National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) students are generally persons who obtained a law degree from a recognized university in another country and who were actively engaged in the practice of law for a number of years prior to emigrating to Canada.
The NCA, on behalf of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, evaluates the legal credentials and experience of applicants who wish to be admitted to membership in a Canadian law society (other than Quebec) and identifies specific legal subjects in which the applicant must demonstrate competence either by successfully completing an examination set by the NCA or by obtaining course credit at a Canadian law faculty.
UNB Law can annually accept only a limited number of NCA students as full-time no-degree students.
Offers of admission are determined on a competitive basis involving assessment of the foreign law program; performance on NCA examinations; the number of years of experience in the practice of law, if any; and the number of courses the applicant wishes to take and the availability of space in those courses.
Offers of admission are made in July for both the fall and winter terms (commencing in September and January, respectively). The Admissions Committee gives priority to applicants who wish to take at least three courses per academic term of enrolment but not more than two courses in the first-year of the JD program.
Please note that NCA students are not permitted to register for Foundations of Canadian Law which is available for first year students only and that other courses may not be available due to enrolment limits. An offer of admission may be made for either the fall or winter academic terms or both.
Please note only Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be considered for admission.
Students accepted to take courses for the purpose of completing their NCA accreditation should note that for each subject required by the NCA the applicant must elect either a NCA examination or a course at UNB Law, not both during the same academic year.
Applicants who are found to have registered for both a course at UNB and a NCA exam in the same subject will have their course registration cancelled. Please note that an applicant will not be permitted to register or continue to be registered in a course unless they have maintained a satisfactory academic performance as assessed by the Associate Dean in each completed course. It is University and faculty policy that students are expected to attend all lectures.
As English is the language of instruction at the faculty of law, applicants whose first language learned and understood is not English are generally required to demonstrate proficiency in English by writing the TOEFL examination.
In addition to a completed application form, the following documents are to be submitted in support of an application for admission as a full-time no-degree student:
Please print the above course request form and be return it to the Law Admissions Office before your application will be considered. The form may be emailed to lawadmit@unb.ca or mailed to the law admissions office.