McGill Law is a prestigious law school located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consistently ranks as one of the top legal institutions both in Canada and around the world. On this page, you will find information about the unique features of McGill, acceptance rate, admission criteria, enrollment statistics, tuition fees, scholarship opportunities, and the curriculum.
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McGill Law School Acceptance Rate
McGill Law acceptance rate is 11.9%. This law school is such a desired destination that, on average, it is certainly not uncommon for the Law School to receive seven or eight times more applications than there are first-year places. According to the most recent data, 1,502 people applied for 179 first-year places and generally, between 1,300 and 1,700 applications have been received per year for 175-185 places. The Law School’s population has varied from between 700 to 870 students, of which one in ten is an LLM student. The most recent admission statistics revealed that students from nearly 30 countries worldwide managed to enter McGill’s Law School.
McGill Law School Requirements
The admission requirements for McGill Law School are quite comparable to those of other Canadian law schools. It is essential to submit your application before November 1st. Below are the requirements that you need to fulfil to pursue a law degree at McGill:
- LSAT Requirements – minimum 160 (not required)
- GPA Requirements – minimum 85%
- Transcripts – required
- Personal Statement – required
- Letters of Reference – at least 2 letters of reference
- Resume – required
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LSAT Requirements
An average LSAT score of 160 (top 89th percentile) is required to secure high chances of acceptance. Although it is possible to get into McGill Law with a lower score, like 150, your chances would be extremely low. You are not required to take the LSAT in order to study law at McGill.
GPA Requirements
You are expected to have an average GPA of 85% (3.8 on a 4.0 scale). Applicants with a lower GPA can increase their chances of acceptance by scoring high on the LSAT.
Transcripts
You must provide all your post-secondary academic transcripts in your application.
Personal Statement
A maximum 750-word Personal Statement is required. In your statement, you must demonstrate intellectual curiosity, community engagement, political/social insight, leadership skills, ability to work with others, openness to diversity (cultural, linguistic and otherwise), maturity, judgment, and potential for development through opportunity or adversity.
Letters of Reference
It is mandatory to include two reference letters in the application package.
Resume
All applicants should provide a resume that showcases their academic background, volunteering and/or work experience, and extracurricular achievements/activities.
Language Requirements
As the BCL/JD program is taught in both French and English, the University of McGill places special attention on the fact that applicants will be taught in both languages, so they must be ‘passively bilingual’. This means that you must have an advanced intermediate level of reading and aural comprehension of both English and French.
McGill Law School Tuition Fees
In 2024, the tuition fees for Quebec residents at McGill Law School are $16,317 for the entire law degree. Non-Quebec residents pay a total of $34,650, and international students $188,904 for their law degrees. A detailed breakdown of the tuition fees is in the table below:
Quebec Residents | Non-Quebec Residents | International Students | |
Yearly Fees | $2,880 | $8,991 | $59,654 |
Society & Other Fees | $791 | $791 | $791 |
Student Services | $715 | $715 | $715 |
General Administrative Charges | $393 | $393 | $393 |
Copyright Fee | $32 | $32 | $32 |
Information Technology Charge | $279 | $279 | $279 |
Health & Dental Insurance | $345 | $345 | $1,101 |
Three-Year Total Fees | $16,317 | $34,650 | $188,904 |
Find out how much it costs to become a lawyer in Canada.
Scholarships
The McGill University Faculty of Law offers financial aid ranging from $800 to roughly $10,000.
As you will have noticed, Quebec residents are more privileged than other Canadian residents when it comes down to tuition fees. But Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island are two provinces the Law Society provides scholarships for. The former awards $5,000 to two Newfoundland residents annually and applications are submitted to the local Law Societies of these provinces.
The most common type of scholarship is those awarded in entry-level (entrance scholarships). Any strong pre-law academic and extracurricular involvement will be hugely determinative for who the recipients are to be.
- This category of scholarships/bursaries is usually funded by various alumni from different classes and generations or in memory of former academic staff and/or alumni.
- A single one of them is topped at $800, but most tend to range from $1,750 to approximately $3,400. Although there are several financial awards surpassing $4,000, not exceeding $5,000 in value.
- The absolute grand prize is the L. Yves Fortier Entrance Scholarship appraised at $10,000.
Sponsorship by law firms includes:
- The Blake’s Entrance Scholarships with special preference for minority students;
- The renewable Fasken Martineau $2,500 Scholarship for Excellence; and
- The Norton Rose Fulbright $2,000 Scholarship.
- Other interesting scholarships are:
- The I. R. Hart $1,700 Memorial Scholarship aiming to stimulate interest in a notary career;
- The Everett Klippert Scholarship for LGBT minorities;
- The $6,500 Leon Levinson Award aiming to support the transfer of journalists of broadcasters into legal education; and
- The renewable $10,000 Scotiabank Scholarship for Law Students from the Indigenous or other minority groups.
McGill Law School Ranking
McGill University’s Faculty of Law is consistently ranked as one of the top 3 law schools in Canada. This prestigious ranking reflects the school’s commitment to excellence in legal education, its innovative approach to legal scholarship, and its significant contribution to the field of law both nationally and internationally. McGill University’s Faculty of Law stands out as a premier institution for legal education in Canada. Its comprehensive approach to legal studies, combined with its commitment to research excellence and social justice, secures its position as one of the top three law schools in the nation. This ranking is a testament to McGill’s enduring legacy in shaping the future of the legal profession.
The Curriculum at McGill Law School
Both civil and common law streams study McGill law courses under the academic syllabus (BCL/JD). Note that new courses may be added over time.
First Year
Starred (*) modules are taken as a single unit – all other modules are split into double units (e.g. LAWG 102D1 Criminal Justice and LAWG 102D2 Criminal Justice), both of which must be accomplished within consecutive terms, otherwise they will account for no credits. Year One modules amount to a total of 33 credits, including:
- Constitutional Law;
- Contractual Obligations;
- Criminal Justice;
- Ex-Contractual Obligations/Torts;
- Foundations;
- Indigenous Legal Traditions*; and
- Integration Workshop*.
Second and Third Years
The McGill Faculty of Law offers the next series of courses as a continuation of its graduate academic preparation in the subject of Law:
- Advocacy;
- Judicial institutions & Civil Procedure;
- Legal Ethics & Professionalism; and
- Property (this is the only dual-module on the list).
Complementary Courses
The McGill University describes them – ‘courses that appear on a restricted list from which students must take a minimum number of credits’. These are semi-elective courses with modules (three credits per unit) under four main streams:
Civil Law Immersion Courses
- Admin Prop of Another & Trusts;
- Advanced Civil Law Obligations;
- Advanced Civil Law Property;
- Insurance;
- Law of Pensions; and
- Lease, Enterprise, Suretyship.
Common-Law Immersion Courses
- Advanced Common Law Obligations;
- Equity and Trusts;
- Real Estate and Transactions;
- Remedies; and
- Restitution.
Complementary Social Diversity, Human Rights and Indigenous Law Courses
- Can Charter of Rights & Freedoms;
- Civil Liberties;
- Critical Engagements with HR;
- Critical Race Theory;
- Discrimination and the Law;
- Feminist Legal Theory;
- Immigration & Refugee Law;
- Indigenous Constitutionalism (two units, both of which fall under mandatory completed);
- Indigenous Constitutionalism;
- Indigenous Field Studies;
- Indigenous Peoples & the State;
- Inter-American Human Rights;
- International Criminal Law;
- International Development Law;
- International Humanitarian Law;
- International Law of Human Rights;
- Labour Law;
- Law & Poverty;
- Law and Psychiatry;
- Public International Law; and
- Social Diversity and Law.
Principles of Canadian Administrative Law
- Bankruptcy and Insolvency;
- Communications Law;
- Consumer Law;
- Discrimination and the Law;
- Employment Law;
- Environment & the Law;
- Government Control of Business;
- Immigration & Refugee Law;
- International Taxation;
- Judicial Rev of Admin Action;
- Labour Law;
- Land Use Planning;
- Law & Poverty;
- Law & Practice of International Trade;
- Law and Psychiatry;
- Securities Regulation;
- Tax Policy;
- Tax Practice Seminar; and
- The Administrative Process.
Electives
46 out of the course’s 105 credits will come out from optional modules taken in the Fall or Winter semesters (or both):
- Advanced Criminal Law;
- Banking Law;
- Business Associations;
- Canadian Legal History;
- Civil Litigation Workshop;
- Commercial Law;
- Comparative Federalism;
- Corporate Finance;
- Corporate Taxation;
- Death and Property;
- Droit de la famille;
- European Union Law;
- Evidence (Criminal Matters);
- Family Property Law;
- Intellectual and Industrial Property;
- International Environmental Law & Politics;
- Jurisprudence;
- Law Innovation;
- Legal Theory;
- Preuve civile;
- Private International Law/Droit international privé;
- Procédure pénale;
- Resolution of International Disputes;
- Responsabilité médicale;
- Sentencing in Canadian Law;
- Transnational Law;
- Mediation;
- Corporate Governance;
- Islamic law;
- Internet Governance and Human Rights;
- 21st Century Legal Profession;
- Criminal Trial Advocacy;
- Personal Injury Law;
- Anatomy of a Murder Trial;
- Sports Law;
- Arbitration and the Courts;
- The Anthropology of Law;
- Negotiation and Mediation: Roots, Skills, Legal and Ethical Standards;
- Regional Trade Agreements;
- Le non-verbal et la justice;
- Public Health Law and Policy;
- Internet Law;
- Indigenous Sovereignty;
- Advanced Problems in Constitutional Law;
- Putting the State on Trial: Lawyering for State Accountability and Social Change;
- Panarchy: The Prospects of Government Without a Sovereign;
- Using the Charter to Create Change: Contemporary Issues in Canadian
- Constitutional Remedies;
- Law and Political Economy in the 21st Century;
- Talmudic Law;
- Tax Policy;
- Taxation/Droit fiscal;
- Trial Advocacy; and
- Legal Education and Leadership.
Minimum Writing Requirement
All students must satisfy the Minimum Writing Requirement through one of the three methods listed below:
- Singularly writing an essay that is awarded at least a grade C; or
- Writing an essay worth 75% or more of the final course grade; or
- Publishing an article or legal commentary in one of these McGill University-led journals titled ‘Law’, ‘Sustainable Development Law & Policy’, ‘Law and Health’ and ‘Dispute Resolution’.
Regardless of which writing option is taken, it will vary from 8,000 to 10,000 words, including footnotes, but excluding bibliography.
Why to Choose McGill Law School
You should consider studying law at McGill University’s Faculty of Law for several compelling reasons:
- Academic Excellence: The Nahum Gelber Law Library at McGill boasts over 225,000 volumes, offering an extensive resource for legal research and study.
- Global Perspective: As a melting pot of diverse, innovative minds, McGill Law excels in international engagement. Its consistent success in International Court of Justice clerkships highlights its global influence.
- Rigorous Bilingual Education: The University challenges students with its bilingual approach, comprehensive coursework, and the integration of both domestic and international legal frameworks. Its reputation as a top 20 law school globally, as per The Times’ 2021 rankings, is a testament to its educational rigour.
- Exploring Law Degrees in Canada: McGill offers a thorough exploration of various law degrees, catering to a wide range of legal interests and career paths.
- Support for Indigenous Communities: McGill Law actively supports Indigenous students through linguistic, financial, and practical work opportunities. Initiatives like the Legal Clinic at Kahnawake and the L.E.X. program with the Kahnawake Survival School, along with the Kawaskimhon Moot, are notable examples.
- Career Development Opportunities: Students have access to career support for securing Supreme Court clerkships, engaging in law clinics, and pursuing internships. The law school’s commitment to professional growth is evident.
- Global Exchange Programs: McGill Law’s partnerships with institutions in Shantou, Sao Paulo, Turin, Melbourne, and other global locations offer enriching exchange opportunities. With the possibility of bursary funding, these programs are accessible and beneficial for students seeking international experience.
More About McGill Law
McGill University School of Law is an elite academic establishment on both national and international levels and is, in fact, Canada’s oldest higher education institution teaching law, having been founded back in 1848.
McGill Faculty of Law is an English and French speaking law school. It offers the combined Bachelor of Civil Law and Juris Doctor program (BCL/JD) inaugurated towards the final years of the 20th century in synergy with studies of Indigenous legal practices.
Many political figures, civil servants, legal professionals, judges, and several Canadian Prime Ministers once headed to Montreal to do Law at McGill University, so stay on this page for more information if you would like to find out what made them choose McGill’s Law School over other institutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are often asked quite a few questions about this topic. Below you will find the answers:
Is McGill Law hard to get into?
Yes, it is a highly competitive program with a chance of entry of around 11.9%. It is one of the more challenging law schools to gain admission to in Canada. This low acceptance rate indicates both the high number of applicants and the stringent selection criteria that McGill Law employs, including academic excellence, extracurricular involvement, and personal statements.
What GPA do you need for McGill Law?
In order to be considered competitive for admission to McGill Law, applicants usually need to have a GPA of at least 85%. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that McGill takes a holistic approach to evaluating applications. This means that while a high GPA is important, other factors like letters of recommendation, personal statements, and extracurricular activities are also taken into consideration.
Is McGill Law prestigious?
Yes, McGill Law is highly prestigious and regularly ranks among the top 3 law schools in Canada. This reputation is built on its rigorous academic programs, distinguished faculty, and the successful careers of its alumni. It is known for its bilingual program and the integration of both civil and common law, which offers a unique and comprehensive legal education.
Can I get into McGill Law with a 3.3 GPA?
Gaining admission to McGill Law with a 3.3 GPA can be very challenging, as the average GPA of admitted students is usually much higher. However, if other aspects of your application are particularly strong – such as having significant relevant work experience, outstanding letters of recommendation, or exceptional personal achievements – these can sometimes compensate for a lower GPA.
Can I get into McGill Law with a 3.5 GPA?
Admission with a 3.5 GPA is feasible but still very competitive. A strong LSAT score can enhance your application, despite the LSAT not being a mandatory requirement for McGill Law. Other factors, such as your personal statement, work experience, and extracurricular activities, will also play a crucial role in the admissions decision.
How many people get accepted to McGill Law?
Each year, McGill Law accepts approximately 175 to 185 students. This number reflects the faculty’s commitment to maintaining a high standard of education and personal attention to each student. The relatively small class size allows for a more interactive and engaging learning environment, contributing to the high quality of legal education McGill provides.
How long is a McGill law degree?
It takes, on average, 3.5 years to complete the BCL/JD program. It typically takes which is about 7 academic terms. To fulfil the degree requirements, students need to attend full-time for at least three years. In each term, full-time students are expected to take a minimum of 12 credits, up to a maximum of 18 credits. Although the program is primarily designed for full-time study, students can request to switch to part-time status in exceptional circumstances, but they need permission from the Associate Dean (Academic) for this change.
