Admissions

Students are admitted to classes as regular or part time undergraduates in law, as occasional students, or as graduate students.

All applicants must have completed their applications (subject to filing LSAT scores, the current year's academic transcript, and letters of reference) and sent them to the Admissions Office, by February 28. However, all completed applications received by November 30, 2009 will be given early consideration as well as be considered for all entrance scholarships.  LSATs written in June will not be considered for positions in the class commencing the following September. LSATs written prior to June 1991 will not be considered. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all materials relevant to the application are received by the committee. Applicants who have failed first year law and are applying for readmission in the year immediately following the failure must do so by September 1.  

Regular Applicants

The Admissions Committee of the Schulich School of Law may admit applicants as regular candidates for the LL.B. degree if they meet the following qualifications:

a) The applicant must have received, with standing satisfactory to the Admissions Committee, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science or Commerce, or an equivalent degree from Dalhousie University or from another degree-granting college or university recognized by the Senate.

b) An applicant with no degree within rule (a) must have completed, with standing satisfactory to the Admissions Committee, at least three full years' studies after junior matriculation or two full years after senior matriculation of a course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science or Commerce or an equivalent degree at Dalhousie or at another degree-granting college or university recognized by the Senate. Normally, this means that the applicant is within one year of receiving a degree in the undergraduate programme followed. For the purposes of this rule junior matriculation means Nova Scotia Grade XI or equivalent and senior matriculation means Nova Scotia Grade XII or equivalent.

Special Status Applicants

An applicant who is considered as a regular applicant may also be considered as a special status applicant if the application indicates a significant amount of non-academic involvement to which the Admissions Committee is prepared to direct special consideration. Generally, a special status applicant will be a person not less than twenty-five years of age who has had at least five years' experience in a significant employment capacity or in a significant community activity. A special status applicant must submit a Personal Statement and should arrange to have additional Reference Statements forwarded to the Admissions Committee from persons familiar with the applicant's non-academic experience.

Applicants who, despite economic, cultural, racial, or ethnic disadvantages, have made significant contributions to the community or who have shown exceptional capacity to respond to the challenges of employment, may be given special consideration.

Mature Applicants

Where the applicant has not met the foregoing formal educational requirements the Admissions Committee may, in very exceptional circumstances, admit a limited number of applicants as mature students where it is of the opinion that, in all the circumstances, the applicant has demonstrated by the length and quality of non-academic experience the equivalent in substance of the formal education specified in paragraph (b). Mature applicants must normally be twenty-six years of age on or before September 1st of the year for which they seek admission to law school. Mature applicants are also required to write the Law School Admissions Test, to have an interview with the Admissions Committee, and to submit to the Committee a detailed resume of their non-academic experience along with letters of assessment from persons who are familiar with their contributions and achievements. The Committee is particularly interested in gathering information with respect to the candidates' ability to organize their life and their work in order to cope with the demands of law school, their ability to reason and analyze, their ability to express themselves orally and in writing, and their potential for contribution to the community. Generally, the Committee requires, as a minimum, an accumulation of five or more years of experience in a candidate's particular field of endeavour.

Applicants to Indigenous Blacks and Mi'kmaq Initiative

Candidates for admission to this programme must be either indigenous Nova Scotia Black or Mi'kmaq persons, and should indicate this on their application materials. Otherwise the documentation is similar to the regular admission process. The Admissions Committee conducts interviews with applicants to the Programme.

Applicants who are accepted in one of the designated special categories may, as a condition of their acceptance to law school, be required by the Admissions Committee to successfully complete, either prior to or during their first year of law school, a designated course of study.

Native Applicants

Those native applicants who are not eligible for the Indigenous Black and Mi'kmaq Programme and whose previous academic background does not meet the admissions standards, are eligible to apply for admission to the Schulich School of Law through successful completion of the Programme of Legal Studies for Native People at the University of Saskatchewan, College of Law. Application forms and further information are available from Professor Ruth Thompson, Director, Programme of Legal Studies for Native People, University of Saskatchewan, College of Law, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 0W0.

Students interested in pursuing a part-time LL.B. at Dalhousie should do the following:

In addition to completing the regular admissions package, submit a brief written statement outlining your reasons for seeking admission to the Part-time Studies Programme and indicating whether you wish to do First Year on a full-time or half-time basis. This statement should be in addition to the Personal Statement which forms part of the regular application material. Admission to the Part-time Programme is limited. Not all students who meet the standards for acceptance to the LL.B. programme will be permitted to do the degree on a part-time basis. You should note that, in considering whether to admit an applicant into the Part-time Studies Programme, the Committee in its discretion will give special consideration to factors such as family responsibilities, financial hardship, employment commitments, health problems, physical handicap, age, racial and ethnic background or economic disadvantage.

Students already accepted into the full-time LL.B. who wish to enter the Part-Time Studies Programme should write a letter supplying the information requested in the previous paragraph and send it to Ms. Rose Godfrey, Admissions Office, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, 6061 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4H9. This letter may be sent along with your confirmation of acceptance and your deposit. It may also be sent at any time before registration, though earlier applications are likely to fare better than later ones. Take note that, even for those already accepted into the full-time LL.B., acceptance into the Part-Time Studies Programme is by no means automatic.

When you decide to do the Part-Time programme you should contact the bar society of any province in which you might want to practice law, in order to ascertain whether they will accept a part-time LL.B. from Dalhousie as meeting their requirements.

Students intending to make application for any joint programme should inquire directly to the Registrar's Office, Dalhousie University.

Please direct LL.B. inquiries to Rose Godfrey, Director of Admissions.
Please direct LL.M. and J.S.D. inquiries to Michelle Kirkwood, Graduate Studies Secretary.

Students seeking admission from another law school, who have failed to satisfactorily complete studies there, must submit with their application a letter from the Dean or Registrar stating that in all respects they are eligible to repeat or continue studies at that school. A student not permitted to continue will be considered ineligible for admission at Dalhousie. Undergraduates of other law schools who satisfy the standards for admission to the LL.B. programme may be admitted with advanced standing, provided they are in good standing where previous studies have been undertaken, the work they have completed is satisfactory to the Studies Committee, and the classes to be completed for an LL.B. degree can be arranged. To qualify for a degree the student must normally complete two full years at Dalhousie. In some cases, a degree may be granted after one full year. Well qualified graduates of a Québec law school may be admitted into a special one year programme. Enquiries should be directed to the Assistant Dean, Academic, Schulich School of Law.

In assessing applications, emphasis is placed primarily on an applicant's academic record and LSAT score. The Admissions Committee also considers non-academic experience, letters of reference and other factors in making its decisions. Interviews by the Admissions Committee of applicants with significant non-academic experience may be held at the discretion of the Committee.

Dalhousie University is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and full participation for students with learning disabilities.

Students seeking admission to the Schulich School of Law for the first time must complete an application on the form provided, and forward this to the Admissions Office, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS  B3H 4H6. An application fee, which is not refunded, must accompany each application. Students applying for admission are required to submit results of the Law School Admissions Test of the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey. Students inquiring about admission are advised of arrangements to take the test at Canadian universities.

The Admissions Committee may consider applications as soon as they are received or it may postpone consideration of some or all applications until June. A non-refundable deposit of $200 is required to hold a place in the law programme. All prepaid deposits are applied to the first installment due for tuition fees. Prospective applicants should confirm from the faculty that this information has not been changed subsequent to this printing.

Subject to University and Schulich School of Law regulations a student may be admitted as an occasional student to attend one or two classes. Attendance or performance in classes or any examinations is not credited for degree qualifications. As a general rule, occasional students are not permitted to attend first year law classes. Those wishing to be admitted as occasional students should apply to the Law School Studies Committee.

Semester at a Québec Law School

Faculty Council has passed a resolution in favour of the development of student exchanges with Québec Law Schools at the undergraduate level, and an agreement has been reached with Laval University and the University of Sherbrooke to enable Dalhousie students to receive credit for a semester of work at those institutions.

Students interested in getting involved in such a programme must have sufficient capacity in the French language to attend classes given in French, although examinations could be written in English. Interested students should contact the Assistant Dean, Academic, Schulich School of Law.

The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Exchange Programme

The Schulich School of Law and Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam Faculty of Law are party to an exchange agreement which enables Dalhousie law students to study for one term in Amsterdam free of tuition if they have paid a full year's tuition at Dalhousie. Details of classes available at VU, including a full semester's worth of classes offered in English, are available from the International Linkages Committee.

VU offers its classes in three trimesters, the normal class load being for four (4) credit classes in the Autumn, three in the Winter and three in the Spring, for a total of 40 credits. Students can go there for the third trimester without missing any class time at Dalhousie and can earn seven Dalhousie credits for one Amsterdam Trimester. Acceptance into the programme is at the discretion of the Studies Committee on application by interested students, and may be based on the applicant's academic record and other classes taken as well as those s/he proposes to take at VU. Places are limited so selection may be competitive.

Exceptionally, a student who has planned his or her classes properly may be granted 14 credits for the equivalent of a full term's work at VU. Such a student would have to attend both second and third trimester at VU in third year. It may also be possible to attain this level of Schulich School of Law credit by attending VU twice, in the third trimester after completion of Dalhousie's second year and in the second or third trimester in Dalhousie's third year, with the permission of the Studies Committee.

A student taking this programme is responsible for ensuring that the coordinator of the exchange programme at the Schulich School of Law receives official notification when s/he has satisfactorily completed the VU classes approved for credit by the Dalhousie Law School Studies Committee.

Format: Worth up to 14 credits, as approved by the Studies Committee

Prerequisites: Available to student with high academic standing immediately following the completing of the regular work of second or third year for up to seven credits, or to students i n third year for the period January to June for up to 14 credits (which will necessitate delaying graduation until the following autumn).

Semester at the University of Maine Law School

Students who have completed half the work needed for graduation from the Schulich School of Law are eligible to spend one semester at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland and receive full credit towards their degree at Dalhousie. Such students are registered at Dalhousie and pay tuition here only. The programme has received the approval of the Qualifications Committee of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society. This opportunity to live in the United States and study at an American Law School should interest both students who contemplate graduate work in the United States and those who would find background in American law helpful. Students interested in participating in this programme should contact the International Linkages Committee for further information on application procedures.

The Health Law Exchange Programme with Loyola University in Chicago

A Health Law Exchange Programme with Loyola University in Chicago is now in place. Interested upper year students may complete a semester there for credit to their Dalhousie LL.B. For information, contact the Director of the Health Law Institute.

Prospective students are advised to consult the Law Society in the law district where they hope to practice for specific information on qualifications for admission to the Bar. Some bar societies may require more extensive university training for admission to the Bar than is required for admission to Law School. Specific inquiries should be directed to the appropriate bar society.

Under the Rules and Regulations of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society a student desiring admission to the Bar of Nova Scotia must serve under articles of clerkship with a practising solicitor for a period of twelve consecutive months after receiving a degree in Law from Dalhousie or any other approved University. Students are also required to complete the Bar Admission Course, and to pass examinations given during the Course.

Students who complete a period of articles in another province may apply to the Qualifications Committee of the Barristers' Society for credit towards the twelve month requirement.

The Law Society of Upper Canada admits holders of the Dalhousie Bachelor of Laws degree to the Bar Admission Course conducted by the Society for candidates for admission to the practice of law in Ontario.

In other provinces of Canada where the common law system is in effect the degree of LL.B. from Dalhousie is recognized as fulfilling academic qualifications and as preparation for practical training for admission to the Bar. Information concerning particular elective classes recommended by the law society of a Province for inclusion in a student's course of studies is available from the Career Development Office.

Entrance Scholarships

The Arthur Allister MacBain renewable entrance scholarship of $20,000 is offered to an exceptionally qualified incoming student, as well as five renewable scholarships of $13,000 are currently offered by the Law Foundation of Nova Scotia.  There are also several $1000 and $2000 entrance scholarships awarded to students entering first year.  Various scholarships and prizes are available for students who have completed their law classes with certain standards.  Bursaries and other forms of financial aid are available to students with financial need. For further information please visit the Financial Assistance portion of our website. Students with exceptional academic records and signficiant public service may apply for the $10,000 J. Gerarld Godsoe Scholarship.