About Western Law
Western University, founded in 1878, is one of Canada’s top research-intensive universities. We deliver “The Western Experience”, an exemplary learning experience that engages the best and brightest people, challenging them to meet ever-higher standards in the classroom and beyond.
Since our first class graduated in 1883, we have become a vibrant centre of learning. Today we offer over 38,000 students more than 400 undergraduate programs, complemented by an exceptional range of curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular activities in every faculty. From our home in Southwestern Ontario and outward across every continent, we prepare future leaders to succeed.
Our Faculty of Law was established in 1959 and has a proud tradition of producing great leaders in a variety of fields. With an incoming class size of 185 students, among one of the smallest in Ontario, we form a collegial dynamic community committed to the success of our students and faculty.
Small Group Program
At the heart of the Western Law student experience is our Small Group Program. As a first-year student, you will take a core course with a small group of 20-22 students where you will be introduced to fundamental legal skills and provided with an invaluable support system and individualized attention from professors. You will stay with your small group – mixed with other small groups – for the balance of your first-year courses.
This unique program is further enhanced by student assistants who conduct hands-on legal research instruction in the library, assist with skills learning and act as mentors.
Academic Excellence
Academic excellence is also at the heart of Western Law. Our faculty scholarship is wide-ranging and boasts expertise in:
- business law,
- constitutional law,
- family law,
- international law,
- insurance law,
- intellectual property,
- legal ethics and
- torts, among many other areas.
Our professors make important contributions to the law and public policy in Canada and the world through their scholarly research. They also value collegiality, providing you with significant opportunities to interact with them as academic and professional mentors.
Updated Curriculum
Our updated curriculum will expand your options and provide greater opportunities for advanced, active and experiential learning.
In first year, in addition to fundamental core courses, you will have the option of taking Corporate Law, which is fundamental to many areas of legal practice, in the winter term. This opportunity is unique among Canadian law schools. Taking Corporate Law in your first year will allow you to take more specialized business law courses as early as the fall term of second year, if desired, and provide greater flexibility in your upper-year courses.
In upper years, you will gain additional opportunities to practice your professional writing through writing requirements that may include a variety of court documents. You may also enroll in week-long intensive courses in highly specialized areas of law, such as Cannabis Law and Practice, Racial Profiling in Policing, Elections Law, and Digital Asset and Blockchain Law and Policy.
Finally, curricular streams are available to provide you with informal guidance on the courses and co-curricular activities you may pursue depending on your interests and career aspirations. The streams will help you understand the relationships between and among courses and progress toward more advanced study in a particular area. Some curricular streams include capstone courses, which will assist you in making the transition from legal education to legal practice.
January Intensive Period
A 3-week period in January provides an intensive active learning experience for every student at Western Law:
- First-year students concentrate on moot court exercises that further develop their research, writing and oral advocacy skills.
- Upper-year students select 1 intensive course from a broad range of electives, or participate in external moot competitions or internships or externships that include experiential components.
Legal Clinics
At Western Law you can participate in our legal clinics as early as your first year. In addition to our flagship Community Legal Services clinic, we offer specialized clinics in:
- Business Law
- Intellectual Property Law & Innovation
- Mediation
- Sexual Assault
- Sports Law
International Experience
We value and embrace the international experience, believing that in this era of globalization, exposure to another legal system is tremendously important. Our extensive exchange and summer law internship programs provide you with an enhanced perspective and a keen understanding of the rule of law beyond our borders. We have an active international exchange program, with 16 partnerships in leading law schools around the world.
Approximately 1 in 5 upper-year Western Law students participates in an exchange program, allowing them to benefit from expanded curriculum options, study legal issues from a new perspective and create a network of international contacts.
Through our thriving Western Law Internship Program (WLIP), you may intern with government departments, international organizations, corporations and firms. The WLIP allows you to expand your knowledge of international, domestic and comparative law issues while applying your legal skills in a professional environment. This enriched educational experience opens a new world of opportunities for you to succeed and prosper in an increasingly interdependent global system.
Advocacy Programs
Advocacy is a fundamental skill for aspiring lawyers. Our advocacy programs give you the opportunity to argue hypothetical cases before trial and appellate moot courts, and to gain experience in preparing both written and oral submissions. You can participate in advocacy competitions as early as the first term of first year. You can also participate in competitions involving other lawyering skills, including contract drafting, client counselling and negotiation. Our external advocacy teams routinely win awards in provincial, national and international competitions.
Visit Western Law’s website to read more about:
- Special programs
- Intensive courses
- Speaker programs
- Research groups
- Our Career and Professional Development Office
- Student Legal Society and student life
- Our class profiles
Location
Western boasts one of the most picturesque campuses in North America, situated along the banks of the Thames River in London, Ontario. Our gothic architecture and our ivy-covered campus blend in seamlessly with 1,200 acres of rolling hills and endless scenic locations to study, chat with friends and relax.
With a population of over 400,000, London offers the best of both worlds: Big city excitement with a small-town feel, including affordable living compared to many major urban centres.
Affectionately called the Forest City due to its numerous trees and more than 200 public parks, London also has an extensive trail system that runs along the Thames River right on to our campus.
In addition, winter sports can be enjoyed at London’s Boler Mountain and its many ice rinks, while in the summer Londoners enjoy the beaches of 2 Great Lakes (Huron and Erie) in nearby Grand Bend and Port Stanley.
London also offers affordable sporting events, a thriving creative community and numerous festivals.
Program Information
We offer a 3-year full-time Juris Doctor (JD) degree program, as well as combined graduate and undergraduate degrees in several disciplines.
An Extended-Time JD program is also available for students who cannot manage a full-time program because of:
- family responsibilities,
- health issues,
- disabilities,
- financial necessity or
- other special circumstances.
More about our Extended-Time JD program, including courses, timeline and requirements.
Combined-degree Programs
Undergraduate
We offer an Honours Business Administration/Juris Doctor (HBA/JD) with the Ivey Business School and a Bachelor of Engineering Science/Juris Doctor (BESc/JD) with Western’s Faculty of Engineering. These programs allow you to complete both degrees in 6 years (1 year less than if the degrees were pursued consecutively).
Submit applications for our undergraduate combined-degree programs directly to the Admissions Office at the Faculty of Law by May 1, 2024, for September 2024 admission. June 2024 LSAT scores are accepted.
Graduate
We also offer a combined Juris Doctor/Bachelor of Laws (JD/LLB) program with l’Université Laval and the following graduate combined-degree programs:
- JD/MSc (Geology or Geophysics)
- JD/MA (History)
- JD/MBA (Ivey Business School)
- JD/LLM (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)
You must apply to the JD/MSc or JD/MA combined-degree programs separately. This can be done in 1 of 2 ways:
- Apply to both programs separately by the deadlines established by the Faculty of Law (November 1 for fall admission) and the Geology/Geophysics or History Graduate programs. The application for the JD program is available on the OLSAS website.
- Apply to the MSc or MA program by the deadline established by the Geology/Geophysics or History Graduate programs (before or after admission to first-year Law).
In either case, you must indicate on both applications your intention to pursue the combined‑degree program.
JD/MBA
The JD/MBA program is a limited-enrollment program administered jointly by the Faculty of Law and the Ivey Business School.
The program is designed for candidates who envision a career in areas where business and law are integrated. It provides an exceptional education for highly motivated, talented students capable of managing the demands of 2 intensive programs simultaneously. In this program, you complete both degrees in just over 3 years instead of the 4 it would take if the programs were completed consecutively.
A minimum of 2 years of full-time quality work experience is required for the MBA program. If you do not meet the work experience requirement for the MBA program, you will still be considered for our regular JD program.
If you apply to the JD/MBA, you are not required to write the GMAT. Your LSAT score will be considered by the Ivey Business School instead of the GMAT. You must write the LSAT by November 2023 to be considered for the JD/MBA program, since the MBA portion of the program begins in March 2024.
Although you select “JD/MBA” as an option when you complete your OLSAS application, you must submit a separate application to the Ivey Business School no later than January 2024, as the first MBA component (business essentials) of the JD/MBA program begins in March 2024 – before first-year law.
After completing first-year law, you will take both MBA and law courses in your second and third years of study. This schedule allows you to be available for summer employment after first and second year.
Extra Credential Program
Our Global Sustainability Program is designed to train the next generation of leaders in the global mining industry. Students who complete the program will be able to identify the environmental, technological, business, social and legal aspects of global sustainability and apply sustainability theories to current and developing circumstances in the field of resource development.
This certification is part of our commitment to teaching mining law best practices and providing our students with unique, interdisciplinary and practical opportunities to learn about this challenging sector.
Admission Requirements and Supporting Documents
Eligibility Criteria
Western Law is strongly committed to excellence and diversity. While we believe that excellence in academic studies and strong performance on the LSAT is the best evidence of the ability to succeed in law school, we also believe that achievement in other areas may indicate potential for success; therefore, applications are reviewed holistically. Our admission policy, which allows applicants to show their potential in a variety of ways, is designed to produce a mix of students with diverse backgrounds.
The Admissions Committee considers the highest LSAT score and cumulative grade point average (GPA) (including grades obtained on academic exchanges). However, if your cumulative GPA is not competitive, we will give greater weight to your last 2 years of full-time (or equivalent) undergraduate university study.
The Committee also considers factors other than grades and LSAT scores, including:
- employment,
- personal and professional achievements,
- extracurricular engagement,
- volunteer activities and
- other life experience.
A full course load throughout your undergraduate academic career (5 semestered courses per term) is preferred. Research and writing experience, and graduate work, are also very positive factors.
All applicants must provide the following:
- Official transcripts for all postsecondary education.
- Two confidential reference letters, one of which must be academic (i.e., from a university professor).
- Note: If more than 2 reference letters are received, only 2 will be read.
- A Personal Statement.
- An Autobiographical Sketch, Detailed Sketch and verifiers.
- LSAT score(s) and the LSAT Writing.
In addition:
Access applicants must provide supporting documentation to substantiate their access claim.
Indigenous applicants must provide proof of Indigenous status, ancestry or other ties to their Indigenous community.
Mature applicants may submit a resumé. Moreover, where it is not possible to provide an academic reference due to the passage of time, 2 non-academic reference letters are acceptable for mature applicants.
Refer to Admission Categories for information about discretionary category application requirements.
Upper-year applicants must provide additional information, detailed in the following section.
Note: Resumés are not required for General, Access, Indigenous or Upper-year applicants and will not be reviewed.
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
An LSAT score is required. LSAT scores from June 2019 to January 2024 are accepted. However, we strongly recommend that you write the LSAT by November 2023.
If you are a JD/MBA applicant, you must write the LSAT by November 2023 to be considered for the JD/MBA program, since the MBA portion of the program begins in March 2024.
College Degrees
Western Law currently does not accept college study or college degrees as eligible pre-law study for admission. Moreover, college courses are not included in your GPA calculation.
College courses for which you received credit towards a university degree, as part of a pathways or bridging program, will be considered as appropriate pre-law study, provided you have at least 3 years of university study beyond the college transfer credits. If you are in a formal collaborative college/university (2+2) program, a third year of university study may not be required.
Personal Statement
The Personal Statement (maximum 5,000 characters) is an opportunity for you to help the Admissions Committee get to know you better. Please tell us about yourself and why you want to go to law school. Providing examples and context where needed, and writing with an authentic voice, will be helpful.
Optional Essay (available to all applicants; maximum 2,000 characters)
At Western Law we value diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds. We also appreciate that people take different paths to law school. With that in mind, is there any additional information you would like us to consider when reviewing your application? If you are applying in the Indigenous category and would like to provide context, you may do so in the Optional Essay.
Access Applicants Only (1,000 Characters)
Discuss the disadvantage or barrier you are seeking special consideration for, which may have affected your academic studies or LSAT score(s). Include specific information relating to the timeline, if applicable.
While others may review your Personal Statement, it must be written by you alone. Extensive editing or rewriting by others is not permissible. When you submit your Personal Statement to Western University Faculty of Law through OLSAS, you are confirming that you are the true author of your Statement.
Assessment of International Transcripts
If you have undertaken undergraduate studies outside Canada and the United States, you must have your international transcript assessed by World Education Services (WES).
If you have undertaken graduate studies outside of Canada and the United States, you are not required to have your international transcript assessed by WES, although such an assessment may be requested.
A WES evaluation is not required for courses you take as part of an exchange program, provided transfer credits for those courses appear on your home university transcript. However, your transcript from the exchange institution must be sent to OLSAS for our review.
Language Proficiency
Proof of English-language proficiency (within the last 2 years) is required if English is not your first language and your university education was in a language other than English.
Satisfactory achievement can be demonstrated in one of the following:
- The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
- The minimum acceptable score is 109 for the internet-based version, with a minimum score of 25 for writing and speaking skills, 267 (computer-based) or 630 (paper-based).
- Western’s TOEFL ID is 0984.
- The TOEFL Test Center will send your scores to us electronically.
- Application forms and additional information may be obtained from the TOEFL website.
- The International English Language Testing Service Academic (IELTS Academic).
- The minimum acceptable score is 8 out of 9.
- The IELTS is offered at multiple test centres worldwide.
- IELTS will send your scores to us electronically.
- Information on IELTS may be obtained from the IELTS website.
- The Duolingo English Test
- If access to TOEFL or IELTS continues to be difficult due to COVID-19 restrictions, we may accept the Duolingo English Test in lieu of IELTS or TOEFL.
- The minimum acceptable score is 130.
- Visit the Duolingo testing website and select “Western University – Graduate Studies” from the institution list.
Proof of Permanent Residency Status
Proof of permanent residence (landed immigrant) status is required. Submit a clear photocopy of the front and back of your permanent residency card. The date on the back must be legible. Canadian citizens do not need to submit proof of citizenship.
Admission Categories
First-Year Applicants
There are 2 major categories for admission into first year:
- General
- Discretionary
- Access
- Indigenous
- Mature
If you wish to change your applicant category after the application deadline, be aware that decisions permitting such a change are discretionary and rare. Carefully consider which applicant category is best for you before submitting your application.
General Category
We require a minimum of 3 years of full-time (or equivalent) undergraduate university study, although most admitted students have a 4-year degree. We define 1 year of full-time study as 10 semestered courses.
To be a competitive candidate in the General category, you should have a cumulative average of A- (80-84%) (GPA of 3.7) and an LSAT score above the 80th percentile. However, meeting these thresholds does not guarantee admission.
Discretionary Categories
For our Discretionary categories, we require:
- a minimum of 3 years of full-time (or equivalent) undergraduate university study for Indigenous or Access candidates;
- a minimum of 2 years of full-time (or equivalent) undergraduate university study for Mature candidates; and
- evidence confirming the basis of your application.
The Admissions Committee may interview applicants in the discretionary categories.
Access Category
Access applicants are those whose academic performance was affected by a proven disadvantage that may include:
- cultural,
- socio-economic,
- medical or physical barriers, or
- a learning disability.
As an Access applicant, you must describe how the disadvantage affected your undergraduate academic record (including the relevant timeline) and provide supporting documentation. It is up to you to determine what documentation best supports your claim as described in your Personal Statement.
If you have a disability, you are required to provide full documentation from qualified professionals on your disability and its effect on your academic record or LSAT score(s), and indicate whether you received accommodations during your program of study.
You must upload all documentation to support your Access claim through Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM) in your OLSAS application.
If you do not provide supporting documentation for your Access claim, you will be assessed as a General applicant.
Although your grades may have been affected by a proven disadvantage, you must show evidence of your potential to succeed at law school. This requires at least 1 year of competitive grades among 3 years of full-time (or equivalent) undergraduate university study. You will receive special consideration for your LSAT score(s) only where there is a causal connection between the disadvantage you are claiming and your LSAT performance.
Indigenous Category
We recognize that members of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities are not adequately represented within the legal profession and therefore strongly encourage applications from these groups.
The Indigenous Law Centre (ILC) at the University of Saskatchewan offers courses for incoming (1L) Indigenous law students from May through July. Incoming Indigenous law students who successfully complete the University of Saskatchewan ILC summer program will receive credit for first-year Property Law at Western Law, and will receive funds to subsidize the cost of the summer program.
Indigenous Services Canada’s Post-Secondary Student Support Program provides financial assistance to First Nations and eligible Inuit students who are enrolled in eligible postsecondary programs. Additional federal assistance is also available to Indigenous students from several other sources. Finally, financial assistance is available for Métis and Non-Status students through the Department of Justice Canada’s Legal Studies for Aboriginal People Program.
Mature Category
To be considered a Mature applicant you must have at least 5 years of non-university experience since leaving high school (before admission), which need not be consecutive, and a minimum of 2 years of full-time (or equivalent) undergraduate university study.
Deadline for First-year Applications
The application, reference letters, transcripts and any other supporting documents are due November 1, 2023.
If you are currently in university, you should order an updated transcript in January after your grades for the fall term are released, and again after your winter grades are released.
Upper-year Applicants
There are 3 categories of applicants to second and third year:
- Transfer
- Advanced Standing
- Letter of Permission (LOP)
The number of students admitted in these categories is limited by the availability of places in the second and third year.
The competition for these positions is significant. Generally, you will receive priority if you meet the competitive profile for our General category, described above, and you have strong first-year law school grades (defined as a B average or higher), which factor heavily in the admission decision. Compassionate reasons, where relevant, will also be considered.
Your Personal Statement should include your reason for transfer, seeking advanced standing or studying on a Letter of Permission (LOP), as the case may be. The structure of the Personal Statement is the same for first-year and upper-year applicants.
In addition to the required documents outlined for all applicants, you must arrange to have the following submitted directly to OLSAS:
- An up-to-date transcript from your current law school.
- Two confidential reference letters from law professors (in lieu of other reference letters).
- A letter from your current law school confirming you are in good standing and have not been the subject of any academic or non-academic discipline.
- Letter of Permission students only: A letter from your current law school prescribing a program of approved courses and/or setting out any specific requirements that must be met while studying at Western Law.
Transfer
If you are currently enrolled in first year at another Canadian law school, you may be admitted as a transfer student to the second year of the Western Law program. Transfer students who successfully complete the last 2 years of the program will receive a JD degree from Western University.
Advanced Standing
If you have successfully completed part or all of your legal education outside Canada, you may be considered for admission with advanced standing.
Except in extraordinary circumstances, you will not receive more than 1 year’s advanced standing. Thus, if admitted, you will be required to satisfy the program requirements of Western Law over a 2-year period.
Upon successfully completing the program, you will receive a JD degree from Western University.
Advanced standing applicants who have not written the LSAT are required to do so. June 2024 LSAT scores for September 2024 admission will be accepted.
Letter of Permission (LOP)
If you are currently enrolled at a Canadian law school, you can apply to study for 1 term or 1 academic year at Western Law on an LOP prescribing a program of approved courses from your current law school.
Typically, these requests are made by second-year students who seek to study at Western in their third year. If you successfully complete the approved program on an LOP, you do not receive a JD degree from Western. Rather, you receive a law degree from your home law school.
Deadline for Upper-year Applications
The application, reference letters, transcripts and any other supporting documents are due May 1, 2024.
If your transcript for the current academic year is not available before May 1, 2024, you must ensure it is provided as soon as it is available.
Admission Information
Application Review Process
An email acknowledging receipt of your application will be sent to you during the last 2 weeks of November. At that time, you will receive instructions on how to activate your Western identity and access your Western Student Center.
Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis from November to June. Given the number of applications received annually and the fact that we conduct a thorough review, it may be months before you receive an admission decision. We appreciate your patience.
All admission decisions are communicated in writing. When a decision is made you will receive an email advising you to log into your Western Student Center to view your decision. We do not provide informal individual application status updates through the year. Rather, if you have not yet heard from us, that means your application is in the queue for review and a final decision has not yet been made.
Rounds of offers are typically issued monthly. If you have not heard from us by April 1, your application is still under consideration. We typically have seats available after the April 1 response deadline for early offerees.
In the interests of fairness to all applicants, we do not consider unsolicited application updates or other submissions (such as letters of continued interest) throughout the cycle.
Waitlist
Our waitlist is typically created between late May and late June. Waitlisted candidates will be given the opportunity to provide updates to their autobiographical sketch upon receipt of their admission decision.
Fee Waivers
If you wish to apply for a waiver of Western University’s portion of the application fee, contact the Admissions Office at the Faculty of Law directly to request the proper form before submitting your law school application through OLSAS.
Complete supporting documentation is required.
Granting fee waivers is discretionary and rare. However, if you already have an LSAC fee waiver, you will likely receive a Western Law fee waiver. Therefore, you are encouraged to apply for an LSAC fee waiver first. This can be done after logging into your LSAC account.
The deadline for submitting a fee waiver application and supporting documentation is October 15, 2023 (for first-year applicants), and April 15, 2024 (for upper-year applicants).
Fee waiver applications without supporting documentation will not be considered.
Deferral of Admission
We will consider requests for a 1-year deferral of admission on an individual basis after you are admitted. Submit written requests, with supporting documentation, to the Assistant Dean (Admissions and Recruitment).
We grant deferrals in exceptional circumstances only, typically when a situation arises that you could not have reasonably anticipated when you applied.
If we grant you a deferral, you must firmly accept your offer of admission and not apply to any other law schools in the next application cycle.
Additional Information
SA1L Program
Western Law recently launched its new Summer After 1L Program (SA1L), connecting all incoming JD students with work placements after their first year of studies. Through this optional program, you will be eligible for a minimum of 10 weeks of meaningful paid legal work experience, which will give you a head start in the legal world, expose you to different types of legal work and provide you with financial support.
Placements will include faculty research assistants, positions at Western Law’s legal clinics, and through the Western Law Internship Program, as well as with other local agencies, non-profits organizations and campus offices. Students may also be eligible for self-proposed internships.
This program builds on Western Law’s robust career supports for students, including one-on-one counselling for career planning and the recruitment process, our annual career conference and our mentor program.
Western Law consistently has among the top placement rates in Canada, with more than 90% of students securing articles after graduation. The SA1L Employment Program extends our commitment to helping you succeed in today’s competitive job market, while exposing you to a range of career opportunities both locally and globally.
More about our:
Black Students Law School Application Package
We are pleased to financially support the law school application process for 5 Black undergraduate students annually.
Eligible students receive a package valued at more than $1,000 that includes a voucher for the OLSAS Application service fee ($200), a waiver of Western’s Faculty of Law application fee ($115) and registration in a commercial LSAT preparation course.
Assessment of Winter 2020 Term
If you were a university student during the winter 2020 semester, we understand that different universities implemented various options for evaluation and assessment at that time. Performance in 1 semester, standing alone, rarely “makes or breaks” an application, considering the weight we place on other factors as part of our holistic admissions process. With respect to any winter 2020 courses:
- You will not be disadvantaged in the application process if your institution mandated a pass/fail (P/F) or credit/no credit (CR/NCR) model.
- We will not draw an adverse inference if you elected P/F or CR/NCR for 1 or more courses, where that election was offered.
- If you elected to receive grades (where that election was available), or you received aegrotat grades, we will include them in our assessment of your academic performance.
Be aware that since a GPA cannot be attributed to “pass” or “credit” notations on your transcript using the OLSAS grade conversion chart, those courses cannot be included in the calculation of your GPA (cumulative or “last 2 years”) for the purpose of assessing your undergraduate performance.
Credit/No Credit or Pass/Fail Options
Outside of the exceptional circumstances that arose in 2020, you are strongly encouraged to elect to receive grades for courses completed, rather than opt for CR or Pass notations, as this provides us with the most accurate information related to your academic performance and your ability to handle the rigours of law school.
Late Applications
You may submit a late application only with the permission of the Assistant Dean (Admissions & Recruitment).
False or Misleading Information
If it is discovered that your application, or any communications during the application process, contain false or misleading information, we will reject your application or revoke your offer of admission and/or registration. We may also report you to the Law School Admission Council’s Misconduct and Irregularities in the Admission Process Subcommittee for further action.
Provide complete accurate information with your application, and take extra care with your Autobiographical Sketch, where attention to detail is particularly important.
Inquiries
If you have questions about the application and receipt of supporting documents, contact OLSAS.
Tuition, Scholarships and Financial Aid
Tuition and Fees
Tuition fees for 2024-2025 are estimated to be approximately $20,200 for Ontario residents and $22,215 for domestic out-of-province residents, plus supplemental fees of $1,700. The supplemental fees include Student Activity and Organization Fees, health and dental plans, and a London Transit bus pass. You can expect to spend between $800 and $1,400 on textbooks, depending on whether you choose to buy used, new or both.
Entrance Scholarships
We are committed to ensuring that you have access to adequate financial resources to complete your program of study. Funding is provided through various forms of financial assistance. Merit-based (scholarship) funding recognizes and rewards students for their excellent academic achievement. Need-based funding (bursaries, awards, and work study) is distributed to students based on demonstrated financial need.
As an incoming first-year student, you may be eligible to receive Dean of Law Entrance Scholarships and Dean of Law Continuing Entrance Scholarships in amounts up to $40,000, awarded between February and April. We also offer numerous other entrance scholarships, which are typically awarded in the summer before classes begin.
All admitted students will be considered for entrance scholarships without submitting separate applications.
Government and Student Loans
Both the federal and provincial governments provide student financial assistance for Canadian citizens and permanent residents (landed immigrants) studying at the postsecondary level.
Financial assistance is in the form of an interest-free loan while you are a full-time student. If you live in Ontario, you should apply to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).
If you live in another province, you should obtain financial aid information by contacting the appropriate government office in your province.
Bursaries
Almost 40% of Western’s law students qualify for bursaries each year.
To be considered for an entrance bursary, which is non-repayable, you must also apply for government student loans.
The online entrance bursary application is typically available in January. We email you this information after we acknowledge receipt of your application in mid-November. Ensure your email account is configured to receive all email from Western.
Contact Information
If you have questions about our admission policies and standards or wish to arrange a tour of Western Law with a law student ambassador or with admission personnel, contact our Admissions Office:
JD Admissions
Faculty of Law
Room 222
Western University
London ON N6A 3K7
Telephone: 519-661-3347
Fax: 519-850-2412
Email: lawapp@uwo.ca
We also invite you to visit Western Law via our Virtual Tour.
Find out how you can connect with us (virtually or in person) at forthcoming events this academic year. Events are added as our recruitment calendar grows. Check back often.