Applicant categories

• People completing an undergraduate degree
• People completing a graduate degree
• People who have completed a university degree within the last 5 years OR who have taken less than 5 years of time off between degrees or during their post-secondary studies
• People who have completed a Diploma of Collegial Studies and 60 credits of undergraduate studies

A university applicant to McGill's Faculty of Law must be on track to complete their degree or have a minimum of 60 credits of undergraduate studies before starting their law studies. This category includes applicants who, at time of registration, will have completed more than 60 credits in addition to a Diploma of Collegial Studies (DCS).

While candidates who have completed 60 credits are eligible to apply to the BCL/JD program, applicants who are not on track to complete their degree before starting their law studies are unlikely to be offered admission.

Deadline for submitting application: November 1
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: November 8

• Mature applicants are those who have interrupted their formal education for a minimum of five years. This includes anyone who has finished a university degree 5 (or more) years ago, or anyone who has taken time off between degrees or during their post-secondary studies, as long as the time off adds up to 5 (or more) years. It does not have to be 5 consecutive years out of school.

NOTE: Mature applicants must meet the basic education requirements for all candidates as outlined on the Eligibility page.

Applicants who qualify as mature will be automatically placed in this category based on the academic history they have provided in the application form. There is no predetermined number of mature candidates admitted in a given year. Mature applicants are evaluated according to the same criteria and standards of excellence as any other applicant, with particular attention being paid to professional activities.

Mature applicants who are regarded as potentially admissible following a review of their file may be required to attend an interview.

Deadline for submitting application: November 1
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: November 8

• People holding a Diploma of Collegial Studies (DCS) from a CEGEP
• People who are completing a Quebec French Baccalaureate (QFB)
• People who have completed a DCS or QFB within the last five years
• People who have completed a DCS or a QFB and fewer than 30 credits of undergraduate studies

Candidates may apply on the basis of a Diploma of Collegial Studies (DCS) from a CEGEP, or a Quebec French Baccalaureate (QFB). This category includes candidates who will have completed up to 30 credits (one year) of university studies in addition to the DCS or QFB at the time of registration.

Only candidates completing French Baccalaureate Programs in Quebec at Collèges international Marie de France and Stanislas are eligible to apply. Any French Baccalaureate programs from outside Quebec do not meet the eligibility requirements. 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/QFB candidates are not eligible to apply to the joint degree programs.

Cegep/QFB candidates should read the Entrance Scholarships for future undergraduates page of the McGill Scholarships and Student Aid website as these scholarships must be applied for at the time of application.  

Candidates admitted directly from CEGEP or a Quebec French Baccalaureate, who are interested in practicing in the United States, should be aware that Bar admission requirements in a number of US states requires studies at the university level before studying law.

candidates who are regarded as potentially admissible following review of their file are required to attend an interview. Please see the ‘Decisions on applications’ section of the Application Process page.

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

• People who have completed a law degree from a Canadian or foreign university recognized by McGill and who are not applying under the Comité des équivalences category (below)

As a general rule, Advanced Standing candidates have completed a law degree which would allow them to sit the Bar exam for the same jurisdiction as the one in which they completed their studies and/or would be admissible to graduate programs in law. Advanced Standing candidates applying from the French educational system must have a license (licence en droit); candidates holding only a DEUG are not eligible.

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 BCL/JD program, with particular attention to performance in law studies.

Successful applicants must complete a minimum of 75 credits at McGill and graduate from the BCL/JD program. In most cases, Advanced Standing students will be required to complete the required private law courses that are taught transsystemically – Property, Contractual Obligations and Extra-Contractual Obligations/Torts – in order to meet McGill’s degree requirements. It is not possible to obtain either the BCL or the JD degree on its own. The Associate Dean, Academic determines equivalences for previous studies.

Deadline for submitting application: November 1
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: January 15

• Students who have successfully completed at least one year of full-time studies in an undergraduate program at another Canadian Law Faculty

NOTE: Candidates registered in a law certificate program are not eligible to apply under the Transfer category. These candidates must apply in the University, Mature or CEGEP category. Courses completed in a certificate in law program cannot be credited toward a McGill law degree. Students who are not in good standing or who have been required to withdraw from another Canadian law faculty are not eligible to transfer to McGill.

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 BCL/JD program. Particular attention is paid to performance in law studies and reasons for requesting a transfer.

Transfer students should forward transcripts of Winter term results as soon as they become available. Transfer applications cannot be evaluated without these results.

Successful Transfer applicants must complete a minimum of 75 credits at McGill (roughly 2.5 years). The Associate Dean(Academic) determines credit for previous studies. In most cases, Transfer Students must take the required private law courses that are taught transsystemically – Property, Contractual Obligations and Extra-Contractual Obligations/Torts – in order to meet McGill’s degree requirements. Candidates will not receive credit for courses in property, obligations, contracts or torts taken during a first year completed at another law faculty.

The online application is only available from September 1 until November 1 for this category, even though the deadline for submitting an application is May 1. To submit an application in this category after November 1, please admissions.law [at] mcgill.ca (contact the Admissions Office).

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

• People who self-identify as First Nations (status or non-status), Inuit, Métis, or as an Indigenous person with ties to Turtle Island.

AND

• Who fulfill the requirements in the University, Mature or CEGEP/QFB applicant category. 

Applicants who self-identify as Indigenous may select this optional category in the application form. For more information on the Optional Indigenous Category, please visit the Indigenous applicants page.

Deadline for submitting application: November 1 for those who fulfill the requirements in the University or Mature category. March 1 for those who fulfill the requirements in the CEGEP/QFB category.

Deadline for submitting supporting documents: November 8 for those who fulfill the requirements in the University or Mature category. March 7 for those who fulfill the requirements in the CEGEP/QFB category.

• Students registered in a law degree program at a university that has an official exchange agreement with McGill University or with the Faculty of Law

NOTE: McGill's exchange partnersare listed on the McGill Abroad website. Courses taken by Exchange Students cannot be credited toward a McGill law degree.

Candidates in this category must contact the Admissions Office to access the online application. There is no application fee.

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 Director, Student Life and Learning at the Faculty of Law. Admission decisions on exchange applications are final.

The Faculty has a limited number of places for Exchange Students, and access to courses that have enrollment limits or require the permission of the instructor is not guaranteed.

Deadline for submitting application: April 15; supporting documents deadline: May 1 (Fall and full-year exchange)
Deadline for submitting application: September 15; supporting documents deadline: October 1 (Winter only exchange)

• Students who have completed two years of studies at another law faculty who wish, for academic or personal reasons, to spend a semester at McGill

NOTE: The Faculty endeavours to accommodate qualified students who are in good standing in their own faculties, where student numbers at McGill permit. Courses taken by Visiting Students cannot be credited toward a McGill law degree.

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 Director, Student Life and Learning makes decisions on these applications. Accepted students must arrange their academic program with the Director, Student Life and Learning.

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

• People who hold a law degree from a Canadian or foreign university recognized by McGill and who are seeking to fulfill the requirements of the Comité des équivalences of the Barreau du Québec or of the Chambre des notaires, in order to practice in Quebec

NOTE: The Faculty does not consider candidates applying for the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of the National Committee on Accreditation.

This is a non-degree program: students wishing to obtain the BCL/JD degrees should apply under the Advanced Standing category. Courses taken by Comité des équivalences / Chambre des notaires students cannot be credited toward a McGill law degree.

Successful applicants must have the final decision of the Comité des équivalences (DBQC) or the Chambre des notaires at the time of registration. Candidates must submit their equivalency application from the Barreau du Québec or the Chambre des notaires before our deadline for supporting documents.

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

• Students registered in other universities who want to take a law course
• People not actively pursuing a law degree who want to take a law course

NOTE: 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 will exceptionally permit a limited number of candidates not actively pursuing a law degree to apply as Special Students. 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. Special students will be required to fulfill all course requirements in the courses for which they are registered and will receive a final grade. Courses taken by Special Students will not be credited toward a McGill law degree.

McGill students registered in a faculty other than law, who, for exceptional reasons related to their program of study, wish to enrol 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 Application to register in law courses for McGill Students form 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 BCI (Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire). Such students need not fill out the online application.

The list of courses offered by the Faculty of Law is available from the Student Affairs Office website under Current Courses.

All mandatory undergraduate courses for the BCL/JD program (see list below) and graduate courses (600 level) are not open to special students:

• Foundations PUB3 116
• Constitutional Law PUB2 101
• Contractual Obligations LAWG 100
• Extra-Contractual Obligations/Torts LAWG 101
• Criminal Justice LAWG 102
• Integration Workshop LAWG 110
• Legal Ethics and Professionalism LAWG 210
• Property LAWG 220
• Judicial Institutions and Civil Procedure PROC 124
• Business Associations BUS2 365
• Advocacy PRAC 200

In addition, the following undergraduate complementary courses are not open to special students:

• Advanced Civil Law Obligations PROC 200
• Advanced Common Law Obligations PRV3 200

Deadline for submitting application: August 1 (September entrance), December 1 (January entrance)
Deadline for submitting supporting documents: August 8 (September entrance), December 8 (January entrance)