These admission policies and procedures apply to both domestic (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) and international applicants.
Application Procedure for the J.D. Program
This procedure applies to both domestic and international applicants.
The Admissions Committee evaluates applicants to the first year on a continuous basis as each applicant's file is completed. The following documents are required of genral, mature and Aboriginal applicants, and constitute a complete file. They must be submitted directly to OLSAS:
- Ontario Law School Application Service (OLSAS) Application Form;
- Official and original copies of all post-secondary academic transcripts; see note below regarding transcripts from institutions outside of Canada and the United States
- All Law School Admission Test Scores;
- A Personal Statement and Optional Essay
- Resumé (mature applicants only)
Letters of recommendation are not required, and if submitted, will not necessarily form part of the applicant's file.
TRANSCRIPTS:
At the point of application, applicants who completed their undergraduate degrees (or completed more than a year of study) at postsecondary institutions outside of Canada or the United States are not required to submit an assessment of their foreign credentials. However, they may be required to submit such an assessment (from World Education Services, or the LSAC Credential Assembly Service, or equivalent) as a condition of an offer of admission.
The admissions cycle runs from November to late June. Offers of admission are made beginning in December. When all places in the class have been filled (usually by the end of June), a waiting list is established to fill vacancies as they occur. Based on past experience, the Committee is able to set standards early in the year.
FOR APPLICANTS WHO ARE CURRENTLY REGISTERED AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION:
In assessing applicants who are registered in current programs, the Admissions Committee considers whether or not the applicant's performance in her or his program will make a difference to the decision on the application. Where the Committee is satisfied that additional information cannot affect the decision to accept or refuse the application, a decision will be made on the application. Otherwise, the file will be held pending the receipt of final grades. Accordingly, decisions are frequently made before final transcripts are available. While decisions in these cases are based on information available to the Committee at the time that the file is reviewed, the applicant is afforded the greatest benefit of doubt concerning unknown information. The Admissions Committee attempts to make decisions on applications as early as possible. A few applicants with complete files may not receive notification of a decision until late spring or early summer. Applicants whose files are incomplete will be notified by the Admissions Office and all applicants are advised in writing when a decision has been made.
More information on how academic records are assessed can be found in the Admissions Policies section.
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Law School Admission Test
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is offered four times annually (normally June, September, December, and February) at numerous test centres in Canada and abroad. It is required of all applicants to first year. If more than one LSAT score is reported, all scores will be seen by the Admissions Committee, but the higher score is considered.
The LSAT must be taken by the February 2013 test date but applicants are strongly encouraged to take the test at one of the earlier dates. For entry in September 2013, the LSAT must have been taken on or after the June 2009 test date.
FOR APPLICANTS WHO ARE SCHEDULED TO TAKE EITHER THE DECEMBER 2012 OR FEBRUARY 2013 LSAT:
All required documents must be submitted by the November 1 deadline even if the LSAT has not yet been written. The results of the December or February LSAT can be submitted once they are available.
The OLSAS application asks applicants if they plan to write the LSAT; applicants writing a future LSAT must answer yes to this question, and click on the December and February options as applicable.
Applications for the LSAT and full information on the test may be obtained from:
Law Services
Box 2000, 661 Penn Street
Newtown, PA 18940-0998, USA
Tel: (215) 968-1001, Fax: (215) 968-1119
e-mail: lsacinfo@lsac.org
Website: http://www.lsac.org
More information about the LSAT can be found in the Admissions Policies section.
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Personal Statement and Optional Essay
The personal statement is part of the OLSAS application. As the Admissions Committee conducts no interviews, the personal statement is an applicant's opportunity to outline those features of the application which distinguish the applicant. The content of the personal statement is not prescribed. However applicants are encouraged to use the personal statement to share their "story" with the Admissions Committee. Applicants may wish to outline in the personal statement such things as their choice of undergraduate program and institution; the extent to which it has prepared them for the study of law; and if appropriate, any anomalies in the academic record including false starts, fewer than five courses over two terms, and introductory courses taken in the third or fourth years of a program.
The personal statement is also an opportunity for applicants to highlight their non-academic accomplishments as well as any circumstances which may have contributed to or detracted from their academic and non-academic success, such as the response to disadvantage due to adverse personal or socio-economic circumstances or to barriers faced by cultural (including racial or ethnic) or linguistic minorities; and the impact of temporary or permanent physical disabilities. Applicants may want to write to the Committee about the different ways they see themselves contributing to the law school and legal community.
Aboriginal applicants are requested to outline in their personal statements their interest in, identification with, and connection to their communities.
In addition to the personal statement, applicants may choose to complete an optional essay in response to one of three questions provided in the application. Both the personal statement and optional essay are designed to elicit information that will assist the Admissions Committee to make admissions decisions.
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Ontario Law School Application Service (OLSAS)
The processing of applications for 2013 admission to any Ontario law school will be handled centrally by the Ontario Law School Application Service (OLSAS) a division of the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC). The OUAC, located in Guelph, Ontario, currently processes applications for undergraduate full-time studies for Ontario's universities and for a number of second degree programs. OLSAS offers numerous benefits to applicants through a simplified application process and will also reduce duplication and processing costs at the universities. In late August applicants may apply on-line.
Ontario Law School Application Service (OLSAS)
Ontario Universities' Application Centre
170 Research Lane
Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 5E2
Tel: (519) 823-1063
Fax: (519) 823-5232
e-mail: olsas@ouac.on.ca
Website: http://www.ouac.on.ca/olsas/
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Deadline for Filing Applications
Applications for admission to the Faculty of Law must be submitted to OLSAS by 11:59 pm EST November 1, 2012.
OLSAS applications must be submitted by the deadline listed above even if documentation is not yet complete or available. Missing documentation can be submitted once they are available. Applications will only be reviewed after all documentation has been received.
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Application Fee
The OLSAS processing fee is $195.00 CDN plus an institutional levy of $90.00 for each law school selection. All fees and levies are non-refundable. The $90.00 levy, collected by OLSAS but remitted directly to the Faculty of Law, assists us in covering a portion of our costs associated with the admission assessment. Please see the OLSAS instruction booklet for detailed fee information.
First-Year Applicants: Late Applications
First-year applications are due at OLSAS on November 1, 2012.
However, 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 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, LSAT score(s), a resumé and Personal Statement should also be enclosed. Requests will only be reviewed when all of these required documents have been received.
The request can be faxed to 416-978-0790 or emailed with attachments to law.admissions@utoronto.ca. The Faculty will provide a response within five business days.
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Entrance Scholarships and Bursaries
Most of the Faculty's financial aid is in the form of needs-based funding, but a very small number of merit-based entrance scholarships are available. All admitted students will be automatically considered for Faculty of Law merit-based scholarships without further application.
All admitted students will be provided a financial aid application in their offer of admission package. By completing and submitting this financial aid application, admitted students can be considered for bursaries and other needs-based financial aid.
A list of available entrance bursaries and scholarships is available on the Faculty of Law website.
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Deferral of Admission
Requests for deferrals are considered on an individual basis after applicants have been admitted, and are granted at the discretion of the Chair of the Admissions Committee and the Senior Recruitment, Admissions and Diversity Outreach Officer or the Assistant Dean, Students. Reasons in support of such requests must be submitted in writing. In exceptional cases, a two-year deferral may be granted.
Admitted applicants whose requests for deferral are denied, and who decide not to accept their offers of admission, are required to repeat the application process in order to be considered for admission the following year. The Admissions Office may be consulted to determine whether or not an application is likely to remain competitive in the subsequent admissions cycle. Applicants who have been granted a deferral must pay a non-refundable fee to secure their place in the entering class for the following year.
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Previous Applications
All applicants who have previously submitted an application must re-apply for admission through OLSAS. However, those who are re-applying only to the University of Toronto and who have previously applied within the last two admission cycles need not re-submit LSAT score reports, official transcripts or Personal Statements, included in past OLSAS application(s), except to provide up-to-date documents.
Applicant files are kept for two years after the initial application in the event that an applicant should re-apply. After two years, the file of applicants not admitted are shredded.
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Fee Waivers
Fee waivers for the $90 law school fee exemption may be downloaded from the Fee Waivers web page.
Information about applying for an LSAT Fee Waiver is also provided on this web page.
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