UBE Jurisdictions: List, Highest scores, Lowest scores, Transfer Deadline

Law students across America face one critical decision: which jurisdiction to pursue bar admission in. UBE jurisdictions have transformed bar exam practice by enabling portable scores across participating states. The uniform bar examination UBE connects examinees to multiple admission pathways through a single standardized test. This article addresses the most important questions about UBE jurisdictions, admission requirements, and passing score thresholds. Brieflex.ai helps law students navigate these complexities using an AI learning system built for bar exam practice. Understanding how each jurisdiction operates helps you study smarter, target the right state, and maximize your portable score potential.

What are the UBE Jurisdictions?

The UBE jurisdictions are the 41 jurisdictions that currently administer the bar examination UBE in the USA. According to NCBE, these include 39 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each jurisdiction adopts the examination UBE under National Conference of Bar Examiners oversight.

The uniform bar examination UBE includes three components:

Multistate Bar Examination (MBE): A 200-question multiple-choice examination
Multistate Essay Examination (MEE): A written essay examination covering subject matter including civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, property, torts, evidence, and family law
Multistate Performance Test (MPT): A performance test assessing practical legal skills

Each component tests civil procedure, conflict of laws, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, and procedure, evidence, and family law subjects. The subject matter outline is standardized across all participating jurisdictions.

Is there a List of UBE Jurisdictions?

Yes, a list of UBE jurisdictions exists and includes all 41 participating states and territories. As reported by NCBE, Missouri, Alabama, and North Dakota were the first UBE jurisdictions in 2011.

Jurisdiction	Minimum Passing Score	Transfer Accepted
Alabama	260	Yes
Alaska	270	Yes
Arizona	270	Yes
Colorado	270	Yes
District of Columbia	266	Yes
Idaho	270	Yes
Maryland	266	Yes
Michigan	268	Yes
Minnesota	260	Yes
Missouri	260	Yes
New Hampshire	270	Yes
New Jersey	266	Yes
New Mexico	260	Yes
New York	266	Yes
North Carolina	270	Yes
North Dakota	260	Yes
South Carolina	266	Yes
Texas	270	Yes
West Virginia	270	Yes

The most recent additions include Michigan in 2023, Pennsylvania in 2022, and Indiana and Oklahoma in 2021. Each jurisdiction maintains its own bar admission requirements beyond the UBE score itself.

Which States Currently Administer the UBE?

The states that currently administer the UBE number 39, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As indicated by NCBE 2024 statistics, more than 48,000 examinees took the bar examination across these 41 jurisdictions.

The current UBE states include:

South: Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia
Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma
Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
West: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Territories: District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands
Pennsylvania adopted the UBE in July 2022.

Each state still enforces jurisdiction-specific bar admission rules. The UBE may not replace all local requirements in every participating state.

What is the Highest UBE Jurisdiction Score?

The highest UBE jurisdiction minimum passing score is 270, required by 19 jurisdictions. As noted by JD Advising using NCBE data, these high-threshold jurisdictions include Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas.

The full list of 270-score jurisdictions includes:

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado
Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska
New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon
Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont
Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

Passing Score	Number of Jurisdictions	Example States
270	19	Texas, Ohio, Washington
268	1	Michigan
266	11	New York, New Jersey, Maryland
264	1	Indiana
260	7	Alabama, Missouri, Minnesota

A portable score of 270 grants the most transfer flexibility. Bar exam practice targeting 270 unlocks the maximum number of admission pathways across UBE jurisdictions.

Which UBE Jurisdictions have the Lowest Minimum Passing Score?

The UBE jurisdictions with the lowest minimum passing score require 260 points. Per JD Advising and NCBE data, seven jurisdictions set this threshold: Alabama, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Utah.

Oklahoma’s minimum passing score of 260 became effective on July 1, 2024. As reported by NCBE, this change lowered Oklahoma’s previous cut score threshold. These jurisdictions offer accessible entry for examinees who fall below the 266 or 270 thresholds:

Alabama: 260 – strong option for examinees in the Southeast
Minnesota: 260 – accepts score transfers from other UBE jurisdictions
Missouri: 260 – one of the original UBE jurisdictions since 2011
New Mexico: 260 – active UBE jurisdiction in the Southwest
North Dakota: 260 – original adopter alongside Missouri and Alabama
Oklahoma: 260 – lowered threshold effective July 2024
Utah: 260 – reported the highest July 2025 state pass rate at 86%

Which UBE Jurisdictions have the Shortest Score Transfer Deadline?

The UBE jurisdictions with the shortest score transfer deadline enforce strict windows that examinees must monitor carefully. As stated by NCBE, 11,082 UBE scores were transferred in 2024 alone. Transfer deadlines vary significantly by jurisdiction.

Jurisdiction	Transfer Window	Score Validity Period
New York	3 years from exam date	Limited validity
Texas	Varies by admission type	Tied to character review
Maryland	No specific public cap	Based on application cycle
Colorado	Jurisdiction-specific	Aligned with admission cycle

A portable score no longer remains valid once a jurisdiction’s window closes. Examinees must file bar admission applications promptly after earning their UBE score. Brieflex.ai helps students track deadlines using an AI-based bar exam practice system.

Yes, UBE jurisdictions share the same administration schedule for the bar examination. As confirmed by NCBE, the UBE may be administered in February and July each year across all participating jurisdictions.

The shared schedule provides two testing windows:

February bar examination: Lower volume; the February 2025 exam recorded 19,645 takers with a 47% pass rate
July bar examination: Higher volume; the July 2025 exam recorded 47,797 takers with a 69% pass rate

Both windows deliver the same uniform bar examination UBE content and subject matter outline. Examinees may sit in any UBE jurisdiction during either administration period. The National Conference of Bar Examiners coordinates this synchronized scheduling across all 41 jurisdictions.

How does NCBE Oversight Differ Between UBE Jurisdictions?

NCBE oversight does not differ substantially between UBE jurisdictions in terms of exam content. As per NCBE documentation, the National Conference of Bar Examiners develops the examination uniformly for all adopting jurisdictions. Each jurisdiction administers the examination developed from NCBE-created materials locally.

NCBE Function	Uniform Across Jurisdictions	Jurisdiction-Controlled
MBE development	Yes	No
MEE subject matter outline	Yes	No
Performance test prompts	Yes	No
Minimum passing scores	No	Yes
Admission requirements	No	Yes

Individual jurisdictions retain authority over passing scores and bar admission criteria. NCBE does not set cut scores for any jurisdiction. The U.S. Virgin Islands and District of Columbia follow the same NCBE oversight model as all other UBE jurisdictions.

Do UBE Jurisdictions have Different Jurisdiction-Specific Requirements?

Yes, UBE jurisdictions have different jurisdiction-specific requirements beyond the bar examination score. As noted by NCBE, each jurisdiction controls its own bar admission standards independently. These requirements extend well beyond a passing UBE score.

Common jurisdiction-specific requirements include:

Character and fitness review: All jurisdictions require this for bar admission
Law school graduation: Most require a degree from an ABA-approved institution; in 2024, 4% of examinees attended non-ABA schools with only a 23% pass rate
Jurisdiction-specific components: Some states require additional local law courses or tests
Application deadlines: Each state sets its own bar admission timeline
Residency rules: Some jurisdictions impose specific residency or registration criteria
Continuing education: Post-admission requirements vary by jurisdiction

Indiana requires 264 as its cut score and enforces its own specific admission timeline. Michigan sets 268 and introduced UBE adoption in February 2023. No two jurisdictions share identical jurisdiction-specific requirements.

How does Uniform Adoption affect Studying across UBE Jurisdictions?

Uniform adoption significantly affects how examinees study across UBE jurisdictions by standardizing testable content. According to NCBE 2024 facts and figures, 48,579 UBE scores were earned and 7,899 candidates secured bar admission through a transferred UBE score. This portability rewards strategic, focused bar exam practice.

The examination UBE covers a single integrated subject matter outline. That outline spans civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, evidence, family law, property, and torts. Examinees study this material once for use across all 41 jurisdictions.

The subject matter outline is structured around six core content streams:

Civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law: Core doctrine tested on every MBE and MEE
Civil procedure, conflict of laws, constitutional law: Procedural and multi-jurisdictional analysis topics
Conflict of laws, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law: Cross-cutting doctrines requiring integrated analysis
Constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, procedure: Foundational areas with high MEE frequency
Procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, property, torts: Comprehensive coverage across MBE subject categories
Civil procedure, conflict of laws: Procedural analysis with cross-border application

Uniform adoption creates these specific study advantages:

Single subject matter outline: Examinees study civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, evidence, family law, property, and torts once
Portable score strategy: Examinees target jurisdictions aligned with their score after one sitting
Efficient bar exam practice: One study plan applies across all 41 UBE jurisdictions
Score transfer opportunity: 7,899 candidates used transferred scores for bar admission in 2024

The information available from NCBE confirms that uniform adoption has expanded admission access nationwide. Brieflex.ai uses this information to build targeted bar exam practice plans for each subject area. Examinees who master the full outline gain maximum portable score flexibility.

How Do First-Time and Repeat Takers Compare on the MBE?

First-time takers outperform repeat takers dramatically on the MBE, with national first-time pass rates of approximately 69% versus 33% for repeat examinees in 2016. The performance gap reflects both preparedness differences and the psychological burden repeat takers carry into subsequent administrations. As reported by the NCBE’s 2016 Statistics, in New York specifically, first-time takers passed at approximately 71% while repeat takers passed at approximately 30%, a gap exceeding 40 percentage points.

ABA-approved school first-time takers demonstrate the strongest outcomes, achieving a 73% national pass rate compared to 38% for ABA-approved school repeaters. Non-ABA school graduates who repeat the examination pass at only 19%, reinforcing that institutional background and initial preparation quality drive long-term MBE outcomes. Based on NCBE 2016 Statistics data, the 24,076 repeat takers nationally in 2016 passed at a rate roughly half that of the 50,016 first-time examinees sitting that same year.

First-Time vs. Repeat Taker Pass Rates (2016)

Examinee Category	Pass Rate	Total Examinees
All first-time takers	69%	50,016
All repeat takers	33%	24,076
ABA first-time takers	73%	44,879
ABA repeat takers	38%	18,221
Non-ABA takers (all)	18%	3,011
International graduates	30%	6,977

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