NCA Exams vs a Canadian LLM or Law School Courses: Cost, Time and How to Choose

Once the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) assesses your degree, you have to complete your assigned subjects. For most applicants there are three ways to do that: write NCA exams, take the matching courses at a Canadian law school (often as part of an LLM or a program for internationally trained lawyers), or combine the two. The cost difference is large, but cost isn't the only factor. Here's how the options compare, using what the NCA and the schools publish.

Checked against the NCA's assignments, costs and timelines, and assistance pages, the NCA Policy Manual (in effect March 1, 2026), and program pages from Osgoode Hall Law School, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta on October 26, 2026.

The three paths

The NCA's assignments page says that after your assessment you will usually follow one of three paths:

1. Write and pass NCA exams.
2. Complete your assigned subjects at a Canadian law school.
3. Do a combination, meeting some requirements by NCA exam and the rest through law school courses.

Not everyone gets to choose. The NCA says you're likely to have to study at a Canadian law school if your law degree is from a non-common law jurisdiction and you have little or no common law experience, or if you earned your degree by distance or online learning. Your Assessment Decision says which paths are open to you.

What each path costs

The NCA's costs and timelines page gives these figures, in Canadian dollars:

The NCA adds that some schools charge fees on top of tuition. Under both routes you still need the legal research and writing and Indigenous Law and Peoples requirements, and you'll pay for study materials either way.

Rewrites change the comparison. Each NCA exam attempt costs another $500 and usually several months. For a full breakdown, see how much the NCA costs.

How the NCA exam route works

• Self-study. The NCA says you study on your own, find your own materials and develop your own strategy. It publishes exam outlines and one sample exam per subject.
• Fixed format. Each exam is three hours, online, proctored, open-book (hard copy only) and fact-based, graded pass/fail with 50% as the pass mark.
• Flexible schedule. There are twelve sessions a year, though not every subject is offered each session. You can spread exams across sessions and keep working.
• Limited attempts. You can write each exam up to three times. The Executive Director may allow a fourth. The Policy Manual says that if you fail a fourth attempt, you must take the course at a law school.

How law school courses and LLM programs work

Several Canadian law schools offer courses that can meet NCA assignments, either individually or as part of a structured program. The NCA lists some on its Assistance for NCA students page. It says these programs are optional, not required by the NCA or law societies, and not endorsed by the NCA. It also notes that not every approved Canadian law school accepts NCA students.

Here are four examples, described from the schools' own pages. The list is not complete and not a ranking.

• Osgoode Hall Law School (York University): Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law. Osgoode describes it as a one-year, in-person program of 36 credits over three terms, with at least 18 credits from Canadian common law courses. It says the courses are designed to meet NCA requirements, and that completing the program does not by itself entitle you to practise law in Canada.
• University of Toronto: Global Professional LLM, Canadian Law in a Global Context. U of T says it offers all the subjects usually assessed by the NCA, that each of these courses has been approved by the NCA, and that classes are in person only, on Friday evenings and Saturdays (occasionally Sundays). You can take it over 12 months (full-time) or 24 months (extended full-time), starting in September.
• University of British Columbia (Peter A. Allard School of Law): online courses. UBC offers single online, graduate-level courses for internationally trained lawyers, taken outside a degree program. UBC says its course offerings page lists the NCA equivalencies. The NCA warns that distance courses like these won't meet the in-class requirement for applicants who completed their own law degree by distance education.
• University of Alberta: Internationally Trained Legal Professionals Program. The University of Alberta describes this as a post-bachelor's certificate that provides a way to complete the NCA process in a classroom setting. It says graduates who complete their NCA requirements at the U of A aren't required to write NCA exams.

The NCA's page also lists programs at the University of Calgary, the University of Manitoba and Western University, among others. Program details and fees change, so check each school's current page.

The rule that applies to every school

Whatever program you choose, the NCA requires you to get your courses approved before you take them. Email your proposed plan of study to the NCA. Approval of a program in general is not approval of your plan. After you finish, the school must send your official transcript to the NCA directly.

Admission, deadlines and fees are set by each school. The NCA says some schools reserve places for NCA applicants and others don't, and that you must apply on your own.

Factors that should drive your choice

1. What your assessment allows

If your Assessment Decision requires law school study (common for non-common law and distance-education degrees), part of the decision is made for you. The NCA says non-common law graduates can switch to NCA exams for the remaining subjects once they have gained the required common law exposure. For the five mandatory Canadian subjects, that is only after completing at least four law school courses.

2. Budget

On the NCA's figures, a full year of law school costs more than ten times the minimum exam route. A program may be worth the extra cost to you, but it's a very different spend.

3. How you learn

The exam route rewards disciplined self-study and practice under timed conditions. Law school courses give you lectures, instructors, deadlines and a cohort. If you have tried self-study and stalled, structure has real value.

4. Time and work

Exams let you write one subject at a time around a job. A full-time program fixes your calendar for a year or more. Part-time and weekend formats sit in between.

5. Your goals after the CQ

Some programs advertise career support and professional development. The NCA makes no claims about how either route affects articling or employment, and neither do we. Ask each school what it offers and what its outcomes are.

6. Risk of rewrites

An NCA exam failure costs $500 and several months. If you fail the same subject four times, you'll have to take that course at a law school anyway.

7. Immigration status

Studying at a Canadian law school may raise study permit or other immigration questions. Those are outside the NCA's process and this article. Consult Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or a licensed immigration professional.

Mixing the two

The combination path is common for a reason. You might write the subjects where you're confident and take courses for the ones where you want teaching. Under Policy 16.1.1, if you fail an NCA exam, you can clear it by passing that exam or an NCA-approved law school course in the same subject. You can't switch to a different subject.

What the 2027–2028 changes mean

The NCA is moving to five combined exams and three courses, with phased implementation from 2027. It hasn't said how law school courses will map onto the new exams. If you're choosing a program now, ask the school and the NCA how the transition affects your plan. See the NCA's new exam system.

Sources

• NCA: Assignments
• NCA: Costs and timelines
• NCA: Assistance for NCA students
• NCA: Policy Manual, in effect March 1, 2026 (PDF)
• Osgoode Professional Development: Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law
• University of Toronto Faculty of Law: GPLLM and the NCA
• Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC: Online learning at Allard Law
• University of Alberta Faculty of Law: Internationally Trained Legal Professionals Program

Lexn is an independent study platform and is not affiliated with the NCA, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada or any law school named here. This article is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Confirm your options with the NCA and the school.

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