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Score transfers and multistate practice · updated September 24, 2026

UBE Score Transfer, Reciprocity, and Admission on Motion: How to Get Licensed in More Than One State

How to move a UBE score, what score transfer costs and requires, the difference between transfer, reciprocity and admission on motion, NextGen transfers, and what remains after a transfer. A UBE score can be transferred to another UBE jurisdiction if you earned it in one administration in one jurisdiction and it meets the receiving jurisdiction's minimum and age limit. Admission on motion is a different route for lawyers with years of practice. Each jurisdiction sets its own rules, and character review still applies. A portable UBE score requires you to take all three parts, the MEE, MPT and MBE, in the same UBE jurisdiction in the same administration. Each jurisdiction sets its own passing score, which applies to those who sit there and those who transfer in, and sets how old a transferred score may be. Each jurisdiction also runs its own character review.

01

What NCBE says about transfers

02

Minimum scores and age limits

NCBE lists 41 UBE jurisdictions, and their minimum passing scores run from 260 to 270 on the 400-point scale: 8 set 260, Indiana 264, 13 set 266, Michigan 268 and 18 set 270. A 266 meets the minimum in 22 of the 41, and a 270 in all of them. NCBE says a receiving jurisdiction accepts a transferred score that meets its own standard whether or not the score passed in the state where you sat.

The age limit is the second filter. Seventeen jurisdictions allow three years, ten allow five, six list both three and five years, and the shortest are North Dakota and Rhode Island at two years and Alabama at 25 months. The table below gives both numbers for every UBE jurisdiction.

Minimum UBE score and maximum age of a transferred score, by UBE jurisdiction (NCBE, 2026)
JurisdictionMinimum passing UBE scoreMaximum age of a transferred score
Alabama26025 months
Alaska2705 years
Arizona2705 years
Arkansas2703 years
Colorado2703 years, or 5 years
Connecticut2665 years
District of Columbia2665 years
Idaho26637 months
Illinois2664 years
Indiana2645 years
Iowa2602 years, or 5 years
Kansas2665 years
Kentucky2665 years
Maine2703 years
Maryland2663 years
Massachusetts2703 years
Michigan2683 years
Minnesota2603 years
Missouri2605 years
Montana2663 years
Nebraska2703 years
New Hampshire2703 years, or 5 years
New Jersey2663 years
New Mexico2603 years
New York2663 years
North Carolina2703 years
North Dakota2602 years
Ohio2705 years
Oklahoma2603 years
Oregon2703 years
Pennsylvania27030 months
Rhode Island2702 years
South Carolina2663 years
Tennessee2703 years, or 5 years
Texas2705 years
Utah2603 years, or 5 years
Vermont2703 years, or 5 years
Virgin Islands2663 years
Washington26640 months
West Virginia2703 years
Wyoming2703 years, or 5 years
03

How to apply

You ask NCBE to send your score transcript, then file an application with the receiving jurisdiction and pay its fee. New York's Board, for example, lists $250 for a JD from an approved school and $750 for foreign study, plus NCBE's $25 for each transcript, and asks for the transfer application at least 30 days before the score ages out. Start the character review early.

04

After failing in the first state

A failing score is unlikely to meet a receiving jurisdiction's minimum, unless that state's minimum is lower than the passing score where you sat. Some candidates pass in a state with a lower cut score and transfer to another that accepts it, and others take a second exam. Check each state's rule before choosing where to sit.

05

NextGen and legacy transfers

Because NextGen uses a different scale, jurisdictions set their own rules on accepting NextGen scores and legacy scores, and on which administrations they accept. Ask in writing before relying on a transfer across the two forms.

06

Reciprocity and admission on motion

Reciprocity and admission on motion let a lawyer licensed elsewhere and with a set number of years of practice, often about three to five, be admitted without taking the exam. Requirements vary a great deal, and some states admit only from certain other states. A few use an attorneys' examination, a shorter test for experienced lawyers.

07

What still applies

A transfer does not waive the receiving jurisdiction's character review, MPRE score rules, local law courses or fees. Plan for a local component, if any.

08

Keeping more than one license

Each license has its own registration, continuing legal education and fees. Keep track of each state's renewal and reporting rules.

QUICK ANSWERS

Common questions

Can I transfer my UBE score to any state?+

Only to UBE jurisdictions that accept it. Each sets its own minimum score and age limit for transferred scores, and each requires its own character review.

Is admission on motion the same as score transfer?+

No. Score transfer uses a UBE score, and admission on motion is for lawyers licensed elsewhere who have practiced a set number of years, generally without any exam.

Do I need character and fitness approval again in another state?+

Yes. NCBE notes that each receiving jurisdiction requires applicants to complete its own character and fitness approval process, even when your exam score transfers.

YOUR NEXT MOVE

What to do next

  1. 1

    Check the target state's minimum score and time limit before choosing where to sit.

  2. 2

    Ask about NextGen and legacy acceptance in writing.

  3. 3

    Start the receiving state's character review early.

SOURCE DESK

Primary and official sources

NCBE UBE score portability↗NCBE Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements↗Bar exam retake rules and switching states↗State requirements↗