Application Timeline
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| September 1st | Applications Become Available |
| November 29th | Early Decision Application Due |
| April 1st | Regular Decision Application Due |
First-year students are admitted for enrollment in the fall semester only. There are two application options: Early Decision and Regular Decision. Both applications become available on September 1st. Graduation from an approved college is a pre-requisite to start classes in the fall, but not for application to the program.
Regular Decision
The Regular Decision application is due on April 1st. Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete their application by November or December.
Decisions are released on a rolling basis throughout the admissions cycle. Decision timelines can vary depending on application volume and when in the cycle your application is submitted, but you will be notified of a decision within a maximum of ten to twelve weeks after your application goes into review.
Early Decision
The Early Decision application (including the writing sample) is due on November 29th to accommodate November LSAT test takers, and applicants will receive a decision by December 20th.
The Early Decision program is binding – applicants must commit themselves to matriculating at Wisconsin if they are admitted through the Early Decision Program, and may not be an Early Decision candidate at any other school during the same admissions cycle. The Early Decision program provides a way for applicants who know that Wisconsin is their first choice for law school to receive an admission and scholarship decision much earlier than if they were to proceed through the regular application process.
Application Checklist
First-year applicants must submit the following application requirements. A detailed list of application requirements is also included in the application for admission.
- Application fee
- Application for admission
- Record of Residence form
- Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score
- Credential Assembly Service (CAS) report, including all college and graduate school transcripts
- Resume
- Personal statement
- Two letters of recommendation
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score (international applicants only)
- Early Decision Agreement (Early Decision applicants only)
- Optional Addenda. Feel free to submit addenda that touch on your background, experiences or qualifications not yet captured elsewhere in your application. Please use your best judgment as to whether optional addenda are relevant to your personal situation. Applicants will not be penalized for not submitting optional addenda.
The Admissions Committee carefully considers whatever information we receive in your application when evaluating you for admission. If there is something that you would like to explain or elaborate on that is not showcased elsewhere in your application, feel free to add a separate addendum. Interviews are by invitation only. Completing a formal interview with one of our admissions counselors does not guarantee acceptance. We are happy to answer your questions at any point throughout the admissions process, and we invite you to set up a visit to the Law School.
Application Process Details
Below are further details on some of the application requirements. A detailed list of application requirements is also included in the application for admission.
Application Fee
The application fee to apply to the Law School is $60. The application fee is nonrefundable, and should be paid through your LSAC applicant portal.
Application Fee Waivers
The Law School offers a limited number of fee waivers for applicants with compelling financial need. If you would like to request a need-based fee waiver, please contact us at admissions@law.wisc.edu, briefly explaining your need. Please understand that our fee waivers are limited, so we encourage you to request one early in the Fall if you require one to apply.
Record of Residence Form
All applicants are required to complete the Registrar’s Record of Residence form, regardless of whether you are claiming residency. This form will be sent to you via email two to three days after you apply, and is used to determine whether you are eligible for in-state tuition. Residency for tuition purposes can be a complex issue and is governed by Wisconsin state statutes. Residency determinations are made by the UW-Madison Registrar’s Office, and not by the Law School. For more information about residency for tuition, please visit the Registrar's Residence for Tuition Purposes page or contact the Office of the Registrar's Residency Counselors at 608-262-1355.
Credential Assembly Service
All applicants are required to subscribe to the Credential Assembly Service, sponsored by LSAC. You must send an official CAS report to the Law School with your application, which will include transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution you have attended. For questions about CAS, please refer to LSAC’s website or contact them directly at 215-968-1001.
International Applicants
International applicants are required to register for the LSAT and Credential Assembly Service. International transcripts should be sent to LSAC through the process detailed on LSAC's International Transcripts webpage.
In addition, a TOEFL score is required for all international applicants whose native language is not English. You should have your score sent to LSAC, and it will be included in your CAS report. Additional information regarding the TOEFL exam may be found at https://www.ets.org/toefl. If you have a minimum of one year of study at a U.S. college or university, we will waive the TOEFL requirement. International applicants who are invited for the Admissions Interview (described below) will also be asked several additional questions so the Admissions Committee may further assess English fluency.
Admissions Interview
During our holistic review process, you may be invited to participate in an interview. These interviews will happen throughout the admissions cycle starting in the fall semester. The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid will contact applicants directly to set up a virtual interview with one of our admissions counselors. Completion of an interview is not required, but is strongly encouraged.
Reapplicants
If you are reapplying for admission to the law school, you must indicate this on the application.
We strongly encourage you to submit new application materials, including new letters of recommendation. The supporting materials from prior years’ applications will be included in your file when you reapply. Students who had completed an admissions interview in the previous cycle may still be asked to complete an interview.
You will be required to re-register with CAS, as well as submit a new application and application fee.
Adding to Your Applicant File
Throughout the application cycle, we encourage you to be mindful of the overall length of your applicant file, and to submit a limited number of professionally-prepared documents. At this time, we cannot add audio and video files to your application. We accept Word documents, PDF documents, and emails.
When your application is in processing status, we are happy to add additional documents to your applicant file. However, once your application goes into review, we can accept only the following additions:
- official transcripts,
- standardized testing score reports (LSAT or GRE)
- additional letters of recommendation submitted through CAS, and
- character and fitness disclosures.
In the event that you are added to the wait list, we also accept and encourage a letter of continued interest.
If you have questions about the documents that may be added to your applicant file, please contact us at admissions@law.wisc.edu.
Application Status
To keep you up to date on the status of your application, we provide an online status checker. This will allow you to view the most current status of your application, as well as any application components that are missing. You will receive an email with your User ID and password soon after we have received your application.
The different statuses for the online status checker are as follows:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Processing | Your application has been received by the Admissions Office, and a preliminary check for missing items has begun. If your file is missing any items, we will be in contact with you via email. Please note that reviewing your file for missing items may take several weeks. |
| Missing Item(s) | Your application is missing one or more items. Please review the Requirements Checklist in your online status checker to see which items are missing. Once all remaining materials are received, we will send you an email to let you know that your application is complete. |
| File Complete | All required documents have been received, and your application is in line for review. |
| In Review | Your application is being reviewed by the Admissions Committee, and you will be notified of a decision within approximately ten to twelve weeks of your file going into "In Review" status. If you have not heard back from us within that time, we encourage you to contact us at admissions@law.wisc.edu or 608-262-5914. |
| Interview Pending | If you are offered an invitation to interview, your application will move into this status during the time prior to and during your interview. |
| Decision Made | A decision on your application has been made. You will receive an email from the Admissions Office notifying you of the decision on your file. If you do not receive an email within 24 hours of your status changing to "Decision," please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@law.wisc.edu or 608-262-5914. |
Application Holds
We will accept your highest valid LSAT or GRE score. If you sign up for an additional LSAT during the admissions cycle, we will receive notification through the Credential Assembly Service. If you sign up for a GRE test date, please inform us via email (Admissions@law.wisc.edu). Our policy is to place your application on “hold” until your new score is released. Our institutional code for ETS is 1311. The Admissions Committee may, in its discretion, choose to proceed with review of your file even if you are signed up for a pending LSAT, but in most cases your application will be placed on “hold.”
Part-Time Options
If you are offered admission to the Law School, you may choose to attend on a part-time basis. There is no separate application procedure, but upon acceptance you will be asked to choose full or part-time enrollment, though you may subsequently change your enrollment status.
Part-time students need to complete the first-year curriculum within two years of entering and must complete the course work required for the J.D. degree within six years. First year courses generally require you to be on campus four or five times per week and some are offered in the late afternoon or early evening. Part-time students wishing to take courses only in the late afternoon or early evening should note that, each year, first-year legal writing sections are offered later in the day in both fall and spring along with one substantive first-year course. These substantive courses alternate from year to year, thus making it easier to complete most of the first-year program within the requisite two years. However, “late afternoon/early evening” part-time students may need to be somewhat flexible in order to complete the entire first-year program within two years.
Contact admissions for more information.
Qualifications for Admissions to the Bar
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.
The state of Wisconsin is unique in that it maintains a special program known as Diploma Privilege, by which graduates of the Law School may be admitted to practice (without taking a bar exam) by meeting a set of course, grade, character, and fitness requirements. View more information on Wisconsin's graduation and bar admissions requirements here.
Application Resources
