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How to Get Into Marquette Law (2026-2027 Guide)

Moshe Indig

Marquette University Law School is a private, Jesuit law school in Milwaukee. Its strengths include sports law, intellectual property, dispute resolution, and criminal practice, supported by clinics and judicial internships.

This guide walks you through how to get into Marquette Law.

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1. Marquette Law Admissions Numbers and Statistics

Marquette Law Class of 2029:

Marquette Law Class of 2028:

The fall 2026 profile includes 185 full-time and four part-time students; its percentiles remain preliminary pending fall verification. The fall 2025 class had 216 full-time and two part-time students. The LSAT median rose one point, and the GPA median rose 0.07.

Aim to be at or above at least one median to be competitive. Above both puts you in a stronger position. Below both medians, this is a prayer, not a reach.

For context on how medians affect your strategy, see How to Build a Smart Law School List.

2. Marquette Law Application Essays

Personal Statement (required)

The school's instructions:

“Please select your own topic for your personal statement. As the Admissions and Recruitment 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.”

For more on how to write a personal statement, see my Personal Statement Examples and Personal Statement Guide.

Why Marquette Statement (optional)

The school's instructions:

“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.”

For more on how to write a Why X essay, see my Why X Essay Guide.

For more on making all of these essays work together, see my Cohesive Narrative Guide.

Addenda and Character & Fitness (if applicable)

Provide required character and fitness information separately from the personal statement.

I'll be publishing a guide to addenda and character and fitness.

3. Marquette Law Resume Requirements

A resume is strongly encouraged. Include education, employment, leadership, and service, with dates and concrete responsibilities. Give a sports-related role the same substantive treatment as any other work.

For more on preparing your resume, see my Resume Examples and Resume Guide.

4. Marquette Law Letters of Recommendation

Marquette requires one recommendation and encourages an academic letter; employers may also recommend you, and additional letters of recommendation are permitted. Use LSAC's service, with signed hard-copy letters accepted when electronic submission is impossible.

For more on recommendations, see my LOR Guide (Applicants) and LOR Guide (Writers).

5. Marquette Law Interview Process

Marquette does not conduct evaluative admissions interviews.

6. Marquette Law Deadlines and Decision Options

Testing Policy

Marquette accepts the LSAT, GRE, or JD-Next for ordinary first-year admission and requires CAS. Its early-entry 3+3 and Pre-Law Scholars pathways require the LSAT.

If you're considering the GRE, read my LSAT vs. GRE guide before deciding.

Application Dates and Fees

Marquette uses modified rolling admission. Applications open September 1, with review ordinarily beginning in mid-to-late October. Decisions continue through winter, spring, and summer, ordinarily within 12 weeks of completion, and are sent by postal mail.

Program Formats

The Part-Time Option is a four-to-six-year route, not a dedicated evening JD. First-year courses require daytime attendance on at least three days a week during the first two years. Students take at least two courses each semester and can seek a switch to full-time study after the first year.

7. Marquette Law Scholarships and Financial Aid

Merit Scholarships

Marquette considers admitted students automatically for merit scholarships while funds remain available. No separate scholarship application is required. These awards cover tuition and are not based on financial need. Initial scholarship decisions generally begin in February, with renewal tied to good academic standing rather than a separate class-rank requirement. Good standing requires a 2.000 cumulative GPA.

Tuition and Financial Aid

For 2026-2027, full-time tuition is $53,010. Part-time tuition is $2,095 per credit. Tuition plus the university's listed law-student living, transportation, personal, and book allowances produces an estimated annual full-time budget of approximately $75,230-$76,598 before any separately applicable charges. A part-time student's tuition depends on the actual credit load.

Public Interest Law Society Fellowships

Summer fellowships support qualifying public interest work.

Howard and Phyllis Eisenberg Fund

The fund provides loan repayment assistance for eligible public interest graduates, dependent on available funding.

For more on scholarship strategy, see How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships.

8. Marquette Law Joint Degrees

Marquette requires separate admission to the law school and the partner graduate program. It recommends beginning with law and ordinarily starting the second program in the second year.

9. Marquette Law Employment Outcomes (Class of 2025)

Marquette Class of 2025 employment outcomes (reported to the ABA, measured 10 months after graduation):

Wisconsin is by far the dominant employment market, followed by Illinois. The large-firm share is meaningful, but this is primarily a Wisconsin practice decision rather than a national BigLaw bet. Eligible Marquette graduates can seek Wisconsin admission through diploma privilege without taking a bar exam, subject to character and fitness and the applicable admission requirements. That advantage matters most when Wisconsin is where you actually want to work.

10. Marquette Law Areas of Study and Specializations

Sports Law: The National Sports Law Institute and Sports Law Certificate give this interest a defined academic home. Paul Anderson directs a program connecting specialized research, writing, and internships. Applicants should distinguish an interest in legal work within sports from an interest in watching sports.

Intellectual Property: Bruce Boyden's work in copyright, internet law, and privacy complements the Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review. The Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic adds a business-counseling setting for students interested in how legal problems affect developing enterprises.

Dispute Resolution: The Mediation Clinic and Restorative Justice Clinic give dispute resolution a practical dimension. Students can study ways to address conflict without making courtroom litigation the only model, including work with Milwaukee residents and community organizations.

Criminal Law: Michael O'Hear's sentencing scholarship sits alongside the Prosecutor Clinic and Public Defender Clinic. Together, those offerings create a path from studying criminal procedure and punishment to developing supervised practice skills on either side of a criminal case.

11. Marquette Law Clinics and Experiential Learning

Marquette's fall 2026 offerings include five clinics:

Pro Bono and Experiential Learning

Judicial internships include opportunities with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Seventh Circuit, and state and federal trial courts. Supervised fieldwork sites include Legal Action of Wisconsin, the Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin, the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

The voluntary Pro Bono Honor Society recognizes 50 hours of qualifying service, with a further distinction at 120 hours. Unpaid, noncredit work under attorney supervision can involve housing, family, debt, and other civil legal problems; it is distinct from a credit-bearing clinic.

12. Marquette Law Notable Faculty and Journals

Faculty

Journals

13. Marquette Law Culture and Student Life

Marquette's Jesuit identity has a concrete expression in its Office of Public Service and student pro bono work. The entering class is under 200 students, with a small part-time group alongside the full-time cohort. Consider both the community and the daytime course schedule when deciding whether the school fits your life.

Milwaukee supplies the courts, government offices, and legal-service organizations that appear throughout the experiential curriculum. Those local connections are particularly useful for a student building a Wisconsin career. A visit should include a conversation about how students combine classes with placements, not just a tour of the building.

Want Help Getting Into Marquette Law?

I work with applicants one-on-one on the whole application process, from strategy through essays and submission.

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Related Reading
→ How to Build a Smart Law School List
→ Should You Apply Early Decision to Law School?
→ How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships
→ 6 Proven Steps to Get Off a Law School Waitlist
→ How to Get Into Law School Below Both Medians
→ What Holistic Law School Admissions Really Means
→ Blog Directory

Note: While I try to keep this guide up to date, always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies at the Marquette Law website before applying.

Think you spotted an outdated requirement or something that doesn't look right? Email moshe@sharperstatements.com with the school and a link to the current information.

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