LLM Program Admissions

All applicants must upload electronic versions of their transcripts from each university attended on the application system.

Transcript(s) are required from ALL post-secondary institutions attended – for all studies started, completed or attempted, even if no degree was awarded. This includes transfer credits, exchanges or courses taken on letter of permission, even if not used toward your degree.

If a transcript includes a grading scheme legend, please also include the legend with the scanned transcript.  Please note that transcripts must be as complete as possible.  Do not omit information about any year of study/courses completed.

For applicants currently in the process of completing their final year of study, an interim transcript needs to be submitted.

All foreign language transcripts must be translated into English through an official translator. Exception: French is an official language of Canada and we therefore do not require English translations of transcripts in French.

Applicants who are required to provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application will need to upload an official scan of their English Language Proficiency test scores on the application system. All scores must be uploaded by the document deadline.

In addition, applicants must also arrange for the testing agency to submit their official test score directly to the University of Toronto (Enrolment Services office).

• The TOEFL institution code for U of T is 0982. There is no need to specify a department.
• For IELTS, you should select “University of Toronto (Undergraduate and Graduate programs)” from the list of options. The University of Toronto (Undergraduate and Graduate Programs) is an IELTS “STED RO”. This means that we subscribe to the electronic score-sending service and do not accept paper results. You may wish to advise your test centre, specifically, that U of T is an STED RO when you make your request to have your scores sent to us. You do not need to notify U of T once you have ordered your test results. U of T receives IELTS results on an ongoing basis.

If this requirement is not applicable to you, it will be waived when your online application is reviewed. There is no need to contact SGS or Jackman Law to get this requirement waived.

Applicants should submit a Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) of three pages maximum. 

It should include your education, scholarships and awards received, scholarly publications, work experience and relevant extra curricular activities.

The personal statement is your opportunity to convey your reasons for pursuing admission into the degree program and how your background has prepared you for it. Please use the statement as an opportunity to address specific topics, questions, or legal issues you would like to explore during your studies (thesis students should address their research interests in their thesis proposal).  Also outline your goals, career plans, reasons for pursuing admission into the LLM program and how your background has prepared you to succeed.

The statement should be no more than one page and should demonstrate your ability to write effectively and communicate clearly.

Note:

• Applicants who wish to describe any unusual or extenuating circumstances they want to bring to the attention of our Admissions Committee can submit an additional page with the information they wish to share (250 words maximum).

Applicants to the short thesis LLM or the long thesis LLM must submit a thesis proposal, indicating what issues they plan to examine in their thesis and why they think it is worth studying. In 1 to 2 pages, describe a specific legal problem, question, or debate you wish to explore during your graduate studies. Explain what makes this issue significant, what remains unresolved or contested about it, and how you might approach investigating it. If you have a specific research project in mind, focus on that. If not, choose an area where you see interesting tensions or opportunities for original thinking.

Applicants should select a writing sample that demonstrates their analytical skill and writing ability.

Appropriate writing samples include academic papers written for a university course or seminar (including, where possible, the name of the course for which it was submitted and the grade it attracted), or work published in scholarly publications. Please note that co-authored publications are not admissible.

The writing sample must be in English.  

Format:

The writing sample must be between 3,500 and 5,000 words
 

Applicants who wish to apply for financial assistance should indicate as much when creating their application and will need to complete the Financial Assistance Application Form. The form is available for download on the application system (after submitting the application form and accessing the application portal)

Note: The Financial Assistance form is for all applicants and not restricted to OSOTF applicants only. Financial assistance is available to both domestic and international students (the form helps determine an applicant’s eligibility for OSOTF and non-OSOTF awards).

All LLM applicants are expected to independently investigate and apply for all types of external funding for which they are eligible (e.g., SSHRC, OGS).  University-wide and external awards must be applied to well in advance of the start of the graduate program. Further information on our Award Distribution Policy can be found on our Graduate Program Fees and Financing webpage. 

Applicants who have an International (Educational) Credential Evaluation (for example: WES Evaluation Report, ECA from the School of Continuing Studies or other) are encouraged to submit the report/assessment with their application.

Please note that submission of a report/assessment is optional.  Not uploading a report/assessment will not result in your application being considered incomplete. 

Two academic letters of reference are required. If you cannot obtain academic references, and will be submitting professional references instead, please briefly explain why in your personal statement. 

You will need to provide the name and contact information of the people from whom you wish to solicit reference letters on the application form. The system will automatically email an electronic submission request to each referee once their information is entered on the system.  It is highly recommended that you contact your referees ahead of time to ensure that they are willing to provide a reference letter by the document deadline. 

Refrain from soliciting references from peers, co-workers or direct reports. Personal references are also ineligible (e.g. friends, family members, etc.).

Important:

• Do not add more than 2 referees - if more than 2 referees are added only the first two reference letters submitted will be considered, any additional letters will not be reviewed.)
• You need to provide your referees' institutional email address (i.e. @university.com or @company.com). Personal email addresses are not accepted (i.e gmail.com, yahoo.com, mail.com, etc.) . If one of your referees (or both) does not have an institutional email address, you will need to email gradadmissions.law@utoronto.ca and provide a link to an official institutional webpage that confirms that your referee is employed by the institution and that the personal email address provided is, in fact, official.  If that is not an option either, your referee will have to send us a hard copy reference letter on official letterhead. The hardcopy letters must be received by the document deadline. Reference letters submitted via a non-institutional email addresses which have not been verified are not admissible and the application will be considered incomplete.
• Reference letters submitted by applicants will not be accepted and the application will be considered incomplete.
   

Reference Letter Content:
 

Referees are not provided with a template letter to complete.  They will also be asked to answer a series of questions related to your academic abilities and submit a letter commenting on your ability to: 

• Conduct independent research (searching for and organizing relevant material);
• Analyze and criticize the positions of others;
• Develop their own arguments;
• Produce original work (for LLM Thesis applicants only).

It is your responsibility to log in to your profile on the application website to confirm the receipt of your supporting documents, including letters of recommendation, by the application deadline.

A green checkmark on the system will indicate that a document has been received (it may take a few minutes for the checkmark to appears).

The Admissions Committee takes a holistic approach in reviewing candidates. Emphasis is not placed on any specific area but on the overall application. The admissions process to the LLM program is a rigorous and competitive one and meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Admission decisions will be communicated by mid-April, though unsuccessful applicants may receive their decision earlier. 

We are unable to provide individual admission feedback to applicants. 

Under no circumstances will application materials be released to applicants, regardless of the final decision. 

Admitted students who are unable to commence their studies as a result of significant extenuating circumstances may request a one year deferral of their offer of admission. To request a deferral, please contact the Graduate Programs Office at gradadmissions.law@utoronto.ca at the earliest. Deferral requests will only be accepted until August 14th, 2026.

Please note that only a limited number of deferrals can be approved each year, therefore, deferrals will only be granted in limited circumstances, including unforeseen personal emergencies or obligations.