Certificate in Legal Studies

Interested in law and the legal system? Gain an understanding of New Zealand's legal framework in less than a year.

The Certificate in Legal Studies offers an introduction to law in New Zealand and includes courses from the Bachelor of Laws. It's ideal for students who aren’t quite ready to commit to a full law degree or who have an overseas law degree and need to complete CLE’s requirements to practise law in New Zealand.

Download programme guides

Minimum entry requirements

If you have New Zealand qualifications

If you have qualifications from another country

See entry requirements for students from other countries. Select your country from the dropdown menu.

English language requirements

  • IELTS (Academic) 6.0 overall with all bands 5.5 or higher; or equivalent

English language requirements

Useful New Zealand school subjects

Subjects that develop a very good standard of reading, oral and written English.

To graduate with a Certificate in Legal Studies you must successfully complete 60 points from the Bachelor of Laws.

If you haven't studied law before

You complete the following courses:

If you've previously studied law

If you need to complete courses required by the Council of Legal Education, you may complete Level 6 and Level 7 courses from the Bachelor of Laws.

Bachelor of Laws

Skills you will develop in the Certificate in Legal Studies

The outcomes for graduates of the Certificate in Legal Studies are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.

Graduate Profile

The Certificate in Legal Studies prepares you for further study at undergraduate level.

Bachelor of Laws

Quick facts
Programme code:
AK2601
Level:
5
Points:
60
Duration:
0.5 years full-time / part-time available
Campus:
City Campus
South Campus
Starts:
3 Mar 2025

Key semester dates
Fees
Domestic
$4,218 (for 60 points)
($3,645 tuition fees + $573 student services levy)
International
$17,573 (for 60 points)
($17,000 tuition fees + $573 student services levy)
  • Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
  • Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
  • There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
  • International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
  • Fees-free study may be available for domestic students

The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.