General
Who it's forApplicants who do not apply under Access or Indigenous.
Same requirements and process as every other category.
Toronto Metropolitan University
Lincoln Alexander School of Law
OntarioAdmissions
Video interview
Mandatory
Every applicant
GPA / LSAT minimums
None
Holistic review
GPA basis
Cumulative
All undergraduate years
Application deadline
Nov 1
Through OLSAS
Domestic tuition
$22,921
In province
Domestic tuition
$29,156
Out of province
International tuition
$42,057
Per year
The mandatory online interview
Shortly after your OLSAS application arrives, Lincoln Alexander emails you access to an online video interviewing portal (Kira Talent). The invitation includes your completion deadline — “generally two weeks from the invitation date.” “Completion of the online interview is mandatory for consideration for admission.” It is self-recorded, and an intro video is available before you start. Question content is not published.
How Applications Are Assessed
The approach
“The Admissions Committee completes a holistic review of each application through a diversity lens, without setting minimum GPA or LSAT requirements.”
“The Lincoln Alexander School of Law is committed to ensuring that our student body represents a broad range of social, economic, ethnic and cultural perspectives and reflects our unique Canadian society. We know that a more diversified legal workforce will better serve the diverse needs of our population.”
Institutional priorities: “increasing access to justice, stimulating technological innovation and entrepreneurship, and promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.”
What is evaluated
- All post-secondary studies
- Your best LSAT score
- Personal Statement (School Submission)
- Reference letters
- Resumé and the OLSAS Autobiographical Sketch
- The online interview
“We do not have GPA or LSAT minimums and look to see balanced and well-rounded applications across all of these data points.” No formula, index, weighting, or cutoff is published, and committee composition is not described.
“Any information provided is considered in a manner consistent with the Ontario Human Rights Code.”
Eligibility
Including a no-degree pathwayStandard route
“Admission… generally requires a minimum of 3 years of study (30 one-semester courses or equivalent) completed at a recognized university in a program leading to a degree.”
No-degree pathway
The school “encourage[s] individuals who haven’t completed a university education but who can demonstrate maturity and aptitude through employment and/or other lived experiences to consider applying.” You are eligible if both apply:
- You have not attended university, or have completed fewer than 3 years (as of June 1 of the admission year)
- You have a minimum of 5 years of non-academic experience after secondary school (as of September 1 of the admission year)
Non-academic experience “typically would include at least five years of full-time work experience, as well as some combination of volunteer work, significant life skills and life experiences.” Non-university academic studies are also considered, and transcripts for all post-secondary study are required.
GPA Calculation
Cumulative, frozen earlyBasisCumulative Grade Point Average for all years of undergraduate study
MinimumNone set
Cut-off pointCourses completed by the end of the summer term in the year of application
RecalculationNot recalculated with courses completed during the admissions cycle — updated transcripts are not required unless requested
What countsAll eligible undergraduate degree courses regardless of term, course load, or level of study — including additional degree programs and special/visiting student courses
What does notGraduate studies, diploma, certificate, non-credit, and vocational courses
Diploma-to-degree programsConsidered if the university transcripts include final grades for the minimum number of courses used in the calculation
LSAT Policy
RequiredYes — all applicants
Multiple scoresHighest result, as reported by LSAC
MinimumNone set
Score validityThe current cycle and the 5 prior cycles
Latest sittingJanuary of your matriculation year — “no exceptions will be made for late LSAT score submissions”
Recommended sittingBy November of your application year
LSAT WritingBoth portions must be completed and processed by LSAC for your score to reach OLSAS; repeat testers need not redo it
Application Categories
Choose oneAccess
Who it's forApplicants from equity-deserving and historically disadvantaged groups — and the route mature students take.
The Committee considers those who are:
A 2SLGBTQ+ person; a Black person; a person with a disability, including physical, sensory, learning and mental health disabilities, chronic health conditions, and those who identify as neurodiverse; a racialized person; or part of another historically disadvantaged or under-represented group.
Mature students apply here. You must be at least 26 by September 1 of the admission year and have a minimum of 5 years of uninterrupted non-academic experience after any full-time study.
- Where to explain it
- An OLSAS text box; may also be addressed in the statement
Indigenous
Who it's forIndigenous applicants, on self-identification — no formal verification process.
You must “include a statement that speaks to your relationship to your Indigenous identity and community” — in the Personal Statement or, failing that, the Additional Explanation Essay.
“We recognize that identity and connection can take different forms and we do not require any specific lived experience, historical trauma, or institutional involvement to be disclosed. We are committed to an approach grounded in respect, self-identification, and reconciliation; we invite you to share in the manner that feels most appropriate and authentic to you.”
- References
- One may corroborate your interest in and identification with your Indigenous community
Does choosing Access change your odds?
The school answers directly: “No. Applying in the Access category does not put candidates at an advantage or a disadvantage… While the application requirements and process are the same for applicants across all categories, applying under the Access or Indigenous categories may allow for more opportunity to provide context on your unique lived experiences.”
Application Components
Personal Statement
Length6,000 characters, including spaces
The required prompt:
“Describe how your personal, professional, academic, or extracurricular experiences have shaped your decision to pursue legal education, and why the Lincoln Alexander School of Law is the right fit for your journey. How do these experiences position you to succeed and contribute meaningfully to our law school community and to the future of the legal profession?”
“The statement must be authored entirely by you.” It “will be reviewed holistically in conjunction with your responses to the mandatory online interview and the other application components.”
Additional Explanation Essay
Length1,000 characters, optional
“If you have extenuating circumstances, unexpected events, or barriers that impacted your academic record, or other life experiences that you feel impact your application, please share the context of your circumstances here.”
Note the unusual caveat: “this section is not scored as a part of the admissions process, and only will be used to give additional information and context.” It is also the fallback location for the Indigenous identity statement.
References, resumé, and sketch
Reference lettersTwo — “strongly recommended but not required” that one be academic
RefereesShould have extensive personal knowledge of you
DeliveryOLSAS Confidential Assessment forms, confidential, submitted by the referee directly to OLSAS
Resumé / CVRequired, with dates
Autobiographical SketchSeparate and mandatory, in addition to the resumé
The resumé must include work experience; extracurriculars including volunteering; academic background and credentials; professional development; and research, publications, and major speaking events.
The Autobiographical Sketch is distinct: “While similar to a resumé or CV… [it] is a separate, distinct component, and must be completed.”
Transcripts
Transcripts for all post-secondary study, including visiting and exchange study, through OLSAS. Secondary school transcripts are not required, though the Academic Background section requires listing all secondary and post-secondary institutions attended.
WES is required if your undergraduate study was completed outside Canada or the US (excluding exchanges), but “WES assessments are not required for graduate studies, studies completed as a visiting student, or on a study abroad/exchange program.”
Incomplete applications are not considered.
Every component above — including the video interview — must be finished for your file to be reviewed.
Dates & Deposits
- AugustApplications open on OLSAS
- November 1Application deadline
- After OLSAS transmits your fileInterview invitation emailedRoughly two weeks to complete
- DecemberOffers beginRolling, continuing until approximately mid-March
- JanuaryLatest accepted LSAT sitting
- April 1OLSAS confirmation deadline
- After April 1Waitlist offers issued
- June 1Deposit dueOr the date given in your offer letter
- June 30Final transcripts and conditions due to OLSAS
- August 7Deferral request deadlineForm opens in June
Deposits and fees
Domestic deposit$500, non-refundable
International deposit$1,500, non-refundable
Fee waiverOwn application window — applications for the next cycle open in late August
Waitlist
“After the April 1 confirmation deadline we offer a small group of applicants positions on a wait list.” Usefully, “accepting a wait list position does not impact your offers of admission from other law schools on OLSAS.”
Where decisions appear
In MyServiceHub under Communications — the Admissions tab is not active for Lincoln Alexander applicants. Offers also appear on OLSAS.
Policies
Late applications
“For a short period after the deadline, written requests for permission to submit a late application may be granted at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.”
Email lawadmissions@torontomu.ca with the subject “Late Application Request”, including your first and last name (no nicknames), corroborating documentation if applicable, your admission category, copies of all post-secondary transcripts, and your LSAT scores or planned test date. “Incomplete requests will not be considered.”
Deferrals and restrictions
DeferralsConsidered individually, and only after you accept an offer and pay the deposit — “Deferrals to spring, summer or semesters beyond one year will not be considered”
Transfers, upper-year, NCANot accepted — they “would not fulfill the IPC components required to graduate”
Part-time studyNot available — an Extended Time Program exists as an accommodation for enrolled students, not as an admissions stream
Joint or graduate programsNone — “we will only be offering a JD program”
Offer withdrawalReserved if you fail to respond by the confirmation date, pay the deposit, or meet your offer conditions
No admissions statistics published
Lincoln Alexander publishes no median or average GPA or LSAT, no class size, and no application or offer counts anywhere in its admissions section. It also does not publish re-applicant, misrepresentation, or reconsideration policies.
Accreditation & Support
Accreditation
Approved by the Quality Assurance Council, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, and the Law Society of Ontario. “Full accreditation approval was provided by the FLSC’s Canadian Common Law Program Approval Committee in June 2023.”
Scholarships and prep
Scholarships require a separate application through AwardSpring, due in March, with decisions typically in April. “Financial need is a requirement for the majority of our scholarships,” and only offer-holders are considered.
A free LSAT Prep Program is also offered.
All information on this page is drawn from Toronto Metropolitan University’s official admissions pages. Requirements and deadlines change — always confirm with the school before applying.