Marquette University Law School

Marquette publishes no topic. The prompt above is the full text of FAQ #21 ('What should I write my personal statement about? How long should it be?') minus its closing sentence about the optional 'why Marquette' statement, which is recorded separately as the why_x_essay requirement. The application checklist on the apply-now page lists simply 'A personal statement written by the applicant.' Formatting: two double-spaced pages maximum, one-inch margins, 11-point font minimum. The application-criteria page counts 'the required personal statement' among the qualitative factors reviewed. Reapplicants: 'While an applicant's personal statement and/or optional statement(s) from the prior application may be reused, the submission of an entirely new personal statement is strongly encouraged.' Transfer and visiting applicants substitute a statement of their reasons for transferring or visiting. Nothing on these pages addresses generative AI.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

The only optional statement Marquette names by topic, stated at the end of FAQ #21. No length limit, formatting guidance, or word count is published for it — the two-page/11-point formatting rule in the same answer is attached to the personal statement, so no page_limit is recorded here. The school's steer is that the required personal statement should not double as the 'why Marquette' essay.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page

Marquette leaves a general, unprompted slot open in addition to the named 'why Marquette' statement. The application checklist reads, in full: 'Optional statement(s) are welcome.' No topic, length, or format is published for it. Because Marquette does not interview, the apply-now page and FAQ #28 make the same open invitation twice: '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' and 'Members of the Admissions and Recruitment Committee are happy to review all written addenda.' The application-criteria page counts 'any additional written statements that the candidate wishes to submit' among the qualitative factors. Recorded as a distinct requirement from the why_x_essay because the site's plural 'statement(s)' and topic-free framing are broader than the one topic it names.

Verified 2026-08-31 · source page

Two published invitations, neither with a length limit. (1) Character and fitness — required when triggered. The application checklist item reads: 'Descriptive statement(s) regarding affirmative response(s) to character and fitness questions, if applicable.' (2) Test-score disparity — optional, from FAQ #31: '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.' The equivalent for the GRE is handled by score choice rather than an addendum ('the candidate has the discretion to decide which score(s) to report to the Law School via ETS'), and for JD-Next the Committee 'will primarily utilize the highest test score received.' The pages carry no separate GPA-addendum invitation, though the application-criteria page says the Committee already weighs grade trends, program rigor, and 'an applicant's time commitments because of employment, family, or personal obligations' without being asked. Post-submission addenda are accepted: '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' (FAQ #23). Separately, an applicant who 'has previously enrolled in, attended, or withdrawn at any point from any other law school' must have that school send a letter of standing and an official transcript of all law school work directly to the Office of Admissions.

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'One letter of recommendation is required.' No maximum is published — FAQ #18 says only 'Applicants should use their own judgment in deciding the appropriate number of recommendations needed to support their applications for admission,' so no count_accepted is recorded. Content: '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.' Submission: the apply-now page says the Committee 'strongly prefers' the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service, while FAQ #20 states it 'requires that applicants use the LSAC letter of recommendation service' and allows one exception — '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.' Emailed letters are not accepted, and 'Letters of recommendation may not be electronically inserted ("cut and pasted") into or appended to a candidate's electronic application.' At least one letter must be in the CAS report for the file to be complete. Reapplicants may reuse a letter already on file with LSAC or submit new ones.

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Not required. The application checklist lists 'A résumé or curriculum vitae (strongly encouraged).' No page limit or format guidance is published, so no page_limit is recorded. Reapplicants: 'An updated resume or curriculum vitae should be provided.' The Office of Admissions will not pre-assess a resume sent by email: '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' (FAQ #27).

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All applicants must 'Subscribe to the LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS),' including those applying with GRE or JD-Next scores, and must submit transcripts to CAS for all undergraduate and, if applicable, graduate academic work. 'After receipt of your application, the Office of Admissions will request your law school report from the Credential Assembly Service.' Degree requirement: an applicant is eligible if they 'Have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university before enrolling in the Law School, unless seeking to enroll under the early entry provisions of one of the Law School's "3+3" or "pre-law scholar" programs with a partner undergraduate institution.' Graduate transcripts are encouraged where relevant, but 'a graduate/professional record does not replace an undergraduate record.' International applicants must satisfy an English-language requirement — a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree earned where English was the language of instruction at an institution in a country where English is the primary language; otherwise TOEFL is required, sent to CAS under code 0058 and folded into the Foreign Credential Evaluation in the CAS report. IELTS is not mentioned anywhere (the site's silence, not a rejection). After admission, LSAC must receive a final official undergraduate transcript noting degree conferral by August 1 (enrollment checklist, law.marquette.edu/prospective-students/enrollment-checklist).

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Three tests accepted: 'Each applicant must submit at least one of the following test scores: (a) Law School Admission Test (LSAT), (b) Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or (c) JD-Next law school admissions test. The Law School will accept LSAT scores, GRE scores, or JD-Next results from the past five years.' Reporting: LSAT scores arrive automatically in the CAS report; GRE scores go from ETS directly to the school (GRE institution code 6222); JD-Next scores are ordered through the Aspen Publishing site, with the first three score reports included and $30.00 per additional school. Validity: 'The Admissions and Recruitment Committee considers entrance examination scores valid for five years preceding the application deadline' — the FAQ's worked example is anchored to the just-closed cycle ('the oldest LSAT, GRE, or JD-Next result considered valid for Fall 2026 admission is from a June 2021 test administration'), as is its recommended latest sitting ('no later than February 2026'). Multiple scores: 'The Admissions and Recruitment Committee will primarily use the highest score while reviewing an applicant's credentials' for the LSAT and 'will primarily utilize the highest test score received' for JD-Next; GRE candidates choose which scores ETS reports. Exception: 'an applicant seeking admission under the early entry provisions of one of the Law School's "3+3" or "pre-law scholar" programs with a partner undergraduate institution may not utilize GRE scores or JD-Next results but must take the LSAT.' Policy history, per the application-criteria page: 'Beginning with the 2025-26 application cycle, while Marquette Law School will continue to accept the LSAT, an applicant may submit Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores or results from the JD-Next 8-week course and admissions exam in lieu of LSAT scores.' No minimum score is published, and the school says the combination of GPA and test score 'provides no guarantee in the Marquette University Law School admissions process.'

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'$50 application fee (payable by major credit or debit card only; cash/checks/money orders not accepted).' FAQ #22 gives the reason: 'Because the application process is entirely electronic and paperless, neither cash nor checks/money orders will be accepted as payment of the application fee'; cards accepted are American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa. The same $50 appears in the school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 report. Reapplicants pay the fee again. Fee waivers are not mentioned anywhere on the admissions pages fetched — recorded as the site's silence, not as a statement that none exist.

Verified 2026-08-31 · source page

Marquette does not interview — an explicit statement, not a silence. FAQ #28 ('Do you grant interviews for admission?') answers: '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.' The apply-now page repeats the same sentence, and FAQ #21 leans on it to frame the personal statement as the substitute: '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 campus visits and virtual tours the site advertises are recruiting, not evaluative.

Verified 2026-08-18 · source page