The UVic Faculty of Law holistically reviews every single application received for admission at UVic Law. This is a standard that we are proud to stand by this year and for future years. This does take more time than traditional review of law school applications, so we appreciate your patience as we wind up this year’s review process.
At UVic Law, holistic review of each application means that we look at the whole applicant, rather than just traditional metrics like LSAT scores and cumulative GPA. We take the totality of the application package (requested documents only; additional documents are not considered, so please do not send anything beyond what is required) when we consider whether an applicant should receive an offer of admission. That’s right; of the nearly 1200 applications we received this year, we are completing the process of reading every word of every one of them.
This is important for a number of reasons. One is that it allows us to consider strengths and acknowledge diversity outside of traditional metrics. We have had applicants who have done amazing things with their lives who we feel would add a unique perspective to the legal profession and who would not have been considered if their files were not holistically reviewed.
However, what holistic review does not do is create a less competitive review process, an “easier way” to get into UVic Law, or a “back door” to qualifying for admission. Holistic review means that we consider all aspects of your application with a focus specifically on likelihood of success in our program and potential to thrive at UVic Law. All of our offerees have submitted competitive application packages.
If your application was successful this year, congratulations! If not, we encourage you to reach out to the Law Admissions Office at lawadmss@uvic.ca to review your application to strengthen it for next year. Good luck to all applicants!