Ivana Kanceljak pursued her law degree at the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb. From November 2008 to May 2010, she worked in a notary office. In May 2010, she joined the Department of Civil Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, as an assistant.

In November 2010, Kanceljak successfully passed the bar exam. She earned her doctoral degree on 12 April 2016, with a dissertation entitled “The Right to Time-Limited Use of Property (Timeshare).”