Committed to a Holistic Admission Process
Windsor Law sits on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy, which is comprised of the Ojibway, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. We are committed to ensuring Indigenous legal traditions and perspectives are fully acknowledged and respected in our teaching, research and community engagement. Windsor Law is also committed to ensuring equity and diversity in all its forms in the legal profession. Individuals from groups that are traditionally under-represented in the legal profession and/or who face systemic barriers are strongly encouraged to apply. Our mission, vision and values reflect our commitment to access to justice.
Our admissions program is different from others. At Windsor Law, we review all applications for admission through a holistic lens. Candidates have the opportunity to provide the Admissions Committee with a range of information that supports their application for entry. Candidates must follow the procedures and submit the documentation required for the year in which they wish to enter.
The Admissions Committee establishes the admission policy and criteria, as well as procedures for the assessment of applications. The Committee consists of the Associate Dean as Chair, the Assistant Dean (Admissions, Recruitment, and External Relations) as Vice Chair, professors and students. The admissions criteria and procedures are established by the Admissions Committee for each admission year. The admissions criteria and procedures for the current entering class are set out below.
Objective
The objective of the admissions policy is to select those students who will excel in the study of law and who have the potential to contribute creatively and meaningfully to the law school and the community.
Criteria
The majority of applicants are considered by the Admissions Committee in the framework of the following criteria:
1. University Program
This category comprises undergraduate average and academic performance trends in light of relevant considerations; awards and prizes; the nature and content of the program taken; the level of any degree(s) or diplomas obtained.
2. Work Experience
Part-time, summer and full-time work experience is analyzed for signs of organizational and administrative skills as well as initiative. Vocational, professional or other special qualifications will be considered.
3. Community Involvement
Contribution to the community (city/town; university; religious; etc.) will be assessed for indications of commitment to the community. Factors examined include the nature of the applicant’s participation in service clubs, community service organizations, religious, athletic, and social organizations.
4. Personal Accomplishments
Factors can include extracurricular activities, hobbies and special accomplishments; artistic and athletic accomplishments; communication skills and languages spoken.
5. Career Objectives
The applicant’s career objectives, including how and where the legal education will be employed, are considered.
6. Personal Considerations
Personal factors affecting the applicant are recognized in this section. Any personal factors such as illness, bereavement, unusual family responsibilities or other such circumstances that may have some bearing on the applicant’s qualifications will be noted.
7. Law School Admission Test Scores
All applicants must write the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The Law School Admission Test is administered several times each year at convenient locations in Canada and the United States. For detailed information, applicants are referred to the LSAT Registration and Information Book or by contacting the Law School Admission Council:
Law School Admission Council
Box 2000 661 Penn Street
Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940-0998
Website: www.LSAC.org
It is not necessary that an application be made to the Faculty of Law prior to registration for the Law School Admission Test. The January LSAT is the last LSAT score Windsor Law will accept in the year of application. LSAT scores written more than five years prior to the academic year of application will not be considered.
We emphasize that no one single factor is solely determinative of admission to law school. The Admissions Committee assesses applications in light of the criteria above. The chief source of information about applicants is that which is provided by them in their Personal Profile. Applicants should take care to present a full and rounded view of themselves in their Personal Profile.
The application and the Personal Profile have been developed to provide the applicant with the opportunity to assemble a persuasive case for admission. Members of the Admission Committee will assess the information provided to determine whether the applicant is likely to succeed in law studies, has social skills, relates well to people, has talent for administration and organization (particularly of his or her own time), has a well-developed and focused career plan based upon a sound perception of his or her capabilities and displays leadership qualities and writing skills.
In the application, the applicant is expected to identify significant experiences and accomplishments and to indicate how they relate to the admission criteria. For example, particular experiences (work, cultural, sporting and academic) should be described in sufficient detail to permit the evaluator to make an assessment. Any experience which demonstrates that the applicant is self-disciplined and committed to excellence in any field should be described.
Further, Committee members are interested in those experiences which tend to show that the applicant is devoted to self-improvement and involvement in the community and service to others. Contributions to hospitals, charitable organizations, religious institutions, disadvantaged and underprivileged groups and individuals, political parties and athletics will, among other activities, help to demonstrate this. Letters from the institution evidencing the nature, scope and degree of the applicant’s involvement are helpful to the Admissions Committee.
If the candidate is a member of a group disadvantaged for any reason, these circumstances should be made known.