OLSAS – Western University
University program information changes regularly. Refer to the application and the university’s website for the most up-to-date details.
Quick Links
- About Western Law
- Admission
- Eligibility Criteria
- Admission to Second or Third Year
- Combined-degree Programs
- Supplementary Information for All Applicants
- Contact Information
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.
In addition to our challenging and innovative curriculum, you can participate in many clinical programs, advocacy competitions, experiential activities and intensive seminars designed to hone your legal reasoning and practical skills.
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 approximately 400,000, London offers the best of both worlds: Big city excitement with a small-town feel, including more affordable living compared to many other Canadian cities.
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.
Programs
We offer a 3-year Juris Doctor (JD) degree program, as well as combined graduate and undergraduate degrees in several disciplines. An Extended-Time JD program is also available.
Academic Excellence
Academic excellence is 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.
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.
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.
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 in the winter term, an opportunity that is unique among Canadian law schools. This will introduce you to the corporate form of organization early on, which is fundamental to many areas of legal practice. Taking Corporate Law in your first year will also 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 skills through writing requirements that may include court documents like:
- pleadings and facta,
- statutory interpretation and legislative drafting exercises,
- legal memoranda and
- contracts.
You may also have the opportunity to enroll in week-long intensive courses in highly specialized areas of law, such as Cannabis Law and Practice, Racial Profiling in Policing, and Elections Law.
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.
Many curricular streams culminate in an optional capstone course in the winter term, depending on student interest. Capstone courses will assist you in making the transition from legal education to legal practice. They combine theoretical, practical and interdisciplinary components that will require you to apply the knowledge and skills you gained over your course of study.
January Intensive Period
Currently, a 3-week period in January is dedicated to providing an intensive active learning experience for every student in the Faculty:
- 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.
- Upper-year students can also participate in external moot competitions or internships/externships that include experiential components.
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.
Read more about our Global Sustainability Program and Global and Intercultural Engagement Honour.
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 20 partnerships in leading law schools around the world.
Each year we send students to law schools in:
- Australia,
- multiple European countries,
- New Zealand,
- Quebec and
- Southeast Asia.
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.
Each year, we also welcome more than 25 visiting exchange students, adding a unique perspective to the classroom.
Through our thriving Western Law Internship Program (WLIP), you have the opportunity to 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.
Admission
The Admissions Committee is composed of the Associate Dean (Academic), Assistant Dean (Admissions and Recruitment), faculty members and third-year law students. While academic performance and Law School Admission Test (LSAT) scores weigh heavily in the Admissions Committee’s decisions, applications are reviewed holistically.
We are strongly committed to excellence and diversity. While we believe that excellence in academic studies 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.
Accordingly, 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.
Visit Western Law’s website to read more about:
- Special programs
- Intensive courses
- Advocacy competitions
- Speaker programs
- Research groups
- Clinical programs
- Our Career and Professional Development Office
- Student life
Applicant Categories
There are 2 major categories for admission into first year:
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%) (grade point average [GPA] of 3.7) and an LSAT score above the 80th percentile. However, meeting these thresholds does not guarantee admission.
The Admissions Committee considers the highest LSAT score and cumulative 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, research and writing experience, and graduate work are also very positive factors.
Required application components:
- 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 the first 2 will be read.
- A Personal Statement.
- An Autobiographical Sketch, Detailed Sketch and verifiers.
- LSAT score(s) and the LSAT Writing.
Resumés are not required for General applicants and will not be reviewed.
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.
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 and Indigenous 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.
Required application components:
- Official transcripts for all postsecondary education.
- Two confidential reference letters, one of which must be academic (i.e., from a university professor). The other should corroborate your involvement with your Indigenous community.
- 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.
- Proof of Indigenous status or ancestry, or other ties to your Indigenous community.
Resumés are not required for Indigenous applicants and will not be reviewed.
Mature Category
To be considered a Mature applicant you must have at least 5 years of non-university experience since leaving high school (and prior to admission), which need not be consecutive, and a minimum of 2 years of full-time (or equivalent) undergraduate university study.
Required application components:
- Official transcripts for all postsecondary education.
- Two confidential reference letters, one of which should be academic (i.e., from a university professor), if possible, and 1 that corroborates your distinctive achievements. This could include a letter from an employer.
- Where it is not possible to provide an academic reference due to the passage of time, 2 non-academic reference letters are acceptable.
- 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.
- A resumé (which may provide more detail than the Autobiographical Sketch).
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.
Required application components:
- 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.
- Corroborative documentation to substantiate the claim of disadvantage and demonstrate its effect on the academic record or LSAT score(s).
Resumés are not required for Access applicants and will not be reviewed.
Eligibility Criteria
Personal Statement
We are striving to bring together a diverse class of talented, well-rounded, intellectually curious people, who will conduct themselves with honesty, integrity and professionalism.
The Personal Statement is an opportunity for you to help the Admissions Committee get to know you better. It is a chance to tell the Committee more about the experiences, qualifications, aspirations, ideas and/or skills that you would contribute to the law school community. It is also an opportunity to describe or explain any aspects of your application that you believe are particularly important, distinctive or unusual.
The Personal Statement is required and must not exceed 7,000 characters (including spaces).
- For General and Mature applicants, there are 2 parts to Western’s Personal Statement (Parts A and B).
- For Access and Indigenous applicants, there are 3 parts (Parts A, B and C).
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.
Part A (Maximum 5,000 Characters)
There is no required content for Part A of the Personal Statement. You are in the best position to decide how to present yourself to the Committee. Keep in mind that we read the Personal Statement as part of your application as a whole. You may wish to highlight, elaborate upon or explain information that is found elsewhere in your application, but repetition should be avoided.
Strong writing skills are also a strength of an application. The Personal Statement is an example of your writing and you should keep in mind whether it reflects your writing style. Your Personal Statement will likely be strengthened if you are attentive to matters like:
- sincerity,
- grammar,
- spelling,
- organization and
- providing examples and context where needed.
Part B – Response to a Selected Question (Maximum 2,000 Characters)
Select and answer one of these questions:
- What do you hope to learn in law school? What do you plan to contribute to the Western Law community?
- Is there a work of art (i.e., music, literature, film, TV show, painting, poetry, etc.) that has had a significant impact on you? Please explain.
- Discuss a challenging ethical issue or a serious interpersonal conflict that you have encountered and explain how you resolved it.
- Describe your journey in accomplishing a longer-term goal and how you dealt with obstacles in your path.
- Discuss 1 or more experiences when you felt out of your depth. How did you react to this/these situation(s)?
Part C (Maximum 1,000 Characters)
Access Applicants
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.
Indigenous Applicants
Discuss your ties to your Indigenous community.
Additional Documentation
If applicable, you must provide the following additional documentation.
Proof of Permanent Resident Status
Proof of permanent resident (landed immigrant) status (a clear photocopy of the front and back of the permanent resident card). The date on the back must be legible. Canadian citizens do not need to submit proof of citizenship.
Proof of English-language Proficiency
Proof of English-language proficiency (within the last 2 years) 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 ways:
- 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.
- Application forms and additional information may be obtained from the TOEFL website.
- The International English Language Testing Service (IELTS):
- The minimum acceptable score is 8 out of 9.
- The IELTS is offered at multiple test centres worldwide.
- Information on the IELTS may be obtained from the IELTS website.
- The Duolingo English Test:
- If access to IELTS and TOEFL testing 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.
Extended-Time JD Program
The Extended-Time JD program is available for students who cannot manage a full-time program because of:
- family responsibilities,
- health issues,
- disabilities,
- financial necessity or
- other special circumstances.
You should discuss these in your Personal Statement.
Incoming first-year students in the Extended-Time JD program are required to take:
- A small-group core course,
- Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy (LRWA) and
- 1 or 2 additional core courses.
Some flexibility is required if you are admitted to the Extended-Time JD program, as most courses will be scheduled during regular daytime hours. Extended-Time students may transfer to full-time attendance and full-time students who meet the eligibility criteria may transfer in to the Extended-Time program.
Extended-Time students are eligible for any entrance scholarships or bursaries that are not restricted to full-time students, as well as any prizes in individual courses.
To be eligible for the program, you must:
- meet the existing admission criteria,
- apply for the Extended-Time JD program at the same time as the application for admission to first-year Law and
- complete the program within 6 years.
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
The LSAT is required. LSAT scores from June 2018 to February 2023 are accepted. However, we strongly recommend that you write the LSAT by November 2022. We will not grant extensions beyond February 2023.
If you are a JD/MBA applicant, you must write the LSAT by November 2022 to be considered for the JD/MBA program, since the MBA portion of the program begins in March 2023.
Deadlines for First-year Applicants
The application, reference letters and transcripts are due November 1, 2022.
Admission to Second or Third Year
There are 3 categories of applicants to second and third year:
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 are an upper-year applicant who meets the competitive profile (as outlined in the eligibility criteria for our General category) 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.
As an upper-year applicant, you must provide:
- A Personal Statement, including 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.
- Autobiographical Sketch, Detailed Sketch and verifiers.
You must also submit additional documents (as specified for each category) to OLSAS as part of your application. Resumés are not required for upper-year applicants and will not be reviewed.
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.
Required documents:
- Official transcripts for all postsecondary education.
- An up-to-date transcript from your current law school.
- Your LSAT score(s) and the LSAT Writing.
- Two confidential reference letters from law professors.
- 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. Your current law school must submit this letter directly to OLSAS.
Advanced Standing
If you have successfully completed part or all 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 be eligible to receive a JD degree from Western University.
Advanced standing applicants who have not written the LSAT are required to do so. June 2023 LSAT scores for September 2023 admission will be accepted.
Required documents:
- Official transcripts for all postsecondary education.
- A final or up-to-date transcript from your current law school.
- Two confidential reference letters from law professors.
- Your LSAT score(s) and the LSAT Writing.
- A letter from your current law school confirming that you are in good standing and have not been the subject of any academic or non-academic discipline. Your current law school must submit this letter directly to OLSAS.
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.
Required documents:
- Official transcripts for all postsecondary education.
- An up-to-date transcript from your current law school.
- Your LSAT score(s) and the LSAT Writing.
- Two confidential reference letters from law professors.
- 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. Your current law school must submit this letter directly to OLSAS.
- 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.
Deadline for Upper-year Applicants
The application, reference letters, transcripts and any other supporting documents are due May 1, 2023.
If your transcript for the current academic year is not available before May 1, 2023, you must ensure it is provided as soon as it is available.
Combined-degree Programs
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 the 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, 2023, for September 2023 admission. June 2023 LSAT scores are accepted.
Read more about applying to combined-degree programs.
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 Program
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 2022 to be considered for the JD/MBA program, since the MBA portion of the program begins in March 2023.
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 or second year.
Read more about Ivey’s MBA program and application details.
Supplementary Information for All Applicants
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 $1,000 package that includes a voucher for the OLSAS application service fee ($200), a waiver of Western’s Faculty of Law fee ($115) and registration in a commercial LSAT preparation course.
See Prospective Black Law Students for details.
Assessment of Winter 2020 Term
If you were a university student during the winter 2020 semester, we understand that different universities implemented different options for evaluation and assessment at that time, including:
- A pass/fail (P/F) or credit/no credit (CR/NCR) model, on a mandatory or optional basis.
- The option to receive grades on an aegrotat basis.
- The option to delay your final examination(s) until a future date.
We recognize this reality, which was beyond your control.
Be aware that 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. Rest assured that, with respect to your winter 2020 courses:
- You will not be disadvantaged in the application process if your institution mandated a P/F or 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.
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, as long as 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.
Document Submission
It is your responsibility to ensure that all documentation is submitted to OLSAS by the published deadlines.
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.
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. The deadline for submitting a fee waiver application and supporting documentation is October 15, 2022 (for first-year applicants), and April 15, 2023 (for upper-year applicants). Fee waiver applications without supporting documentation will not be considered.
Late Applications
You may submit a late application only with the permission of the Assistant Dean (Admissions).
Find out more about filing a late application request.
Entrance Scholarships
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.
Read the descriptions of other Faculty of Law Entrance Scholarships.
Read more about financial aid and awards for all 3 years of study.
All admitted students will be considered for entrance scholarships without further application.
Government and Student Loans
Both the federal and provincial governments provide student financial assistance for Canadian citizens and permanent residents or 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
More than 50% 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.
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.
Contact Information
If you have questions about our admission policies and standards or wish to arrange a tour of Western Law with a student ambassador or admission personnel, contact Admissions:
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) during the fall semester.