Upper-Year Applicants

updated August 9, 2024
 

• JD Degree
• Transfer Applicants
  
  
• JD courses on a Non-Degree basis
• Visiting law students on a Letter of Permission (LOP)
• National Committee on Accreditation Program (NCA)
• Auditing JD Courses
• Student Exchange to U of T

Transfer Applicants

The Faculty of Law welcomes applications from students seeking admission to the second year of the JD program as transfer students. We expect that there will be from ten to twenty places to be filled every year.

Degree Completion & Transfer Credit
Transfer students will be eligible for the University of Toronto’s JD degree upon the successful completion of two years of academic work in residence at the University of Toronto and subject to meeting the Faculty’s academic requirements as set out in the Academic Handbook. 

Transfer credit will be considered and granted, where appropriate, for first-year law courses successfully completed at another common law school (Canadian or non-Canadian). Transfer credits are determined after the review of the transfer application for admissibility, and not in advance. Notification of any granted credit will be included in an offer of admission package. If admitted, any shortfall from our first-year required courses will need to be taken in addition to upper year courses in order to complete our JD.

Transfer credit will not be granted for law courses completed at another law school after its traditional first-year terms, e.g. no credit for summer courses if your law school's traditional first-year spans the fall and winter terms only.

Please note that transfer students are not eligible to participate in the Student Exchange Program

 
Course Offerings
The academic year begins in early September, for which the year's course offerings are listed only a couple of months earlier during late-June to early-July. Please view the current course list online.    

Combined JD Programs for Transfers
Applicants applying to transfer into the second year of the JD program may also apply for admission to one of our combined programs.

• If you intend to, or are contemplating whether to, study a JD combined program, then on the OLSAS application form for the JD, you must pick the JD-only selection and also the desired JD combined program selection. Please ensure that the selections are made before the OLSAS application deadline, after which your ability to add a new program selection on the OLSAS application form is disabled.  The additional selection of the combined program at OLSAS enables the law school to check with applicants, later in the cycle, on the outcome of their application to the partner program. It does not influence the admission to the JD. An independent application to the partner program is still required, regardless of the combination selected at OLSAS.
  
  
• Applicants must apply directly to, and be admitted to, the partner program separately, for the same entry year as the JD transfer. Applicants are strongly encouraged to ascertain the application deadline relevant to the other faculty or department involved in the combined program in which they are interested, and meet all admission requirements, application deadlines and procedures for each degree program.
  
  
• The law school will assess admission to the JD only, independently of the outcome of the admission of the partner program. If one is admitted independently to both the JD and the partner, then one may enrol in both programs as a combination. It is the enrolment after admission that is combined, and not the admission consideration.

Admissions Policy for Transfer Applicants

Eligibility
Applications will only be considered for candidates, regardless of immigration status in Canada, who have completed, all of:

1. At least three years of full-time undergraduate degree studies (exclusive of law school studies).
2. No more than the first year only, of an LLB or JD program at another common law school (Canadian or non-Canadian), prior to entry at UofT Law.
3. At least four of the following courses successfully, which are required at the Faculty of Law:

• Administrative Law
• Canadian Constitutional Law
• Contract Law
• Criminal Law
• Legal Process
• Property Law
• Torts

4. In addition to the academic requirements the standardized LSAT test is required, please read an overview of the LSAT and when it should be written.  Other academic aptitude standardized tests such as the GRE and GMAT are not acceptable.

The Personal Statement for Transfer Applicants
The Personal Statement is an opportunity to discuss your intellectual and academic background and personal interests, as well as provide information about yourself that is not otherwise evident through other information you provide in your application. The Admissions Committee wants to get a sense of who you are as a person and as a potential student and graduate of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.  Being authentic and thoughtful is the best approach in writing your statement.
 

Selection
Admission to transfer into the second year of our JD program is based on a holistic assessment of a candidate’s profile, including undergraduate record (and, if applicable, graduate work), LSAT score, all first year JD or LLB grades from a common law school, and a personal statement.  

The Admissions Committee will take into account the differences in the quality of the law schools, as well as differences in grading policies, etc. Unless this is evident from the transcript, applicants are encouraged to support their applications with information from their law school Registrar or Dean on the grading practices at their law school and to provide their class ranking, if available.

Some applicants have compassionate grounds for seeking admission. As the Admissions Committee finds it extremely difficult to choose among deserving compassionate reasons, selection is not based on these factors.

Transfer applications will only be reviewed after the application deadline, and thenceforth after all application documentation has been received. Decisions are made on a rolling basis.

Application Procedure for Transfer Applicants

Transfer applicants must submit the following documentation directly to the Ontario Law School Application Service (OLSAS):

1. An OLSAS application.
2. Official and original copies of all post-secondary study academic transcripts, including law school transcripts.
3. LSAT Score(s)
4. Personal Statement (required for all), Optional Essay (optional for all), and BSAP Essay (required for BSAP candidates)
5. A letter from their current law school indicating they are in good standing and have not been subject to disciplinary actions (including both academic and non-academic actions). Arrange with the current law school to have the letter sent by the law school (Registrar's Office) directly to OLSAS.

 
International Transcripts & WES Canada Evaluations
Applicants who completed at least one academic year of courses at post-secondary institutions outside of Canada or the USA are required to provide a third-party course-by-course assessment of their transcripts from World Education Services (WES Canada) for their applications.  A WES Canada evaluation is not required for the law school transcripts of transfer applicants. Apply to WES Canada for transcript evaluation, and instruct WES Canada to submit the results to OLSAS directly.

English Language Proficiency Tests (TOEFL, IELTS etc.)
A proficiency test is not required, however the LSAT is required, no exceptions.

References & Interviews
Letters of recommendation are not required and, if submitted, will not form part of the applicant's file. Interviews are not used for selection.

Application Deadline
For admission to enter in the 2025-2026 academic year, applications open in August 2024 and are to be received by 11:59 pm (Toronto time) on May 1, 2025.  Applications must be received by this deadline even if law school marks for the current year are not yet available. 

For applicants currently enrolled in a law school, if the documents to be provided directly by your law school (official final grades and/or letter of good standing) become available after the deadline, then still apply by the deadline and submit those documents to OLSAS as soon as possible after the deadline.

Late Applications
The Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto is prepared to consider requests to submit late applications. Any interested applicants must apply in writing to the JD Admissions Office at the University of Toronto asking to be considered as a late applicant and outlining reasons for failing to meet the deadline. Student copies of all post-secondary academic transcripts (including law school marks for the current year) and LSAT scores should be enclosed with the letter. 

Requests will only be reviewed when all of these required documents have been received. The request can be emailed with attachments to admissions.law@utoronto.ca. The Faculty usually provides a response within five business days.

Application Fee
For the Ontario law schools, the base application fee is CAD $200 with an additional CAD $115 for each law school selection. All application fees are non-refundable. 

Submission of Applications Online & Application Fee
Obtain applications from, and submit to:

Letter of Permission (LOP) Applicants

Candidates who have successfully completed two years in an LL.B. or JD program at another law school may apply to study for up to one academic year at the University of Toronto on a LOP issued by the candidate's law school. Enrolment will be in JD courses only. LOP students are not eligible for JD combined program admission or enrolment.

LOP students do not receive a JD from the University of Toronto. Rather, they will receive a law degree from their home institution (subject to the requirements of their home institution). LOP students pay the host institution's tuition and ancillary fees, and as visiting students on a non-degree basis, are not eligible for the U of T T Faculty of Law financial aid programs.

We expect that there will be from ten to twenty places to be filled every year. 

Course Offerings
The academic year begins in early September, for which the year's course offerings are listed only a couple of months earlier during late-June to early-July.

• Please view the current course list online
• Enrolment in certain courses may be restricted for non-degree students.

Admissions Policy for LOP Applicants

 The Admissions Committee will take into account the differences in the quality of the law schools, as well as differences in grading policies, etc. Unless this is evident from the transcript, applicants are encouraged to support their applications with information from their law school Registrar or Dean on the grading practices at their law school and to provide their class ranking, if available.

LOP applications will only be reviewed after the application deadline, and thenceforth after all application documentation has been received. Decisions are made on a rolling basis.

Application Procedure for LOP Applicants

LOP applicants must submit the following documentation directly to the Ontario Law School Application Service (OLSAS):

1. An OLSAS application.
2. Official and original copies of all post-secondary study academic transcripts, including law school transcripts.
3. LSAT Score(s)
4. Personal Statement and Optional Essay (both are submitted on the online OLSAS application)
5. A letter of permission (LOP) from their home institution which allows them to register at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.
6. A letter from their current law school indicating they are in good standing and have not been subject to any disciplinary actions (including both academic and non-academic actions).. Arrange with the law school to have the letter sent by the law school (Registrar's Office) directly to OLSAS.

International Transcripts & WES Canada Evaluations
Applicants who completed at least one academic year of courses at post-secondary institutions outside of Canada or the USA are required to provide a third-party course-by-course assessment of their transcripts from World Education Services (WES Canada) for their applications.  A WES Canada evaluation is not required for the law school transcripts of letter of permission applicants. Apply to WES Canada for transcript evaluation, and instruct WES Canada to submit the results to OLSAS directly.

English Language Proficiency Tests (TOEFL, IELTS etc.)
A proficiency test is not required for applying, however, after the review of a submitted application, we may ask for proof of proficiency, if it is warranted.

References & Interviews
Letters of recommendation are not required and, if submitted, will not form part of the applicant's file. Interviews are not used for selection.

Application Deadline
For admission to enter in the 2025-2026 academic year, applications open in August 2024 and are to be received by 11:59 pm (Toronto time) on May 1, 2024.  Applications must be received by this deadline even if law school marks for the current year are not yet available.

For applicants currently enrolled in a law school, if the documents to be provided directly by your law school (official final grades, the LOP or letter of good standing) become available after the deadline, then still apply by the deadline and submit those documents to OLSAS as soon as possible after the deadline.

Late Applications
the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto is prepared to consider requests to submit late applications. Any interested applicants must apply in writing to the JD Admissions Office at the University of Toronto asking to be considered as a late applicant and outlining in detail, the reasons for failing to meet the deadline. Student copies of academic transcripts (including law school marks for the current year) and, if attained, LSAT scores, should be enclosed with the letter.

Requests will only be reviewed when all of these required documents have been received. The request can be emailed with attachments to admissions.law@utoronto.ca. The Faculty will provide a response within five business days.

Application Fee
For the Ontario law schools, the base application fee is CAD $200 with an additional CAD $115 for each law school selection. All application fees are non-refundable. 

Auditing JD Courses 

Permitted Studies
With the approval of the Faculty of Law, auditors may engage in non-degree studies by attending lectures and other class meetings and take part in class discussions. Online and distance education courses are not offered. Auditors may not enrol in courses in the first year of the JD program. The University's Code of Student Conduct applies to auditors.

Course Participation & Credit
Except with special permission, auditors will not receive evaluations of participation, and will not be permitted to submit assignments or write examinations and tests. Auditors receive no credit towards a JD degree. 

Certificate of Attendance
Upon request, auditors may receive written Certificate of Attendance. Certificates of Attendance will not be part of the Official Student Academic Record.

Auditing Course Fee

• Graduate students registered in the University, and graduates who have earned their LLB, JD, LLM, or SJD at the Faculty of Law will not be charged an audit fee for auditing except in cases where Certificates of Attendance are requested.
  
  
• For all others, the non-refundable audit fee is CAD $3,500 per JD course, plus HST (13% government tax).

• The auditing fee is for auditing only. Non-registered students who wish to use other University services (for example, the UofT Library) may have access to them on terms normally available to members of the community at large.

Acceptance into courses is subject to available spaces. Often, a decision cannot be made until immediately prior to, or shortly after, the beginning of classes in each term.

National Committee on Accreditation Program (NCA)

For detailed information see the National Committee on Accreditation application web page.

Note: Candidates whose NCA assessments require the completion of 60 credits will be considered as transfer applicants to the JD degree program.

Student Exchange to UofT Law

We welcome incoming students from our exchange partner institutions into the upper years of study.

• Read the impressions of recent exchange students to UofT Law.
• Get application details from the UofT Centre for International Experience. 

Course Offerings
The academic year begins in early September, for which the year's course offerings are listed only a couple of months earlier during late-June to early-July.

• Please view the current course list online
• Enrolment in certain courses may be restricted for exchange students