First Year Application Documentation

It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that their application materials and supporting documents are complete. Applications that are incomplete will not be considered. The application is due to OLSAS by November 1 for the following September. Applicants must indicate on the OLSAS application if they are writing the LSAT at a date after the deadline date. Reference forms must be forwarded to OLSAS and not submitted directly to Queen’s Law by the applicant or referee. Applicants must provide the following documentation in support of their applications to first-year studies:

i official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended, including those attended as a visiting student on exchange or on a study abroad program;

v supplementary documentation to support the basis of the claim in the Aboriginal and Access categories, as necessary.

Applicants in the Aboriginal and Access sub-categories should use the personal statement to address the basis of their sub-category claim and provide corroboration of these circumstances through relevant supporting documentation.

Extended track (part-time) studies applicants should outline in the personal statement the reasons for wanting to study part-time.

Applicants in the General category should use their personal statement to address special circumstances that adversely affected performance in a particular course, a particular term or even a particular year, and should provide corroboration of these circumstances in supplementary documentation. These circumstances include (but are not limited to) illness, involvement in varsity or professional sports, family obligations during periods of study, tragedy or other unfortunate events that negatively affected portions of their academic program. These circumstances are meant to be time-limited, with less adverse impact or less systemic impact than the circumstances supporting an Access category claim.

Supplementary Documentation

Letters of Reference

One academic reference should be provided by all applicants. No more than three letters of reference may be filed to support an application. All letters of reference are confidential and must be submitted by the referee directly to OLSAS . Applicants should arrange for their referees to use the OLSAS Confidential Assessment Forms that are provided with the application or available at www.ouac.on.ca/olsas/ . These forms have the applicant's OUAC/OLSAS Reference Number for the applicant printed on the form and require the referee to indicate in what capacity the referee is acquainted with the applicant.

Foreign and Private Universities

Applicants must ensure that their foreign educational credentials are equivalent to credentials from a Canadian institution recognized as providing a postsecondary academic environment and education that prepares students for success in advanced studies of law. Applicants who have undertaken undergraduate studies outside of Canada and the United States must have their foreign transcript assessed by World Education Services or equivalent service. Applicants who have undertaken graduate studies outside of Canada and the United States are not required to have their foreign transcript assessed by World Education Services or equivalent service, although such assessment may be requested. Candidates from the National Committee of Accreditation will not be required to have their foreign transcripts assessed by World Education Services or equivalent service. See www.wes.org/ca.

In addition, applicants are not required to obtain a WES assessment for courses taken as part of an exchange program, as long as transfer credits for these courses appears on the home university transcript.

Transcripts

Official transcripts of all postsecondary institutions attended, including transcripts from studies as a visiting or exchange student must be ordered and sent through OLSAS. Notarized English language copies of foreign language transcripts must be accompanied by an evaluation of foreign credentials specifying Canadian degree, grade and credit hour equivalency.

Personal Information and File Retention Policy

Applicant files are kept for one year after the initial application in the event that an applicant should re-apply. Thereafter, the files of applicants who do not register are destroyed, unless information regarding misconduct in the application process is received. Applicant information provided in electronic format and remitted by OLSAS is collected in our admissions database. This information will be saved in our admissions database for at least 10 years to permit longitudinal or statistical studies, reports or queries pertinent to recruitment, admissions, diversity of the applicant pool and registrant populations, enrolment management, retention and academic progress. Information pertaining to admitted applicants who register at Queen’s may be used for the purpose of participating in correlation studies conducted by the Law School Admission Council to assess the predictive value of the LSAT score and grades at the time of admission in relation to performance in first-year law. The application documentation submitted on admission is retained as part of the student file for students who are admitted and register at Queen’s Faculty of Law. Such information is held confidentially in the Student Services Office and used in accordance with the privacy and access to information policies of Queen’s University. Personal information may be disclosed to regulatory authorities, law enforcement officials or other persons when authorized or required by law. For details, see www.queensu.ca/registrar/. Questions may be addressed to the Assistant Dean of Students in the Faculty of Law.

Caution

Provision of false or misleading information or failure to provide material information will invalidate the application and will result in immediate rejection or in the revocation of admission and/or registration.