Osgoode Hall Law School is located on the campus of York University in Toronto. It houses the Law Library of Osgoode Hall, which with more than 500,000 volumes, is the largest law library in Canada.

Degree Programs

In addition to a three-year JD Program, the following joint degree programs are offered at Osgoode Hall Law School: JD/MBA, with York’s Schulich School of Business;  JD/MES, with York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies; JD/MA (Philosophy), with York’s Department of Philosophy; and Civil Law Degree Program, with the Université de Montréal.

Admission

To be eligible for admission to the first year JD program, usually applicants must have successfully completed a minimum of three full years at a recognized university in a program leading to a degree (90 credit hours of study).  Also, all applicants are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).  As well, proof of language proficiency must be provided, unless one of the following criteria applies: an applicant’s first language is English; or, they have completed at least one year of full-time study at an accredited postsecondary institution in a country (or institution) where English is the official language of instruction.

Enrolment / Student Body / Faculty

There are usually over 3,000 applicants for first-year, while only about 290 students are enrolled. A total of about 900 students are enrolled in the three-year, full-time Juris Doctor (JD) program. The faculty consists of approximately 58 full-time members and about 150 adjunct members.

Expenses and Financial Aid

Full-time tuition for Osgoode Hall Law School is approximately $23,000 per year. Estimated additional expenses per year, including room and board, and books and supplies are about $13,000. Performance and need-based entrance scholarships are available as well as Financial Aid through provincial and federal government programs, bursaries, and loans.

Activities and Services

Osgoode Hall Law School offers various activities, clubs, services, and publications, including: Osgoode Hall Law Journal; Osgoode International Law Society (OILS); the Osgoode Debate Society; Osgoode Hall Law Union; Osgoode Women’s Network; the Osgoode Legal and Literary Society; and the Career Development Office.

In 2006, Osgoode introduced the Osgoode Public Interest Requirement (OPIR), requiring all students to complete 40 hours of unpaid public-interest legal work before graduating. Two examples of the ways in which Osgoode students fulfill this requirement are: conducting client intake and case research at the Community & Legal Aid Services Program (CLASP) clinic; and providing lawyer-supervised free legal services to low income clients through Pro Bono Students Canada.

In 2012, Osgoode Hall Law School opened the Office of Experiential Education, which serves to provide high quality and diverse experiential opportunities to Osgoode law students. Along with this, Osgoode introduced the new experimental learning requirement, called a “praxicum”. Starting with the class of 2015, every student who graduates from Osgoode Hall Law School must have completed a minimum of one designated praxicum course, which combine legal theory, practice and reflection. Courses that are offered include the Innocence Project, the Anti-Discrimination Intensive, Mediation Intensive Clinic, and the Business Law Intensive.

For more information, visit Osgoode Hall Law School at York University.

								
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