Alberta averages your LSAT scores rather than taking the highest — unusual among Canadian schools. And the GPA/LSAT weighting is deliberately not published: the Admissions Committee “adjusts the weighting of these scores annually in order to provide the best prediction of success in law school.”
How Applications Are Assessed
The basis
For general applicants, “admission is based on an applicant’s pre-law academic record and Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score.” The relative weight of the two shifts from year to year and is not disclosed.
The personal statement is where everything else enters the file — Alberta requires no references from general applicants and does not publish an interview process.
What the personal statement is for
The committee states three objectives:
Ensuring access to legal education for underrepresented groups, minorities and individuals who have faced extraordinary life circumstances
Ensuring a diverse range of perspectives and backgrounds to enrich the student body
Ensuring wide-ranging forms of excellence within the student body
GPA Calculation
Most recent 60 credits
Credits countedThe most recent 60 units — roughly two years of full-time study
Must be completed byFebruary 1 of the admission year
Winter/second term of the admission yearNot used, except for two-year applicants
Courses in progress at February 1Not used
Degree levelUndergraduate or graduate coursework both count
TransferabilityCourses must be transferable to the University of Alberta
Special/unclassified student coursesCount, unless they are introductory (100-level) courses
Other grading scalesConverted to the University of Alberta scale for comparison
LSAT Policy
RequiredYes
Multiple scoresAveraged — “We are currently using your average LSAT score for our admission purposes”
Score validityFive years prior to the September of admission
Latest sittingJanuary of the admission year
DeliveryObtained directly from LSAC — no Credential Assembly Service signup needed
Admission Categories
General
Who it's forApplicants with an undergraduate degree, or at least the first three years (90 credits) of a degree program, completed before law school begins.
The degree must be from the University of Alberta or another recognised institution. Applicants whose degree or credits are not recognised will not be considered.
Diplomas and certificates as standalone credentials are not recognised for JD admission.
Two-Year Applicants
Sub-route
Who it's forApplicants of outstanding academic ability without a degree who have completed between 60 and 89 credits toward one.
The only Alberta route with published hard thresholds — and they are high. Unlike general applicants, Winter/second-term courses of the admission year are counted.
Offers are conditional on successfully completing enrolled credits.
Minimum GPA
3.7 on the 4.0 scale
Minimum LSAT
90th percentile
Indigenous Applicants
Who it's forApplicants who can document Indigenous status — for example Band Membership or Métis Nation membership.
A two-stage process: every applicant is first assessed under the general category. Applicants who declare Indigenous status and are not admitted there receive “a secondary holistic assessment… to look for additional strengths that demonstrate that they will be successful in law school.”
The academic bar is lower: a degree or at least two years (60 credits), and as few as 30 credits “if they exhibit evidence of past achievements in non-academic areas indicative of an ability to succeed in law school.”
Extra documents
Status documentation, two references, chronological resumé
Part-Time (first year)
Who it's forStudents already admitted through the normal full-time process who need reduced load for documented reasons.
Capped at five per cent of places. You must first be admitted normally; all general and Indigenous deadlines still apply.
Applicants must demonstrate in writing one or more of: family obligations requiring care for dependents; personal or family health problems; a physical or learning disability; or — subject to space — employment commitments, financial hardship, or other personal disadvantages.
Written request due
Before July 1
Time to complete the JD
Five years
Transfer & Visiting Students
Canadian law schools only
“The University of Alberta Faculty of Law does NOT accept transfers from law programs outside of Canada.” Students of foreign law programs must apply as first-year general applicants; if admitted, the vice-dean reviews prior law work and decides what credit, if any, is given.
How they are assessed
“The number admitted under this category varies from year to year.” The committee assesses “both the reasons the student wishes to attend the Faculty and the student’s potential to succeed.”
Required documents
Transcripts — sent to the Registrar, not Launchpad
Chronological resumé
Personal statement explaining the transfer
One academic letter of reference from a law professor
A letter of permission from your dean or associate dean (visiting/LOP only)
Application Components
Personal statement
Length1,000 words maximum (elsewhere stated as 750–1,000)
FormatPDF, uploaded to UAlberta Launchpad after submitting
DeadlineFebruary 1, 23:59:59 MT
Overlap with resuméMay draw on it, but should not repeat it
References
Not required from general applicants. Two are required from Indigenous applicants; one, from a law professor, from transfer and visiting applicants.
What to write about
Demonstrated aptitude based on personal and professional achievements and work experience
Contributions to community
Extraordinary personal challenges, or the difficulty and quality of your pre-law program
Family, community, leadership or similar responsibilities
Social, political, economic or other factors
Exceptional circumstances that adversely affected particular grades or LSAT scores but do not pose an ongoing issue
Transcripts
Sent by the issuing institution to the Office of the Registrar, or electronically to transcript@ualberta.ca. ApplyAlberta institutions’ transcripts are collected automatically.
If you are currently enrolled, wait until your fall/first term work is complete before sending transcripts.
On the TRC and MMIWG reports
“The TRC Final Report and the MMIWG National Inquiry Report… have documented the historic and ongoing colonialism and systemic racism Indigenous peoples face in Canada. If these realities have affected your life experience or your decision to pursue legal education, you are welcome to explain that in your Personal Statement, should you wish to do so.”
Dates, Fees & Requirements
December 1
Application deadline
11:59 pm MT, the year prior
January
Last acceptable LSAT sitting
February 1
Documents and personal statement due
23:59:59 MT
March 31
Tuition deposit due
$1,000, non-refundable
May 15
Transfer and visiting applications due
June 1
Transfer and visiting documents due
Before July 1
Part-time study requests due
Fees
Application fee$150
Readmission (transfer/visiting)$100
Tuition deposit$1,000, non-refundable — rolled into Fall tuition
Fee waiversNot published
English language proficiency
Required of all undergraduate applicants “regardless of citizenship status or country of origin.” Met automatically by completing at least three years of full-time education in English, in Canada or another country where the primary language of instruction is English (ESL excluded).
