Bachelor of Laws

The aims of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme are to provide a good, general, critical legal education; to meet the requirements of the Council of Legal Education, so that holders of the degree are eligible for entry to the New Zealand legal profession; to provide students with skills in legal research, including use of electronic databases and search tools, writing, and advocacy, both formal and informal.
With world-class teachers, up-to-date courses and invaluable real-world training, it’s not surprising that so many Otago law graduates have gone on to successful, interesting and varied careers.
They are trusted advisers, skilled advocates and leaders in business and government. They work in law firms throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas. They can also be found in not-for-profit organisations like the United Nations, the International Labour Organisation and Amnesty International. Government departments, local bodies, iwi authorities and businesses also require lawyers for specialist legal advice.
Law students who complete double degrees find this often opens up even more career opportunities in areas like the media, public relations, entertainment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and trade, and IT consultancies.

The Law Admissions Committee shall select candidates for admission according to the following categories: standard entry, alternative entry. Candidates considered for standard entry shall be selected on the basis of their academic record, with particular emphasis placed on the marks obtained in the 100-level Law paper (LAWS 101). Candidates for alternative entry: shall be considered by virtue of their Maori descent; must have achieved a minimum academic standard to be determined by the Law Admissions Committee from year to year.

We recognise many other qualifications as equivalent to the New Zealand qualification for entrance.

• International Baccalaureate: IB Diploma with a minimum of 24 points.
• Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) GCE Advanced Levels: minimum Numerical Score of 8

English language requirements

• IELTS (Academic module) (including IELTS Online) - Overall score of 6.0, no individual band below 5.5.
• TOEFL iBT - Overall score of 80 and a writing score of 20.
• C1 Advanced (previously Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)) or C2 Proficiency (previously Cambridge English Proficiency (CPE)) - Overall score of 169 (with no individual band below 162)
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic - Overall score of 50 with no communicative skills score below 42.
• LanguageCert - International ESOL: C1 Expert (LRWS) with a pass overall and no less than a pass in each skill
• NZCEL - NZCEL 4 Academic endorsement
• English New Zealand's Accredited Pathway Assessment - Assessment Level 2 (with no skill lower than Level 1)
• APIEL Advanced Placement International English Language Examination - Grade 3 or higher