Why Marquette University?
Marquette University Law School offers a practical, service-oriented legal education rooted in its Jesuit tradition of 'cura personalis,' with distinctive strengths in sports law and a unique diploma privilege for bar admission in Wisconsin.
Marquette University is a moderately selective JD program with an acceptance rate of approximately 41.0%. The median entering 1L profile is a 3.70 GPA and 155 LSAT, with the 25th–75th percentile bands at 3.50–3.83 GPA and 153–158 LSAT. The full-time first-year class is approximately 183 students. Recent graduates have placed most heavily in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Florida — useful context if your geographic preference shapes your school list. In the 2025 ABA reporting cycle, Marquette University admitted 1 transfer student into the 2L class.
Specialty strengths
Class profile
- US News rank
- #59
- Median GPA
- 3.70
- 25th–75th: 3.50–3.83
- Median LSAT
- 155
- 25th–75th: 153–158
- Acceptance rate
- 41.0%
- Class size (FT 1L)
- 183
- Transfers admitted (2025)
- 1
- ABA 2025 reporting cycle
2025 transfer admit profile
Actual GPAs of students Marquette University admitted as transfers in the 2025 ABA cycle.
- 25th percentile
- —
- Suppressed (small cohort)
- Median
- —
- 50th percentile
- 75th percentile
- —
- Suppressed (small cohort)
Top employment markets
- 1Wisconsin
- 2Illinois
- 3Florida
Where the most recent graduating class concentrated employment, per the school's ABA 509 employment summary. Use this as a signal of where the alumni network and OCI recruiting pipeline are strongest.
Signature clinics
Clinical programs that define Marquette University's practical training. Mention specific clinic names in your "Why Marquette University" essay where they align with your interests.
- Law and Entrepreneurship ClinicAssists startups and entrepreneurs in southeastern Wisconsin with pro bono legal services, providing students with transactional law training.
- Mediation ClinicProvides mediation services for small claims court litigants, allowing students to mediate cases under supervision.
- Restorative Justice ClinicBrings restorative justice practices to community organizations, with both academic and clinical components.
- Prosecutor ClinicBroadens students' understanding of criminal law and procedure and develops trial lawyering skills in cooperation with the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.
- Public Defender ClinicProvides a full range of defense trial representation in coordination with the Wisconsin State Public Defender's Office.
Notable journals
Student-edited publications you could write for or cite as a research interest.
- Marquette Law Review— General legal scholarship, one of the oldest law school sponsored legal journals.
- Marquette Sports Law Review— Issues in sports law, the first biannual scholarly journal devoted entirely to the field.
- Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review— Scholarly works associated with intellectual property law and legal scholarship on innovation.
- Marquette Benefits & Social Welfare Law Review— International and domestic civil rights and social justice perspectives on employee benefits, disability, elder, health, poverty, and social insurance law.
Faculty highlights
Well-known faculty grouped by primary specialty. If a professor's scholarship aligns with your interests, name them in your essay and reference a specific paper or course.
Civil Procedure
- Joseph D. Kearney· also Federal Courts, Regulation of Industry, Civil Litigation.
- Bruce Boyden· also Copyrights, Cyberlaw, Intellectual Property, Privacy.
Sports Law.
- Paul Anderson
Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Daniel Blinka· also Criminal Law, Legal History.
Administrative Law
- Christine Chabot· also Constitutional Law, Legal History.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Rebecca Donaldson· also Clinical Education, Human Rights.
Constitutional Law
- Scott Idleman· also Federal Courts, Law and Religion, Public Law.
Legal Analysis and Writing
- Lisa Mazzie· also Appellate Advocacy, Gender and the Law.
Criminal Law
- Michael O'Hear· also Public Law, Litigation.
- Chad Oldfather· also Public Law, Litigation.
What makes Marquette University distinctive
Programs, history, or institutional features that set this school apart beyond rank.
- ·Home to the National Sports Law Institute, a premier program in sports law established in 1989.
- ·Emphasizes a Jesuit mission of 'cura personalis' (care of the whole person) and service to the public interest.
- ·Graduates of Marquette Law School may be admitted to the Wisconsin state bar without taking the bar examination due to the 'diploma privilege.'
- ·Offers several joint degree programs, including J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.B.A. in Sports Business, and J.D./M.A. in Political Science or International Affairs.
- ·Located two blocks from the Milwaukee County Courthouse and a short walk from the federal courthouse, offering significant experiential learning opportunities.
Using this for your "Why Marquette University" essay
Strong "Why X Law School" essays are concrete and specific to the school — not interchangeable templates. Use these facts to anchor your essay, then layer on what you've found from the school's own faculty pages, clinical program descriptions, and journal listings.
Important note: admissions committees actively reject AI-written personal statements and "Why X" essays. Use this page as research material to write your own essay — never as a template to copy. Authentic, specific, personally-grounded reasoning is the only thing that wins these essays.
Frequently asked about Marquette University
What is the median GPA and LSAT at Marquette University?▾
Marquette University's most recent entering 1L class had a median GPA of 3.70 and a median LSAT of 155. The 25th–75th percentile range was 3.50–3.83 GPA and 153–158 LSAT. Per ABA 509 disclosures.
What is Marquette University's acceptance rate?▾
Marquette University's most recent reported acceptance rate was approximately 41.0%, per ABA 509 disclosures.
What clinics does Marquette University offer?▾
Marquette University's notable clinical programs include: Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic, Mediation Clinic, Restorative Justice Clinic, Prosecutor Clinic, Public Defender Clinic. Visit the school's official clinical programs page for the full list.
What journals does Marquette University publish?▾
Marquette University's notable student-edited journals include: Marquette Law Review, Marquette Sports Law Review, Marquette Intellectual Property & Innovation Law Review, Marquette Benefits & Social Welfare Law Review.
Where do Marquette University graduates work?▾
Marquette University graduates concentrate employment in Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, per the school's most recent ABA 509 employment summary.
How many transfer students does Marquette University admit?▾
Marquette University admitted 1 transfer student into the 2L class in the 2025 ABA reporting cycle.
Schools similar to Marquette University
Other schools at a comparable rank tier — useful for building a transfer list, balanced 0L application list, or essay-research shortlist.
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Try Case Cub free →Sources (15) — verify any fact above
- https://law.marquette.edu/academics/clinics-judicial-internships-and-supervised-fieldwork-programs
- https://law.marquette.edu/legal-resources-for-the-community
- https://law.marquette.edu/marquette-law-and-entrepreneurship-clinic
- https://law.marquette.edu/academics/law-reviews
- https://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/journals/
- https://law.marquette.edu/academics/degrees
- https://law.marquette.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-staff-directory
- https://law.marquette.edu/faculty-staff/joseph-kearney
- https://www.lsac.org/choosing-law-school/aba-approved-law-schools/marquette-university-law-school
- https://law.marquette.edu/academics/joint-degree-programs
- https://law.marquette.edu/academics/academic-programs/criminal-law/faculty
- https://law.marquette.edu/academics/academic-programs/public-law/faculty
- https://law.marquette.edu/academics/academic-programs/litigation/faculty
- https://law.marquette.edu/faculty-staff/lisa-mazzie
- https://law.marquette.edu/about/from-the-dean
Generated from public sources via search-grounded AI on 4/27/2026. If any fact looks wrong, click through to verify and let us know.