LLB - Bachelor of Laws

Overview
Entry Requirements, Fees and Dates
Regulations
Schedule
Graduate Profile and Programme Capabilities

When you embark on a Law degree you will develop analytical, communication and research skills. You will also build your understanding of legal ethics, professional responsibility and the role that law plays in society.

Auckland Law School is the top-ranked law school in Aotearoa New Zealand and one of the best law schools in the world (QS World University Rankings in Law).

The LLB is a four-year degree programme made up of 480 points.

The LLB includes a combination of compulsory law courses, elective law courses, non-law courses from another degree programme, and one Waipapa Taumata Rau core course.

In your first year, you will take LAW 121G Law and Society alongside three non-law courses in Semester One and LAW 131 Legal Method, LAW 141 Legal Foundations and two non-law courses in Semester Two. You will also take the Waipapa Taumata Rau core course associated with your non-law degree.

Most students need to take one General Education course.

Students should also be aware of the University’s Academic English Language Requirement.

To plan and complete your degree successfully, you need to be proactive about finding information, and seeking advice from the Student Hubs to make sure you're on track.

Find out more about individual law courses, LLB Degree Planning, LLB Part I Degree Planning, and LLB Part II-IV Degree Planning.

Scholarships

Discover the wide range of scholarships available at Auckland Law School for domestic and international students.

A law degree prepares you for a wide range of professions in the legal industry and beyond. A law degree will arm you with many transferable skills, including knowledge of the law and its implications, a sense of justice and public responsibility, analytical, research and communication skills, and an ability to flourish under pressure.

A degree from the University of Auckland Law School is well-respected. In any given year, about half of our graduates are employed in New Zealand law firms, while the other half begin their careers in other professional organisations. These include accounting and consulting; business and industry; national and local government; teaching, research and journalism; and international, environmental and other non-governmental areas.

Our graduates can practice law in New Zealand and worldwide – many former students work for leading law firms in London, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other major cities. Some of our top students go on to study our LLM, MTaxS and PhD degrees. Auckland Law School also offers one of the most extensive postgraduate programmes in the country.

Private practice – barrister, solicitor
Public service – prosecution, defence
Judiciary
Law reform
Private companies – in-house legal counsel, tax, property, management consultant, regulation, compliance, human resources
Government – policy work, resource management, parliamentary drafting
Academia – lecturing, research

Once you become a student at the University, you can get help with planning and developing your career from Career Development and Employability Services.

Key Information for Students

Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions.

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Entry to Part I

If you have achieved the New Zealand University Entrance (UE) standard, and are admitted unconditionally to another programme at the University, you will be admitted to LLB Part I.

If you are a graduate, or already enrolled in another University of Auckland bachelors degree programme, you will be admitted to LLB Part I.

Entry requirements for admission into conjoint programmes with Law are higher than those for single degree programmes. Find out more about conjoint degrees with Law including a list of available conjoints here.

Graduate admission to Part I

University graduates who wish to apply for the LLB degree can view their options here.

Part I LLB Part I Transfer

Applicants who have not completed LLB Part I may apply for transfer in Semester One or Semester Two. For advice, please visit the Student Hubs or submit an online enquiry .

Entry to Part II

Places in LLB Part II are limited and all applicants must go through a selection process. There is also an enrolment limit on each of the LLB Part II courses. You will be selected on the basis of academic merit. Your Part I results as well as your results from your other university courses will be used to assess whether or not you will be selected for Part II.

There is no direct entry from secondary school into LLB Part II.

To be eligible to be considered for selection into LLB Part II, you need to have:

Passed LAW 121G
Passed LAW 131 and LAW 141 (or their equivalent at another New Zealand law school) with at least a C+

AND

Gained at least 75 points (or the equivalent) of non-law university degree courses.
Passed all eight courses (120 points) with an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (C+).

To be eligible to be considered for selection into LLB Part II 2026, you will need to have:

Passed LAW 121G
Passed LAW 131 and LAW 141 (or their equivalent at another New Zealand Law School) with at least a C+

AND

Gained at least 60 points (or the equivalent) of non-law university degree courses
Passed 15 points of the WTR course relevant to the degree you are enrolled in
Passed all eight courses (120 points) with an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (C+)

The minimum grade requirement mentioned may change each year.

Entry into LLB Part II will be calculated on the basis of your LawGPA. This is a specially calculated (non-standard) GPA which is used for the purpose of admission to LLB Part II. It includes grades from both your law and non-law courses.

The LawGPA required for admission will be determined by the Law Selection Committee in December year prior to admission.

The minimum LawGPA required for selection into LLB Part II can vary from year to year, depending on the number of applicants. In recent years the minimum grade required has been between a GPA of 5.0–6.7 (equivalent to a grade between a B and a B+).

Students with a LawGPA of 6.50 or higher (equivalent to a grade midway between A- and B+) will be guaranteed entry into LLB Part ll. Students with a LawGPA less than 6.50 will still be considered for selection into LLB Part ll.

Find information on applying for LLB Part II, please visit Applying for LLB Part II .

If you have completed study at another institution, you may want to read Applying for Law Transfer.

For other questions you may have, please see Frequently asked questions.

UTAS admission to Part II

Our Undergraduate Targeted Admission Scheme (UTAS) reserves a number of places in the LLB Part II programme for eligible tauira Māori, Pasifika students and applicants from some equity groups. If you are eligible for UTAS, have completed LLB Part I and believe you can achieve at least a C+ average, you may consider applying for LLB Part II through the Scheme. Find out more by visiting the Law UTAS page.

Please note: Entry requirements may change each year.

Graduate admission to Part II

Graduate applicants who have sat the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or completed at least three papers in Commercial Law in stage III or higher (e.g., under a BCom or MBA), with at least a B+ average, may use these to measure legal aptitude in place of the LLB Part I courses. For more information the Law School Admission Test, please see LSAT .

If approved, you must take the LLB Part I and II law courses concurrently in the first academic year of your Law studies and pass these with the minimum grade requirements. For more information, please see Graduates applying for the LLB .

LLB Transfers

Applicants currently studying the LLB at another New Zealand Law School with a minimum of 120pts left to complete may apply to transfer to the LLB at the University of Auckland. Please note that the LLB degree structure varies between universities, meaning not all courses are transferable. For more information, please visit Applying for Law Transfer .

Transfer of credit

You can apply for transfer of credit for tertiary courses completed elsewhere as part of your Application for Admission. For more information, see External transfer of credit.

You could be eligible for another programme, or check out these alternative pathways:

See if you meet the criteria for the Undergraduate Targeted Admission Scheme (UTAS).
Bridge your educational gap with a preparation and foundation programme.
If you are 20 on or before the first day of semester, have no formal University Entrance (UE) qualification, and are a New Zealand or Australian citizen or permanent resident you can apply for special admission.
If you are under 20, have no formal University Entrance (UE) qualification, and are a New Zealand or Australian citizen or permanent resident you can apply for discretionary entrance.
If you can demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and maturity, we offer admission to applicants under 16.

Year Fees Applicable

Domestic Student Annual Fees

International Student Annual Fees

Fees are set in advance of each calendar year and will be updated on this website. Fees are inclusive of 15% GST, but do not include the Student Services Fee, course books, travel and health insurance, or living costs. Fees will be confirmed upon completion of enrolment into courses. For more information, please see Fees and Money Matters .

*Please note: amounts shown are indicative and estimates only.

Scholarships and awards

Find out about the scholarships you may be eligible for.

Student loans and allowances

Are you a New Zealand citizen or resident? You could be eligible for a student loan or allowance.

Cost of living

Get an idea of how much accommodation and general living in Auckland will cost.

This is a limited entry programme: there is a limit on the number of enrolments due to staff or space capacity. For more information, please see the Programme and Course Limitations section of the University Academic and General Statutes and Regulations.

Please note: we will consider late applications if places are still available. International students should start the application process as early as possible to allow sufficient time to apply for a visa.

Semester	Application Closing Date	Semester Start Date	Semester End Date
2025 Semester One	08 December 2024	03 March 2025	30 June 2025
2025 Semester Two	04 July 2025	21 July 2025	17 November 2025
2026 Semester One		02 March 2026	29 June 2026
2026 Semester Two		20 July 2026	16 November 2026

1 - 4

See important dates for the academic year, including orientation, enrolment, study breaks, exams, and graduation.

The closing date for Bachelor of Laws Part ll in 2025 is 1 December 2024.

Please note that you can only start Part II in Semester One.

The regulations for this degree are to be read in conjunction with all other relevant statutes and regulations including the Academic Statutes and Regulations.

Notes:

(i) This is a limited entry programme as per the Limitation of Entry Statute 1991 and selection criteria apply. Selection criteria are available from the Faculty of Law.

(ii) The 2026 regulations for this programme are currently under review and subject to change. Please check this page regularly for updates.

Graduate Admission

1 A student who is a graduate or graduand of any university in New Zealand, or who is granted admission ad eundem statum with graduate status under the Admission Regulations, may be granted credit of up to 75 points towards LLB Part I. Such a student will normally be required to pass satisfactorily LAW 121G, 131 and 141 before applying for admission to LLB Part II.

Notes:

(i) Admission to Part II will be subject to selection, according to the approved selection criteria.

(ii) In exceptional circumstances the Dean of Faculty of Law may permit a graduate or graduand to be admitted directly to LLB Part II without having passed LAW 121G, 131 and 141, provided that the applicant has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Dean an aptitude for legal studies, and provided that LAW 121G, 131 and 141 are taken concurrently with the Part II course(s).

2 A student enrolled for this degree must follow a programme of the equivalent of eight full-time semesters and pass courses with a total value of 480 points, unless credit is granted under the Admission Regulations and/or the Credit Regulations.

3 Of the 480 points required for this degree, a student must pass Part I, including LAW 121G, and Parts, II, III and IV as listed in the Bachelor of Laws Schedule

and

b 15 points from courses offered in either the General Education Open Schedule or the General Education Faculty Schedule approved for this degree

and

c the Academic Integrity course as specified in the Enrolment and Programme Regulations, Academic Integrity, of the University Calendar.

4 a Except as permitted under Regulation 1 (Graduate Admission), a student may not enrol for Part II unless Part I has been completed.

b Each student must pass Parts II, III and IV in the order set out in the Bachelor of Laws Schedule unless approval to vary the order is given by the Dean of Faculty of Law or nominee.

Note: A student completing Part II will be permitted to commence Part III concurrently, subject to prerequisites and points limits.

5 A student who is required to meet the Academic English Language Requirement, as specified in the Enrolment and Programme Regulations, Academic English Language Requirement, of the University Calendar, may substitute an academic English language course approved by the Associate Dean Academic for Law for 15 points of General Education.

6 A student is exempted from the requirement to pass courses offered in the General Education Schedules who has:

either

a completed an undergraduate degree at a tertiary institution

b commenced study for this degree at a tertiary institution before 1 January 2006

c been admitted to this degree having completed 120 points or more of degree-level study at another tertiary institution

d completed a minimum of 50 points of study towards this degree in one semester at an overseas institution, either through an overseas exchange programme or through prior approval under the Credit Regulations.

7 A student who has been fully or partially exempted from the requirement to pass courses offered in the General Education Schedules is nonetheless required to complete the Academic Integrity course.

8 In order to complete the requirements of LAW 400, LAW 498 or LAW 499 under Regulation 2 above, a student must carry out such legal research assignments and practical application of the law as the Faculty of Law may require.

9 Special arrangements apply where this degree is taken as a component degree of an approved conjoint degree programme. The specific requirements and a complete list of the conjoint degrees available are set out in the Conjoint Degrees section of the University Calendar.

10 a With the prior approval of the teacher of the course and the Dean of Faculty of Law, a student enrolled for this degree may elect to present a research paper in lieu of an examination in any elective law course.

b This regulation applies also to a student taking any elective Law course or courses for any degree other than this, or for any diploma or for a Certificate or Certificates of Proficiency.

11 a In place of elective Law courses totalling not more than 45 points for this degree, a student may take courses at Stage II or above offered for other programmes at this University, if they are related to the student’s Law studies and approved by the Dean of Faculty of Law.

b While approval of such courses is normally given before enrolment, the Dean of Faculty of Law may in special cases apply this provision to courses previously passed for another programme. Where the Dean approves such courses, they are to be reassigned from that other programme to this degree.

12 In exceptional circumstances the Programme Director may approve a variation to a student’s personal programme of study in accordance with the Enrolment and Programme Regulations.

13 The Associate Dean Academic may approve a variation to a student’s programme of study which does not conform to these regulations, including varying the points required for each part, where the programme has been affected by the transition to these regulations.

14 These regulations and/or schedule have been amended with effect from 1 January 2026.

A student enrolling in LLB Part I will, in respect of the courses other than LAW 121G, 131 and 141, be required to enrol in the degree of the University of Auckland for which such courses are prescribed or available.