Admissions FAQ

• Juris Doctor (JD)
• Canadian & American Dual JD
• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Social Work/JD
• Master of Laws (LLM)

Windsor Law and Detroit Mercy School of Law have collaborated to create the Canadian & American Dual JD Program. Students in the Canadian & American Dual JD Program earn two law degrees in three years by comparative and interactive study each year on the campus of both the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. This program gives students a special opportunity to immerse themselves in two different legal cultures and to practice law in a globalized world. Today, the practice of law increasingly crosses borders and this unique program allows you to earn both an American JD and a Canadian JD in the same three years it takes most law students to receive one degree.

Email: uwlaw@uwindsor.ca

Website: www.uwindsor.ca/law

You will not be disadvantaged in the application process if your institution mandated a P/F or CR/NCR option for transcript notation. The same applies if the P/F or CR/NCR option was offered for one or more courses and you elected the P/F or CR/NCR option. 
 
A cumulative undergraduate GPA is calculated using all undergraduate grades assessed on postsecondary transcripts. 
 
We recognize the challenges some students have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you experienced extraordinary or unusual challenges as a result, you can speak to these concerns in your personal statement as part of your response to the optional question. 

We admit approximately 170 students into the first year of our JD programs, and approximately 85 to our Dual JD program. 
 
At Windsor Law, we have a strong sense of community that we are known for. Our incoming 1L JD class is split into smaller groups of approximately 15-20, allowing you to get to network and form bonds with your colleagues.

The Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, has a limited enrollment Half-Time Law Study Program. Half-time studies are intended for those who are unable to study full-time. The program cannot be completed through evening courses only. 
 
You must meet our general admission requirements or special admission requirements for Indigenous applicants. In addition, you must demonstrate that you are unable to attend law school on a full-time basis because of 1 or more of the following reasons: 

• Exceptional family obligations either to young children or dependents (including persons with a disability or requiring special care) requiring your presence at home. 

• Substantial financial hardship (e.g., loss or reduction in employment imposing significant financial hardship, with particular attention being given to single-income families or people on limited or tentative incomes). 

• A requirement for a reduced workload due to your health or disability. 

• In very limited circumstances, consideration may also be given to occupational involvement where you are established in a public service career and your work would be assisted and improved by the study of law. 

There is no part-time or half-time option for the Dual JD program. 

We welcome applications from a diverse group, including those who may not be applying directly from post-secondary studies. Windsor Law currently has a General and Indigenous application category. 
 
The holistic admissions process allows us to review all aspects of an application file, through our seven admission criteria, to address a variety of applicant perspectives to achieve a diverse incoming class.

All Ontario law schools use a common electronic Application for Admission to An Ontario Law School.

This Application, other admission materials and a Personal Profile for the University of Windsor, may be obtained from:

The Ontario Law School Application Service
P.O. Box 1328, 170 Research Lane Guelph ON N1G 5E2
Telephone: 519-823-1940
Facsimile: 519-823-5232
Website: www.ouac.on.ca/olsas

• The application deadline for the JD program is November 1.
• The application deadline for the Canadian & American Dual JD Program is April 15, 2023.

You will receive an acknowledgement email from the Office of the Registrar, with your UWin Student number and personal access code, so that you can track the progress and admissions status of your application. Once you receive the acknowledgement email, follow the instructions to activate your UWin ID.

You are able to track the status of your application using your UWin ID and access code through the University of Windsor website, or through OLSAS. Contacting the office by phone does not speed up the process. Our registrar's staff and members of the admissions committee work diligently to process and review all applications received. News will be communicated via email.  
 
We thank you for your patience.

Only complete applications will be sent to the admissions committee for review. If any application documents are missing, your application file will remain incomplete until received.

Windsor Law currently has a General and Indigenous category. Through the holistic admissions process, it allows us to review all aspects of an application file, through our seven factors, to address a variety of applicant perspectives to achieve a diverse incoming class. 

No. All documentation is submitted to OLSAS

1. OLSAS Application 
2. University of Windsor Personal Profile (Found in the application in “School Submissions”) 
3. All Official Transcripts 
4. Current official LSAT score report; LSAT scores written in the previous 5 years 
5. 2 letters of reference (1 academic and 1 non-academic) on the forms specifically provided for this purpose. 
6. Electronic reference forms are provided by, and should be forwarded directly to, OLSAS by the referee. 
7. Canadian & American Dual JD program Supplemental Application Form (if applicable) 

For more detailed information visit: https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/olsas-windsor/#procedures 

The application and the Personal Statement were developed to provide you with the opportunity to assemble a persuasive case for admission.  
 
Your Personal Statement is made up of your responses to 5 questions (4 required and 1 optional), which you can find in the School Submissions section of your OLSAS application. Admissions Committee members will evaluate your responses to these questions to determine: 

• whether you are likely to succeed in law studies; 

• if you have social skills and relate well to people; 

• if you have a talent for administration and organization (particularly of your own time); 

• if you have a well-developed and focused career plan based on a sound perception of your capabilities; and 

• if you display leadership qualities and writing skills. 

In your application, you are expected to identify significant experiences and accomplishments and indicate how they relate to the admission criteria. For example, you should describe particular experiences (work, cultural, sporting and academic) in sufficient detail to allow the evaluators to make an assessment. 

You should describe any experience that demonstrates that you are self-disciplined and committed to excellence in any field. 

Committee members are interested in those experiences that show that you are devoted to self-improvement, involvement in the community and service to others. 
 

Windsor Law requires 2 letters of reference. If you attended a postsecondary institution during the 3 years prior to the application, you are required to submit 1 academic reference and 1 non‑academic reference. 

If you did not attend a postsecondary institution during the 3 years prior to the application, you may submit 2 non-academic references. 

Visit the Referee Requirements section of the OLSAS website for more information. 
 

Windsor Law’s Admission Committee considers seven different criteria when assessing an applicant’s file. The LSAT score and Grade Point Average are each only one of the seven criteria. We emphasize that no one single factor is solely determinative of admission to the law school. The Admissions Committee assesses applications in light of all seven criteria categories. 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. 

We do not have a specific LSAT or recommended GPA due to the holistic nature of our admissions process. We believe applicants can demonstrate that they are more than quantitative scores. 

We receive approximately over 2000 applications each year and approximately 165 students are accepted into the J.D. program at Windsor Law.

We receive approximately 700 applications for the Canadian & American Dual J.D. program each year and approximately 85 students are accepted into the Canadian & American Dual J.D. program at the University of Windsor Law School.

For the single JD programs: The latest LSAT score accepted is the January test score of the year of application.

For the Dual JD program: The latest LSAT accepted is the April sitting of the year of application.

Admissions occur on a rolling basis. We appreciate the time and effort applicants take to submit a fulsome package. As such, the admissions committee are doing their due diligence in conducting a meticulous review of each applicant package and appreciate your patience through the process. Due to rolling admissions you may expect a response to your application to law school between February and August. 

• Can I find out my position on the waitlist? Are students ranked on the waitlist? 

Due to the fluidity of the admissions cycle, we do not provide information about your status on our waitlist. Students will be notified immediately should changes to their admissions status change.

• Are students removed from the waitlist without requesting it? 

Once our incoming class is confirmed, students will be removed from the waitlist and changes to their admission status will be updated accordingly.

• When is the latest an admission offer will be made? 

Students could potentially receive an offer of admission up until the first day of our mandatory academic orientation, should there still be space available in the incoming class.

Up-to-date tuition fee information is available at uwindsor.ca/finance/fee-estimator. At Windsor Law, we recognize the financial challenges that many students face when pursuing a legal education. Fifty percent of our students receive funding in addition to provincial student loans. In 2019, we awarded a total of $3 million in bursaries.

• Where do I apply?

Transfer information can be found at: https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/olsas-windsor/#procedures 

Similar to the regular JD applicants, transfer applicants use the electronic Application for Admission to An Ontario Law School.  This Application, other admission materials and a Personal Profile for the University of Windsor, may be obtained from:

The Ontario Law School Application Service P.O. Box 1328, 170 Research Lane Guelph ON N1G 5E2
Telephone: 519-823-1940
Fax: 519-823-5232
Website: www.ouac.on.ca/olsas

• What is the deadline?

 May 1

• When are decisions made?

The Admissions Committee will begin the review of applications after the May 1 deadline.

If you have completed your law degree at a foreign law school or are qualified to practice in a foreign jurisdiction, you may apply for a Certificate of Equivalence from the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA), which may be acceptable to some Law Societies in Canada. 

Subject to the availability of places, you may be admitted into the program of study for less than 2 years of study if recommended by the NCA. 

No degree is granted by the University of Windsor. 

You are required to submit the NCA Assessment Result letter or the report from the NCA. You may obtain information by contacting the NCA. 

Application Deadline: May 1 
 

Applications will vary from year to year. 

• JD – We receive approximately 2100 applications per year

• Dual JD – We receive approximately 700 applications per year