UVic Law FAQs

GPA & LSAT Scores

1. How does the Faculty of Law weight GPA and LSAT scores?
2. What GPA do I need to be admitted?
3. What if my undergraduate institution has a different grading scale than UVic?
4. Can I apply even though I still have courses in progress?
5. If I failed a course in my undergraduate degree program and retake it, does UVic Law only use the new grade?
6. Does UVic Law count exchange term grades in its evaluation?
7. Does UVic Law count graduate courses in its evaluation?
8. Does UVic Law count courses taken after graduation or through an unclassified year of study?
9. What LSAT score do I need to be admitted?
10. Do I need to sign up for the LSDAS service?
11. What if I have written the LSAT more than once?
12. What is the last LSAT test date that UVic Law will accept for first-year admissions?
13. How do I register to write the LSAT?

 

1. How does the Faculty of Law weight GPA and LSAT scores?

GPA is weighted at 70% the LSAT is weighted at 30%. In addition, an evaluation is made of an applicant's extra-curricular activities, work experience, community involvement and personal characteristics. This information may be used to assess an applicant's admissibility and will be used in conjunction with academic performance and the LSAT score to evaluate candidates for entrance scholarships.

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2. What GPA do I need to be admitted?

In recent years, the average GPA of the entering class has ranged from 3.80 to 3.90 on the 4.00 scale. Where an applicant has the equivalent of more than three full years of academic courses, we disregard some of the worst grades and recalculate the GPA. For example, if you have completed a four-year degree, either three full-year courses or six term courses (or a combination of the two) will be eliminated from your GPA calculation. These deletions will be done in ascending order, commencing with your lowest grades.

The following is a breakdown of the entering GPA and LSAT values for our most current first-year class. The grid profiles the first-year class admitted in the Regular category for the 2010/2011 academic year. Since the profile varies from year to year, it should only be used as an approximate guide in determining an applicant's probability of being admitted.

GPA	LSAT Percentile Rank
	Below 55	55-59	60-64	65-69	70-74	75-79	80-84	85-89	90-94	95-99	Totals
4.00+	-	-	-	-	3	5	8	4	4	6	30
3.9-3.99	-	-	-	-	1	2	6	3	3	4	19
3.8-3.89	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	6	1	2	11
3.7-3.79	-	-	-	-	-	-	7	2	3	5	17
3.6-3.69	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	8	2	12
3.5-3.59	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	2
3.4-3.49	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3.3-3.39	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3.2-3.29	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3.1-3.19	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3.0-3.09	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Totals	-	-	-	-	4	7	24	16	19	21	91

 

• 91 applicants were registered in the Regular category.
• The applicants admitted in the Aboriginal and Special Access categories do not appear in the above profile.
  
  

Regular Category:

• Average GPA is 3.89 (3.84 last year).
• Median GPA is 3.91 (3.83 last year).
• Average LSAT is 88 percentile (87 last year).
• Median LSAT is 88 percentile (89 last year)

 

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3. What if my undergraduate institution has a different grading scale than UVic?

A variety of conversion charts are used by institutions whose grading systems are substantially different from UVic Law's. If the transcript shows a percentage grade, we convert it to our scale. However, if the grading scale is only slightly different and no percentages are reported, the grades must be taken at face value.

 

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4. Can I apply even though I still have courses in progress?

Yes. We will do an initial evaluation based on the courses completed at the time of application and will not make a final decision on your file until we receive updated official transcripts for the courses in progress. It is your responsibility to arrange for updated transcripts to be sent to us as new grades are posted to your official record.

 

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5. If I failed a course in my undergraduate degree program and retake it, does UVic Law only use the new grade?  

No. We will include both the old and new grades in our evaluation. However, the discounts mentioned above may eliminate the lower mark from the GPA calculation.

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6. Does UVic Law count exchange term grades in its evaluation?  

Yes. However, if the grading system is not easily transferable to the North American system, the grades will not be included in the GPA calculation.

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7. Does UVic Law count graduate courses in its evaluation?  

For applicants with master's degrees (completed or in progress), we will first calculate a GPA based only on the undergraduate degree, and then do a second calculation using both the graduate and undergraduate grades. The higher of the two GPAs will be used to evaluate the applicant. Generally, applicants with graduate degrees qualify for a higher discount of the number of units eliminated from their GPA calculations. For example, if you have a four-year bachelor's degree (60 units) and a two-year master's program (15 to 30 units), we would eliminate between 12 and 15 units of your worst grades from your GPA.

 

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8. Does UVic Law count courses taken after graduation or through an unclassified year of study?  

Our Admissions Committee examines a student's post-secondary academic record, including post-degree courses. However, introductory courses (100-level and 200-level) that are taken after the completion of a degree will not be included in the GPA calculation.

 

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9. What LSAT score do I need to be admitted?

As a matter of policy, we do not set minimum GPA or LSAT requirements. GPA is weighted at 70% and LSAT is weighted at 30%. The ranges of GPAs and LSAT scores that are competitive in any given year are determined by a number of factors. Foremost among them is the quality of the applicant pool. If we receive a large number of applications from people with very high GPAs and LSAT scores, admission in that year is going to be more competitive. If you have a really high LSAT score, you could be admitted with a GPA that is at the bottom end of the competitive range, and vice versa. To help illustrate these concepts, please refer to the chart below:

Five-year Comparison of LSAT Scores and GPAs
For Matriculants in Regular Category

               

YEAR	2003		2004		2005		2006		2007
	LSAT	GPA	LSAT	GPA	LSAT	GPA	LSAT	GPA	LSAT	GPA
Range	156 177	3.52 4.21	156 176	3.53 4.28	155 173	3.42 4.28	155 175	3.46 4.25	156 173	3.47 4.26
Average	162	3.90	162	3.88	162	3.85	164	3.82	163	3.84
Median	163	3.87	162	3.87	163	3.83	163	3.81	163	3.85

 

NOTES:

1. Matriculants refer to those students who actually register in the first-year class each September.
2. GPA is calculated on the standard, North American 4-point system.
3. LSAT is the acronym for the Law School Admissions Test.

 

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10. Do I need to sign up for the LSDAS service?

No.

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11. What if I have written the LSAT more than once?

We use the highest score in computing our admissions index number. The LSAT may be written up to three times in a two-year period.

 

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12. What is the last LSAT test date that UVic Law will accept for first-year admissions?

The February test date is the last date that you can write the LSAT and still be eligible for admission in September.

  

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13. How do I register to write the LSAT?

The LSAT is administered through the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). You can obtain information about the LSAT and register online at www.lsac.org. A registration booklet is also available at most Canadian colleges and universities.

 

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