LLM - Master of Laws (Common Law) (LLMCL) | Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Overview

The Masters of Law Common Law (LLM CL) Program is a year-long, course-based professional program that provides foundational training in the Canadian common law system for foreign trained law graduates. The program has two start dates. Applicants with common law legal training may begin the LLM CL Program in either May or September. Applicants without formal common law training, such as civil law trained or applicants from mixed legal traditions must begin the LLM CL Program in May. The May start date allows student to complete a number of foundational courses in Canadian common law before joining the advanced graduate or upper-year J.D. courses offered in September.

This program supports students in completing their assigned National Committee on Accreditation subjects and in addition allows students to choose from the broad array of graduate and upper-year JD course offerings in the Peter A. Allard School of Law.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

The Peter A. Allard School of Law, one of Canada's leading law schools, is proud of its tradition in graduate student training and is home to one of the country's oldest and most well-established graduate programs.

The program, the first of its kind in Canada, offers students the opportunity to complete a masters' degree in Law while also working towards the course-work requirements for the practice of law in Canada. If you have a foreign legal training and are interested in practicing law in Canada, then you must consult with and apply to the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA), the body charged with determining the additional qualifications required for foreign-trained lawyers to practice in Canada. The courses in the Masters of Law (LLM) Common Law Program degree are designed to meet NCA requirements.

Quick Facts

Faculty Peter A. Allard School of Law

Academic Unit Peter A. Allard School of Law

Specialization Law

Mode of delivery In person at UBC Vancouver

Program Components Coursework only

Tuition (First Year) Domestic: | International:

Research Information

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Fees	Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat	International
Application Fee	$116.25	$168.25
Tuition *
Tuition per credit	$1,000.13	$1,444.03
Other Fees and Costs
Student Fees (yearly)	$1,144.10 (approx.)
Costs of living	Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.
Deposit to accept offer (if admitted)
Deposit requirement	$1000.00	$1000.00

* Regular, full-time tuition. For on-leave, extension, continuing or part time (if applicable) fees see UBC Calendar.
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options.

Program Funding Packages

Domestic students on domestic student loans are eligible for a Master of Laws (Common Law) Bursary, which is assessed according to financial need. Please find more information including application, eligibility requirements and the assessment process about the UBC Bursary at the link.

Employer support

Organizations may provide their employees with tuition benefits as part of an employment package to support lifelong learning of their workforce.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

Professional / course-based programs usually do not provide merit-based funding. Some programs may offer bursaries.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans.

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 24 hours a week during academic sessions.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement.

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the LLM - Master of Laws (Common Law) (LLMCL). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Applications	253	269	290	204	159
Offers	96	63	75	55	50
New Enrolment	44	33	43	28	36
Total Enrolment	51	43	50	30	37

Completion Rates & Times

This program has a graduation rate of 96% based on 91 students admitted between 2015 - 2018. Based on 125 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 0.68 years and the maximum time is 2.39 years with an average of 1.12 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.

Disclaimer

Admissions data refer to all UBC Vancouver applications, offers, new enrolment for each registration year, May to April, e.g. data for 2022 refers to programs starting in 2022 Summer and 2022 Winter session, i.e. May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Data on total enrolment reflects enrolment in Winter Session Term 1 and are based on snapshots taken on November 1 of each registration year. Program completion data are only provided for datasets comprised of more than 4 individuals. Graduation rates exclude students who transfer out of their programs. Rates and times of completion depend on a number of variables (e.g. curriculum requirements, student funding), some of which may have changed in recent years for some programs.

Program Website

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Apply for May 2026

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Apply for September 2026

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Apply for May 2027

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May 2026 Intake

Application Open Date1 July 2025

Canadian Applicant Deadline31 October 2025

International Applicant Deadline31 October 2025

September 2026 Intake

Application Open Date1 September 2025

Canadian Applicant Deadline27 February 2026

International Applicant Deadline27 February 2026

May 2027 Intake

Application Open Date1 July 2026

Canadian Applicant Deadline1 October 2026

International Applicant Deadline1 October 2026

Program Enquiries

If you have reviewed the information on this program page and understand the requirements for this program, you may send an enquiry

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form.

LLM - Master of Laws (Common Law) (LLMCL)

Overview

What makes the program unique?

Quick Facts

Admission Information & Requirements

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

English Language Test

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Other Test Scores

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Prior Degree Requirements

2) Meet Deadlines

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts

Letters of Reference

Statement of Interest

Supervision

Citizenship Verification

4) Apply Online

Research Information

Facilities

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Financial Support

Program Funding Packages

Employer support

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Foreign government scholarships

Working while studying

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Cost Estimator

Alumni on Success

Daman Saini

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion Rates & Times

Disclaimer

Related Programs

Same specialization

Related Disciplines

Further Information

Specialization

UBC Calendar

Program Website

Faculty

Academic Unit

Program Identifier

Classification

Apply Now

May 2026 Intake

September 2026 Intake

May 2027 Intake

Program Enquiries

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