First-year Juris Doctor (J.D.) - Special Access applicants

Students enjoy the sunshine outside the UVic Bookstore.

All applications for entry into the first-year J.D. program must be submitted by December 1. Applicants are required to submit a Special Access Supplementary Form, together with supporting documentation, in addition to our General Application Form.

Special Access Supplementary Form

To qualify under the Special Access category, an applicant's academic achievements must have been significantly delayed, interrupted or adversely affected by:

• physical, medical or learning disability or other relevant factors; or
  
• family or similar responsibilities and the consequent need to attend to these responsibilities or to maintain employment.

Selection from qualified Special Access applicants will be made on the basis of the applicant's:

• achievements in occupational endeavours, and community, public service and cultural activities that indicate an ability to succeed in law school;
  
• academic performance in any educational training programs or courses;
  
• LSAT scores within the past five years.

An applicant who has not completed the minimum academic requirements for admission in the Regular category should demonstrate why it would be unreasonable to expect the applicant to complete the minimum academic requirements prior to the commencement of law school.

Applicants who have no post-secondary education at the university or college level are rarely admitted. Such applicants must have a demonstrated ability to write effectively at a law school level.

Applicants whose first language is not English and who have not completed a minimum of three full academic years of post-secondary study that was taught and assessed in English, must write the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants who have written the TOEFL iBT need a minimum score of 100, with no less than 25 on each of the individual components. Those who have written the computerized version need a score of 250 out of a possible 300, whereas those who wrote the paper and pencil test need a score of 600 out of a possible 677. Applicants who do not meet these TOEFL minimums will not normally be admitted to the Law Faculty.

A limited number of positions in the Faculty are available for part-time studies. Students must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Faculty that they are unable to attend on a full-time basis because of health factors, physical disability or exceptional family or financial hardship. Students requesting to apply to study on a part time basis must do so in writing addressed to the Admissions Office.