The Application Procedure | Transfer Applicants
Applicants for transfer admission must be enrolled, in good standing, in Juris Doctor (JD) programs at ABA-accredited law schools. Candidates apply using the online application, accessible from the LSAC website or the Marquette Law School website. Please refrain from submitting any materials to the Office of Admissions in hard-copy form except where instructed; see the Checklist below. The application fee payment of $20 must be submitted via credit card or debit check card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa); please do not submit payment via cash, check, or money order. LSAC credential reports will be requested for transfer applicants.
For transfer applicants, offers of admission are for the upcoming fall. All offers of admission are conditioned upon the applicant providing an official, final baccalaureate transcript from their degree-granting institution and an official law school transcript prior to enrollment.
The Admissions Committee reviews files in the order in which they are completed. Applicants are promptly notified on a rolling basis of any action taken on their applications by the Admissions Committee. Admitted applicants will be required to submit tuition deposits.
If a candidate will apply for a joint degree program, they must submit two distinct applications, one to the Law School and one to the other school/program, and must fulfill all of the application requirements (entrance examinations, fees, deadlines, etc.) for each program.
In the interest of equity, no evaluative interviews are conducted as part of the application review process. Applicants are welcome, however, to submit in writing any information they believe is relevant to their applications.
An admitted transfer student will receive individualized attention regarding the transfer of JD credits and coursework from the prior institution and registration for classes. Our faculty, staff, and students pride themselves on welcoming and integrating transfer students into our community and making their transition to Marquette Law School as seamless as possible. A transfer student is eligible to compete for membership on the Marquette Law Review and to participate in the Moot Court Program. Upon graduation a transfer student is typically eligible for the Wisconsin diploma privilege.
Most transfer applicants have earned between 24 and 32 JD credits at ABA-accredited law schools but there is no rigid incoming credit requirement. A transfer student must complete no fewer than 56 credits at Marquette Law School to earn a Marquette JD degree. In accordance with Law School Academic Regulations, advanced standing credit may be granted only for courses in which the student received a grade of satisfactory or its equivalent, that is, a grade of C or higher. Transfer students enroll in the fall semester only.
Early action transfer candidates may submit applications between January 1 and April 1.
(See more information regarding the early action transfer application process below.)
Regular action transfer candidates may submit applications between May 1 and July 1.
While the priority deadline to file a transfer application is July 1, applications will continue to be considered past the priority deadline. Decisions are made on a rolling basis.
EARLY ACTION TRANSFER ADMISSION
The Admissions Committee will consider a candidate for transfer admission based upon one semester of JD grades. An application for early action transfer admission may be submitted from January 1 to April 1.
An offer of early action transfer admission is conditional. It is contingent upon the candidate maintaining academic performance in the second semester of JD study that is consistent with their performance in the first semester of JD study.
A candidate for early action transfer admission must submit all required materials to complete a transfer application (see the Checklist below), but with two distinctions:
a. The official law school transcript may contain only first semester grades, and
b. The letter of standing from the current law school will not be required at the time of the application's submission.
An early action transfer candidate that is offered conditional admission will need to submit, once all first-year (including second semester) grades are reported:
An updated official law school transcript that reports all first-year grades, and
A letter of standing from the candidate's current law school.
The offer of conditional admission will be confirmed or withdrawn after the Committee evaluates those two items.
An early action transfer candidate that is not offered admission as part of the early action process will have their application held and reconsidered with the regular transfer applicant pool once an updated official transcript showing all first-year grades and a letter of standing from the current law school have been received by Marquette Law School.
Completing Your Law School Application
Please answer each question fully. All affirmative responses to character and fitness questions require descriptive, explanatory statements (see "Attachments" section of application form). If additional space is needed for any response, please use electronic attachments and reference your response. Résumés are strongly encouraged. An electronic certification is required at the end of the application form. Please see the Checklist below for more information on all of the materials required to complete an application for transfer admission. An application will not be evaluated by the Admissions Committee until and unless all of those required materials are received.
Law School Entrance Examinations Accepted for Transfer Applicants | The LSAT, the GRE, or JD-Next
An applicant for transfer admission must have taken, and must submit a valid score from, at least one of the following tests: (a) Law School Admission Test (LSAT), (b) Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or (c) JD-Next law school admissions test. The Law School will accept entrance examination scores taken within the past five years.
a. An applicant taking the LSAT can expect that scores will be reported automatically to Marquette University Law School as part of the LSAC CAS report.
b. An applicant taking the GRE should have their GRE score reported by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) directly to Marquette University Law School (GRE institution code number 6222).
c. An applicant submitting a JD-Next law school admissions test score to Marquette University Law School should:
- Log in to the Aspen Publishing website (www.aspenpublishing.com). After logging in, search for JD-Next Score Report and navigate to the buy page for the score report.
- On the buy page, select JDN Score Report Fee and add to cart (an error message will appear if there is no eligible score report).
- A Score Report Form Submission will pop up. Confirm personal identifying information.
- Select the school(s) to which to send the score report and consent to data sharing.
- Add the score report(s) to the cart. The first 3 score reports are included. (There is a charge of $30.00 per score report for additional schools.) An order confirmation will be sent upon completing the score report purchase.
Importantly, all applicants, including those applicants who submit GRE or JD-Next scores in addition to or in lieu of LSAT scores, must register with CAS through LSAC and submit transcripts to CAS for all JD, undergraduate and, if applicable, graduate academic work.
Financial Aid Information
Information regarding the electronic version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and related information will be automatically sent to admitted applicants. If an applicant does not provide their Social Security Number (SSN) in the "Biographical" section of the electronic application form, that omission may impede the processing of their FAFSA if they are admitted to the Law School.
Checklist of Materials Required to Complete a Transfer Application
All materials relating to admission or the Law School application, once submitted, become property of Marquette University Law School and will not be returned.
An application for transfer admission will not be evaluated by the Admissions Committee until and unless all of these materials are received:
- Completed electronic application form with electronic certification.
- Descriptive statements(s) regarding affirmative response(s) to character and fitness questions, if applicable.
- Personal statement (usually discussing the reasons the applicant is seeking to transfer to Marquette Law School).
- $20 application fee (payable by credit card or debit card only).
- If an applicant does not provide their Social Security Number as a part of their application, that omission may impede the processing of their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if they are admitted to the Law School.
- Official law school transcript of all work (please submit via the LSAC Credential Assembly Service).
- Valid LSAT, GRE, or JD-Next law school admissions test score, reported via the appropriate method (see "Law School Entrance Examinations..." above).
- Letter of standing from dean of or appropriate official at current law school certifying student is in good standing and eligible to continue; the letter may also indicate class rank, if available. Hard copy should be submitted directly to the Office of Admissions at Marquette Law School; see the mailing address indicated above. (Note: for an early action transfer applicant, this letter should be provided at the conclusion of the spring semester.)
- Official, final undergraduate transcript and any applicable graduate transcripts (please submit via the LSAC Credential Assembly Service).
- A letter of recommendation is not required to complete an application for transfer student admission but will be reviewed if submitted. A resume or curriculum vitae is not required but is strongly encouraged.
- Please be aware that the Office of Admissions will request LSAC credential reports for transfer applicants from the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). The duration of a CAS registration is five years; in most cases, applicants should not need to reregister with CAS. Applicants will be charged a fee by the service for the transmission of this data. For more information, please visit LSAC.org.
Qualifications for Admission to the Bar | Character and Fitness
In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.