Selecting Referees
You may be required to ask individuals (“referees”) to provide a reference on your behalf. Review the program requirements for each law school as the number and/or type of references required varies by law school.
Some schools require a non-academic reference. This must be 1 of your 3 selected references. Additional references will not be accepted, even if you add additional program choices to your application.
Submitting Your References
It is your responsibility to ensure your referee receives the email and successfully submits their reference to OLSAS.
- Ensure your referee is prepared to use the online form before entering an email address. Enter a business or university email address rather than a personal email address. Your referee must be familiar with PDF documents and/or scanners.
- Once you add a referee, select “Send Email” to notify them about completing their online reference in a protected environment. If you provide an email address for your referee, they must complete their reference online.
- If your referee does not have an email address, download the form and forward it to them. The “Download” button will appear if you save the referee’s information without an email address. They must mail the form, with their accompanying letter, to OLSAS when complete.
- Ensure you give your referees sufficient time to complete their reference and submit it to OLSAS by the deadline. You may submit your application before your referees submit their references.
- Only 1 version of the reference (online or paper, not both) can be submitted.
- All references are confidential. Any information provided on your behalf by your chosen referees will be sent only to your chosen universities and will not be made available to you.
Checking the Status of Your References
You can check the status of your references under the Actions/Status column in the Referees section of your application.
Reference Status
- Email Sent: Your email was sent to your selected referee.
- Form Viewed: Your referee viewed the reference form.
- In Progress: Your referee started their reference but did not submit it.
- Received: The OUAC received the reference from your referee.
Resetting Your References
You may reset your reference as long as the referee has not started the reference form. You will not be able to make changes to your referees once they have started their reference.