2 $19,130 12.4% Nov 1

List of Law Schools in Canada

Front view of the supreme court of Canada

We have created a comprehensive review of every law school in Canada. These reviews are centered around what prospective law students would want to learn about a particular Juris Doctor program.

Law Schools in Alberta

Law Schools in British Columbia

Law Schools in Manitoba

Law Schools in New Brunswick

Law Schools in Nova Scotia

Law Schools in Ontario

Law Schools in Quebec

Law Schools in Saskatchewan

Law Schools in Canada Requirements Requirements

Law student's application to law schools in canada

Every Canadian law school has its admission requirements, and you can review them in our comprehensive reviews of each school in the next section. However, here are some general information about entry requirements.

Learn more about the Accelerated 2-year LLB Program.

LSAT

Your Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score is one of the most important criteria that your application will be judged on. Canadian schools tend to prefer, and offer acceptance, to applicants whose LSAT score is about 159.

You should note that Canadian law schools that don’t require LSAT are located in Quebec.

GPA

Another academic criterion that admission departments will take into account is your Grade Point Average (GPA). Generally, you should aim for a GPA of at least 3.7 or A- in order to be accepted into a law program in Canada.

Personal Statement

Some admissions departments either require or make it optional for applicants to submit a personal statement. In your statement, you will generally express why you want to study at that particular school of law and why you want to study law at the graduate level.

References

Some universities will require you to submit one or two letters of reference along with your application. They can be either academic or personal, or both. However, some universities have scrapped this requirement as of recently.

Transcripts

This is very self-explanatory, you will have to send your university transcripts with your application.

Alternative Requirements at Law Schools in Canada

Most of the Canadian legal institutions have alternative admission requirements for minority and aboriginal applicants. If you fall under one of the categories, you will usually have an option to submit an extra personal statement or will be required to submit an explanation of your connection to a minority group or the indigenous community.

Student Finance

Attending a university law program is a considerable investment not only in yourself but also financially. The costs of becoming a lawyer in Canada can be quite high, depending on where you finish your legal education. A bachelor of laws is one of the most expensive degrees one can complete, thus you need to know about options that could help you fund your studies.

Federal Loans and Grants

You may be eligible for a federal loan and grant programs depending on availability. However, this highly depends on your income and sometimes your parents’ income as well as your savings.

Provincial Loans and Grants

Most provinces provide government-supported loans and bursaries to university students, which includes students in legal programs. For example, in Ontario, you may be eligible for Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) to finance your law degree.

Bursaries and Scholarships

Many faculties of law offer a variety of financial aid programs. Some are based on academic performance and others are based on your cultural or societal backgrounds. Check our law school overview for more details.

Bank Loans

Major Canadian banks offer financing options for students. This could be in a way of a student loan, loans, or lines of credit.

Admission to the Bar in Canada

Canada is separated into provinces and territories. The lawyer qualification process is unique to the jurisdiction that you want to practice law in. To become a lawyer in Canada you sometimes need to complete law society courses or/and exams, and you must complete a period of experiential learning (articling).

All of that highly depends on the jurisdiction. Learn more how to become a lawyer in:

Diversity in the Canadian Legal Profession

In order to accommodate a more vibrant diversity and better societal and cultural representation in the legal profession, faculties of law create academic and funding support programs.

Students from aboriginal and minority backgrounds may be eligible for the Program of Legal Studies for Native People. Students who are enrolled in this program will benefit from the preliminary study of law in a full-time summer course at the University of Saskatchewan.

Students who received their law degrees from abroad benefit from the master of laws programs at Canadian universities that allow them to fulfill National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) requirements. Most faculties of law offer a variety of scholarships to support these international professionals, which increases the diversity of the Canadian legal profession.

Some universities offer special programs where the study of law is combined with, for example, business administration. Such programs bring professionals with a wider skillset into the legal profession and allow for better legal service providers.

Dual Legal System

Canada has a very unique legal tradition that is rarely witnessed anywhere else around the world. Canada accommodates two legal systems, French civil law, and English Common law. The first one is applied in Quebec, and the second one is applied in the rest of Canadian provinces and territories.

If you are planning on practicing law in Quebec, you will usually need a civil law degree. If you are planning to become a lawyer in Ontario, you will usually need to complete a common law Juris Doctor or LLB.

Lawyers enjoy some flexibility as to their ability to practice in jurisdictions where they are not admitted to the bar. Special mobility agreements, allow lawyers to work in different provincial and territorial jurisdictions.

Law School Entry With Our Insider Info

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