FAQ – In-person learning requirement

The Federation of Law Societies of Canada establishes the National Requirement which sets accreditation standards for all Canadian law schools. We are required to report to the Federation annually on our programs to ensure that we continue to meet the standards set in the National Requirement. Subsection 1.2 Section C of the National Requirement states that “[t]he course of study consists primarily of in-person instruction and learning and/or instruction and learning that involves direct interaction between instructor and students.” The Federation has advised us that their interpretation of ss. 1.2 requires law students to attend in-person learning for the equivalent of one full academic year (i.e., 30 credits).

Throughout the pandemic, we have conferred with the Federation to ensure that our planned program delivery would meet the requirements of accreditation. In addition to the regular JD program, we have several combined, joint, and dual programs. We have confirmed that each of our combined, joint, and dual programs has remained compliant with the requirement since the onset of the pandemic and will remain compliant with the Federation’s interpretation of ss. 1.2 Section C through 2022-2023. We will continue to work with the Federation and to advocate for our students if necessary.

Current 1L students will have the next two academic years to ensure they meet the in-person requirement. Full-time students who entered the JD program in 2019 and who will graduate in June 2022 will have met the in-person requirement during their 1L year, which is 33 credits.

Students who entered the JD program in the 2020-2021 academic year will be able to earn the required credits by taking the typical, full-time 30-credit course load in-person during their 3L year in 2022-2023.

Students entering 3L in September 2022 have taken all or most of their course load online since September 2020. If you are entering 3L in September 2022 and have taken no in-person classes to date, you must register for 30 credits in-person (i.e. 10, 3-credit courses).

As was the case pre-pandemic, most courses in 2022-2023 will be offered in an in-person format, and we expect that online or bimodal course offerings will be extremely limited.

No. Students graduating in 2022 typically entered 1L in the 2019-2020 academic year, which is considered an in-person year even though the pandemic interrupted in-person studies in March 2020.

The 2020-2021 academic year was entirely virtual. Full-time 1L students typically earn 33 credits per year, while full-time upper year students typically earn 30 credits per year. All credits earned in 2020-2021, including Directed Research Projects and most internships, are considered virtual credits.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, students had the option of enroling in online only sections and classes, or a mix of in-person and online sections and classes. In 2021-2022, if you attended an in-person section or class, those credits count toward the in-person requirement. If you attended an online section or class, the credits do not count toward the in-person requirement.

Most upper year courses are worth 3 credits. You can verify how many credits each course is worth by checking your unofficial transcript on uoZone. If you attended your class or internship in person, it counts toward the requirement.

According to the Federation, DRPs should not be counted as in-person credits in any academic year.

If you completed more than 50% of your internship or SPI in-person, your credits count as in-person credits. If you completed 50% or more of your internship or SPI virtually, your credits will be considered virtual credits.

You may be required to provide more information to the Career and Professional Development Centre, and/or the CPDC may contact your internship supervisor to confirm details. 

If you completed more than 50% of your preparation/coaching and attendance in person at the moot competition, your credits count as in-person credits. If you completed 50% or more of your preparation/coaching and attendance at the moot virtually, your credits will be considered virtual credits. Regardless, students are expected to be in Ottawa starting in the Fall if they wish to compete on moot teams.

Additional information may be added on the mooting webpage. 

OLR courses that take place during the Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 terms will count as an in-person course.

OLR credits during the 2021-2022 academic year are virtual credits.

All Common Law students will be required to attend in-person classes in Ottawa for the 2022-2023 academic year.

While we hope everyone remains a member of our learning community, students who face challenges with a return to in-person learning in Ottawa should be aware that it is possible to apply for a leave of absence or to transfer to another law school. If you have completed 1L, you may be eligible to apply as a transfer student to another Ontario or Canadian law school. You may also be eligible to apply with a Letter of Permission to another Ontario or Canadian law school.

The deadline for upper year applications for transfer or LOP to Ontario law schools is May 1, 2022. You must apply via OLSAS. You will need to verify the application deadlines for law schools in other Canadian jurisdictions. This information is typically available on the faculty website. Acceptance as a transfer or LOP student is not guaranteed.

Students are permitted to take a leave of absence of up to 24 months with permission from the Assistant Dean. If you are unable to be present in Ottawa, or unable to attend in-person classes, during the 2022-2023 academic year, you can request a leave of absence and return to your studies once you are able to be physically present in Ottawa or in classes, as long as you return within 24 months.

We take our obligation to ensure reasonable academic accommodations in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code very seriously. All accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. If you intend to request online learning as an accommodation, you should communicate with Jessica Simon ([email protected]), Equity and Student Success Counsellor, as well as the Academic Accommodations Service ([email protected]) or your Learning Specialist, without delay. You should expect to provide detailed documentation to support your request. The Faculty will work closely with the Academic Accommodation Service to understand each request and implement reasonable accommodation measures.

We will continue to communicate with the Federation to understand the application of ss. 1.2 in relation to our obligation to provide reasonable accommodation.

Our plan to return to in-person learning is subject to any directives from public health authorities and the University in place at the material time.

We will work closely with the Federation to ensure that our programs remain compliant with Federation requirements in the event of further stay-at-home orders.