Graduates Applying for LLB

University graduates who wish to apply for the LLB degree have two options:

Pathway No. 1

Graduate applicants may apply for LLB Part I first and complete LAW 121G & LAW 131 and cross credit 90 points from the previous recent most degree programme. 

Law Part I consists of 15 points - LAW 121G Law and Society
15 points - LAW 131 Legal Method
90 points - 6 non-law courses from another degree programme (Please refer Law Prospectus 2012)

Graduate applicants may be exempt from 90 points of non-law courses from the most recent year of university degree study. Applicants, however, require a high grade point average to secure a place in LLB Part II. The required GPA may range from 6.00 (B+) to 7.00 (A-). Therefore when graduate applicants wish to substitute previous university degree courses in lieu of the 90 points of non-law courses, they may wish to consider the grades they have received in these courses and enrol in further non-law courses to improve their grade point average.

If you wish to be considered for the exemption please send a copy of your recent most university degree transcript to Dr Suranjika Tittawella, s.tittawella@auckland.ac.nz, so that the Grade Point Average (GPA) can be calculated.

Pathway No. 2

Graduate applicants who want to apply for the LLB degree can sit LSAT (see http://www.lsac.org/ for information) and present that score as evidence of legal aptitude and, (if selected) take the Stage I and II law courses concurrently in the first academic year of their law studies. 

The merit of the first option is that it saves the trouble and expense of the LSAT, and you have to do LAW 121G and 131 anyway. It is helpful to get those out of the way before starting on the LLB Part II courses. But the disadvantage, of course, is that you have to extend the law studies over a longer period, commencing in March or July and extending the study period by another six months or one year.

Entry into LLB Part II in the pathway No.2 is determined by taking into account the grades an applicant has received in the most recent, best 120 points of the previous degree, plus the score an applicant receives in the LSAT examination (ie. LSAT score counts as 30 points). If you have completed papers in Commercial Law in Stage III or higher (eg. under a BCom degree or a MBA), the Law Faculty may consider those courses to measure your legal aptitude and exempt you from the requirements of LSAT.

When you send in your transcript for GPA calculation please include your contact details in the accompanying letter.

Further information:
Suranjika Tittawella
Student Adviser - Part I
Faculty of Law
The University of Auckland
Phone : 09 923 7939
E mail: s.tittawella@auckland.ac.nz