Updated: Aug. 20, 2024

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

March 15, 2024: The Washington Supreme Court issued an order reducing the minimum UBE passing score in Washington from 270-266 for all bar exams administered from July 2020 forward, including examinations already administered in February 2023, July 2023 and February 2024.  The minimum passing score of 266 applies equally to UBE Score Transfers under APR 3(d).

October 2020 Remote Exam Score Transfers: March 5, 2021: The Court has authorized the WSBA to accept October 2020 remote exam scores from UBE jurisdictions for purpose of admission to Washington. The score transfer is limited to those applicants who received a JD from an ABA approved law school and can only be transferred from jurisdictions that were UBE jurisdictions at the time of the October exam.

Transferring a Uniform Bar Exam Score

 

You can take the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) in any state and transfer a qualifying score to Washington to use in the admission process, for up to 40 months after the date of the administration of the UBE in which the score was earned.  Washington's qualifying score is 266 starting with the July 2020 Bar Exam; You also must meet the qualifications for the lawyer bar examination under Washington Supreme Court APR 3(b) in order to qualify for admission in Washington using a transferred UBE score.

You have 12 months from the date you submit your application for admission by UBE score transfer to complete the admission process using that application, including ensuring that Washington has received your qualifying UBE score.  If you are not admitted within that 12-month period, you will be required to submit a new application and fee.  Because of this, some applicants may want to wait to submit their UBE score transfer application until they know they have earned a qualifying score.

 

Washington accepts only official UBE-score transcripts in their entirety. We do not accept score transfers for the individual test components, nor do we allow applicants to register for select parts of the exam.

The qualifying Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) score must be acquired no more than three years before or no later than 40 months after the date of the administration of the UBE in which the applicant achieves a passing score (APR 4(d)(2)).

Contact the NCBE to make a request for official UBE and MPRE transcripts.

Requirements for UBE Transfer

UBE transfer applicants may submit a completed application at anytime. Eligibility require applicants to:

    • have a qualifying UBE transfer score at the time of application;
    • apply in Washington as a UBE-score transfer applicant and in another UBE jurisdiction to take the UBE (Required: Please inform us in your application of the state where you are taking the UBE), with the intent of transferring a qualifying score from that exam to Washington. Any application for admission by UBE score transfer expires 12 months after filing the Washington application.
    • NOTE: You may not apply for admission in Washington simultaneously as both an applicant to take the exam in Washington and an applicant seeking to transfer a UBE score to Washington. Choose one or the other.

    For UBE transfer applicants licensed in other jurisdictions, application approval takes approximately four to six months from submittal.

    For applicants who have never been admitted in another jurisdiction, it takes approximately two to three months from the time an application is submitted for the application to be approved, assuming Washington has received the qualifying transferred UBE and MPRE scores.

    Once the application is approved, applicants will receive email notification.

    Note: You have one year from the date of submitting your UBE score transfer application to complete the admission process (APR 5(e)(1)), which includes ensuring Washington has received your transferred qualifying UBE score. After one year, you will need to submit a new application and fee, and the 12-month period to complete the process will start running again. You may withdraw your application at any time subject to a $400 nonrefundable administrative fee. Fees paid to the NCBE also are nonrefundable.

    Questions about transferring a UBE score to Washington should be directed to admissions@wsba.org or 206-727-8209.

    Please Note :

    All applicants are subject to a character and fitness review prior to being admitted to practice law in Washington. Factors considered by Admissions staff and Regulatory Counsel when determining whether an applicant should be referred to the Character and Fitness Board are set forth in Admission and Practice Rule APR 20–24.3.

    Any discrepancy or conflict between the information provided here and the rules and regulations set by the Washington Supreme Court, or the Bylaws and policies of the Washington State Bar Association, is unintentional and will be resolved in favor of strict compliance with the rules, regulations, Bylaws and policies.