The University of Manitoba campuses and research spaces are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anisininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Dene and Inuit, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. More
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, R3T 2N2
Guided by the principles of the Scarborough Charter, we support Black excellence, achievement, and meaningful inclusion across all aspects of law school life. This page includes information for Black students applying to our law school, Black life and opportunities at Robson Hall, and the work we are doing to make our law school a place where everyone can thrive. You belong here.
We know that that racism and experiences of marginalization create barriers to educational opportunities for Black, racialized and other students from marginalized communities. The Individual Consideration category ensures that excellent candidates for law school have equitable access to law school admission. Applicants who apply through the Individual Consideration category are also automatically considered under the Index Score category, providing an additional pathway for admission.
The Individual Consideration Category assesses applications holistically. While grades and LSAT are considered, other factors, including experiences in advocacy, employment, caregiving, community service, social engagement, and other lived experiences which demonstrate capacity to engage in legal studies and which demonstrate qualities essential to effective lawyering including leadership, cultural literacy, judgment, resilience, and empathy are also considered.
Applications for the 2027–28 entering class will be accepted from early September to December 1, 2026.
While any person who meets the general criteria for this application category will have their applications considered, Black persons who wish their applications to be considered by Black members of the Robson Hall community, including alumni, staff, faculty and students, must affirm their Black* identity and re/connection to their Black community in their personal statement. *“Black” denotes persons of proximate Black African descent who self-identify and socially identify as Black.
For more information about the application process, contact lawadmissions@umanitoba.ca.
Students who identify as Afro-Indigenous are also encouraged to apply to the Canadian Indigenous Category as well.
Personal Statements are required for all applicants in the Individual Consideration category and Canadian Indigenous category and the. A personal statement should be no more than 1500 words, double-spaced. While there are no specific guidelines on what to include in a personal statement, the objectives of the category should be kept in mind.
For applicants who identify as Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, disabled and/or are from another historically disadvantaged group, if you wish experiences shaped by your identities to be considered, ensure your personal statement specifically addresses:
For all applicants in the Individual Consideration Category, your personal statement should address the way(s) you are positioned to undertake legal studies and to contribute meaningfully to the law school and future legal profession. We also encourage you to discuss how your lived experiences inform your motivation to study law, and how you hope to contribute to your community, the advancement of access to justice, or the legal profession. Lived experiences may include, but are not limited to:
For applicants in the Canadian Indigenous category, ensure your personal statement also specifically addresses your connection to the Indigenous community to which you belong and/or identify with. We also encourage you to discuss how your lived experiences inform your motivation to study law, and how you hope to contribute to your community, the advancement of access to justice, or the legal profession.
Getting into law school is one worry, being able to afford law school is another. UM Law has a robust program for needs-based financial aid as well as awards for academic performance.
Thanks to a $4.5 million commitment from the Manitoba Law Foundation, eligible students can apply for a bursary to cover up to full tuition costs in any year of study and could benefit from transformative bursaries for up to three years, as long as they achieve and maintain a satisfactory academic average and can demonstrate continued financial need.
The Foundation believes the practising bar should reflect the society it serves. This bursary is intended to increase access to legal education, as well as membership and participation in Manitoba’s practicing bar, of Black persons, racialized persons, and members of other underrepresented and marginalized groups.
As part to the Foundation’s efforts to advance Reconciliation, as well as Access to Justice in a manner that reflects and includes the values and legal orders of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, this bursary is meant to enhance access to legal education and support the membership and participation of individuals from these communities in Manitoba’s practicing bar.
The majority of Manitoba’s practising bar resides in Winnipeg. With fewer and fewer new lawyers choosing to practice in Northern, remote, and rural Manitoba, this bursary seeks to enhance access to legal education and support membership and participation in Manitoba’s practicing bar for individuals committed to advancing access to justice in Northern, remote, and rural Manitoba. Click below for more information.
Robson Hall has an active BLSA chapter with both Black members and those acting in allyship. The BLSA proudly engages in advocacy for Black students and hosts events throughout the year, including an annual See Yourself Here event to encourage Black and Indigenous undergraduate and high school students to consider careers in law. The BLSA National Conference is held annually, and chapter members may also sit on the National Executive. Black and other students can apply to represent the University of Manitoba in a variety of moot court competitions, including in the annual Julius Alexander Isaac Moot Court Competition operated by the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada.
The University of Manitoba, together with over sixty other educational institutions, is a signatory to Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education. Addressing anti-Black racism requires sustained commitment, accountability, and action. By embracing the principles and objectives of the Scarborough Charter, our law school affirms our dedication to building a more equitable and inclusive legal profession and ensuring every member of our community can succeed.
The Promoting Black Flourishing Fund supports initiatives by Black members of the UM Community and Black UM-affiliated groups and organizations that support the objectives of The Scarborough Charter, and to advance anti-racism at the University of Manitoba.
