MSL Program Admissions

How do you apply to Master of Studies in Law program?

This page outlines the admission requirements to our Master of Studies in Law program.

Application Deadlines for the 2027-2028 Academic Year

Below you will find the admission deadlines for the 2027-2028 academic year.

Application System opens: Monday, September 14, 2026 (10:00am EST)

Application Deadline: Sunday, December 6, 2026 (11:59pm EST)

Decision Release: Rolling Admissions.

Please note that ALL documents, including reference letters, must be submitted by the application deadline in order for an application to be considered. It is the applicant's responsibility to communicate the specific deadlines by which they are applying to their referees.

Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Admission Standards

The admission standards listed below are minimum requirements. MSL applicants should be established academics and scholars who already work and write in a discipline related to law, and wish to add a legal dimension to their scholarship.

Only a few individuals are accepted into this unique program every year.

Eligible applicants must hold a graduate degree, ideally a doctorate, from a recognized university, and must have achieved the equivalent of a University of Toronto B+ standing in the final year of their graduate degree.
MSL applicants must demonstrate a high level of scholarship in a discipline related to law.
Please note that grades from other degrees obtained will be reviewed, but the admitting grades for the MSL program are those obtained in the final year the doctorate degree, or master’s degree (in exceptional circumstances).
International Equivalencies:
International applicants can compare their grades to the University of Toronto’s standard using the School of Graduate Studies’ International Degree Equivalencies Tool, which lists qualifications from a number of educational systems around the world. The academic standings listed within this tool are normally accepted as equivalent to a University of Toronto mid-B grade average, if the degree obtained was awarded from a recognized university. 
As English is the primary language of instruction and communication at the University of Toronto, applicants must demonstrate an adequate level of English language proficiency. Applicants must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application, unless one of the exceptions listed below applies.
a) Testing Services

Several English language testing services are acceptable. Please note that tests must have been written within the 24 months preceding the date of application to the MSL program.
- TOEFL (including TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition):
  Former TOEFL Scores: Overall score of 100 on the internet-based test with at least 24 in each section.
  New TOEFL Scores: Overall score of 5 with at least 5/6 for Reading, Listening, Writing and 4.5/6 for Speaking.
- IELTS Academic: 7.5 overall with at least 7.0 in each component
- CAEL: 70 overall with at least 70 in each section
- COPE: 86 overall with at least 22 in both Listening and Reading, 40 in Writing, and 7 in TOP (speaking, if applicable)
- Cambridge English Qualifications:191 overall with at least 185 for each section
- U of T School of Continuing Studies - English for Academic Purposes Course : Grade of A in Level 60
Language requirements must be met at the time an application is submitted. Jackman Law does not extend offers of admission that are conditional on successful completion of an English language proficiency test.
b) Exemptions

You are not required to submit proof of proficiency in English if you meet one of the following conditions:
- Native language is English (language first learned and still used on a daily basis).
- Canadian citizen who studied at a Canadian university where the language of instruction is French.
- Obtained your admitting degree from an institution recognized by the University of Toronto and where the language of instruction and examination is uniformly English. Please note that for this exception to apply you must provide an official academic transcript with your application that confirms that the language of instruction and examination of your admitting degree was English.
  If the official academic transcript does not have this note, please make arrangements for an official statement to be sent from your institution directly to gradadmissions.law@utoronto.ca. The statement should confirm the use of English as the primary language of instruction and examination for your admitting degree. 
- Completed your admitting degree in one of the following countries/regions: Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Botswana, Ghana, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
  Some applicants from the above mentioned countries/regions may be required to provide proof of English proficiency as English is not the sole language of instruction at all universities.

To be eligible for the MSL, you must:

⇢ be an academic and scholar who already works and writes in a discipline related to law

⇢ hold a graduate degree, ideally a doctorate

⇢ demonstrate an adequate level of English language proficiency.

Application Steps

The application process is completed online through the School of Graduate Studies Application Management system.

Step 1: Create an account & start a new application.
Step 2: Choose the application session and program to which you are applying.
Step 3: Complete the application form and submit supporting documentation (see below).
Step 4: Submit the application form and access the application portal to pay the application fee and submit optional materials. Please note that most documents are uploaded in the application form and that the Admissions Committee will not consider any unsolicited documents.

There is a $130 (CAD) application fee which must be paid in order to proceed with your application. Before submitting your payment, please ensure you are applying to the correct program. This application fee is non-refundable, non-transferable, and cannot be waived. Payment must be made online using a Visa or Mastercard. Debit payments will not be accepted.

General application instructions may also be found on the School of Graduate Studies’ “How to Apply” webpage

Questions?
If you have any questions regarding the MSL application process please email us at: gradadmissions.law@utoronto.ca.

Reference Letters Key Details:

The Recommendations section of the application form will require you to enter your referees' name and official contact information. They will receive an email prompting them to submit a letter of reference as soon as you enter their information.

⇢ Do not add more than 2 referees: If more than 2 referees are added only the first two reference letters submitted will be considered.

⇢ Do not enter non-institutional email addresses for your referees (i.e. gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc…): Reference letters submitted via a non-institutional email address are not admissible and the application will be considered incomplete.

See the Letters of Reference section below for more information.

Supporting Documents

The document list below is exhaustive, please do not add any additional documents! The Admissions Committee will not consider any unsolicited documents, and all such documents will be deleted from the admission system in order to ensure equity between applicants.

If multiple versions of one document are uploaded to the admission system, the most recent version will be considered, and earlier versions deleted.

Any forms which must be completed are available through the application system for download and completion.

All applicants must upload electronic transcripts from every post-secondary institution they attended, including all studies started, completed, or attempted, regardless of degree completion. This also includes transfer credits and courses taken on letter of permission.
Notes:
- If your transcript has a grading scheme it must be included with the scanned document.
- Ensure transcripts are complete and do not leave out any years or courses.
- Applicants finishing their final year must submit an interim transcript.
- Foreign language transcripts need to be officially translated into English, except for French transcripts, which do not require translation as French is an official language of Canada.
Applicants who are required to provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application will need to upload an official scan of their English Language Proficiency test scores on the application system. All scores must be uploaded by the document deadline.
In addition, applicants must also arrange for the testing agency to submit their official test score directly to the University of Toronto (Enrolment Services office).
- The TOEFL institution code for U of T is 0982. There is no need to specify a department.
- For IELTS, you should select “University of Toronto (Undergraduate and Graduate programs)” from the list of options. The University of Toronto (Undergraduate and Graduate Programs) is an IELTS “STED RO”. This means that we subscribe to the electronic score-sending service and do not accept paper results. You may wish to advise your test centre, specifically, that U of T is an STED RO when you make your request to have your scores sent to us. You do not need to notify U of T once you have ordered your test results. U of T receives IELTS results on an ongoing basis.
If this requirement is not applicable to you, it will be waived when your online application is reviewed. There is no need to contact SGS or Jackman Law to get this requirement waived.
Applicants will be asked to submit a 250 words personal statement within the designated textbox during the application process. This should address why you wish to pursue graduate studies in law, and how the program would help support your current and future research. We encourage you to reflect on your academic and research accomplishments to date and what are some topics, questions, or problems you would like to explore during your studies at Jackman Law.
Applicants must submit a writing sample. The writing sample must demonstrate an applicant's ability to engage in, and generate, substantive thought and research. Examples of acceptable samples include:
- The introduction, first chapter and conclusion of a doctoral thesis (or a portion of it, if it is still in progress) with endnotes/citations.
- A publication in a journal with endnotes/citation. Please note that co-authored publications are not admissible.
- a paper that satisfied a writing requirement for a course, which is based on the applicant's own research with endnotes/citations.
The writing sample must be in English.
Two academic letters of reference are required. If you cannot obtain academic references, and will be submitting professional references instead, please briefly explain why in your personal statement.
You will need to provide the name and contact information of the people from whom you wish to solicit reference letters on the application form. The system will automatically email an electronic submission request to each referee once their information is entered on the system. It is highly recommended that you contact your referees ahead of time to ensure that they are willing to provide a reference letter by the document deadline.
Refrain from soliciting references from peers, co-workers or direct reports. Personal references are also ineligible (e.g. friends, family members, etc.).
Important:
Do not add more than 2 referees - if more than 2 referees are added only the first two reference letters submitted will be considered, any additional letters will not be reviewed.
You need to provide your referees' institutional email address (i.e. @university.com or @company.com). Personal email addresses are not accepted (i.e gmail.com, yahoo.com, mail.com, etc.) . If one of your referees (or both) does not have an institutional email address, you will need to email gradadmissions.law@utoronto.ca and provide a link to an official institutional webpage that confirms that your referee is employed by the institution and that the personal email address provided is, in fact, official. If that is not an option either, your referee will have to send us a hard copy reference letter on official letterhead. The hard copy letters must be received by the document deadline. Reference letters submitted via a non-institutional email addresses which have not been verified are not admissible and the application will be considered incomplete.
Reference letters submitted by applicants will not be accepted and the application will be considered incomplete.

Reference Letter Content:

Referees are not provided with a template letter to complete. They will also be asked to answer a series of questions related to your academic abilities and submit a letter commenting on your ability to:
- Conduct independent research (searching for and organizing relevant material);
- Analyze and criticize the positions of others;
- Develop your own arguments;
- Produce original work

MSL Program Admissions

How do you apply to Master of Studies in Law program?

Application Deadlines for the 2027-2028 Academic Year

Admission Standards

Academic Requirements

English Proficiency Requirements

To be eligible for the MSL, you must:

Application Steps

Reference Letters Key Details:

Supporting Documents

Transcripts

English Language Score If applicable

CV

Personal Statement

Writing Sample

International (Educational) Credential Evaluation Optional

Reference Letters Submitted directly by referees

Post-application

Application Status Check

Notification of decisions