Rhode Island bar exam: dates, fees and scores

Rhode Island filing windows for each route

Rhode Island uses filing windows with no late provision. Under Rule 1, admission on examination, the February exam window is October 1 to December 1 and the July exam window is March 1 to May 1. Under Rule 1A, for attorneys admitted in other states taking the exam, the windows are July 1 to September 1 for February and December 1 to February 1 for July. A deadline that falls on a weekend or a state holiday moves to the next Monday or business day.

Rule 1B, admission on a transferred UBE score, is accepted on a rolling basis, but the filing date decides when the applicant can be admitted. A petition filed by January 2 makes the applicant eligible for admission in April, and one filed by June 2 makes the applicant eligible in September. Later petitions are held for the next cycle. The applicant needs a complete file, Board of Bar Examiners approval, and a recommendation from the Committee on Character and Fitness. The staff is not permitted to interpret the rules.

Source: Admission to the Rhode Island Bar ↗

Rhode Island fees, filed through the RISCAP portal

A petition for admission costs $975 under Rule 1, Rule 1A and Rule 1B. A renewed petition or a petition to reapply under Rules 1 and 1A costs $975 to reapply, and a deferral costs $300. Rule 1 applicants also pay a $30 NCBE application processing fee and a $25 MBE transfer fee, and Rule 1A and Rule 1B applicants pay an NCBE character report fee. All fees are nonrefundable and nontransferrable.

Petitions and fees go through the Rhode Island Supreme Court Attorney Portal, which accepts fees only by e-check or by Visa, Discover or Mastercard. The portal is run by Tyler Technologies, and the Court tells applicants with technical problems to use the portal's support line instead of contacting the Bar Administrator. NCBE hosts the NCBE application portion of the petition, conducts character investigations and transfers UBE and MPRE scores.

Results and swearing-in in Rhode Island

The results release date is announced at the exam, and a list of passing applicants is posted on the Judiciary's website. Applicants are also notified through a change of application status in their portal account and by an official results letter mailed to the address on the application. Only the official letter includes scoring information.

Swearing-in is a formal in-person group ceremony in the Supreme Court courtroom at the Licht Judicial Complex, 250 Benefit Street in Providence. The dates and times assigned are firm, applicants report to the Clerk's Office 15 minutes early with photo identification, and seating in the courtroom is limited and first-come, first-served.

Rhode Island's pass rates by exam, February 2020 to February 2026

With each pass list the Rhode Island Board of Bar Examiners prints a five-year table of pass rates, and putting the February 2026 and July 2024 lists together covers thirteen exams from February 2020 to February 2026. The Board gives a percentage only, with no head count, so the table below shows its figures as published.

The February exam is the hard one. Its rate was 40% to 65% across the seven February exams, and the lowest was 40% in February 2022. The July exam ranged from 60% (July 2022) to 77% (July 2021), and every July after 2020 was at least 60%. The most recent exam, February 2026, passed 58%, above the February 2025 rate of 54%.

Passing is not admission. The Board's lists say a passer must be certified by the Committee on Character and Fitness, take the attorney oath, and register with the Supreme Court before being admitted. Names on the lists marked with an asterisk are attorney admission candidates under the Board's rules.

Source: Rhode Island Board of Bar Examiners: February 2026 pass list and five-year pass rate statistics ↗