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No. We will not consider incomplete applications.

No. You need only submit unofficial copies of your transcripts with your application. After applying to the FTLP, applicants will need to contact the NCA to release their transcripts to our office.

Typically, successful applicants have a law degree in the second class first division (or equivalent) or higher. If your law degree doesn’t meet that level, your application may still be successful if there are outstanding aspects evidenced in other documents in the package.

Low grades or fail grades are usually a sign that a student struggles academically. There may be extenuating circumstances, such as severe illness, the outbreak of war, or government-sanctioned persecution on political grounds.

If you have a two-year solicitor’s degree, for instance a two-year Senior Status or Graduate Entry LLB from a law school in the UK, you can apply to our Program. However, you must meet the minimum academic requirements and you must have a strong application package.

You must have a law degree, such as a JD, LLB or equivalent, to apply to our Program.

No!

No. Your application package must include your NCA assessment and the NCA cannot provide you with an assessment until you’ve finished your law degree requirements and had your law school send your transcript to the NCA.

No. You must have your NCA assessment before you apply to us. Check with the NCA directly to find out the current turnaround time for the issuing of assessment reports and letters. You can also contact us to let us know that you’re still waiting for your assessment.

We use a holistic approach in our assessment of applications. This means that we look at all of the information you’ve provided in your application package. We want to know if you’ll be a good fit for our Program and whether we can help you at this stage of your life. The main consideration is your likelihood of success in our Program and your potential to make a meaningful contribution to the legal profession and the public we serve. To determine this, we look at your academic performance both in law school and in other fields of study, we take into account your NCA assessment and whether our Program can help you with those requirements, we look at your Personal Statement and your reference letters to get a sense of who you are as a person and as a student, we take into account your resume and the story it tells, and, if applicable, we consider your English language proficiency scores. If you are called to an interview, that, too, will be taken into account.

You should ask your referee to write about your character, your strengths as a student, and your potential for success in the Program and as a legal professional (if applicable), and anything else that they consider relevant to your application. Your reference letters must be submitted with your application package and not forwarded to us separately. So, give your referees plenty of time.

No. We’ll only ask to interview you if we feel that we can’t make an informed decision based on the information you’ve given us in your application package.

The purpose of an interview is so that we can get to know you better. We’ll want to talk to you about some of things you’ve told us about yourself in your application package. We may want to talk about your law school experience, your other university studies, your work experience, or your volunteer activities. You’ll also have a chance to ask questions of us.

Typically, a successful application has strong academics, a genuine Personal Statement (not AI-generated) illustrating the applicant’s history and telling us who they are as a person, and strong reference letters that speak to the applicant’s character or their abilities as a student or their potential.

Application to our Program is competitive. Application packages are carefully reviewed taking into account everything you’ve given us and told us about yourself. Much depends on the calibre of the application pool in any given year. If you’re unsuccessful in one year, it doesn’t mean you’ll be unsuccessful in another year.

We’re not authorized to offer advice about immigration matters, including study permits, work permits, and visas. The University of Calgary provides general assistance on immigration matters for international students. Please contact our International Services team at iss@ucalgary.ca.

You must provide proof of English language proficiency unless the language of instruction of your legal academic qualifications was English and those qualifications were obtained in a country where English is an official language. If required, you’ll need to submit English language proficiency documents, such as IELTS Academic with no bands below 7.0, as part of your application.

You will still need a high level of English language skills to apply to the Program. Success in our Program, as an articling student, and as a practicing lawyer is dependent on an advanced level of proficiency in English. You must be able to perform at a high level both orally and in writing. Your comprehension skills must also be of a superior calibre. When we review application packages, we look at what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. Your application shouldn’t have spelling, grammatical, punctuation, or syntax errors.

No. Proficiency in the English language is one of the factors in our assessment of applications. Usually, applicants who do not meet the minimum scores are not successful in the Program.

No. To complete the Program, you must take all six mandatory courses. There’s no option for taking less than those six.

There’s an option to apply to do additional courses from the JD program subject to availability and eligibility. Students may apply to do additional courses in the first year of the Program, which is a course overload, or in a second year. The first year of the Program and is very demanding. Legal employers place great value on grades. For these reasons, we do not recommend additional courses in that year.

No. All classes in the Program are taught in-person on campus. We aim to provide high quality of legal education and training. In-person classes offer a different pedagogical method and atmosphere from on-line teaching. Students in our classes are expected to engage with each other and with their professors in class as part of their learning process. Outside class, students interact socially on and off campus. Our Program incorporates hands-on experiential learning, for instance our advocacy clinic, which requires physical presence. In addition, approved law schools in Canada are required to provide at least two thirds of instruction in-person.

Students have a full-time study load in Fall and Winter terms, but a part-time study load in Spring and Summer terms when you only have Administrative Law to take.

No. Graduates of our Program earn a Post-bachelor’s Certificate in Common Law from the University of Calgary.

No. Our Program will give you a substantive legal education and legal practice skills in several areas of the common law, but on its own our Post-bachelor’s Certificate in Common Law does not qualify you to practice common law in Canada. Our Program helps you fulfil all or some of the requirement so the NCA. In addition, you must satisfy the requirements of the law society in the province/territory where you wish to practice law.

No.

Yes! Our Program qualifies for funding from Alberta Student Aid. Information about how to apply can be found on the Government of Alberta website. If you’re from another province or territory, you can apply to government student loan assistance by applying through your home province or territory.

No. We don’t offer scholarships at this time.