Indiana Rules for Admission to the Bar and the Discipline of Attorneys

Rule 13. Educational Requirements for Admission by Examination

Effective August 1, 2026

Section 1. Educational Qualifications

Each applicant for admission to the Indiana bar by written examination must establish to the satisfaction of the Board of Law Examiners that the applicant:

(a) Has obtained a JD degree (or its equivalent) from a law school located in the United States that at the time of the applicant’s graduation was on the approved list of the Council of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar of the American Bar Association, unless the requirement is waived under Rule 13.1. (The Indiana Supreme Court reserves the right to disapprove any school regardless of ABA approval.);

(b) Has satisfactorily completed the law course required for graduation and furnishes to the Board a certificate from the dean of the law school (or the dean’s designee) that the applicant will receive a JD degree (or its equivalent) as a matter of course at a future date, under Rule 15; and

(c) Has completed two cumulative semester hours of legal ethics or professional responsibility in law school.

Section 2. Early Examination Rule

An applicant who has fewer than five hours to complete and is within 100 days of graduating from an ABA-approved law school may take the examination if the applicant has satisfactorily passed work in the subject matter as set forth in Section 1 and has otherwise completed all requirements for admission to the Indiana bar, but may not be admitted to the Indiana bar until the applicant has met all other requirements for admission and has graduated from an ABA-approved law school.

Section 3. Certification of Educational Qualifications

The law school dean (or the dean’s designee) shall certify an applicant’s completion of the subject-matter requirements under this rule and must file such certification with the Board at least twenty days before the examination.