Best law schools in canada – If you live in Canada or are a foreigner who wants to study law there, we have compiled a comprehensive list of Canada’s best law schools. These are the schools you will have to have your eyes on when submitting your application or applying for admission to any of them.
To qualify as a lawyer in Canada, it is a requirement that you must sit, write and pass the bar exam for you to be admitted in to become a lawyer. Canada is well known for its numerous law schools, and you will surely get confused about the same school to go to when you apply.
I could remember how long I researched when a friend of mine was looking to become a lawyer in Canada and wanted to attend the best law schools there to get him certified. Well, after much research, we have the result here.
This list of the best law schools in Canada is a product of considering how they engage students in law practice. The qualifications of the teachers that they have in each of the schools. We did not consider the cost of these law schools because we are looking for the best and not the cheapest.
5 Best Law Schools In Canada
- University of Toronto Faculty of Law (Toronto, ON)
- Peter A. Allard Law School
- McGill University Faculty of Law
- Queen’s University Faculty of Law
- University of Alberta Faculty of Law
1. University of Toronto Faculty of Law (Toronto, ON)
University of Toronto Faculty of Law in Canada ranks on our list today. This school always gets ranking as one of the best Canadian law schools. The faculty of law of Toronto is widely recognized in the international space for its research works and contributions toward to growth and development of law both internationally and locally.
They have published recent publications, books, and honours and have won various prizes in recommendable categories.
More so, the Toronto Faculty of law school is home to 4 Supreme Court justices in Canada. It has numbered more than any other law school.
One of the reasons why Toronto law students do well is because they are taught by professors and excellent teachers with enviable records. Professor Mohammad Fadel is a leader in Islamic law in Canada, has published in many major journals, and served at the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics.
Professor Kent Roach focuses on criminal law and won a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship in 2013. Recently Albert Yoon was named the 2022 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow.
2. University of British Columbia Peter A. Allard Law School (Vancouver, BC)
The Peter A. Allard Law School is renowned in Canada and ranks as one of the best in North America. It is one of the best institutions for legal education and research. It was founded in 1945, and the current dean is Ngai Pindell. The law faculty focuses on business, tax, environmental, and employment law courses.
No minimum CPGA is required to apply to get admission into this faculty of law. Although, as per records, successful applicants usually have an average UBC percentage CGPA of 83%—ranging from 76% to 90%—with LSAT scores ranging between 156 to 180.
So if you have an LSAT score between that range and satisfy other requirements, you are close to getting admission.
The Peter A. Allard School of Law usually admits 200 students to first-year law because they receive close to 1500 applications yearly.
It is not an easy task to apply for admission into this faculty of law school in Canada. You will need your academic transcript, LSAT score, personal statement, personal question, letters of reference, and some supporting documents. The documents will be reviewed after you upload them. Then a non-refundable application fee of $98.50CAD must be paid for your application to be processed.
3. McGill University Faculty of Law (Montreal, QC)
McGill University is considered one of the best universities in Canada as it has a QS ranking of 22 and ranks at number 17 in the world ranking. Thus, its law faculty is also one of the oldest in Canada. It was established in 1848 (174 years ago), and the dean is Robert Leckey. It has 875 students currently. The low population is because it admits only a few students every session.
The average entering GPA is 3.8 on a 4.0 scale (about an 85% average). So if your score is below that average, then you can consider writing the LSAT to help give you an advantage.
Although, applicants to McGill Law school are not required to take the LSAT. However, if a candidate takes or takes the LSAT, the score will be submitted and considered by the school.
Some documents needed for application are; transcripts, personal statement, Curriculum Vitae, Passport, and other documents you will have to check on the school website.
4. Queen’s University Faculty of Law (Kingston, ON)
The queen’s law faculty is one of Canada’s best law schools. It is ranked in third place among the law schools in Canada, and the school was founded in 1861 (161 years ago). The name of the current dean is Mark Walters, and they currently have a total of 496 students.
The courses studied are business law, tax law, constitutional law, criminal law, intellectual property law, and international law, among others.
Most successful candidates have an undergraduate degree and have completed their university program. They offer a Juris Doctor ( J.D) degree at the end of the program.
It is very competitive getting admission into queen’s faculty of law because they receive close to 2,400 applications every year. Thus it would help if you had an average LSAT score of 157 and above and a GPA of 3.5 and above to stand a chance of getting admission into the law school.
5. University of Alberta Faculty of Law (Edmonton, AB)
The University of Alberta’s faculty of law is one of the oldest in the world. It was founded in 1912, and its dean is Barbara Billingsley. The current number of students in the session is 525 because of its low acceptance rate of 14%.
This is to show you that getting admission into the Alberta faculty of law is very competitive. This law faculty also has the second largest law library in Canada, Osgoode hall law school.
The University of Alberta Faculty of Law is currently ranked among the top 100 law schools worldwide, according to Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2018 by subject. The former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada is an alumnus of this law school in Canada.
To gain admission into this faculty due to its competitiveness, you must have an average LSAT score of 157 and above and a GPA of 3.5 and above to qualify for law school admission.
Additional Rankings of the Best Law Schools in Canada
- University of Ottawa
- Université de Montréal
- York University
- Dalhousie University
- Western University
Canadian Law Schools LSAT Score, GPA, Tuition Fees, Class size, and Application Deadline
Canadian Law School | Average LSAT score | Average GPA | Application Deadline | Class Size | Yearly Tuition for Canadian Resident |
The University Of Ottawa Faculty Of Law | 157 | 3.7 | November 1st | 309 | $19,355 |
Osgoode Hall Law School, York University | 161 | 3.69 | November 1st | 290 | $25,866 |
The University Of Toronto Faculty Of Law | 166 | 3.86 | November 1st | 212 | $33,040 |
UBC Allard School Of Law | 166 | 3.8 | December 1st | 200 | $13,149 |
Queen's University Faculty Of Law | 160 | 3.73 | November 1st | 200 | $19,487 |
Western University Law | 161 | 3.7 | November 1st | 190 | $29,505 |
University of Alberta Faculty Of Law | 160 | 3.8 | December 1st | 185 | $10,936 |
McGill University Faculty Of Law | 162 | 3.7 | November 1st | 180 | $10,841 |
Dalhousie University Schulich School Of Law | 162 | 3.7 | February 28th | 170 | $16,950 |
The University Of Windsor Faculty Of Law | 155 | 3.1 | November 1st | 165 | $19,330 |
The University Of Calgary Faculty Of Law | 161 | 3.66 | December 1st | 135 | $15,400 |
University of Saskatchewan College Of Law | 158 | 3.35 | February 1st | 126 | $15,584 |
Thompson Rivers University Faculty Of Law | Not provided | Not provided | November 1st | 115 | $21,312 |
The University Of Victoria Faculty Of Law | 165 | 3.81 | January 15th | 110 | $10,370 |
The University Of Manitoba Faculty Of Law | 160 | 3.99 | December 1st | 106 | $10,999 |
University Of New Brunswick Faculty Of Law | 158 | 3.7 | March 1st | 92 | $12,560 |
Bora Laskin Faculty Of Law (Lakehead University) | Not provided | Not provided | November 1st | 65 | $18,039 |
Conclusion
We have given you the list of best law schools in Canada, LSAT scores, GPA requirements, and tuition fees for those schools.
Gather your documents, and make your application by visiting the official school website before the deadline.