Queen’s law school offers numerous scholarships, bursaries and awards to assist its students with tuition costs. These include the Nicole L. Thomson International Experience Award and Nathan Schipper Internship Award as well as several entrance scholarships dedicated to LGBT students.
Becoming a lawyer can be an expensive endeavor, no matter the country of study. This article will present an overview of the costs associated with studying law in Canada – such as undergraduate education costs, Juris Doctor (JD) studies, living expenses and legal society fees.
Tuition
Tuition costs can quickly add up when studying law. Prospective lawyers may incur expenses totaling upwards of $100,000 before even taking the bar exam! Therefore, it’s essential that law students create and adhere to an annual budget that takes their lifestyle and personal circumstances into consideration when creating one.
Queen’s University School of Law boasts an innovative curriculum tailored specifically for its Northern location: Aboriginal and Indigenous law; natural resources and environmental law; and sole or small firm practice. Furthermore, this school is committed to equity diversity inclusivity and justice (EDIJ), offering various external awards for prospective students.
The school offers various legal clinics, such as its Mediation Clinic and International Legal Assistance Bureau, as well as being one of the few schools with an integrated practice curriculum that includes an unpaid four-month placement in third year.
Living expenses
Law school tuition and living expenses in Canada can be costly. They can exceed the total cost of an undergraduate degree program. Students may incur further costs associated with articling before becoming fully licensed lawyers in Canada.
Numerous variables can impact the cost of law school tuition in Canada, including its location and overall living costs. When considering various law schools, it’s essential to take these variables into account and research scholarship opportunities as a means of offsetting tuition expenses.
Public universities typically have lower tuition rates than private schools in Canada due to provincial governments subsidizing education costs for residents as an investment in their local workforce. However, this varies significantly across provinces due to funding priorities and policies which can result in significant differences between tuition rates.
Legal society fees
An investment in law school can be costly, but there are ways to lower its cost. Many Canadian law schools provide financial aid and scholarships that make affording legal education easier. Scholarships come in the form of grants or student loans and make financing your studies much simpler.
The Law Society fees are determined in accordance with its Act. They vary based on membership categories and include a practice fee for practising members who participate in Federation of Law Societies as well as an allocation to fund CanLII portion of operating costs. Please be aware that GST (Goods and Services Tax) applies to all fees and assessments associated with membership at CanLII. These amounts do not include tax; all Goods and Services Tax assessments (GST).
University of Toronto stands as one of Canada’s finest law schools according to THE rankings 2025, featuring experiential learning through moot courts, legal clinic courses and externships for its students. Furthermore, students have access to in-house or external clinics such as international human rights advocacy clinics for low-income residents as well as downtown legal clinics dedicated specifically for low-income residents.
Other expenses
Law degrees can be costly due to various expenses associated with living costs and books. Furthermore, you should take into account the expense associated with an undergraduate degree that must be earned prior to applying to law school. Though these costs can be dauntingly high, they should not dissuade those looking to become lawyers from going down this path.
University of Victoria – Faculty of Law is one of Canada’s more reasonably priced law schools to attend, ranking first in The Times Higher Education 2025 law school rankings and offering students access to experiential learning through Bader College in Herstmonceux England as well as five pro bono legal clinics for frontline community justice support.
As well as tuition, when selecting the ideal law school for themselves, students should also take into account student life, programs offered and scholarships available. Finding a quality law school provides invaluable experience and success in legal profession. The ideal schools will deliver both quality instruction and positive experiences to their students.