Frequently Asked Questions
Program Related Questions
The GPLLM program can be completed in one of two ways: on a full-time one year basis that sees students attending classes on alternate weekends between September and July, or on a two year extended full-time basis that sees students completing the program over six terms with a Fall/Winter/Summer, Fall/Winter/Summer registration sequence. In both cases, the program beings in September of every year.
Regular classes take place on Friday evenings (from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a dinner break) and all day on Saturdays (from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with a lunch break) on a bi-weekly basis. Students also complete a four-day non-credit course called Legal Methods, and at least one intensive course (that is two weekends in length) in December or April. Please review the 2025-2026 GPLLM Program Calendar.
The GPLLM is offered on a full-time basis over one or two years. However, classes are held outside of traditional work hours on alternating weekends to enable students to full-time while pursuing the program.
Yes. Graduates of the GPLLM program earn a Global Professional Master of Laws degree from the University of Toronto.
No. The GPLLM will provide you with a substantive, academically rigorous legal education in several different areas of the law, but it will not provide you with the qualifications to practice law which, in Canada, requires completed of a JD or LLB degree.
If you are licensed to practice law in another jurisdiction, the Canadian Law in a Global Context concentration of the GPLLM program will enable you to fulfill requirements assessed by the National Committee on Accreditation.
The GPLLM is a full-time executive LLM geared towards practicing lawyers and professionals from different industries. The program's curriculum is carefully curated to provide students with exposure to the legal issues and problems that are foundational, timely, and have real world (and business) relevance. Admissions to the GPLLM does not require previous legal studies, though students applying to the Canadian Law in a Global Context concentration often have law degrees from elsewhere in the world and are pursuing the GPLLM as a means of satisfying the requirements assessed by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA).
At most law schools, the Master of Laws (LLM) is a research-based program that requires a law degree for admission (e.g. JD or LLB). There are additional distinctions. At our law school, LLM students pursue different courses, including a combinations of research-intensive graduate seminars and courses in which upper year JD students are enrolled.
Admission to the Faculty's doctoral program, the Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD), requires an undergraduate law degree and, for admission to our standard SJD, a Master of Laws. GPLLM students who have an undergraduate law degree may be eligible for admission to the SJD program. For more information please review the SJD requirements here. Admission requirements for doctoral programs offered by other law schools vary and students are encouraged to review the admission standards of each law school in which they are interested.
No. All courses offered in the GPLLM program are delivered in-person at the Faculty of Law's beautiful Jackman Law building located downtown on the St. George campus. One of the aspects of the program on which we most pride ourselves (and about which we regularly receive positive feedback) is the dynamic classroom experience. Face-to-face engagement allows students and faculty alike to leverage learning that takes place both within and outside of the classroom, while also developing close relationships with your faculty and peers.
The University's Centre for International Experience is an extraordinary resource for international students. In addition to offering workshops and seminars, admitted students can meet one-on-one with the University's immigration advisors. International students are encouraged to apply for admission to the GPLLM program early in the admission cycle (i.e. first or second round) to allow for sufficient time to apply for and obtain a study permit.
Yes. Students in the Canadian Law in a Global Context concentration of the GPLLM program have access to individual career support from our dedicated (and truly wonderful) Graduate Career Advisor. For these students, the supports are focused on ensuring that our students are familiar with the Canadian legal job market and the means by which legal employers recruit law students. This also includes access to workshops, mentorship events, informations sessions, employer hosted events, cover letter and resume reviews, mock interviews, and other direct career advising. Throughout their time in the program students are supported in developing the skills they need to launch a successful legal career, starting with a deep understanding of the organizations and processes with which internationally trained lawyers must engages (e.g. NCA candidacy, LSO licensing, the Law Practice Program, career decision-making, alternative law career paths, application documents, interview preparation, building a Canadian law network, and more).
Students in the Canadian Law in a Global context concentration also have access to the U of T Law Careers portal (UTLC), which houses a wealth of resources, job postings, and more for students who are in the process of becoming licensed to practice law in Canada.
Students in our Business Law and Innovation, law & Technology concentrations are also able to leverage the knowledge and services of our Graduate Career Advisor for career coaching conversations and more.
Finally, U of T’s Career Exploration & Education is available to all U of T students as a central service.
For prospective students and incoming students, we strongly encourage you to review:
- The National Committee on Accreditation: The NCA is a sub-committee of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada that has been charged with assessing applications for accreditation from international educated lawyers and law graduates who wish to become eligible to become licensed to practice law in Canada. The first step towards licensure for applicants with a law degree from outside of Canada is to apply to the NCA for an assessment. The NCA assessment determines the GPLLM courses a student will be required to complete.
- The Law Society of Ontario: The LSO grants licensing to prospective lawyers wishing to practice in Ontario. They administer the bar examinations that typically take place late Summer, Fall and Winter.
The GPLLM program is structured such that it runs from September until early August (see Program Calendar on our Admissions page) as closely in alignment as possible to match the LSO’s licensing processes
For current GPLLM students, the Graduate Career Advisor is supports them in their licensing questions through workshops, events, asynchronous materials, and direct advising.
The Canadian Law in a Global Context concentration of the program is primarily directed at individuals who have already obtained legal training in civil or common law jurisdictions, and engage with the GPLLM as part of their journey to qualify as legal practitioners in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada. Our program's curriculum is precisely curated against the NCA requirements to ensure NCA candidates can satisfy all their mandatory subjects.
Over the past 14 years, the GPLLM program continues to successfully serve many internationally trained lawyers in helping them meet their NCA accreditation requirements. The curriculum structure of the GPLLM program front-loads the six mandatory NCA courses: Foundations of Canadian Law, Canadian Criminal Law, Canadian Constitutional Law, Canadian Administrative Law, Professional Responsibility, and Applied Legal Research and Writing.
We highly recommend that applicants contact the NCA before applying to the GPLLM program to know what courses they are required to pursue.
Admissions Questions
We accept up to 130 students in total into all three concentrations each year.
Upon review of your submitted application, an admissions interview may be requested if the Admissions Committee requires additional information.
Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. Each application is reviewed on a holistic basis but due to competitive nature of the program, successful applicants tend to exceed the minimum admission requirements.
We take a holistic approach when reviewing applications for admission to the GPLLM. Although your academic background is one of the variables considered by the Admissions Committee, we also consider your professional experience, extra-curricular involvements, reference letters, and personal statement in assessing your contributions to the classroom experience.
The GPLLM program does not normally permit requests for deferred entry. It is anticipated that students will start the program in the academic year for which they applied. However, if due to significant extenuating circumstances, you are unable to commence your studies during the academic year specified on your Offer of Admission and wish to postpone your studies, you may ask to be accommodated by having your admission deferred. Deferrals can only be granted for a period of up to 12 months. Please contact admissions.gpllm@utoronto.ca for more information.
The Admissions Committee reviews GPLLM applications in rounds as set out on our Admissions page. Each round specifies the deadline by which a complete application must be received in order to be considered for admission within that round, and the decision date by which the admissions decisions will be communicated to applicants. From time-to-time the GPLLM Admissions Committee may make off-cycle decisions at their sole discretion.
No. The LSAT is not a requirement for admission to the GPLLM program.
If your primary language is not English and you completed your admitting (i.e. undergraduate) degree at an post-secondary institution where the language of instruction and examination was other than English, you must demonstrate your facility in English by completing an English language facility test. (Important: This does not apply to Canadian citizens, with an admitting degree from a Canadian post-secondary institution where the language of instruction and examination was French). Candidates who have completed their admitting undergraduate degree in a language other than in English must submit a valid English language proficiency (ELP) test. For more information about the tests recognized by the University of Toronto and the Faculty of Law's minimum required scores, please visit our Admissions Page. Please note, your application will not be considered complete until the English language proficiency requirement is demonstrated.
If your documents are in a language other than English or French (Canada's two official languages), they must be accompanied by notarized English translations. Translations do not replace original documentation. Both, the original documents and their English translations, must be submitted.
The University of Toronto's School of Graduate Studies application fee $130 CAD and must be paid in order to submit an application to be considered for admission to the GPLLM program. This fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.
There is no minimum work experience requirement for applicants to the Canadian Law in a Global Context concentration of the GPLLM program. Applicants to Business Law and Innovation, Law & Technology concentrations must have at least five years of full-time, continuous, professional experience to be considered for admission.
If your recommender does not have an institutional email address, bus they use a personal domain for professional purposes, which can be verified via a professional website, please provide us with the website link. If this option is not available, please advise your recommender to draft a hardcopy reference letter on their organization's letterhead. The letter must be signed by the recommender, sealed into an envelope and signed once again by the recommender over the seal line. It must them be mailed to our Admissions Office at:
University of Toronto - Faculty of Law
Global Professional LLM - Admissions
78 Queen's Park
Toronto, ON
Canada, M5S 2C5
Applicants may submit their GPLLM application with the existing scores, but given the competitive nature of admissions, it is strongly recommended that applicants meet all of the minimum requirements before applying for admission. The Admissions Committee evaluates each application holistically based on its own merit as well as against the entire applicant pool.
There is no significant difference between the admission rounds as the admission criteria and application process remains the same. However, we encourage applications to submit their applications as soon as they have everything ready simply because there are more available admission spaces earlier in the admission cycle. In addition, international students are strongly encouraged to apply early to allow sufficient time to obtain study permit.
Tuition Related Questions
The annual program fees include: the GPLLM academic tuition fee, UofT ancillary fees, University Health Insurance Plan fees (for international students only), and most course materials. The program fees do not include the cost of textbooks in the Canadian Law in a Global Context concentration.
Please visit the Student Account website for all tuition fee payment options.
Although the GPLLM does not offer any program-specific awards, students are encourages to explore the University of Toronto's School of Graduate Studies Award Explorer to view all available graduate awards, their criteria, and the application process.
The University of Toronto, Faculty of Law does not offer direct financing or student financial aid for the GPLLM. However, the GPLLM qualifies for the Scotiabank Canada's Student Line of Credit (ScotiaLine), Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP), Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and other comparable provincial student loan programs. For more information please visit our Fees page.
The GPLLM program is considered a full-time graduate degree program, and thus any tuition paid is partially tax deductible.
Students will receive a T2202 tuition receipt for each tax year they are enrolled in the program. The tuition amount can be declared on an annual income tax return to offset taxes payable. Please contact a taxation specialist for more information and professional advice.