The Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners (BBE) is tasked with certifying all qualified candidates for practice. Application instructions and materials are found here. The application opens in early October for the following year. 

•  Review the application deadlines carefully to avoid paying a higher fee to apply.
   
  

  A table demonstrating the reduced fee and final deadlines for May, August, and December graduates

  Month of Graduation	Reduced fee deadline	Final deadline
  May	mid-December	Beginning of July
  August	mid-March	Beginning of October
  December	mid-July	Beginning of February

• Note that if the final deadline is missed, students forfeit the opportunity to apply for Diploma Privilege and will have to sit for the bar to practice in Wisconsin.

The application process will take time, so begin as soon as possible. Applicants are asked to provide character references, employment verification, driving abstracts, and criminal history; follow-up items may be requested as well, depending on where a person has lived or worked. Be especially vigilant in checking email for any required follow-up.

• Applicants request their official transcripts following these instructions. These are NOT provided by the Law School.
• The Registrar will arrange for and provide the Dean's Certificate. 

Staff from the BBE visit each fall to answer questions and provide guidance, so reviewing the required material before this visit is essential.

Swearing-In Before the Wisconsin Supreme Court

All candidates for Diploma Privilege who have been vetted and approved by the BBE must be formally admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin. To faciliate this process, the Law School arranges for a group swearing-in ceremony held at the end of May for May graduates and in January for December graduates. Due to the small number of August graduates, there is no group swearing-in ceremony so arrangements are made directly with the court.

Instructions for this event will be provided by the BBE in conjunction with the Law School and communicated to all eligible candidates.

Any candidate who is unable to attend a group ceremony will be contacted by the BBE and provided information about alternative dates.

Students seeking early admission to the bar should contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs well before the last day of classes for the regular semester to discuss the process.