Applications deadlines

Law at McGill is a limited enrollment program and thus admission is competitive. Statistics show that the number of applications is approximately nine times greater than the number of available places. Each year the Faculty admits approximately 170 new students.

The on-line application is available as of September 1st. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete, with supporting documents, on or before their appropriate deadline listed below. Deadlines vary by category of admission. Candidates must take the time to identify the category in which they must apply.

Deadlines must be respected. Late applications are not accepted. There are no exceptions.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply and submit all required supporting documents as early as possible in the process and in advance of their relevant deadlines.

Note: First-year, transfer, and advanced-standing students may only enter the program in September.

Supporting documents

All supporting documents should be uploaded via Minerva (with the exception of reference letters, which must be submitted in accordance with specific instructions for referees on our website) by the deadlines listed below. Applicants who are unable to upload their documents online may send them via post or courier, in which case the documents must be postmarked or delivered on or before the deadlines listed below.

Supporting document submission deadlines indicate the date on which incomplete applications will be cancelled.

Where a deadline falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, the effective deadline will be the following business day.

Applicants to Upper Year (January 2012 entrance)	Application Deadline	Supporting document submission deadline
Visiting	May 1, 2011	June 15, 2011
Exchange	May 1, 2011	June 15, 2011
Chambres des notaires & Comité des équivalences	October 1, 2011	December 1, 2011
Special students	December 1, 2011	December 15, 2011

---

Applicants to First Year (September 2012 entrance)	Application deadline	Supporting document submission deadline
University & Mature	November 30, 2011	December 1, 2011
Cegep & Quebec French Baccalaureate (Collège Marie de France and Collège Stanislas)	March 1, 2012	March 7, 2012

---

Applicants to Upper Year (September 2012 entrance)	Application Deadline	Supporting document submission deadline
Advanced-Standing	November 30, 2011	January 15, 2012
Visiting	May 1, 2012	June 15, 2012
Exchange	May 1, 2012	June 15, 2012
Chambres des notaires & Comité des équivalences	May 1, 2012	August 1, 2012
Transfer	May 1, 2012	June 15, 2012
Special students	August 1, 2012	August 15, 2012

---

Applicants to Upper Year (January 2013 entrance)	Application Deadline	Supporting document submission deadline
Visiting	May 1, 2012	June 15, 2012
Exchange	May 1, 2012	June 15, 2012
Chambres des notaires & Comité des équivalences	October 1, 2012	December 1, 2012
Special students	December 1, 2012	December 15, 2012

---

First Nations, Inuit and Metis students - Please refer to our admissions policy for native applicants.

Application to our law program requires preparation, planning and reflection. You should apply for admission only if you will be available and able to start our program on the date you are applying for. Indeed, if admitted, you will be expected to start your course on the date and term for which you applied and as indicated on your admission offer letter. Because of the small enrolment of our program and the competition of admission, the Faculty of Law does not normally accept requests for deferral entry. In particular, international candidates are responsible to ensure they will have a valid status to study in Canada (i.e. student visa, permanent residency) before registration and should plan the timing of their application to Law accordingly.

University applicants

A University Applicant to McGill's Faculty of Law must have completed a minimum of two years of full-time university studies (60 credits), at the time of registration. This category includes applicants who, at time of registration, will have completed more than one year of university studies in addition to a Diploma of Collegial Studies (D.C.S.).

Please note that, while candidates who have completed 60 credits are eligible to apply to the B.C.L./LL.B. program, the strength of the university applicant pool is such that the Faculty rarely admits candidates who will not have completed an undergraduate degree at the time of registration.

Deadline for submitting application: November 30
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: December 1

Mature applicants

A mature applicant is defined as an individual who is over 30 years of age at the time of registration and/or who has interrupted his or her formal education for a minimum of five years. Applicants who qualify as mature must apply in this category. There is no predetermined number of mature candidates admitted in a given year. A mature applicant is normally expected to have completed CEGEP or two years (60 credits) of university studies. Mature applicants who are regarded as potentially admissible following a review of their file are required to attend an interview.

Mature candidates who will have graduated with a Diploma of Collegial Studies (D.C.S.) from a CEGEP during the same calendar year as that of registration, must apply under the CEGEP category.

In addition to all official post-secondary transcripts, mature applicants are required to submit a detailed résumé of their non-academic experience along with letters of assessment from persons who are familiar with their academic potential. The candidate should seek to demonstrate his or her ability to meet the demands of law studies, to reason and analyze, and to express him or herself well both orally and in writing.

Deadline for submitting application: November 30
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: December 1

CEGEP and Quebec French Baccalaureate (Collèges international Marie de France and Stanislas) Applicants

Candidates may apply on the basis of a Diploma of Collegial Studies (D.C.S.) from a CEGEP, or a Quebec French Baccalaureate (Q.F.B.). This category includes candidates who will have completed up to one year of university studies in addition to the D.C.S. or Q.F.B. at the time of registration, and mature candidates who will have graduated with a D.C.S. from a CEGEP or Q.F.B. during the same calendar year as that of registration.

Candidates who will have completed a French Baccalaureate or an International Baccalaureate Diploma outside the province of Quebec, must have completed a minimum of two years of full-time university studies (60 credits), at the time of registration, to be eligible to apply to our program.

Cegep/Q.F.B. candidates are not eligible to apply to the joint degree programs.

Cegep/Q.F.B. candidates who are regarded as potentially admissible following review of their file are required to attend an interview.

Deadline for submitting application: March 1
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: March 7

Advanced-standing applicants

Applicants who hold a law degree from a Canadian or foreign university recognized by McGill must apply for admission to the B.C.L./LL.B. program under the Advanced Standing category, unless applying under the Comité des équivalences category (see Comité des équivalences). There are a limited number of places available for Advanced Standing applicants. Applications are evaluated using the same criteria as applications to the first year of the B.C.L./LL.B. program, with particular attention to performance in law studies.

Successful applicants must complete a minimum of 75 credits at McGill and undertake the integrated B.C.L./LL.B. program. It is not possible to obtain either the B.C.L. or the LL.B. degree on its own. The Associate Dean (Academic) determines equivalences for previous studies.

Note: Advanced-standing candidates applying from the French educational system must have obtained a license (licence en droit) in order to be eligible; candidates holding only a D.E.U.G. are not eligible.

Deadline for submitting application: November 30
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: January 15

Visiting students (non-McGill law degree) — online application only - Letters of Permission

Students who have completed two years of studies at another law faculty who wish, for academic or personal reasons, to spend a term at McGill may be admitted as a Visiting Student. The Faculty endeavours to accommodate qualified students who are in good standing in their own faculties, where student numbers at McGill permit.

Students from other law faculties who would like to attend McGill as a Visiting Student must apply through the Admissions Office. Their application must include a Letter of permission from their home university. The Assistant Dean (Student Life and Learning) makes decisions on these applications. Accepted students must arrange their academic program with the Assistant Dean (Student Life and Learning).

• NOTE: Courses taken by Visiting Students cannot be credited toward a McGill law degree.

Deadline for submitting application: May 1
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: June 15

Exchange students — coming to McGill (non-McGill law degree)

Students registered in degree programs in law at universities that have an official exchange agreement with McGill University or with the Faculty of Law may apply as Exchange Students. In addition, McGill participates in a number of exchange programs through CREPUQ (la Conférence des Recteurs et Principaux des Universités du Québec). McGill's exchange partners are listed on McGill University's website.

Students participating in an exchange must fill out the on-line application form. There is no application fee for these candidates.

Exchange Students are selected and officially nominated by their home universities. Please note that home university internal application deadlines may vary. McGill considers applicants on an individual basis; the minimum entrance requirement is generally a cumulative B average or its equivalent. Decisions on applications for exchange are made by the Assistant Dean (Student Life and Learning). Admission decisions on exchange applications are final; there is no reconsideration process.

The Faculty has a limited number of places for Exchange Students, and entrance into courses which have enrolment limits or require the permission of the instructor is not guaranteed.

• NOTE: Courses taken by Exchange Students cannot be credited toward a McGill law degree.

Deadline for submitting application: May 1
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: June 15

Applicants from Comité des équivalences / Chambre des notaires (non-McGill law degree)

The Faculty accepts applications from candidates who hold a law degree from a Canadian or foreign university recognized by McGill and who are seeking to fulfil the requirements of the Comité des équivalences of the Barreau du Québec or of the Chambre des notaires, in order to practice in Quebec. Successful applicants must have the final decision of the Comité des équivalences or the Chambre des notaires in hand at the time of registration.

• This is a non-degree program: students wishing to obtain the B.C.L./LL.B. degrees should apply under the Advanced Standing Students.
• The Faculty does not consider candidates applying to fulfill the requirements of the National Committee on Accreditation.
• Courses taken by Comité des équivalences / Chambre des notaires Students cannot be credited toward a McGill law degree.

Deadline for submitting application: May 1 (September 2011 entrance), October 1 (January 2012 entrance)
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: August 1 (September 2011 entrance), December 1 (January 2012 entrance)

Transfer students

Students who have successfully completed at least one year of full-time studies in an undergraduate program at another Canadian law faculty may apply for admission as a Transfer Student. There are a limited number of places available for Transfer Students. Transfer applications are evaluated according to the criteria for admission to the first year of the B.C.L./LL.B. program. Particular attention is paid to performance in law studies and reasons for requesting a transfer.

Successful Transfer applicants must complete a minimum of 75 credits at McGill. The Associate Dean (Academic) determines credit for previous studies. In most cases, Transfer Students will be required to take the transsystemic first-year courses – Contractual Obligations and Extra-Contractual Obligations/Torts – in order to meet McGill’s degree requirements. Candidates will not receive credit for courses in obligations, contract or tort taken during a first year completed at another faculty.

• Transfer students should forward official transcripts of Winter term results as soon as they become available. Transfer applications cannot be evaluated without these results.
• Candidates who have completed a certificate in law are not eligible to apply under the Transfer category, but must apply to the degree program.
• Students who are not in good standing or who have been required to withdraw at the end of their first year at another Canadian law faculty are not eligible to transfer to McGill.
• The online application is available from September 1 until November 30 for this category, even though the deadline for submitting an application is May 1. To submit a paper application in this category after November 30, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions.

Deadline for submitting application: May 1
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: June 15

Special students (non-McGill law degree)

The Faculty will exceptionally permit a limited number of candidates not actively pursuing a law degree to apply as Special Students. Students registered in other universities, and candidates not actively pursuing a university degree, may apply to take certain courses within the Faculty.

Special Student status will be granted to applicants who provide compelling academic or professional reasons for taking law courses and who successfully demonstrate the capacity to undertake the requirements of the requested course(s). Status will be granted only where sufficient course space is available.

Special Students are limited to a maximum of 6 credits per term, and to 12 credits in total. Important information about this category:

• McGill students registered in a faculty other than law, who, for exceptional reasons related to their program of study, wish to enroll in a Faculty of Law course, must obtain the permission of the Associate Dean (Academic) and the course instructor. Such students need not fill out the online application. The form "Application to register in law courses for McGill Students" is available on the Law Student Affairs Office website.
• Students registered in other Quebec universities who wish to take certain courses within the Faculty must apply through "CREPUQ (Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec)". Such students need not fill out the online application.
• Courses taken by Special Students will not be credited toward a McGill law degree.
• Students wishing to obtain a McGill law degree and students recently refused admission to a degree program in the Faculty of Law will not be admitted as Special Students.
• The Faculty does not consider Special Student applications from candidates seeking to fulfill the requirements of the National Committee on Accreditation.

Deadline for submitting application: August 1 (September 2011 entrance), December 1 (January 2012 entrance)
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: August 15 (September 2011 entrance), December 15 (January 2012 entrance)