Rule 13.1. Waiver of Educational Requirements
Effective August 1, 2026
The Board of Law Examiners may, in its discretion and subject to final approval by the Indiana Supreme Court, waive the educational requirements set forth in Rules 13(1)(a) and 17.1(1)(e). A waiver may be sought by an applicant who, by the date of the bar examination for which the waiver is sought or, for a waiver under Rule 17.1(1)(e), by the date of admission, satisfies one of the following:
(1) The applicant has or will have graduated from a law school located in the United States that is not approved by the ABA; the applicant was or will be eligible upon graduation to take the bar examination in another jurisdiction within the United States; and the Board finds that the applicant is qualified through education or experience to satisfy the applicable educational requirement.
(2) The applicant has or will have completed legal education in a jurisdiction outside the United States; the applicant has or will have obtained a graduate degree (e.g., LL.M. or equivalent) from an ABA-approved law school in a program based on American law; and the Board finds that the applicant is qualified through education or experience to satisfy the applicable educational requirement.
Applicants seeking a waiver must petition the Board in writing, including through any electronic procedures prescribed by the Board, and must submit a nonrefundable waiver-application fee of $250. The petition must include the following materials:
(a) Official transcripts from each undergraduate college or university the applicant attended, reflecting all courses taken, the grade for each course, the number of semester hours of credit earned, and the degree(s) awarded, if any.
(b) Official transcripts from each law school the applicant attended, reflecting all courses taken, the grade for each course, the number of semester hours of credit earned, and the degree(s) awarded, if any.
(c) A narrative statement that includes a description of the applicant’s legal education and training, a description of the applicant’s work history, and reasons why the applicant believes a waiver is warranted with respect to the applicable educational requirement.
(d) Information showing the number of graduates from the applicant’s law school(s) who passed the bar examination and the number who failed, classified by the jurisdiction administering the examination, for each of the last three years.
(e) A statement indicating whether the applicant has applied to take the bar examination in any other jurisdiction, the result of that application, and the results of any bar examination taken by the applicant.
(f) For applicants who have completed legal education outside the United States, a description of that country’s legal system, including, but not limited to, whether the English common law substantially forms the basis of that country’s jurisprudence and whether English is the language of instruction and practice in the courts of that jurisdiction.
(g) Any other documentation, material, or information the applicant believes is relevant to establish that the applicant is qualified through education or experience to satisfy the applicable educational requirement.
Any document submitted to the Board that is not in the English language must be translated into English. The Board may request additional information or material as it deems necessary, and no material submitted to the Board will be returned to the applicant. The Board should grant a waiver when doing so would be in the public interest after balancing all relevant factors, including the applicant’s educational history and achievement, the applicant's work history and achievement, bar examination results from other jurisdictions (if applicable), the applicant's desire to practice law in Indiana, and the applicant's familiarity with the American legal system.
A waiver granted under this rule for the educational requirement set forth in Rule 13(1)(a) applies only to the bar examination for which the applicant has timely applied, or, if none, the next bar examination for which the applicant may timely apply after the waiver is approved. The waiver does not carry forward to any later examination and does not apply to any reexamination. An applicant who does not sit for that examination, or who sits for and fails that examination, must obtain a new waiver before being permitted to sit for a later examination or reexamination.
A waiver granted under this rule for the educational requirement set forth in Rule 17.1(1)(e) applies only to the application for admission by transferred UBE score for which the waiver is sought and does not carry forward to any later application.