In the online application, all applicants are asked to indicate if they self-identify as Indigenous. Applicants who choose to self-identify as Indigenous in their application may complete an optional personal essay that speaks to their lived experience as an Indigenous person in Canada, including connections to their Indigenous community, history, culture, and heritage.
Please do not feel compelled to share elements of personal or family trauma that you have not yet fully processed or information that through the act of sharing would feel harmful to your wellbeing. The success of an application is not dependent on demonstrating trauma related to Indigenous identity or otherwise. Supports are available and some can be found on our website at Academic Success and Personal Wellness.
Examples of what previous applicants have shared in their submissions include the following:
- Connection to Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, connecting, and being;
- How your Indigeneity has contributed to your interest in legal studies;
- Connection to your Indigenous Culture including active participation with community, ceremony, traditions, and language;
- Elements of resilience, rediscovery, or reclaiming of your Indigeneity.
All applications, including if you self-identify as Indigenous, are first reviewed through our ordinary assessment process, using our regular criteria and judged to the same competitive standard. The optional personal essay will not be given a specific weight but will be considered as part of our comprehensive holistic admissions process. You may receive an offer or waitlist notification based on that assessment.
Applicants who are not admitted through the ordinary admission process will receive a subsequent review by the Indigenous Student Admissions Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee has historically included members of the law faculty who are Indigenous or have expertise in Indigenous law, Indigenous legal professionals, community members, and Elders.
As part of our commitment to reconciliation and empowering Indigenous voices, since 2021, membership of the Indigenous Students Admissions Sub-Committee has exclusively been Indigenous people.