Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents

  1. General Questions
  2. Applying for Admission
  3. Application Process
  4. LSAT
  5. Tuition, Scholarships, and Financial Aid

The following frequently asked questions and answers refer primarily to the J.D. admissions process and the application for J.D. admission. Full-time and part-time applicants are subject to the same admission standards, application procedures, requirements, and processing. More information on admission to Marquette University Law School's LL.M. program in sports law for foreign attorneys is available.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

1. Can I contact an admissions officer?
We would be happy to assist with your questions. Feel free to call or email us:
Email: law.admission@marquette.edu
Phone: (414) 288-6767
Fax: (414) 288-0676
Hours:
Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 4:30pm

2. May I visit the Law School?
We would love to show you around Eckstein Hall! Further details about planning your visit--whether virtual or in-person--may be found on this website.

3. How do I request a hard-copy brochure?
Candidates are encouraged to access the updated Marquette Law School viewbook which may be requested via mail or downloaded.

4. What is your bar passage rate? Please explain diploma privilege.
Marquette University Law School prepares its graduates to practice wherever they wish, including states that require bar exams. Marquette Law School graduates are admitted without examination to the practice of law in Wisconsin, thus qualifying for admission as well to the Federal courts in Wisconsin. Upon meeting criteria particular to other states, graduates may qualify for reciprocal bar admission. In other words, all Marquette Law School graduates are admitted to the Wisconsin bar (pending the character and fitness review), while remaining eligible for bar admission in all other states.

5. What is the statistical profile of the most recent entering class, including LSAT scores and undergraduate GPA's, the percentage of women and students of color, the number of enrolled students, etc.?
An entering class profile may be found on this website.

6. Do you have a part-time option?
A part-time option is available. Part-time students will fulfill their traditional "first-year courses" during the day and over the course of four semesters. Some upper division classes may be offered in the evening. More details on the part-time option are available.

7. How do I apply for a joint degree program?
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.

8. Do you enroll transfer students?
J.D. students who have completed one year of law school at an ABA-accredited law school, who are in good standing and eligible to continue at that law school, may apply for transfer admission. Transfer students may only enroll in the fall semester. Transfer applications are due July 1 preceding fall enrollment. More information on transfer admission may be found on this website.

9. Do you enroll third-year visiting students?
Students in good standing and eligible to continue at an ABA-accredited law school may attend Marquette as visiting students provided all coursework taken at Marquette will be applied to degree requirements at their home law schools. More information on visiting student admission may be found on this website.

10. I hold a bachelor's degree from a foreign undergraduate school. May I apply for J.D. admission?
Yes. International applicants to the J.D. program must take the LSAT. In addition to the LSAT, international applicants whose first language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). International applicants must use the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS). More information on the CAS and on applying as an international student is available. Marquette Law School offers a one-year graduate LL.M. program for foreign-educated attorneys strongly interested in the study of sports law and related fields..

11. May admitted students defer enrollment?
No. Offers of admission are for the upcoming academic year only. Applicants offered admission who cannot enroll in the entering class should withdraw their applications; they are welcome to reapply in the following admissions cycle. 

APPLYING FOR ADMISSION

12. How do I request an application?
Candidates for J.D. admission must apply online.

13. I'm having difficulty with the online application. Whom should I contact?
Please contact the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) directly:
FAQs:LSAC electronic applications
662 Penn Street
Box 2000
Newtown, PA 18940-0998, USA
(215) 968-1001
http://www.lsac.org
LSACINFO@LSAC.org.

14. What are your application deadlines?
While the Law School follows a rolling admissions process and does not have strict application deadlines, candidates for either full-time or part-time admission are encouraged to take the LSAT no later than February and to complete an application by April 1. While the Law School will continue to accept and evaluate applications after April 1, early application is strongly encouraged, i.e., earlier than the dates referenced in the previous sentence. 

15. May law students enter in the spring or summer?
No, law students may only enroll beginning in the fall semester of each academic year.

16. When do you begin accepting applications?
Candidates may begin submitting applications September 1.

17. Is my application complete?
Marquette Law School utilizes the Applicant Status Online system offered via the LSAC. 

18. How many letters of recommendation do you require?
One (1) letter of recommendation is required to complete an application for admission. Applicants should use their own judgment in deciding the appropriate number of recommendations needed to support their applications for admission.

19. What should letters of recommendation address?
A letter of recommendation should provide a candid evaluation of your intellectual abilities, moral character, and special talents. We encourage, but do not require, that the letter of recommendation be written by a professor (or instructor) that taught you in a class. A letter of recommendation from an employer may be submitted.

20. How should I submit my letters of recommendation?
The Admissions Committee requires that applicants use the LSAC letter of recommendation service. If, for some reason, the use of the service is impossible for a recommender, a recommender may send a signed letter of recommendation directly to the Office of Admissions in hard-copy form via mail; the Admissions Committee does not accept letters of recommendation submitted via email, nor may recommendations be appended to, or inserted ("cut and pasted") into the online application.

21. What should I write my personal statement about? How long should it be?
Please select your own topic for your personal statement. As the Admissions Committee does not conduct interviews, the personal statement is each candidate's opportunity to tell the Committee something about themself that it cannot learn from the other parts of the application. The personal statement should not exceed two double-spaced pages; please use standard one-inch margins and a font-size no smaller than 11-point. An applicant may provide an additional optional statement discussing their motivation for applying specifically to Marquette University Law School; ideally, the required personal statement should not be written on that topic.

Transfer and visiting student applicants should provide a statement summarizing the reasons they are requesting to transfer to or visit at Marquette Law School as a personal statement.

22. What is your application fee? How may I submit payment?
The application fee is $50.00 U.S., payable by credit or debit card only (American Express, Discover, Mastercard, Visa). Because the application process is entirely electronic and paperless, neither cash nor checks/money orders will be accepted as payment of the application fee.

23. How do I update/amend my application?
Applicants who wish to request a change in the status of their application send them in writing to the Law School Office of Admissions (e.g., to change their application division from full-time to part-time, or vice versa, or who will take the LSAT on a date other than the one indicated on their applications). Additional addenda and/or updates to the application should also be submitted in writing. It is preferred that all updates are emailed in PDF format to the Office of Admissions; please include your full name and LSAC account number. Current law students, please click here for instructions on amending your application after enrollment.

24. How do I reapply?
To reapply a candidate must fill out a new online application and pay the application fee. The submission of an entirely new personal statement and an updated resume is strongly encouraged. Most applications made within the last four to five years should still be retained in our electronic archive, and will be pulled from the archive and matched to the new application form. A reapplicant is welcome to submit a new letter(s) of recommendation, although if the previously submitted recommendation(s) remains on file with LSAC, that is acceptable. In most cases, reapplicants should not have to reregister with LSAC CAS as CAS subscriptions are valid for five years. Questions about a CAS subscription should be directed to LSAC.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

25. Does applying earlier increase my chances of admission?
Candidates are encouraged to apply earlier in the process rather than later if possible. While it is impossible to quantify the effect of applying earlier in the cycle on a particular application, as with most things in life, applying earlier is better than applying later.

26. When/how will I be notified of the Admissions Committee's decision?
The Law School follows a modified rolling admissions process. Applications are placed before the Committee as they become complete although, typically, the Admissions Committee does not begin meeting until mid-to-late October.

The Admissions Committee notifies applicants of their decisions via regular U.S. mail or international airmail only. Decisions are not released via email, telephone, or facsimile. The members of the Admissions Committee and the staff of the Office of Admissions adhere to this policy in order to protect the confidentiality of each applicant.

Decisions are mailed throughout the winter, spring, and summer. Some candidates may receive decisions comparatively quickly based upon the overall and relative strength of their applications. Some candidates' applications will be "wait-listed" or "held" for consideration and comparison with the larger applicant pool.

27. If I provide a resume and/or supporting academic credentials, via email, for example, can you assess the likelihood of receiving an offer of admission?
The staff of the Office of Admissions is not able to assess or predict the likelihood of a candidate's admission based upon a narrative, a resume or C.V., or a summary of academic credentials submitted via email, or in-person, or by telephone or letter. Only the Admissions Committee can make such judgments, and only after reviewing a complete application. The only way to determine if one would be admitted to the Law School is to apply.

That said, we suggest that you review our Application Criteria & Review process as well as our statistical profile. Together, these might give you some sense of how your credentials compare to recent successful applicants to Marquette University Law School.

28. Do you grant interviews for admission?
No. 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. Members of the Admission Committee are happy to review all written addenda.

29. Is there any particular undergraduate coursework that the Committee values highly?
When reviewing undergraduate transcripts, the Committee looks for a broad range of courses. Courses that require students to develop analytical skills, and/or courses with heavy reading loads that may help students develop their reading and writing skills, can sometimes be of particular value. However, the Committee will not look for nor expect any particular or specific undergraduate major.

LSAT

30. If I take the LSAT more than once, does the Committee average scores, or consider only the highest score?
In the case of an applicant with more than one LSAT score, the Admissions Committee will receive a test score report for the applicant that discloses all LSAT scores and the average of those scores. The Admissions Committee will primarily use the highest score while reviewing an applicant's credentials. A candidate is welcome to write and append to the application a supporting statement regarding multiple LSAT scores if they can provide compelling, convincing evidence explaining why a lower LSAT score should be considered aberrant.

31. What is the latest LSAT Administration date that I can take for the upcoming fall?
Candidates for either full-time or part-time admission are strongly encouraged to take the LSAT no later than February.

32. What is the oldest LSAT score you will accept for Fall 2024 admission?
The Admissions Committee considers LSAT scores valid for five years preceding the application deadline. Consequently, the oldest LSAT administration considered valid for Fall 2024 admission is the June 2019 administration.

33. What is your median LSAT?
A class profile is posted.

TUITION, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND FINANCIAL AID

34. What is the tuition?
For full-time students, 2024-2025 tuition is $50,950/year, or $25,475/semester.
For part-time students, 2024-2025 tuition is $2,015/credit hour. A complete student budget is posted.

35. How do I apply for scholarships?
The Law School awards a limited number of merit-based scholarships to entering students each year. All applicants offered admission to the Law School are automatically considered for merit scholarship awards as long as funds remain available; there is no separate scholarship application to submit. Please review specific details on our scholarship policy.

36. How do I apply for Federal financial aid?
Law School students who wish to be considered for Federal financial aid (student loans) at Marquette University need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is available online. Find further details on the FAFSA process.

37. Does the Law School have a Loan Repayment Assistance Program?
The Law School recognizes that the legal community has a responsibility to help provide services to people who cannot afford representation.  The Howard and Phyllis Eisenberg Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) has been adopted in the hope that it may remove an obstacle to graduates interested in choosing a career serving the poor and underserved. To be considered for funding, applicants should meet the program qualifications.