Admissions Categories
Admissions Categories
To be considered for admission, you must have successfully completed at least three full-time years (or the equivalent) of an approved undergraduate degree program at a recognized post-secondary institution by the end of May in the year of entry. However, keep in mind that almost all of our students have completed a four-year undergraduate degree.
You can find the required documents for general applicants in the First Year JD Program Applicants and Upper Year Applicants sections.
Our Indigenous application category is designed to identify exceptional students who will bring a broad and complex set of life experiences to the study of law. We strive to build a diverse and unique community of students who will forge lifelong friendships as they learn with and from each other. Indigenous applicants are requested to outline in their personal statements their interest in, identification with, and connection to their communities.
Indigenous Applicant Category – Identity Substantiation
To be considered under the Indigenous Applicant Category, you must:
- Identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis in the OLSAS School Submissions section; and
- Submit documentation through OLSAS to substantiate your Indigenous identity.
Accepted evidence include a Certificate of Indian Status, Métis Nation Citizenship card (from recognized governing bodies), Inuit Enrolment card, or membership/enrolment confirmation from a rights-bearing Indigenous Nation in Canada or the U.S.
Alternatively, candidates without one of the documents listed above must submit a Personal Declaration, along with supporting Evidence and a Letter of Reference.
Candidates applying for any material benefit must also complete and submit an Attestation Form. This form will be available in October 2025 - please check back for updates.
Substantiation materials are reviewed by the University of Toronto - Office of Indigenous Initiatives. They are not reviewed by the Jackman Law Admissions Committee.
View the Indigenous Identity Substantiation Process (PDF)
View the Indigenous Identity Substantiation Accessible (PDF)
Applicants can find more information about the process in the Application Procedure section.
For further information contact the Manager, Indigenous Initiatives, at iio.law@utoronto.ca or 416-978-2583.
Indigenous applicants may also wish to find out more at the Indigenous Initiatives Office website.
Questions?
Check out the Indigenous Applicants Frequently Asked QuestionsEnsure you meet non-academic requirements
To qualify as a mature applicant, you must have at least five full years of non-academic experience by September of the year you plan to enter law school. This experience doesn’t need to be consecutive, but it must be attained independently of enrolment in academic work. It can include paid employment or unpaid roles such as caregiving or raising children.
Highlight your skills for the Admissions Committee
In addition to your academic record, the Admissions Committee will assess your ability to organize your life and work, your reasoning and analytical skills, your engagement in intellectual inquiry, and your past experiences. If significant time has passed since you completed your academic work, or if personal or socio-economic challenges (such as cultural or language barriers) affected your academic progress, the Committee may place less emphasis on your academic record.
Completed higher education
If you have completed fewer than two years of undergraduate study, the Committee may give more weight to other evidence of your ability to study law, such as your experience or success in another field. However, given the high number of qualified applicants with some higher education background, admission without any higher education is extremely rare. In fact, no applicants without some form of higher education have been admitted over the past decade.
There is no set target or quota for mature candidates, but the number and competitiveness of mature applicants have steadily increased. Recently, around 300 applications have been received annually, making the mature category nearly as competitive as the general category.
You can find the required documents for mature applicants in the First Year JD Program Applicants and Upper Year Applications sections.
Black Student Application Process
Learn more about our Jackman Law JD Black Student Application Process (BSAP)
If you're a Black undergraduate student interested in becoming a lawyer, you’re invited to join Black Future Lawyers (BFL). Starting as early as your first year of undergrad, you can participate in the BFL program regardless of which post-secondary institution you attend.
As a BFL member, you’ll receive free access to mentoring, networking, and shadowing opportunities with Black lawyers and law students. You’ll also benefit from workshops, guest speakers, admissions and financial aid information, LSAT preparation, an annual conference, and a paid full-time summer internship.
Please note: Black candidates, whether or not they participate in the BFL program, are strongly encouraged to select BSAP when applying to Jackman Law. This optional application stream aims to increase Black student representation in our program.
For Black applicants interested in the JD program at Jackman Law, the BSAP offers an optional admission process for all applicant categories—general, mature, or Indigenous.
All JD applicants are assessed based on their academic record, LSAT scores, and personal profile. As a BSAP applicant, your personal profile will be reviewed based on its competitive nature by members of the Jackman Law Black community, including alumni, faculty, students, and staff.This review helps us recognize the unique perspectives and experiences that you and your community bring to the table.
We are looking for students with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and interests—both academic and non-academic—who have the potential to enrich the law school community. You must meet the same academic and LSAT requirements as all other applicants, and while the BSAP stream doesn't have a specific quota, we encourage you to apply if you feel you meet these criteria.
As part of your application, you must submit both a Personal Statement and a BSAP Essay. You also have the option to submit a third piece of writing, the Optional Essay. We strongly encourage you to submit all three documents, as the BSAP admissions committee will review them together. Be sure to avoid repetition across your submissions and use the space to fully tell your story.
The BSAP essay allows up to 2,500 characters, including spaces and punctuation, and should be written in plain, unformatted text. The BSAP Essay offers a unique opportunity to describe your strengths and accomplishments, vision for your own legal education and to tell your story. Please highlight why you choose this stream. Other topics you may choose to discuss include an issue that you feel is important to the Black community or sharing your motivations and inspirations.Whether you choose to use or reference any of these topics, you should relate what you write about to a legal issue and/or the study or practice of law.
All candidates apply by the standard First Year or Transfer procedures and deadlines, to the Ontario Law School Application Service (OLSAS). To be considered for the BSAP, on the OLSAS online application, please:
- Select the relevant JD-only program (first-year or transfer), and if desired, also select any JD combined program(s)
- Proceed to the School Submissions section and locate the Selection Type list of links.
- Select the link for the BSAP selection and BSAP essay.
- Confirm that you are selecting BSAP.
- Type in the text of your BSAP essay.
- Black Law Students' Association (U of T chapter): Join the BLSA, our student club for Black JD students, which is part of a larger network across Canadian law schools.
- Black students' faculty advisor: Connect with a Black law professor for academic guidance.
- Black JD Advisor: Reach out to a Black JD Advisor for career advice and mentorship.
- Peer Mentorship Program: Incoming first-year or transfer students can be paired with an upper-year student mentor.
- Alumni Mentorship Program: Incoming first-year students may be matched with a Jackman Law alum for mentorship throughout the school year.
- Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) Summer Internship: Jackman Law partners with BCE Inc. to offer a 14-week paid summer internship, providing hands-on legal experience.
You will be automatically considered for needs-based entrance and in-course awards, such as the Michael Kelly Memorial Award and the Siobhan Amani Alexander Memorial Scholarship.
Our Black JD students are also eligible for Jackman Law in-course awards open to all students, which may recognize academic excellence, leadership, involvement in the community, or participation in extracurricular activities. You are also encouraged to apply independently to external scholarships and bursaries.
First Year JD Program Applicants
Learn more about the First Year JD Application process
Upper Year JD Program Applicants
Learn more about the Upper Year Application process