Marquette University Law School — Dismissal & Appeals

Written by Zachary Gaynor, attorney · The Florida Bar, admitted 2016 · court admissions. Reviewed November 4, 2026.

Who decides whether a Marquette law student is dismissed?

For grades, the numbers decide first. Under Section 301 of the Law School’s Academic Regulations (August 2026 edition), a full-time student “shall be dismissed” below a 1.67 cumulative average after the first semester, 1.900 after the second, or 2.000 after any later one, “Unless granted probation by the Academic Regulations Committee pursuant to Section 303.” That faculty committee decides the petition, which must be received within ten days of the dismissal letter’s date. Its decision is final (Section 305).

Misconduct goes to the Law School’s own Judicial Committee, where a lawyer may represent you, proof must be clear and convincing, and, outside Title IX cases, there is no appeal.

Three lines, and a retake does not repair the average

• Full-time (Section 301): below 1.67 (a C-minus average) after the first semester, 1.900 after the second, and 2.000 after the third “or any subsequent semester.” Part-time students are measured after the second semester and at their 27th, 45th, 56th, 75th and 90th credits (Section 302).
• Automatic probation (Section 304): a full-time student between 1.900 and 1.999 after the second semester “is automatically on probation for the third regular semester of law study,” must reach 2.000 by its end, and faces any “other conditions” the Committee imposes.
• An F in a required course never leaves the GPA. The retake is mandatory, but “the F remains the official grade and continues to be used in calculating the cumulative grade point average”; the passing retake shows only as CR (Section 202(2)).
• Graduation also takes “at least a C, CR, or S in at least 81 of the credits applied to the degree” (Section 201(2)), so C-minus and D grades can stall a degree above 2.000.

The petition: ten days from the letter’s date, proven by “clear evidence”

Section 303 offers probation in lieu of dismissal, but the Committee may grant it “only if the student demonstrates each of the following by clear evidence”: that the shortfall “was due to extraordinary and compelling circumstances,” and that those circumstances “have been addressed and will no longer interfere with the student’s ability to attain and maintain good academic standing.” It must also “be satisfied that the student has the ability to attain and maintain a grade point average of at least 2.000.” So the petition has three jobs: document the cause, show it is resolved, and lay out a credible path to 2.000, ideally with conditions you propose.

The clock runs from the letter. Petitions “must be received by the Academic Regulations Committee no later than ten days after the date of the communication notifying the student that the student is subject to dismissal”: receipt, not mailing, counted from the letter’s date. The Regulations never define “days,” so count calendar days.

There is no second round. “Decisions of the Academic Regulations Committee on matters arising under Article 300 are final” (Section 305), and no readmission route is published. The Committee may refer a matter to the full faculty “in its sole discretion” (Section 1103(2)). I treat the ten-day petition as the whole case.

During exams: two exits and one trap

• Rescheduling (Section 602) takes “an incapacitating physical or mental condition, the death or serious illness of an immediate family member, or other compelling reason,” shown to the Assistant Dean of Students.
• An Incomplete (Section 605) takes a petition “at least seven days prior to the date set for the completion of all course requirements.”
• The trap (Section 209(2)): withdrawing from the Law School after the last day of classes but before exams end puts every course on the transcript “with a grade of F or, for courses graded S/U, U.”

Raise disability accommodations with the Assistant Dean of Students before exams (Article 1000); a Section 303 petition can only look backward.

What the Regulations leave out: grade review, a hearing, and the lawyer question

No grade appeal is published; Section 802(3) says only to ask the instructor about grading criteria. Section 303 describes a petition, not a meeting. It does not say whether you may appear, bring anyone, or have a lawyer help present it, or whether a student who misses 2.000 at the end of probation may petition again. Ask in writing the day the letter arrives, and use the Law School’s “Request to Review Law School Academic Student File” form to see your file first.

Cheating, plagiarism and AI: the Law School’s Honesty Standard

The Law School writes its own honesty rules into Section 901(2). Unless the instructor directs otherwise, cheating includes notes visible during an exam “whether or not the notes or materials are used”; “Collaborating on an assignment, examination, test, or quiz”; and “Using artificial intelligence writing programs, chatbots, or similar AI-driven technologies not authorized by the course instructor.” Using AI-based legal research tools to conduct research falls outside that rule “unless such use is restricted by the course instructor.”

Plagiarism counts “whether in draft or final product.” Fabrication includes false statements to “University faculty or staff,” so a false answer during the investigation can become a new charge (Section 902(4)(h)). Failing “to disclose material facts on the Law School application form” is also a violation; the Law School’s amendment page explains how to correct an application. Collect the syllabus, any written AI or collaboration instructions, and your drafts first.

The Judicial Committee: a lawyer allowed, silence counted, no appeal

Complaints go to the Dean in writing. The Dean may dismiss one, handle it personally (but “may not impose either suspension or expulsion”), or refer it to the Judicial Committee of three faculty members and two students (Section 902(2)–(3)). As published:

• Counsel: “the accused may be assisted by one other person or represented by counsel of his or her choosing and at his or her own expense” (Section 902(4)(d)).
• No confrontation: the accused lacks “the right to confront any person that the Committee may interview”; a cross-examination hearing happens only if the Committee decides fairness or accuracy requires one (Section 902(4)(g)).
• Silence counts: the Committee “may draw a negative inference from any refusal by the accused to answer questions” (Section 902(4)(f)).
• Withdrawing does not end it: the Committee will, at the Dean’s request, “proceed to complete the investigation” (Section 902(4)(i)).
• Standard: “clear and convincing evidence” (Section 902(4)(j)).

Expulsion is required where the Committee believes the misconduct “is egregious or reflects serious character flaws” suggesting a threat to the Law School’s reputation or to clients, and no one found responsible graduates until the corrective action is done (Section 902(5)). “Decisions of the Judicial Committee, or the Dean in cases in which the Dean exercises the authority given in Section (3), are final”; only Title IX cases carry an appeal (Section 902(6)). Before investigating, the Chair reviews “records of prior cases with similar allegations for non-binding guidance” (Section 902(7)(b)); ask how comparable cases ended.

Conduct outside class: the University’s process has a different lawyer rule

University Student Conduct Code standards “pertain to all students attending Marquette University,” and the Law School’s own standards list “Violating any Law School or University policy or rule” as a violation. The University process differs: a preponderance standard; an adviser, named in writing two working days ahead, who “may not speak for the student”; and an appeal due “five (5) working days after receipt of the written notification” of the decision. Naming “an attorney, a law student or a Law School faculty member” as adviser turns the case into an administrative hearing that University legal counsel may attend. The campus process is on the Marquette University page.

University disciplinary information may go to the student’s “academic college dean,” and a finding of sex discrimination, sexual harassment or related retaliation by the University’s Title IX office is itself a Law School violation the Dean may refer to the Judicial Committee for corrective action (Sections 901(4), 902(3)(c)). The 2024 Title IX rule itself is no longer in force: a federal court vacated it nationwide on January 9, 2025, and the 2020 regulations govern a Title IX case today.

What follows you: the permanent record and the diploma privilege

“Any determination that a student has violated Section 901 shall be noted in the permanent record of the student,” with the corrective action; a dismissed complaint leaves “no notation” (Section 902(7)).

The Board of Bar Examiners says that under the diploma privilege, “graduates of the University of Wisconsin Law School and Marquette University Law School are admitted to the practice of law by complying with the terms of SCR 40.03.” Under Supreme Court Rule 40.03, a graduate of a Wisconsin law school fully approved by the ABA meets the legal competence requirement without a bar exam, on credits the law school certifies to the Board of Bar Examiners.

Character and fitness is the Board’s call. “The board shall certify to the supreme court the character and fitness of qualifying applicants” (SCR 40.06(3)), after “certification from the dean of competence” (Board rule BA 6.05). The Law School feeds that file:

• SCR 40.06(5): the dean has “a continuing duty to report to the board any information reflecting adversely” on an applicant’s character and fitness.
• Marquette: “The Law School submits the Dean’s Certification form to the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners upon students’ graduation,” and the Board’s release form lets it “examine law school records” (BE-270, 2027).
• BA 6.02(b) makes “academic misconduct” cause for further inquiry, and SCR 40.06(3) requires the Board to decline to certify an applicant who “knowingly makes a materially false statement of material fact.”

The Board’s 2027 application asks whether you were ever “placed on academic, social or administrative probation,” which on its face includes Section 304’s automatic probation, and whether, within five years, you “cited physical or mental illness, or an emotional, nervous or behavioral disorder as an explanation for your poor academic or professional performance” (testing and classroom accommodations excluded). A Section 303 petition built on illness is that explanation, and Question 33 also reaches illness cited in a disciplinary matter “as a defense, mitigation or explanation,” so write both for a bar examiner too. The Board adds that “Pending applications must be kept current,” and Marquette’s Certificate of Graduation form authorizes the Law School “to supply any requested Character and Fitness information” to other states’ boards.

If the Board moves toward denial, it sends an “at risk” notice, and the applicant has 30 days from mailing to request a hearing (SCR 40.08(1)–(2)) — a Wisconsin licensing proceeding that calls for Wisconsin counsel.

Marquette is private, so the Regulations are the promise

The Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause binds the states, not a private university. The relationship is contractual. Section 901(1) puts it in writing: “Upon matriculation, each student agrees to abide by the rules of the Law School and the University.” Generally, courts read such terms by the student’s reasonable expectations, defer to genuine academic judgments, and look for arbitrary, capricious or bad-faith action, such as skipping a promised procedure. See breach of contract against universities.

The faculty may amend the Regulations “at any time” (Section 1102), and the August 2026 edition applies “to all students” from August 24, 2026 (Section 1104). Save a dated copy, and ask in writing for any official interpretation of your rule (Section 1101).

Where the governing documents are

Verified as loading on 4 November 2026:

• Academic Regulations, August 2026 Edition (effective August 24, 2026) — law.marquette.edu, with the Academic Regulations page
• Diploma Privilege and Bar Admission; Amending Your Law School Application; Academic and Records Request Forms — bar admission, amendments, forms
• University Student Conduct Procedures and Student Disciplinary Records — procedures, records
• Board of Bar Examiners: admission page, BE-270 filing instructions (2027, rev. 9/26), sample 2027 application (BE-001e, 09/26), Admission FAQs (3/2026) — wicourts.gov, BE-270, sample application, FAQs
• SCR Chapter 40 with the BA rules (amended through 24 March 2026) — wicourts.gov

Not public: the Academic Regulations Committee’s membership and procedures, any petition form, and whether a petitioner may appear or bring anyone; any probation conditions beyond 2.000; the “Law School Corrective Actions” notices (Marquette login); whether a Section 901 notation appears on the transcript; and what the Dean’s Certification says. All are worth requesting in writing.

Related reading

• Law school dismissal and academic standing
• Academic misconduct and honor code cases
• Readmission after dismissal
• Breach of contract against universities
• Marquette University
• Wisconsin student defense

Other Wisconsin schools

Every school writes its own dismissal, appeal and conduct rules, and the deadlines are rarely the same. These pages set out the procedure elsewhere in Wisconsin:

• UW School of Medicine and Public Health — Dismissal & Appeals
• University of Wisconsin Law School — Dismissal & Appeals
• University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing — Dismissal & Appeals
• Medical College of Wisconsin
• Marquette University School of Dentistry — Dismissal & Appeals

Common questions

What GPA gets a Marquette law student dismissed?

For full-time students, a cumulative average below 1.67 after the first semester, 1.900 after the second, or 2.000 after any later semester (Section 301). Part-time students are measured at credit milestones (Section 302).

How long do I have to petition after a dismissal letter?

Ten days from the date of the dismissal communication, and the Committee must receive the petition by then (Section 303). The Regulations do not say calendar or business days, so count calendar days.

Can I appeal if the Committee denies my petition?

No. Section 305 makes the Committee’s Article 300 decisions final, and no readmission route is published. The Committee may refer a matter to the full faculty only in its sole discretion.

Can a lawyer represent me in a Marquette Law misconduct case?

Before the Judicial Committee, yes: Section 902(4)(d) allows counsel of your choosing at your own expense. In the University’s conduct process, an adviser may not speak, and naming an attorney or a law student turns the case into an administrative hearing.

Does academic probation go on the Wisconsin bar application?

Yes, if you apply for admission in Wisconsin. The Board of Bar Examiners’ 2027 application asks whether you were ever placed on academic probation, not only whether you were disciplined, and Section 304 probation is automatic.

Can a lawyer help me prepare the petition?

Yes. A lawyer can help prepare the Section 303 petition or the Judicial Committee response, and the work is handled case by case; a flat-fee Full Read + Game Plan is described on the fees and scope of services page.

This page is informational and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the institution named on it.