Know more about the two main law schools in Alberta Canada and the programs they offer, including admission process and tuition costs
Located in Western Canada and dubbed as the country’s center for energy, Alberta promises a lot of opportunities for educational and professional growth.
Just like any other province in the country, legal education is bustling in Alberta, offering great prospects for future lawyers.
In this article, we will talk about the two law schools in Alberta, Canada for those want to study here as a first-year law student or as a PhD or Masteral student.
Legal education in Canada can be classified according to the curriculum they offer:
While there are only two law schools in Alberta, other schools and universities in the province offer bachelor's degrees related to legal studies or legal education.
These are the only law schools in Alberta:
Both offer the necessary JD program for aspiring lawyers and other graduate degrees for practicing lawyers in the province.
The University of Alberta (also called UAlberta or U of A) is one of the public research universities in Canada, with its Faculty of Law being the oldest law school in Western Canada.
Aside from its Faculty of Law under the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, UAlberta also has other Colleges that offer both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
UAlberta’s Faculty of Law offers these programs:
The LLM is a one-year research degree program where students must articulate and defend a thesis for its completion. It is available for JD and LLB degree holders.
LLM graduates of UAlberta or other universities in Canada may apply for its PhD program. The PhD program is a three-year research degree program offered for those who already have a postgraduate degree in law. Like the LLM, PhD students must articulate and defend a thesis.
UAlberta has its own Internationally Trained Lawyer Pathway for foreign graduates of law schools who wish to complete their National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) requirements.
One feature of UAlberta’s legal education is its MBA/JD Combined Degree, in partnership with the university’s Alberta School of Business.
This is a four-year program, composed of two years under the JD program, one under the MBA, and another combining courses from both JD and MBA. At the end of this four-year period, a graduate will have earned two degrees.
This video explains the features of UAlberta’s MBA/JD Combined Degree:
Head over to our page on Legal Education if you’re interested to find more articles on law schools across Canada.
The University of Calgary (otherwise known as UCalgary or U of C) is another public research university in Canada. It supports and offers research-based courses, from its undergraduate courses to its graduate ones.
Founded in 1976, its Faculty of Law offers the JD and other graduate degrees related to legal education. Aside from the main JD program, UCalgary offers two Joint JD Programs:
To be eligible for these joint JD programs, interested applicants must apply and be admitted by UCalgary’s Faculty of Law and one of these institutions:
UCalgary offers other joint JD programs in partnership with other universities:
Aside from the JD and its joint programs, UCalgary also offers the following graduate degrees:
UCalgary’s LLM – whether thesis-based or course-based – has a specialization in Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law (NREEL). Both may also be used for a foreign lawyer’s National Committee of Accreditation requirements to be able to practice law in Canada.
UCalgary also offers other opportunities for current and future students who are interested in pursuing legal education:
Watch this video for a short video tour of UCalgary’s Faculty of Law:
For an overview of legal education in the country, take a look at our roadmap to studying law in Canada.
Aside from UAlberta and UCalgary, there are other schools and universities in the province that offer degree programs (undergraduate or graduate) related to law:
High school graduates may apply for any of these schools or universities. After completing them, graduates may now enroll for the JD program.
Again, these colleges and universities do not offer the JD or the LLB program, which is the appropriate course for studying law in Canada.
The JD program is only offered by UAlberta and UCalgary.
There are specific requirements to be admitted into any of the law schools in Alberta. Each program – JD, LLM, and PhD – has its own eligibility requirements.
Admissions for the two law schools in Alberta are similar. Both law schools also refer to an applicant’s Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) scores and GPA for their admission.
Here are the applicant requirements for the JD program for both law schools:
The required GPA scores are calculated using the most recent 60 units/credits (equivalent to 2 years of full-time study). This may either be from an undergraduate or graduate degree.
There’s also no specific undergraduate degree or pre-law course that is required by any of these law schools.
There are admission categories that applicants may choose from if they do not meet all the eligibilities or requirements of these law schools.
These categories are rooted in the idea that legal education in the province must be inclusive. It also aims to accept a diverse set of law students every year.
UCalgary offers the following admission categories:
UAlberta only offers the Indigenous admission category.
Here’s a summary of the admission procedure for both law schools:
Tuition fees will vary per program. As for their JD program, below are the tuition fees, including the other necessary fees upon admission, for the first year:
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UAlberta |
Canadian students: $15,782.52 |
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International students: $54,481.28 |
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UCalgary |
Canadian students: $17,528.00 |
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International students: $57,180.00 |
These costs and fees do not include other expenses such as non-academic fees, non-tuition costs, living costs, transportation, books and law materials, among others.
Curious to know which law schools in Canada offer the lowest tuition fees? Our article on the most affordable Canadian law schools has all the details.
Students who are struggling with finances may apply for the law schools’ financial aid and other scholarships. These may be offered either upon admission during the first year or upon application.
In UCalgary, there are entrance awards which automatically consider all students upon admission (e.g. UCalgary Law Entrance Awards of Excellence). There are also scholarships, awards, and bursaries which require express application.
UAlberta offers three general groups of scholarships and awards that are either based on academic merit or financial need:
UAlberta also offers merit scholarships which are based on an incoming student’s academic record prior to law school.
In addition to scholarships, there are also other financial aids and loans available for new and current students. UCalgary offers separate financial aid to students from Alberta and those from other provinces, while UAlberta offers Faculty of Law Bursaries and Faculty of Law Emergency Bursary.
Law school in Canada is finished after three years of JD program and another year of articling. After that, one must take up the bar examinations of the law society in the province where they want to practice law.
In Alberta, the Bar Admission Program is administered by the Law Society of Alberta. However, instead of the bar exams, aspirants will have to complete the Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) as part of the Bar Admission Program.
All in all, it may take up to 4 to 5 years to become a lawyer in Alberta. This period excludes the time taken up during one’s undergraduate degree, as a pre-requisite for the JD program.
Head over to our complete list of Canadian Law Schools 2023/24 for information of the other Canadian law schools, aside from the law schools in Alberta, Canada.
