International Exchange Program

Spend a term studying abroad

Our JD program offers valuable opportunities for Schulich Law students to study in other countries and in other legal traditions. Students with a B- average are eligible to do an exchange in their third year of the program; exchanges are normally completed over one term.

Courses/Credit hours taken on exchange count towards your degree requirements.  While attending the exchange partner institution, tuition will be paid at Dalhousie.   

We also offer opportunities for students from around the world to come and spend a term studying at the Schulich School of Law.

Information for Schulich Law students

Because of the limited number of exchange opportunities available, the International Linkages Committee encourages students only to apply if they are serious about studying abroad, and understand the additional financial costs involved. Students must sign and return the attestation form to confirm this is understood.

The selection process for exchanges is based upon a lottery system. After we contact you with an offer via email and phone, you will have twenty-four hours to accept it. If you do not respond within this period of time, the offer will be revoked (excluding exceptional circumstances) and your application will be voided.

As a result of the lottery system, past experience indicates that it can take up to two weeks for the selection process to be completed. If you do not receive an offer in the first few days, do not be concerned. This only means that you are not in the first cohort. You are still likely to receive an offer of exchange (depending on how many exchange partners you have indicated an interest in). While it is probable that it may not be your first choice, it is still a possibility.

If you are successful in your application and then withdraw, this may have the impact of denying another student the opportunity to participate in the exchange program.

Please be aware that some of the partner exchange schools’ terms end later than the term ends at Dalhousie and that various consequences could flow from having to defer graduation, including issues with bar admission courses, articles, clerkships, graduate school and other employment issues.

An information session is held Tuesday January 21, 2025 at 12:30 pm in Room 105.  Applications are due by 9:00 am February 3, 2025

Students wishing more information on going on exchange please email lawexch@dal.ca or contact Cherilyn Macintosh, Room 439, Weldon Law Building. 

Partner institutions participating in the International Exchange  Program

With over 20 exchange partners, students can spend their exchanges at the following institutions:*  Please note that some of the links in the following sites may reflect the 2024/2025 information as many schools will not update for the 2025/2026 academic year until after the current academic year is finished.  Updates will be made as they become available.

• Arctic University of Norway (Tromso, Norway)
• University of Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain)
• University of Bergen (Bergen, Norway)
• Burcerius Law School (Hamburg, Germany)
• University College Cork (Cork, Ireland)
• University of Genoa (Genoa, Italy)
• Jindal Global Law School (Delhi, India)
• Laval University (Quebec, Canada)
• University of Limerick (Limerick, Ireland)
• Lund University (Lund, Sweden)
• The University of Manchester (Manchester, England)
  
• Queens University of Belfast (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
• Queensland University of Technology (Queensland, Australia)
• National University of Singapore (Singapore)
• University of Southampton (Southampton, England.)
• Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg, South Africa)
• Victoria University of Wellington (Wellington, New Zealand)
• N.A.C.L.E:  The North American Consortium on Legal Education (N.A.C.L.E) provides exchange opportunities for Law School students in Canada, the United States and Mexico.  Up to two(2) students can be nominated per participating school for an exchange at any of the N.A.C.L.E schools.     

The International Linkages Committee does not guarantee the accuracy of this information. It is the responsibility of each student to verify the relevant information needed for attending the school(s) of their choice. 

Legal Systems

Some of our partner institutions follow common law legal traditions, like Canada, but others do not. It is important to understand the legal system you will be studying under during your exchange program prior to arriving. Please note that some legal systems are mixed (like Canada!) and not all common law or civil law jurisdictions operate in the same way.

International Linkages Committee