Law

Many Canadians wish to fulfill their career goals after getting married, having kids, or both! We’ve had plenty of students who have taken their partner and/or children with them.

If you want to take your partner or family with you, you’ll need to add them as a secondary applicant or dependents to your student visa application. Even if you don’t plan on taking them with you, we suggest you add them to your application anyway because it can be complex, expensive, and time-consuming to add them afterwards. You’ll then need to provide additional documentation to support your claims of a relationship or your children’s dependency status.

In addition to looking after the visa, you’ll also need to ensure they’re included on your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), you have appropriate accommodation, and if you’re bringing children, you’ll need to enroll them in school.

Visit our Health Insurance page for more information.

We recommend you begin your OzTREKK application about a year before your program would start. Most programs in Australia start between January and March, so that means you would start your OzTREKK application between January and March the year prior.

Here’s how the typical “cycle” works if your program starts January – March:

March – May: You gather all required documents like passport photo page, transcripts, résumé, personal statement, and send them to our office. Don’t worry, we’ll tell you exactly what we need!

June – August: Interviews (if your program requires one)

September – December: Offer time! If you get an offer, we’ll walk you through the acceptance (or decline) process and give you all the help you need to get ready to go.

January – March: Time to head Down Under!

Scholarship options in Australia are usually limited for international students as they tend to be reserved for those undertaking postgraduate research degrees; however, we can advise you where to look and whether specific programs have a history of offering scholarships.

Occasionally, scholarships are granted to high achievers—those with very high marks. In previous years, we have seen $5000- to $10,000-scholarships given to OzTREKK students.

Check out OzTREKK’s Financing page to learn more about scholarships and paying for your degree.

Rolling admissions means the university assesses applications as they are received, or on a “first come, first served” basis. As soon as they’ve met the quota and the program is filled, they close the applications. So, for a program that has rolling admissions, the earlier you apply the better!

The majority of Canadians applying to full-degree programs in Australia (i.e., not study abroad courses, which usually only last a semester or two) apply through OzTREKK. They’re studying medicine, dentistry, law, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc.

Since they’re using OzTREKK’s services, this gives us a good idea of the starting point of a competitive application each year, allowing us to help you determine which universities/programs are most likely to present you with a letter of offer!

You can get started on determining your chances by reviewing the admissions requirements on each program page. Then, visit our GPA Conversions and Eligibility pages for details and suggestions to help you get into the program of your dreams. Of course, OzTREKK is always here to help if you have questions.

Unlike in Canada, GPAs in Australia are simple. They are standardized, so they mean the same thing to everyone.

In Australia, a 5.0 / 7.0 would roughly translate to a 2.7 / 4.0 or approximately 70% – 72%, but keep in mind all universities assess slightly differently.

Learn more on our GPA Conversions page where we list the most common Canadian GPA scales to their corresponding Australian GPA grade.

Prerequisite courses vary by university and by program. We’ve listed university- and program-specific requirements on each program’s page under “Admissions Requirements.”

Calculations differ by university, but most use cumulative (all units within a program) or weighted GPA (typically last 2 or 3 years of study). See GPA Calculations for more information.

For a transcript to be considered “official,” it must be sent directly from your high school, college, and/or university (either via snail mail or by email). It can even come from you—as long as it arrives in the original, sealed envelope.

To assess your application, universities must see your official transcripts certified by OzTREKK—a requirement of Australian and New Zealand universities and a part of our agreement with them.

By email (preferred method): Your high school, college and/or university can email them to transcripts@oztrekk.com or they can use an official transcript service, like Parchment or MyCreds. When submitting a request for a digital transcript and a password is required, please use OZTREKK1 (all capitals, no spaces). If you have a character limit or need to set an access pin, please use 1234.

By mail (only if unable to send via email): Please order your transcripts to be sent directly to our office from all institutions where you have studied since high school, including any college studies, exchanges, transfer credits, and/or advanced placement (or IB) studies. Please note, some programs also require high school transcripts; if this is the case, your student advisor will let you know.

Send your documents via FedEx or Purolator, especially when you need your documents to arrive at our office ASAP. If you use Canada Post’s courier Xpresspost, please don’t request a signature, as this can add delays.

OzTREKK
301–1 Sherbrooke Street East
Perth, ON K7H 1A1 Canada

As soon as your transcript arrives, we’ll let you know!

Varies by university and program chosen. If you’re considering a graduate-entry law degree, the minimum cGPA is approximately 2.5 – 2.7/4.0; competitive is 3.1 – 3.7/4.0 cGPA.

For Bachelor of Laws degrees, most eligible candidates have a high school diploma with an overall average of approximately 65% – 75%. Assessment is based on Grade 12 marks only.

While graduates are eligible to continue the steps to practice in Australia, it is imperative to understand the visa process that is associated with continuing to live and work in Australia. Find out more about staying in Australia to practice law.

If your documents are not in English, you must provide full translation of each document, either prepared by your university or by a registered translator. You must not translate the documents yourself.

Please note OzTREKK must receive the official translation directly from the university or translator in order to certify the document. Please read How Do I Send My Transcripts for more information.

Scholarship options in Australia are usually limited for international students as they tend to be reserved for those undertaking postgraduate research degrees; however, we can advise you where to look for scholarships and whether specific programs have a history of offering scholarships. Just reach out!

No. The LSAT is a North American admissions requirement and not required for our featured Australian JD or LLB programs. You will not find many other international schools requiring applicants to complete this exam unless they’re modeling their admissions requirements on the North American standard.

All OzTREKK-represented law programs will base your law application academic assessment on your cumulative average.

If you’re considering undergraduate-entry law degrees straight from high school, they will consider your top 5 – 6 courses from your Grade 12 results, depending on your province.

Check university-specific law program pages for details.

Graduate qualifications in law from Australian universities are recognized internationally. The basic process when returning to Canada and meeting the requirements to practice as a lawyer is as follows:

• NCA – Assessment and challenge examinations
• Articling (or a Law Practice Program – LPP)
• Barrister & Solicitor Exams
• Being “called to the Bar”

When you return to Canada after completing an international Law degree, including a degree from an Australian law school, you will first apply to have your credentials assessed by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA). All applications are assessed by the NCA on a case-by-case basis because everyone’s application is usually unique based on their own personal experiences and academic history.

NCA assessments focus on the core common law subjects in which you will demonstrate competence, including five Canadian subjects which are mandatory for all applicants. Most Australian law school graduates who apply through the NCA would be asked to complete challenge exams in the following five areas:

1. Canadian Administrative Law
2. Canadian Constitutional Law
3. Canadian Criminal Law
4. Foundations of Canadian Law
5. Canadian Professional Responsibility

Once you have successfully completed the assigned requirements, the NCA will issue a Certificate of Qualification. That certificate is required to apply to a Canadian law society in a common law jurisdiction. Be sure to visit the Federation of Law Societies of Canada website for accreditation and certification information and contact us if you have any questions.

For further details on the steps required, please visit our Practicing law in Canada page.

Australian law programs start at various times per year, depending on the university. All programs offer a first-semester intake each year, which is January/February/early March. Many programs also have mid-year (June/July) and third-trimester intakes (August/September/October).

Learn more about your law degree options.

The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and the Bachelor of Laws graduate-entry (LLB GE) and Juris Doctor (JD) are all law degrees which upon their completion enable you to apply in your jurisdiction to practice as a lawyer.

Bachelor of Laws (LLB): This is an undergraduate law degree. Students can enter this LLB program directly from high school or after a college diploma or partially completed university degree.

Bachelor of Laws (LLB GE): Some Australian universities offer a graduate-entry stream for the LLB, which means applicants require an undergraduate degree to be eligible for entry.

Juris Doctor (JD): This is a graduate-entry law degree. Applicants require an undergraduate degree to be eligible for entry.

All LLB and JD programs educate students to practice law and allow you to apply for registration in Canada. The main difference is that the LLB is offered at the undergraduate level, and the JD is offered at the postgraduate level.