Applicants from Canada

Reasons to study Law at the University of Glasgow

The key strengths of Glasgow’s undergraduate LLB programmes include the following:

  • We offer a dedicated course on Canadian Constitutional Law, designed to support students preparing for the Canadian NCA examination in this subject.
  • An established Canadian Law Society contributes to a lively and welcoming community for our Canadian students.
  • The School of Law is consistently ranked among the top 10 law schools in the UK (ranked 4th for Law in the 2026 Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide). 
  • Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow has a time-honoured global reputation for teaching excellence and world-leading research, providing our graduates with an exceptional foundation for international employability.

Qualifying as a lawyer in Canada following completion of the Common Law LLB

In order to qualify as a lawyer in Canada (in a jurisdiction other than Quebec), after completing a common law LLB at Glasgow, a student must:

  1. Apply for a National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) assessment
  2. Gain a NCA Certificate of Qualification
  3. Complete a bar admission process in a common law jurisdiction in Canada, and complete any further required training (e.g. a legal traineeship, usually known as ‘Articling’)

The NCA Assessment and Certification processes are set out in the NCA Policy Manual. The current version of the Manual is available from the NCA’s website, which provides other relevant information. Both the website, and the Manual, should be consulted first-hand. They are authoritative sources of information on the Assessment and Certification processes.

In order to gain the NCA Certificate of Qualification, students will need to demonstrate competency in eight (8) Core Subjects. These are:

Canadian Administrative Law

Canadian Constitutional Law

Canadian Criminal Law

Canadian Professional Responsibility

Foundations of Canadian Law

Contracts

Property

Torts

The first five core subjects have Canadian-specific content. Competency in these areas is demonstrated by taking NCA examinations in those subjects, or completing a course covering those areas in an Approved Canadian Common Law Programme. The former is the most cost-efficient route to take, but some students prefer to have guided instruction in the modules, rather than taking the exams on a self-study basis.

An Applicant may demonstrate competence in the other Core Subjects (Contracts, Property and Torts) by completing relevant courses as part of the Glasgow LLB degree, subject to Legal Academic Performance requirements set out in the NCA Policy Manual.

The information on this page has been created according to current understandings of regulatory requirements, but applicants should always check and confirm requirements with relevant professional bodies.  

If you have any questions about admissions requirements, please contact our Admissions Enquiry Team: Admissions Enquiry Form

If you have any specific questions about the degree structure and teaching, please contact the School of Law: School of Law Helpdesk