Newly Admitted Students to the BCL/JD Program

Your formal letter of admission is available on the Applicant Portal. You must print this letter for your records, as the Faculty of Law no longer sends admissions documents by mail. If you are an international student, you must print additional copies which you will need for your immigration procedures.

In the admissions email which you have received from us, there will be a list of Student Ambassadors. Feel free to contact them if you have any questions about the program or student life.

You may wish to hear more about the doors that the BCL/JD program will open for you after graduation. If you are interested in speaking to a McGill Law graduate please contact the Admissions Office and we will connect you with someone who would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about their experiences at McGill, as well as the various careers and opportunities that lie ahead for McGill Law grads.

The Faculty of Law offers a number of entrance scholarships based on both merit and financial need. There is no need to apply for Faculty of Law entrance scholarships. All admitted University, Mature, and Transfer students are automatically considered for Faculty of Law scholarships, as are admitted CEGEP students who are ineligible for McGill University entrance scholarships. Admitted CEGEP students who meet the minimum academic requirements will be automatically considered for a McGill University entrance scholarship.

McGill University also offers a need-based Entrance Financial Aid program. This program is offered to students admitted to McGill who are entering the first year of full time BCL/JD studies. It offers financial aid to students of modest income who require assistance to enable them to attend McGill. Entrance Financial Aid applicants must apply for government student assistance in order to be considered for this need-based program. Newly admitted students should apply within 30 days from the date they were admitted and no later than June 30. The portal for applications for Entrance Financial Aid opens for new students at the beginning of January. To apply, login to Minerva, select the ‘Financial Aid & Awards’ menu and then ‘Financial Aid’.

In addition, McGill University offers a program of In-Course Financial Aid to students who are experiencing financial difficulties while they are in full time attendance. The application form on Minerva is available starting August 1.

For more information on our financial aid programs, please consult McGill's Scholarships and Student Aid web site.

Candidates may be admitted to the BCL/JD on different conditions. In some cases, candidates may be asked to meet two conditions (completion of their degree program and French language instruction. Please see below for details). Whatever the condition, it must be completed before the end of the registration period (end of August).

List of conditions commonly used:

1. Completion of a Diploma of Collegial Studies (DCS) for CEGEP candidates or completion of the French Baccalaureate, for candidates coming from Marie-de-France and Stanislas.
2. Completion of intensive French language instruction at the High Intermediate level. See the ‘Review French Requirement’ tab below for detailed information.
3. Completion of the undergraduate degree program represented in the admission application. As explained in your letter of admission, in order to secure your admission to our program, you must complete the necessary requirements of the undergraduate degree that you are in the process of completing. A letter from your academic department or a final transcript attesting to such completion is required before you begin the law program.
4. Maintain your current cumulative GPA.
5. Complete the necessary requirements to obtain a graduate degree for candidates registered in a graduate program. As explained in your letter of admission, in order to secure your admission to our program, you must complete the necessary requirements of the graduate degree that you are in the process of completing. The graduate degree could be a master or a doctorate program.

By “completing the necessary requirements to obtain your graduate degree”, we intend for you to have:

• successfully completed all necessary course requirements, AND
• written and submitted the complete version of your thesis to the graduate studies office, or relevant university department (if your graduate program is one with a thesis), OR
• successfully completed all internship, essay or other requirements of your program.

Before the end of the registration period (end of August), we do not necessarily require you to:

• have successfully passed your oral defense, where applicable, OR
• submit a final transcript indicating the actual date of graduation with your graduate degree.

We would accept that these last steps be completed after the end of registration period.

A letter from your academic department or a final transcript attesting to program completion is required before you begin the BCL/JD Program.

These guidelines reflect the structure of most graduate programs. It is your responsibility to ensure you fulfill your condition(s) of admission to the Faculty of Law.

Why have you been admitted with a condition?

Our BCL/JD Program is a full-time program of study. Due to the demanding nature of first year in particular, the Faculty must be satisfied that you will devote your time to succeeding in our program. The Faculty does not permit students to be registered in our BCL/JD Program and another university program concurrently. Nor does the Faculty permit students to register in our program on a part-time basis with a view to completing other programs of studies while taking courses in our Faculty. Finally, the Faculty does not permit students to take leave from our program in order to complete a graduate program.

What will happen if I am not able to meet this condition?

If you are unable to complete the requirements of your graduate program before registration in the BCL/JD Program, you may choose to withdraw from your graduate program. For the condition of graduate studies completion to be removed, you must  demonstrate that you are no longer registered in your graduate program. Please contact the Admissions Office for more information.

If your offer letter indicated a condition to complete French language instruction prior to registration in our program, the course must be completed before the end of the registration period (end of August).

With this condition, we intend for you to have successfully completed a French language course with the following characteristics:

• The course must be equivalent to a university level 300-, or be classified as High Intermediate;
• The course must be focused on substantive and complex reading and aural comprehension at a high intermediate level;
• Courses focused strictly on grammar or conversation do NOT meet the condition;
• The course must be graded (i.e. evaluation based on attendance or pass/fail is not acceptable);
• The course must be given by a University or an accredited language school;
• An official transcript, showing level of course and grade received, must be obtained;
• The course is such that, once successfully completed, you would be eligible to enter into an “advanced-level” French course at the same institution.

These guidelines reflect the type of language courses that have satisfied our condition in the past. It is your responsibility to ensure you fulfill your admission condition. Proof of your registration and, subsequently, proof of successful completion are required. Please contact the Admissions Office to ensure the suitability of the French language course you intend to take to meet your condition. 

To accept our offer of admission, you must open your Applicant Portal. On the Applicant status page of the Applicant Portal, click on the link which allows you to accept the offer of admission, called “Respond to your offer of admission”. You must pay a non-refundable deposit of 400$ by credit card. This deposit will be subtracted from your tuition fees when you register in the law program at McGill; or will be forfeited into a financial aid fund if you do not register. If you do not respond to this offer before the deadline indicated in your letter of admission, your place will be offered to another candidate. 

Candidates who are offered admission have a period of six weeks to accept or decline the offer of admission. This delay gets shorter as we move closer to the end of the admissions cycle. 

If you are currently registered in another program at McGill, you may encounter some difficulties accepting our offer on the Applicant Portal. These difficulties may occur because the student information system detects a conflict between your current program and the BCL/JD program to which you have been admitted. 

If you are enrolled in an undergraduate program at McGill, the conflict may arise because you have not yet declared the date on which you intend to graduate from your current program. Once you declare this date on Minerva, you should then be able to accept our offer of admission online. 

Graduate students at McGill require the approval of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies in order to declare the date on which they intend to graduate. If you are currently enrolled in a graduate program at McGill, you must contact your department and obtain the necessary authorization so that you can be registered in two programs at the same time. 

Do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Office if you have any difficulties accepting our offer of admission. 

All accepted students must provide official final transcripts from all Universities attended, except McGill. The Admissions Office obtains McGill transcripts directly from the Registrar’s Office; as such, it is not necessary for current or former McGill students to submit final official McGill transcripts. Your Applicant Portal checklist will indicate which official transcripts are required. 

To be considered official, transcripts must be submitted to us directly from the issuing institution. 

To be considered final, transcripts must include a note indicating “degree conferred” or “degree granted” or equivalent. If you were admitted with a condition to finish your current program, it is strongly recommended to wait until your transcript includes this proof of degree granted (PDEG) information before sending the official transcript. 

NOTE: McGill University reserves the right to require official academic credentials at any time during the admissions process, and rescind an offer of admission in the event of discrepancies between unofficial and official transcripts. 

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all required transcripts are submitted as early as possible. 

The deadline to submit official transcripts is August 1. If, as a result of taking summer courses or other issues, submitting final official transcripts by August 1 will not be possible for you, please contact the Admissions Office. 

Official transcripts can be sent electronically OR mailed directly to the Admissions Office of the Faculty of Law in an envelope sealed by the Registrar of the issuing institution. Electronic versions are preferred. 

Your university can send official transcripts directly to the Faculty of Law’s Admissions Office through our email address: admissions.law [at] mcgill.ca If the transcript is coming through a third-party official transcript service (i.e., Parchment, NSC, Digitary), it should be sent to officialschooldocs [at] mcgill.ca 

If mailing documents is the only option, use this address: 

BCL/JD Admissions Office
Faculty of Law, McGill University
New Chancellor Day Hall
3644 Peel Street, Room 418
Montreal, Quebec,  H3A 1W9 

Please contact the Law Admissions Office by email or telephone (514-398-6602) for any questions related to your offer of admission. Our knowledgeable Admissions Office staff will be happy to help.

• Legal Documents & Proof of Residency

  The fees you pay at McGill are calculated according to whether you are a Quebec resident, Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or an international student. The Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur (MEES) requires all students to provide proof of status. Note that Canadian citizens and Quebec Residents will be billed as international students until proof of citizenship/residency are submitted and approved by McGill. Relevant forms and detailed information about the required legal documents can be found on Enrolment Services’ Legal Documents website.

• Permanent Code

  The Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, Recherche, Science et Technologie (MESRST) requires that all students who are registered in a Quebec University be assigned a “Permanent Code”. Students who have previously attended an educational institution in Quebec have already been assigned a Permanent Code. If you do not have a Permanent Code, the University must collect the appropriate data and documents for submission to the MESRST, so that a Permanent Code can be created for you. If McGill does not have a Permanent Code for you, which can be viewed on Minerva from the Personal Menu, we will require a signed copy of the Permanent Code Data Form.

• Proof of Enrolment Letters

  Students who require confirmation of their status at McGill can obtain a letter acknowledging they have accepted enrolment in the BCL/JD program at the Faculty of Law. 

  Prior to course registration, you can request this letter by admissions.law [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Proof%20of%20Enrollment%20Letter) (emailing) the Law Admissions office.

  Once you have registered for your courses, you may obtain this letter by accessing your record in Minerva. For more information, see McGill's Student Records Proof of Enrolment web page.

• Get your ID card

  You may obtain your McGill ID card from Service Point within 24 hours of registering for at least one course.

Campus Life & Engagement's Your First Year at McGill site is here to help you acclimatize, settle in, and find the people and services you need.

Browse through their site to find all the information you'll need to kick off your time at McGill, from useful pre-arrival checklists and apartment-hunting tips, to basics like finding a cell phone provider, a bank or a grocery store!

McGill Residences

Each year McGill welcomes 3,000 undergraduates students to their dorms, apartments and shared-facilities houses. Visit the McGill student housing web site.

Off Campus Housing Services

The McGill Off Campus Housing Service publishes lists of apartments for rent and to share, as well as rooms for rent in private homes in the vicinity of the downtown campus and close to major bus and metro lines.

International students should consult McGill's Office of International Student Services for information about McGill services available to international students, and an overview of immigration processes. Copies of any and all valid immigration documents (e.g. CAQ and Study Permit) must be remitted to McGill, and should be valid for any and all terms in which you are registered. Relevant forms and detailed information about the required legal documents can be found on the Enrolment Services' Legal Documents  web site.

First Peoples' House

McGill's First Peoples' House provides a sense of community and a voice for Indigenous students who have left their communities to study at McGill. A “home away from home,” First Peoples’ House offers a mentoring program, computer facilities, guest lectures, elder visits, academic counselling, and an ever-expanding resource centre, as well as housing.

Indigenous Law Centre Programming

The Indigenous Law Centre at the University of Saskatchewan offers curriculum and programming that aims to facilitate access to legal education for Indigenous peoples, to promote the development of the law and the legal system in Canada in ways which better accommodate the advancement of Indigenous peoples and communities, and to disseminate information concerning Indigenous peoples and the law. 

We encourage all incoming students to explore the opportunities available at the Indigenous Law Centre before beginning their legal studies at McGill. 

See Indigenous Applicants for more information. 

Students who have had academic accommodations during their previous studies are encouraged to contact Student Accessibility & Achievement at the time of their acceptance at McGill. If you discover that you require assistance once you are at McGill, you may also contact Student Accessibility & Achievement at that time. If it is possible that you will require assistance, please contact them before starting in our program. See the Student Accessibility & Achievement website for more information.

At the beginning of July, a Registration Package will be available on the Student Affairs Office website under Orientation for new students. All students who have accepted our offer of admission will be contacted via email when the Package becomes available. If you have accepted our offer of admission and you have not yet received an email from us by mid-July, verify that the email address used when you submitted your application is still valid, or communicate directly with the Law Admissions Office. The registration process requires two steps:

• You must register in all your mandatory first year courses (information on when to do that will be in your package).
• You must attend the mandatory registration day and orientation activities (for Fall 2022, these events will be in person)

You will find all the necessary information to register in your courses on Minerva in your Orientation and Registration Package.

Orientation Weeks

The Law Students Association organizes various orientation activities for new students over the course of the first two weeks of the Fall term. This is the Faculty of Law's own version of Frosh. It's a great way to meet fellow law students. Your Orientation and Registration Package will contain a calendar of activities.