LSAT Self Prep
University of Calgary

Faculty of Law

AlbertaAdmissions
Average LSAT
164
84th percentile
Average GPA
3.77
4-point scale
Applications
1,610
2025 cycle
1L enrolment
145
Target cap of 130
Domestic tuition
$18,696
In province
Domestic tuition
$18,696
Out of province
International tuition
$65,514
Per year
No mature or discretionary category
“UCalgary Law does not offer mature or other discretionary admission categories.” The only equity pathways are the Indigenous and Black student processes — and both are second-look overlays on the regular pool, not separate categories. Files not admitted on ordinary criteria are re-reviewed by a dedicated subcommittee.

How Applications Are Assessed

Rolling admissions

The mechanism

Applications are grouped by statistical profile — LSAT and GPA together — and then reviewed by Admissions Committee members. Each file receives an offer, regrets, or a waitlist notification.

Beyond that grouping, “there is no specific weighting assigned to any of the factors.”

What is considered

  • LSAT and GPA (used for the initial grouping)
  • Work experience and career trajectory
  • Community involvement and extracurriculars
  • Lived experience
  • The Statement of Purpose and Perspective
  • Academic trajectory and patterns
  • Personal characteristics and readiness for law school

Documenting work experience is optional but “considered important.” Whether interviews are used is not published.

Eligibility in practice
The formal minimum is 60 credits toward a bachelor’s degree — but 99% of admitted students hold a completed degree. Separately, the Law Society of Alberta requires “good character and reputation” for the Student-at-Law designation.

GPA Calculation

Last 60 units, reverse chronological

How to count it yourself

“Your GPA will be based on a minimum of the last 60 units (credits) of your undergraduate and/or graduate studies, up to December 31st of the year you submit your application.”

  • Start with the course you most recently completed, up to December 31 of the application year
  • Count out 60 units in reverse chronological order
  • Semesters are not broken up — use all grades from the semester containing your 60th unit, so you may end up with slightly more than 60

“The Student Services office will not fulfill requests to calculate and/or confirm your GPA.”

The edge cases

Repeated coursesIf both fall in the last 60 units, only the highest grade is used
Pass / credit notationsSkipped over — counting continues
Spring and summer coursesCount, if completed before December 31
Post-degree courseworkCounts — the most recent 60 credits are used even if taken after a degree
Multiple institutionsYour GPA may include courses from more than one
Diplomas, certificates, continuing edExcluded unless officially recognised as contributing to a degree program and recorded as such
International degreesNo GPA is calculated except for US coursework — grades are viewed from your WES assessment
International exchangeExcluded except for US coursework, though the transcript is still required
Raising your GPATake more undergraduate or graduate courses, completed by December 31 of the application year

LSAT Policy

Highest for grouping, all scores reviewed

The rules

Score used for groupingHighest attained score on your LSAC report
During reviewAll scores from the past 5 years, your average score, and frequency are considered
Latest sittingJanuary 31 — writing by November is encouraged
Writing sampleMust be on file with LSAC
On retaking
“We highly recommend that you prepare for the LSAT in advance and write the LSAT as few times as possible.” Because Calgary reviews the frequency of your attempts alongside your scores, repeated sittings may be viewed unfavourably — a meaningfully different posture from schools that simply take your best result.

Equity Admission Processes

Second-look review

Indigenous Students Admissions Process

Who it's forApplicants who self-identify as Indigenous and can verify Indigenous citizenship and/or membership.

Files are first reviewed under standard competitive criteria. Applicants not admitted through ordinary review receive “subsequent review by the Indigenous Student Admissions Sub-Committee,” which “has been exclusively Indigenous people since 2021.”

An optional personal essay may address “lived experience as an Indigenous person in Canada, including connections to their Indigenous community, history, culture, and heritage.” It is weighed holistically with “no specific weight.”

Notably careful framing: applicants should “not feel compelled to share elements of personal or family trauma that you have not yet fully processed.”

Documentation due
February 15, to law@ucalgary.ca
Essay word limit
Not published

Black Student Equitable Admissions Process (BSEAP)

Who it's forApplicants who self-identify as being of Black African descent, or multi-racial students identifying with their Black ancestry.

Self-identification is optional and no documents are required to verify Black identity — selecting it in the online application is sufficient.

All applications receive standard evaluation first. Files not admitted initially are automatically reassessed by up to two BSEAP Subcommittee members applying “the same comprehensive criteria and judged to the same competitive standard,” who “may recommend reconsideration if bias is identified.”

The subcommittee is drawn from Black law students, Black faculty, and Black members of the wider legal community.

Optional statement
Up to 450 words

Application Components

Statement of Purpose and Perspective

FormatChoose three essay topics from nine available
LengthMaximum 300 words each — 900 words total

References

Not required. “UCalgary Law does not require reference letters as part of your first-year JD application.”

Transcripts

Unofficial transcripts are uploaded as a single PDF per institution. Each must show the institution name, your name, the date printed, the credential and date conferred, transfer credits received, and grades through December 31.

Not accepted: a “grade summary, screenshot or downloaded copy of your Student Centre,” or a course list. Prior UCalgary students are exempt.

Current students “must wait until January to upload unofficial transcripts” — uploading earlier may delay assessment.

Misrepresentation and generative AI
Applicants are responsible for ensuring their autobiographical information “is truthful, complete and correct.” Withholding material information, “or submitting information that is determined to be false, misleading, written by someone else, or written with the use of generative artificial intelligence technology may result in consequences up to and including revocation of an offer.”

Upper-Year Admission

Transfer Students

Who it's forApplicants who completed first year at a Canadian common law school and have written the LSAT.

Mandatory 1L coverage: Constitutional Law, Contracts, Crime, Property, and Torts. Assessment uses the same criteria as first year, plus a “Statement of Reasons for Requesting Transfer.”

Transfers cannot take first-year courses and are ineligible for combined programs, Letters of Permission, and international exchange.

Applications
February 1 – May 15
Documents
June 1
Statement
Max 300 words per question, up to 3 questions

Letter of Permission (LOP)

Who it's forStudents with at least one year at a Canadian or US law school. Civil law and Francophone school students may apply without the LSAT.

Requires a “Letter of Permission from your current law school indicating that you are in good standing and have not been subject to any disciplinary actions.” Assessed on law school performance plus a “Statement of Reasons to Attend UCalgary Law.”

Course restrictions: no 400-level courses, and no Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, Evidence, Ethical Lawyering, Negotiation, or Advocacy.

Fall term
Feb 1 – May 15, documents June 1
Winter term
Sept 1 – Oct 1, documents Oct 15
Statement
Max 300 words per question, up to 2 questions

International Exchange

Who it's forStudents at institutions with an official exchange agreement, applying through the Study Abroad Office.

The LSAT is not required, though TOEFL may be. The same course restrictions as Letter of Permission students apply.

Dates, Fees & Requirements

  1. September 1
    Applications open
  2. December 1
    Application deadline
    11:59 pm MST
  3. January 31
    Final LSAT score accepted
  4. February 15
    Supporting documents due
    11:59 pm MST
  5. End of April
    All decisions released
    Offer, regrets, or waitlist — rolling before then

Fees

Canadians and permanent residents$125 CAD
International applicants$145 CAD
Fee waiversNot available

Policies & requirements

DeferralsRarely available — generally only in extraordinary circumstances
English proficiencyTwo years of formal full-time study in English at an accredited Canadian or approved English-speaking institution, or an approved test
Re-applicantsNot published

LSAT Preparation Programs

Free, offered by the faculty

LSAT Summer Prep Course

For low-income, high-potential students. Applications open mid-February.

Indigenous Summer LSAT Prep Program

Runs May through August.

All information on this page is drawn from University of Calgary’s official admissions pages. Requirements and deadlines change — always confirm with the school before applying.