Admission
Director of Admissions & Recruitment: Ally Howard
Admissions Procedure
Any student seeking admission to the Law School for the first time must complete the online application and submit academic transcripts, letters of reference and a personal statement to the Admissions Office, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, by February 28, 11:59pm AT. An application fee, which is not refunded, must accompany each application. Applicants who wish to be considered for entrance scholarships and early admission consideration must file these applications by November 30, 11:59pm AT. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all materials relevant to the application are received by the committee.
Students applying for admission are required to provide results of the Law School Admission Test, a service of the Law School Admission Council (www.lsac.org). The test is offered several times per year across Canada and the US. LSATs written after March 1st will not be considered for positions in the course commencing the following September.
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 $500 is required to hold a place in the law program. All paid deposits are applied to the first installment of tuition fees in September. Prospective applicants should confirm from the faculty that this information has not been changed subsequent to this printing.
Admissions Policy
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 may be held at the discretion of the Committee. Interviews will normally take place in May or June.
Juris Doctor (Full and Part Time)
Students are admitted to the JD program through one of the categories set out below.
General Applicants
The Admissions Committee of the Schulich School of Law may admit applicants as general candidates for the JD degree if the applicant has an undergraduate degree or is within one year of graduation eligibility from a degree-granting college or university recognized by the Dalhousie Senate.
Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) Applicants
The Indigenous applicant category is open to those who self-identify as a Canadian Indigenous person, including First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit. The Indigenous category is intended to manifest the Schulich School of Law’s recognition of the need for reconciliation and greater representation of First Nations, Métis and Inuit persons in the legal field as well as an acknowledgement of our presence as an educational institution on ancestral and unceded territory of Mi'kma'ki.
Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq (IB&M) Initiative Applicants
The IB&M applicant category is open to those who self-identify as Indigenous Black and/or Mi’kmaq and are seeking admission via the IB&M Initiative. The primary focus of the IB&M Initiative is on applicants who are either:
- Indigenous Black Nova Scotians - individuals who are Black and were born and raised in Nova Scotia, or who have a substantial connection with a historically Black community in Nova Scotia, or
- Mi'kmaq - individuals who are Mi'kmaq and were born and raised in Mi'kmaqi or have a substantial connection with a Mi'kmaw community in Mi'kmaqi.
The IB&M Initiative places the admission of African Nova Scotian and Mi'kmaq applicants as its highest priority. If, in any given year all qualified Indigenous Blacks and Mi'kmaw applicants have been admitted and there are still spaces available, Black applicants who are not Indigenous to Nova Scotia and Indigenous applicants who are not Mi'kmaq, may be admitted through the IB&M category.
IB&M applicants are required to submit the same application materials as other candidates but will undergo additional consideration for the IB&M Initiative by a separate committee.
Historically Disadvantaged Communities Applicants
Historically Disadvantaged Communities applicant category is open to those who self-identify as members of historically disadvantaged communities (other than Indigenous and Indigenous Black Nova Scotian communities for which there are distinct categories).
The following is an illustrative and non-exhaustive list of communities currently included in this category: Black; African descent; additional racialized minorities; 2SLGBTQ+; gender identity; persons with diagnosed mental illness; persons with visible or invisible disability (including physical, mental, intellectual, learning or sensory impairment, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders an individual’s full and effective participation in society).
This category is intended to recognize the need for greater representation of historically disadvantaged communities at the Schulich School of Law and in the legal profession. Having this as a category is also intended to focus the Committee’s attention on the need to not perpetuate the harms of systemic discrimination.
Work/Life Experience Applicants
Work/Life Experience applicant category is open to those who seek admission where their work/life experience provides a strong basis for inclusion in the incoming class but they either do not have the required number of academic credits to be eligible for the General category; or they have the required number of academic credits but based on their academic record alone, they would not be competitive in the General category.
Examples of those eligible to seek admission under this category include (but are not limited to): candidates who:
- have been raising children or caring for sick relatives
- have been running a local non-profit or similar organization
- pursued a trade after high school
- completed a university degree where their subsequent work experience and LSAT score may be a more accurate and relevant indicator of current capabilities than their GPA
The Work/Life Experience category is intended to recognize the skills and abilities individuals can gain outside of an academic institution and to ensure that the legal profession is more representative of the communities that it serves.
JD/MBA, JD/MPA, JD/MI, JD/MHA
Students intending to make application for any joint program should inquire directly to the Registrar’s Office, Dalhousie University.
Transferring From Another Canadian Law School
Students of other Canadian law schools who satisfy the standards for admission to the JD program may apply to the Associate Dean, Academic to transfer to the Schulich School of Law, provided they are in good standing where previous studies have been undertaken, the work they have completed is satisfactory to the Law School Studies Committee, and the courses to be completed for a JD degree can be arranged. To qualify for a degree the student must complete two full years at Dalhousie. Well qualified graduates of a Quebec law school may be admitted into a special one year program. The Schulich School of Law does not accept transfer applications from students of non-Canadian law schools. Enquiries should be directed to the Director, Student Services and Engagement at the law school.
Admission as an Occasional Student
Subject to University and Law School regulations, a professional in law or a related field may be admitted as an occasional student to attend one or two courses at the most. Attendance or performance in courses or any examinations is not credited for degree qualifications. As a general rule, occasional students are not permitted to attend first year law courses. Those wishing to be admitted as occasional students should apply to the Law School Studies Committee. Undergraduate students may not take courses at the law school. Graduate students may, in certain circumstances, be permitted by the Schulich School of Law to take a law course at the Law School and should contact the Associate Dean, Academic to enquire.
Students with Disabilities
Dalhousie University is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and full participation for students with disabilities. See University Regulations for details.
Additional Information for Part Time Applicants
Students interested in pursuing a part-time JD 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 Program 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 Program is limited. Not all students who meet the standards for acceptance to the JD program 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 Program, the Committee in its discretion will give special consideration to factors such as family responsibilities, financial hardship, employment commitments, and health problems. Note that students in the part-time program take a reduced number of courses, but those courses are offered with the regular full-time students. No special evening courses are offered.
- Students already accepted into the full-time JD who wish to enter the Part-Time Studies Program should write a letter supplying the information requested in the previous paragraph and send it to Admissions Office, Schulich School of Law, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2. 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 JD, acceptance into the Part-Time Studies Program is not automatic.
- Applicants interested in the Part-Time program should contact the law society of any province in which they might want to practice law, in order to ascertain whether a Part-time JD from Dalhousie meets individual law society requirements.
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