NCA Candidates

Holders of a qualifying-for-practice law degree obtained from a law school located outside of Canada, or a civil law degree from Quebec.

Candidates who have failed any NCA challenge exam are not eligible for admission to enrol in selected JD courses.

A proficiency test is not required.

Letters of recommendation are not required and, if submitted, will not form part of the applicant's file. 

Interviews are not used for selection.

The non-numerical information gleaned from the personal profile is a significant admission consideration.

Autobiographical Sketch & Verifiers

Provide the list of any noteworthy activities undertaken after high school such as employment, volunteering, extra-curriculars, awards, accomplishments and research. For each list item provide the contact information for a person who can verify your involvement (rather than your performance) in the activity.

Reflective Admission Essays

You are given the opportunity to discuss your intellectual and academic background and personal interests, as well as provide information about yourself that is not otherwise evident through other information you provide in your application. The Admissions Committee wants to get a sense of who you are as a person and as a potential student of the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. Being authentic and thoughtful is the best approach in your compositions. Please review the details on:

• Mandatory: Personal Statement
• Optional: Additional Essay

A candidate who has failed any NCA exam will not be considered for admission

Enrolment in JD courses is not guaranteed and is subject to the availability of places. Selection is based primarily on your performance in previous legal studies (including results of all NCA challenge exams) and the assessment of the Admissions Committee as to whether or not you are likely to be successful in the courses offered at Jackman Law.

The Admissions Committee will take into account differences in the quality of law schools, as well as differences in grading policies, etc. Unless this is evident from the transcript, you are encouraged to support your application with information from your law school Registrar or Dean on the grading practices at their law school, and to provide your class ranking, if available.  

Applicants who are required by the NCA to complete 60 credits may also be considered as transfer applicants into the JD second year, provided their applications include all of the required elements for a transfer application. 

You must submit all of the following documentation directly to the Ontario Law School Application Service (OLSAS).

1. An OLSAS application.
    
2. NCA Evaluation with Law School Transcripts
   • Arrange for the NCA to submit them to OLSAS
      
3. NCA Challenge Exams
   • A copy of the results of each exam attempted to date.
   • A written note specifying whether  or not you intend to take any exams before starting at U of T Law.
      
4. Other Official post-secondary academic transcripts
   • all other post-secondary original academic transcripts, with final grades, from the issuing schools
   • including exchange host schools
   • WES Canada evaluations are not required
      
5. LSAT Report, if taken within the most recent 5 years, and still reportable
   • test scores and LSAT Writing
      
6. Personal Profile
   • mandatory: Autobiographical Sketch & Verifiers
   • mandatory: Personal Statement
   • optional: Essay

Application Deadline

For entry in 2026, applications are expected to open at OLSAS on August 21, 2025 and are to be received by 11:59 pm (Toronto time) on May 1, 2026.  

You must submit by that deadline, items (1), (2), (3), (5), (6) 

Permitted after the deadline is (4). 

You must submit (3) using the SAM tool in your OLSAS application.

We only review files after all required items are received via OLSAS.

Review the fees and fee waivers for the OLSAS application.

We may consider requests to submit late applications. 

Email the JD Admissions Office a request for late application consideration, elaborating on the reasons for failing to meet the deadline. Include copies of the NCA evaluation and your law school transcripts.

Requests will only be reviewed when all of these required documents have been received. Approval is not guaranteed, regardless of the strength of the candidate. We usually provides a response within five business days.

NCA Grade Appeal

This truncated process permits NCA students to request a second reader of exams for which they receive an F or No-Credit mark.
 

Which Decisions Can Be Appealed?

NCA students can appeal decisions about a final grade of F or No-Credit assigned to a course.

The Process for Grade Appeals

Students may appeal a final grade only once that grade is issued. The basis for the appeal is not limited to final exams or essay assignments. Any exam or written assignment on which a final grade is based may be the subject of a grade appeal. 

To pursue a grade appeal, the following steps must be completed:

• Request for Reassessment
  The student must first request a rereading of the written work in writing. The student must set forth the academic grounds for why he or she believes the work was incorrectly assessed. The request for a rereading or reassessment must be made to the Associate Dean’s office in writing within 30 days of the grade being released by the Records Office. The Associate Dean shall read the written work and within 30 days of the student’s request the Associate Dean may decide that appeal or assign a second reader.
   
• Second Reader Assessment for Grade Appeals Based on Written Work
  When the Associate Dean arranges an assessment of the written work by a second reader, the second reader shall have appropriate expertise in the subject matter of the written work. The Associate Dean shall give the student's written reasons for the appeal to the second reader. When reviewing the written work and the student's written reasons for the appeal, the second reader shall apply the standard of whether a reasonable marker could have reached the same conclusion as the instructor did in the same circumstances. In applying the standard, the second reader may consider other materials relating to the course, such as the written work of other students, and the course outline in the syllabus. The second reader shall render a decision on the written work within 30 days of receiving the grade appeal record. If, after reviewing the grade appeal record, the second reader decides that a reasonable marker could not have reached the same conclusion, the second reader shall assign the grade to the written work that he or she believes a reasonable marker would have assigned.