Certificate of Proficiency

Law courses can be taken as individual courses for a Certificate of Proficiency (COP). Applicants must satisfy any prerequisite, corequisite or other conditions of admission and enrolment.

Applicants must apply for the Certificate of Proficiency through the “apply now” function and also complete the Course Selection Form.

Students who have passed LAW 121G, LAW 131 and/or LAW 141 may repeat the courses under a Certificate of Proficiency (COP) to improve the grades. Please note, students wishing to reapply for LLB Part II are not required to repeat LAW 121G, LAW 131 and/or LAW 141 if they have met the minimum grade requirements.

If you wish to retake the courses under a COP, please ensure you make an application as well as fill the online form. If you have repeated one or more courses of LLB Part I - LAW 121G, LAW 131, LAW 141, the best grade you have received for these three courses will be factored into the calculation of the LawGPA for admission into LLB Part II. The other grades you have received for the three law courses in LLB Part I will be disregarded. Students may take LAW 121G, LAW 131 and LAW 141 (or their equivalents) a maximum of two times.

NZ law graduates may apply to take additional undergraduate law courses for a Certificate of Proficiency. There is no limit to the number of COP courses NZ law graduates can apply for.

Law graduates who wish to take more than one COP law elective course to supplement their law degree or to update their legal knowledge and skills, may wish to consider applying for the Graduate Diploma in Law or the Graduate Certificate in Law.

With the written approval of their Dean, final-year law students from other NZ universities may apply to take law courses at The University of Auckland for credit back to their own university.

LLB graduates may enrol into one postgraduate course for a COP. Acceptance into the COP programme and the course selection is subject to approval by the Programme Director – LLM, MLS, PG Cert in Law and COP – Postgraduate Law.

For more detailed information on Postgraduate courses available see our Postgraduate taught courses page.

Overseas law graduates wishing to practise law in New Zealand should apply in the first instance to the New Zealand Council of Legal Education (NZCLE) for assessment of their qualifications and experience.
The address for the NZCLE is:

New Zealand Council of Legal Education
PO Box 5671
Lambton Quay
Wellington
New Zealand
Telephone: +64 4 471 1166
Email: legal@nzcle.org.nz
Website: NZCLE 

Overseas law graduates whose qualifications have been assessed by the NZCLE and who are required to pass university law courses should apply to take these courses for COP.

Overseas law graduates should note that there are limits on enrolments in the compulsory law courses at this university. Should overseas graduates be required to take any of the compulsory courses they will be subject to the same selection criteria as LLB degree applicants.

Overseas law graduates who are required to take more than one COP law course may wish to consider applying for the Graduate Diploma in Law or the Graduate Certificate in Law.

Undergraduate courses

Non-law students and graduates from other disciplines can apply to take up to a maximum of two law courses for COP. Courses that may be approved for non-law students include:

• LAWENVIR 420 - International Environmental Law
• LAWENVIR 401 - Resource Management Law
• LAWPUBL 422 - Contemporary Treaty Issues

Postgraduate courses

Non-law students can apply to take up one law course for COP. Acceptance into the COP programme and the course selection is subject to approval by the Associate Dean Postgraduate.

For more detailed information on Postgraduate courses available see our Postgraduate taught courses page.

This is a two-step process. New students must first apply to The University of Auckland. If you are an overseas law graduate wishing to apply for a COP course, the programme you apply for is COPUA or COPOS (if you are an international student).

Apply now: The University of Auckland.

Transferring final-year law graduates will apply through Student Services Online for one of the following:

• Cert of Proficiency for Canterbury (COPCU)
• Cert of Proficiency for Otago (COPOU)
• Cert of Proficiency for Overseas (COPOS) or (COPEX)
• Cert of Proficiency for Victoria (COPVU)
• Cert of Proficiency for Waikato (COPWU)

Having applied online, applicants must complete the Course Selection Form.

For further clarification please contact Student Hubs.

All applicants must receive admission to the University of Auckland as well as approval from Auckland Law School. Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application by Auckland Law School and will be enrolled you for course(s) once approved. Enrolment into limited-entry courses is at the discretion of the Faculty.

If you are applying for one or more of the compulsory Part II law courses (Criminal, Public, Torts and Contract) you must submit your online application and your Course Selection Form by 1 December of the year preceding that in which you wish to enrol. You will be subject to the same selection criteria as applicants for the LLB.