The University of British Columbia

Upper Level Applicants

Degree Categories

Applicants who have either started their JD program at another school or who have graduated from a foreign law school can apply under either the Transfer or Advanced Standing categories. Applicants who apply under either of these categories must successfully complete two years of legal studies at UBC Law to receive a degree from UBC.

The application deadline for the following categories is April 30th.

1. Transfer

Applicants who have started their JD at another Canadian Law School may apply to transfer to UBC Law after completing their first year. If the first year curriculum differs from that offered at UBC Law, an applicant may be required to complete one or more first year class(es) in conjunction with their upper level classes. The Admissions Committee gives preference to applicants who:

a) would have been admitted to the first year of legal studies at UBC Law at the time of being admitted to their present institution;

b) have achieved satisfactory academic performance in their legal studies at their current institution; and,

c) have compelling reasons for transferring to UBC Law, which include compassionate grounds in which the applicant has no control over the circumstances.

Applicants must submit undergraduate transcripts, law transcripts, an LSAT score, a personal statement and two letters of reference with their application.

2. Advanced Standing

Graduates of foreign law schools who have been approved by the National Committee on Accreditation and received advanced standing, or graduates of Québec civil law schools may apply to complete two years of legal studies at UBC Law to obtain a J.D.

Applicants must submit all transcripts, an LSAT score, a personal statement, and two letters of reference.

Non-Degree Categories

Applicants admitted in either of the following categories are not eligible to receive a J.D. degree from UBC Faculty of Law.

The application deadline for the following categories is April 30th.

1. Visiting (Letter of Permission)

Students enrolled in a law program at an approved law school may request permission from their current school to attend one year or one term of either the second- or third-year program at UBC Law on a letter of permission basis. Criteria for selection are the same as for transfer requests (see above). Visiting status will be granted to successful applicants for a maximum of one year.

Applicants must submit undergraduate transcripts, law transcripts, an LSAT score (except for Applicants from Non-North American law schools), a personal statement, and two letters of reference.

2. Unclassified (NCA)

Applicants who have law degrees or their equivalents from foreign jurisdictions and who wish to undertake legal studies at UBC Law in order to satisfy the certification requirements of the National Committee on Accreditation may apply for unclassified status. NCA applicants will not be permitted to enrol in first year law classes.

Students interested in completing courses required by the NCA, including subject areas typically offered in the first year of the JD program, may also apply to the LLM Common Law (LLM CL) program.

Applicants must submit all transcripts, LSAT score if taken, a personal statement, two letters of reference and a letter from the National Committee on Accreditation.

There must be clear evidence that the student is competent to pursue studies in the English language.  If you do not have a law degree from a University taught in the English language, an official TOEFL and TWE score  from the testing agency is required. These test scores must be from tests taken within the 24 months leading up to the date of application.

The minimum TOEFL and TWE scores for admission are 600 and 5.5 respectively (250 and 5.5
under the computerized version). A minimum score does not necessarily guarantee admission. The TOEFL Head Office must send the score directly to the J.D. Admissions Office of the Faculty of law.

For more information about the TOEFL and TWE please see: www.toefl.org .

Applicants must have their transcripts evaluated by The National Committee on Accreditation, for more information, visit http://www.flsc.ca/en/about/contact.asp.