Selection Criteria

This section outlines the selection criteria for law courses at 100-, 200- and 300-level. Please read all of the entry criteria. There are changes to the selection criteria for 200-level and 300-level law for first time applicants, returning 200-level law students and transferring students for 2013.

On this page:

100-Level Selection Criteria

Entry into LAWS 121 is open to all applicants with a University Entrance qualification (subject to room capacity and the GES admission system). Entry into LAWS 122 and/or LAWS 123 requires a pass in LAWS 121.

If enrolments exceed the capacity of the available lecture theatres, priority will be given to those students who are enrolling in each of those courses for the first time. If the number enrolling for the first time is less than the capacity of the available lecture theatres, but the total number of enrolments (ie including those who are repeating the course) exceeds the capacity of the available lecture theatres, those who are repeating the course will be ranked and selected, in descending order, according to all of their previous mark(s) [note: not grade(s)] in that course.

Prerequisites for entry to 200-Level Law

Applicants for 200-level LAWS courses must have passed:

LAWS 121, 122 and 123 (or LAWS 101 prior to 2003) at Victoria University, or their equivalents at another New Zealand university or an Australian university; and
At least 70 other non-law points (or 120 points, including the equivalent of LAWS 121, 122 and 123) by 10 December.

200-Level Selection Criteria

The following criteria apply to courses LAWS 211, 212, 213 and 214. There are 300 places available in each of Laws 211, 212, 213 and 214. There is no limitation on enrolment in Laws 297.

Returning 200-Level LAWS Students and First-Time Applicants

NOTES:

"200-level LAWS course" means LAWS 211, 212, 213, 214 and 297.
"200-level LAWS points" means points associated with LAWS 211, 212, 213, 214 and 297.
Non-LAWS grades are not taken into account when calculating grade averages for the purposes of applying any of these entry criteria.

Priority of entry is given to returning 200-level LAWS students who satisfy the criteria at Category 1 below, followed by first-time applicants who satisfy the criteria at Category 2 below:

Category 1

Returning 200-level LAWS students who have passed more than 50% of all previous 200-level LAWS points (at Victoria University or any other New Zealand University) in respect of which they have received a grade (ie a passing grade, or any failing grade).

Category 2

Note: Different criteria apply to transferring students, please refer to your section.

First-time applicants (ie LAWS students who have not previously enrolled in a 200-level LAWS course, but who have completed their 100-level LAWS courses) who -

have a B+ grade point average (5.5 or better) over LAWS 121, 122 and 123 (or LAWS 101 at Victoria University prior to 2003, or its equivalent at any other New Zealand University), and
have passed at least 70 non-law points (or 120 points, including the equivalent of LAWS 121, 122 and 123) by 10 December.

If there are more applicants in Category 2 than there are places available, students in Category 2 will be ranked and selected according to their LAWS grade point average. In calculating the grade point average for Category 2 applicants, the student's highest LAWS passing grades are taken into account; previous lower passing grades, and any failing grades, are not taken into account.

If there is a need to determine cut-off points (ie between accepted, waitlisted and declined applicants), specific marks in 100-level LAWS courses may be taken into account.

Category 3

If there is space remaining after Categories 1 and 2 above have been considered, that remaining space will be filled by ranking all other applicants (ie all remaining returning 200-level LAWS students and all remaining first-time applicants) by grade point average, and selecting according to that ranking.

To determine cut-off points (ie between accepted, waitlisted and declined applicants), specific marks in 100-level LAWS courses may be taken into account.

The ranking process for Category 3 will be undertaken on the following basis:

returning 200-level LAWS students will be ranked on the basis of all of their LAWS grades, ie 100- and 200-level LAWS courses;
first-time applicants will be considered on the basis of their 100-level LAWS grades. First-time applicants must have completed at least 70 non-law points, or have an exemption from that requirement.

In calculating the grade point average for Category 3, only the best 100-level LAWS passing grades are taken into account (ie 100-level LAWS failing grades are not taken into account), but all 200-level LAWS grades*, including 200-level LAWS failing grades, are taken into account. (* That is, all grades for LAWS 211, 212, 213 and 214 and 297. LAWS 298 or 299 grades are not included in this calculation.)

Notes:

Once a student has entered 200-level LAWS, the entry criteria for returning 200-level students (ie Category 1 or Category 3 above) will apply to that student from that point onwards. Repeating 100-level LAWS courses will not result in the entry criteria for first-time applicants (Category 2 above) applying to that student.
Returning 200-level students who fail to satisfy the entry criteria at Category 1 or Category 3 above are directed to the criteria for graduate entry.

Transferring Students

Transferring students may be admitted only under Categories 1 and 2, but not under Category 3.

Category 1: this applies as worded to transferring students who have previously enrolled in 200-level LAWS courses at a University other than Victoria University.

Category 2: To be considered in Category 2, first-time applicants seeking to transfer to Victoria University from any other University (ie LAWS students who have not previously enrolled in a 200-level LAWS course, but who have completed their 100-level LAWS courses at a University other than Victoria University) must -

have a GPA of 6 or better over their 100-level LAWS courses, and
have passed at least 70 non-law points (or 120 points, including the equivalent of LAWS 121, 122 and 123) by 10 December.

Category 3: transferring students are not included in or considered under Category 3.

To complete the LLB at Victoria transferring students from other NZ universities must pass a minimum of 160 Victoria points. An overall total of 480 points is required for the LLB.

Transferring students are otherwise subject to normal admission and enrolment criteria.

Maori Admissions Process

A supplementary admission process is also run to assess tangata whenua students for entry into 200-level LAWS courses if they would not otherwise be considered. Ten percent of available places in each 200-level LAWS course are reserved for Maori students applying under the Maori Admissions Process. Students who wish to be considered under this process should indicate so when asked as part of their enrolment application.

Graduate Students Enrolling in the LLB

Think carefully before you enrol in 100- and 200-level LAWS courses concurrently. Case Law and Statute Law at the 100-level are taught in the second trimester only. It is assumed that you know how to apply case law in the first trimester of 200-level Law.

To address this issue, graduate students are strongly recommended to read the relevant chapters of Glanville Williams Learning the Law. In recent editions, including the latest - the 14th edition, 2010 – they are chapters 6 (Case Law Technique) and 7 (The Interpretation of Statutes). Other chapters, of course, are highly likely to be very useful also.

1. Graduate students may be permitted to enrol in 100-level and 200-level LAWS concurrently. Graduate students may also be permitted to enrol in 200-level LAWS without concurrent enrolment in 100-level LAWS, but only where they have previously passed 100-level courses.

2. If that permission (at paragraph 1) is granted, graduates may concurrently enrol in 100- and 200-level LAWS once only. That is, they may only once -

enrol in 100-level and 200-level LAWS concurrently; or
enrol in 200-level LAWS and without concurrent enrolment in 100-level LAWS - but not both.

NOTE: For the avoidance of doubt, where a graduate student enrols in 100- and 200-level LAWS concurrently, and subsequently fails to satisfy the entry criteria for returning 200-level students (ie by failing to have passed more than 50% of all previous 200-level LAWS points (at Victoria University or any other New Zealand University) in respect of which they have received a grade (ie a passing grade, or any failing grade)), that student cannot enrol in 200-level LAWS again - whether concurrently with 100-level LAWS or in 200-level LAWS only - on the strength of their graduate status.

3. To be considered for graduate enrolment (ie, 100- and 200-level LAWS concurrently, or 200-level LAWS without concurrent enrolment in 100-level LAWS), graduate students must have achieved a B+ average over their most recent 90 non-law points or their equivalent.

4. Paragraphs 1. to 3. above apply even if -

the applicant has previously failed any LAWS courses, or has previously passed 100-level LAWS but those LAWS grades were such that the applicant did not satisfy the entry criteria for 200-level LAWS), and
the applicant has since completed their non-law degree.

5. If a graduate is enrolled in LAWS 121 and 200-level LAWS concurrently in any given year, and if they fail LAWS 121 in that year, they may continue with their 200-level LAWS courses in that year (but not LAWS 122 or LAWS 123, for which LAWS 121 is a prerequisite). However, they cannot re-enrol in any 200-level LAWS course until they have passed LAWS 121, 122 and 123. This restriction applies even if the graduate student passed their 200-level LAWS courses in the year in which they failed LAWS 121. (See also paragraph 2. above; the graduate's privilege of concurrent 100- and 200-level LAWS enrolment is granted only once.)

6. If a graduate is enrolled in LAWS 122 and/or 123 and 200-level LAWS concurrently in any given year, and if they fail LAWS 122 and/or 123 in that year, they cannot re-enrol in any 200-level LAWS course until they have passed LAWS 122 and 123. This restriction applies even if the graduate student passed their 200-level LAWS courses in the year in which they failed LAWS 122 and/or 123. (See also paragraph 2. above; the graduate's privilege of concurrent 100- and 200-level LAWS enrolment is granted only once.)

International Students

International exchange students, and those short-term fee-paying students known as 'Study Abroad' students, may not enrol in LAWS 122, 123, 211, 212, 213, 214, 297, 301 or 312.

Exceptional Circumstances

Although the above criteria will be the primary basis for admission to 200-level LAWS, students who have passed the prerequisite courses but failed to otherwise satisfy the entry criteria may seek selection into 200-level LAWS courses on the basis of exceptional circumstances that may make the application of those criteria inappropriate to them and that justify ranking them ahead of applicants who have stronger qualifications for admission in terms of this policy.

The documentation of exceptional circumstances must be made on the Faculty's form in writing, and submitted by the limited entry deadline; late applications cannot be considered.

These applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis by a panel of Faculty members, chaired by the Deputy Dean, according to criteria agreed by the Faculty.

300-level Selection Policies and Criteria - Trimesters 1 and 2

Applications for capped LAWS electives are treated as limited-entry applications and are subject to the relevant University regulations. Applications must be received by the limited-entry deadline in order to be included in the ballot for any oversubscribed course. This also applies to enrolments for summer 300-level LAWS electives.

NOTE: '200-level LAWS course' means LAWS 211, 212, 213, 214 and 297.

In order to enrol in 300-level LAWS electives in trimesters 1 and 2, students must have:

passed LAWS 121, 122 and 123 (or their equivalent) and passed all five 200-level LAWS courses and LAWS 301 and LAWS 312, or
passed LAWS 121, 122 and 123 (or their equivalent) and passed all five 200-level LAWS courses and be concurrently enrolled in LAWS 301 and LAWS 312, or
passed LAWS 121, 122 and 123 (or their equivalent) and passed at least three 200-level LAWS courses (including LAWS 297) and be concurrently enrolled in the two remaining 200-level LAWS courses and LAWS 301 and LAWS 312.

The Student Administration Manager in consultation with the Course Coordinator may make an exception to the paragraph above, having regard to the following criteria:

a. exceptional academic performance, or

b. exceptional reasons individual to the student that explain why the student has not already completed the requirements, or

c. individual experience that would benefit the individual studying the course, and/or would benefit other students in the course, or

d. Certificate of Proficiency (COP) enrolment.

Appeals against exclusion from limited-entry courses should be made in writing to the Student Administration Manager of the Law Faculty.

300-level Selection Policies and Criteria - Trimester 3

In order to enrol in 300-level LAWS electives in trimester 3:

Subject to 2 below, students must have passed LAWS 211, 212, 213, 214 and 297 before they may enrol in any 300-level LAWS elective in trimester 3.
The Head of School (Law) has a discretion to permit, in exceptional cases, a student to enrol in a 300-level LAWS elective in trimester 3 if the student is awaiting results which, if successful, will see them pass all five 200-level LAWS courses. In deciding whether to exercise that discretion, the Head of School will take into account the student's overall academic record, including their performance in any in-term work completed in LAWS 211, 212, 213, 214 and 297.

Notes:

1. Regardless of the Head of School's discretion referred to above, a student cannot enrol in any 300-level LAWS elective (in any trimester) which has a 200-level LAWS course as a prerequisite unless they have already received a passing grade for that 200-level LAWS prerequisite course.

2. Where the Head of School exercises discretion in a student's favour and permits enrolment in a 300-level elective in trimester 3 in the situation where the student is awaiting results which, if successful, will see them pass all five 200-level laws courses, if that student fails any 200-level LAWS course(s) for which they were awaiting results, that student will be permitted to remain in any November/December electives in which they are enrolled, but will be withdrawn from January/February electives in which they are enrolled. If the Trimester 3 elective in which they are enrolled runs from November to February, they will be permitted to remain in that course subject to Note 1 above.

3. A student's enrolment in summer courses is restricted to 40 points (ie two LAWS courses) each half of summer, with exceptions subject to Deputy Dean's approval.

4. A student who is permitted to enrol in Trimester 3, but who has not yet completed LAWS 301 and 312, must enrol in LAWS 301 and 312 in the following trimesters 1 and 2.

5. The discretion given to the Student Administration Manager to permit students to enrol in 300-level LAWS electives in trimesters 1 and 2, despite the student not fulfilling the criteria for enrolment in those electives in those trimesters, does not apply to enrolment in 300-level LAWS electives in trimester 3.

Applications Exceeding the Cap for Electives (including LAWS 334)

Applicants will be divided into two groups:

Group 1 - those who applied by the enrolment deadline, and

Group 2 - those who applied after the enrolment deadline.

Group 1 has priority over Group 2.

If there are more applicants in Group 1 than there are places available, priority is given to students who are enrolling in their final trimester of study. The balance will be selected by ballot.

If there are fewer applicants in Group 1 than there are places available, applicants from Group 2 will be selected to fill the remaining places. If there are more applicants in Group 2 than there are places available, priority is given to students who are enrolling in their final trimester of study. The balance will be selected by ballot.

Faculty of Law

Selection Criteria