Many Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Bachelor of Criminology & Criminal Justice (BCCJ), Juris Doctor (JD) and postgraduate Law courses are available to study as a non-award or cross-institutional student.  

Non-award study is a great way to complete a course in an area specific to your career or if you hold an overseas law qualification and need to do a small number of courses to be admitted as a solicitor in NSW. 

If you’re studying at another Australian university, you may be able to undertake Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Criminology & Criminal Justice and Juris Doctor elective courses and most postgraduate courses at UNSW Law & Justice as a cross-institutional student. 

The UNSW Admissions Office processes applications for non-award enrolment and cross-institutional study and there are strict application deadlines. 

Visit UNSW Non-Award and Cross-institutional (general information) for more details. 

UNSW Law & Justice non-award enrolment policy

When applying as a non-award student at UNSW, you must provide documents that confirm you have the relevant academic background. Find application details and a form at Cross-Institutional and Non-Award (Voluntary) Study.  

For LLB or JD compulsory (core) courses, non-award enrolment will only be approved if the student has a law background.  

If students meet this requirement and are applying for core law courses, they'll be approved for JURD courses only (not LAWS).  

If you've completed an LLB or JD from overseas and have a Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB) assessment letter, you can apply for non-award enrolment as you'll only be required to complete some courses to qualify as a practising lawyer.   

If you need to complete a long list of compulsory courses from the LPAB letter, you’re advised to apply for the Juris Doctor (JD) rather than enrolling as non-award, as you’ll benefit from getting an award law qualification.  

If you have a law background or have completed a law qualification, you may request to enrol in a single law elective course, such as Animal Law, Immigration Law, etc. Single electives are recommended if you’re specialised in the area of work and want to gain further knowledge of the course or area of study. You can enrol in postgraduate or undergraduate LAWS courses.  

Generally, staff will approve courses requested for enrolment if there are places available, but the university has a restriction on the enrolment limit for non-award students; that is to say, they can't enrol in more than 24 Units of Credit (UOC) in any one academic year. 

UNSW Law & Justice cross-institutional study enrolment policy

When applying, you must provide from your home institution an official or certified transcript, an approval letter for the UNSW courses you wish to enrol in and your fee status. 

If you’re an LLB or BCCJ student, you can apply for open electives offered in the relevant term by checking the UNSW Class Timetable.

Compulsory courses are not approved for enrolment by cross-institutional students.  

Courses requiring ‘school consent’ such as internships, placements and clinics, research thesis and some overseas electives aren’t available to cross-institutional students.  

You must be in your penultimate or final year of study or completed most of the compulsory courses, have not failed any courses in the last two semesters and must meet the academic prerequisites for the course; for enrolment in Advanced Criminal Law, for example, you must have completed Criminal Law courses.  

You can enrol in a maximum of 48 Units of Credit (UOC). 

Further information

Find all undergraduate, Juris Doctor (JD) and postgraduate programs courses offered by UNSW Law & Justice on Degree Finder.

Enquire about UNSW Law & Justice courses via Law & Justice Student Services Student Web Forms.

For enquiries about the application process, please contact UNSW Admissions Office.

UNSW Admissions Office

T: +61 (2) 9385 3656  

W: enquiry.unsw.edu.au