Faculty of Law

With the construction of the Jackman Law Building now complete, the students and faculty have a home in keeping with the excellence of our program and international reputation. Our focus now is to deepen our student financial aid resources to match the excellence in education and facilities available to our students.

However, one thing that differentiates our alumni from the students entering our law school today is the cost of a legal education. Commencing in the mid 1990’s, tuition at Ontario law schools has risen in step with a 30% real decline in government funding. Today, U of T’s law school tuition is $36,000 this academic year; and every law school in Ontario has a tuition of at least $16,000 (JD/LLB). With public funding declining, U of T Law is committed to ensuring that tuition does not become a barrier to students.

The Faculty has long understood the risks of higher tuition for the twin pillars of excellence and access, and has invested significantly in maintaining them both. The academic excellence of the Faculty and the availability of financial support have combined to foster the strength of the Law School – when applicants decide between U of T and another Ontario law school, 95% choose U of T.

Almost 50% of our students qualify for front end financial aid, and our unique program for post-graduate debt relief pays interest and even helps retire the debt of our lower-earning graduates. Offering a wide range of financial aid tools – bursaries and grants, no-interest loans, and post-graduate debt relief – has been a cornerstone of our financial aid program. U of T Law is the only law school in Ontario to offer strictly needs-based student financial aid – merit scholarships are not offered.

But in order to maintain adequate levels of financial support and ensure continued access, the law school must work harder than ever to raise funds for financial aid. Faced with diminishing public resources and not wishing to compromise the excellence of the program offered, we are turning to our community for assistance.

Privately supported endowments now provide about one third of our annual financial aid budget. With your help our endowment can grow and ensure that future generations of students experience U of T Law as an open, accessible and excellent path to a legal education. You can help ensure that this remains the reality.

Alvin, Hana and Alissa could not have attended law school without financial aid. Hear their stories, in their own words, in this video.