Student Resources
Bar Admission
For additional information on the Illinois Bar Exam, please visit the Illinois Board Admissions to the Bar Website at www.ibaby.org.
To register on-line for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, or for web sites for the Board of Admissions in other states, go to www.ncbex.org. MPRE forms also are available from the office of student affairs.
Every state has its own rules governing admission to the bar. Students are advised to contact the state(s) in which they plan to practice, with the exception of Illinois, for the information and forms that must be filed to take the bar exam in those states. Students will have to provide certification from the College of Law that they graduated in good academic standing and received their degrees. To obtain certification, students must file a written request (including all necessary forms and deadlines) with the Assistant Dean of Students.
Students are advised to begin this process as early in their final semester of law school as possible to ensure that any deadlines can be met.
Students should be aware the committees on Character and Fitness in all states inquire about a student's background both before and during law school. Students are generally asked to provide detailed information about:
Illinois Bar Exam
The State of Illinois gives a first-year law student the opportunity to register as a potential applicant, at a substantial cost savings, if the student applies before March 1 of the first year. Forms are available for first-year students each January in Room 931. Students will also be asked to provide references. Many states now require students to file a sworn affidavit that he or she is not now, and never has been in arrears or default in the repayment of any loans, including educational loans. Non-disclosure of any information may be considered a separate ground for rejection when the student applies for admission to the bar.
Regardless of whether an applicant for admission to the Illinois Bar files during the first year, all student must submit a second set of Illinois Bar admission forms in the year they plan to graduate. Submission deadlines are September 1 for the following February bar examination and February 1 for the following July bar examination. The College of Law automatically files Dean's Certificates to certify DePaul graduates for the Illinois Bar as soon as they graduate.
Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination
Most states also require applicants to take the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) in addition to the regular bar examination. The MPRE is offered in August, November and March of each year. The MPRE must be taken in the same academic year in which a student graduates. Earlier scores will not be accepted. In most cases, the August exam, before a June graduation, is the earliest time applicants can take the MPRE. Forms are available from the the office of student affairs.
