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Utah Bar Admissions

UTAH STATE BAR Bar Operations & Admissions
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February 2024 Bar Exam Dates and Location


The February 2024 Bar Examination will be held on February 27th and 28th at the Law and Justice Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. More information on the exam will be sent in the coming months to applicants eligible to take the exam. 

October 2023 Admissions Ceremony


The October 2023 Admissions Ceremony for new attorneys will be held on October 27, 2023. Details on the ceremony will be emailed to those who are eligible to take the Oath of Attorney.  

July 2023 Bar Examination Results Released



Utah Bar Exam Passing Score Lowered


On June 28, 2023, the Utah Supreme Court approved changes to Rule 14-711 and 14-712 of the Supreme Court Rules of Professional Practice. These changes, effective immediately, lower the required passing score on the Bar Examination in Utah from 270 to 260. This change is not retroactive and applies to examinees -either in Utah or those who want to transfer a UBE score- taking the July 2023 Bar Examination and future examinations. The required passing score in Utah prior to the July 2023 administration remains at 270.

To see the full text of the rules with the changes, please go to utcourts.gov.


Character and Fitness Investigations


Beginning August 1, 2022, all applicants for admission to the Utah State Bar will be required to request a character and fitness report from the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). The investigation and preparation of the report by the NCBE is subject to an additional fee that applicants will pay to the NCBE directly. Those fees are outlined here. 

 

This decision was made primarily in an effort satisfy the Office of Admissions’ duty of confidentiality set forth in Rule 14-720. Use of the NCBE’s investigative services will improve the security of sensitive personal information that applicants must provide on an application for admission to the Bar. The NCBE has proven its dedication to maintaining the highest standards of privacy and confidentiality, which extends to the information gathered during character and fitness investigations.  

 

In addition to the security benefits, the Office of Admissions expects this transition will significantly improve office efficiency. This will benefit applicants by decreasing the time process applications and will make the process of applying for admission to the Utah State Bar less burdensome for applicants and Bar staff alike. 

 

Thank you, 

 

Office of Admissions

Utah State Bar


New Application Process in Utah


PLEASE READ THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE STARTING A NEW APPLICATION

The Utah State Bar has implemented new procedures to streamline the application process. Applicants are no longer required to submit the following with their application:

  • FBI criminal background check/verification of request
  • Dean's Certificate
  • Character Reference forms
  • Driver's History
  • Civil case documents
  • Criminal case documents
  • Traffic citations
  • Certificates of Good Standing (attorneys only)
  • Disciplinary Histories (attorneys only)

Please refer to the General Application Instructions for the type of application you will be filing, which can be found on the Information & Applications page. 


MPRE


Every applicant to the Utah State Bar must earn a score of at least 86 on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examinations ("MPRE"). The MPRE is usually administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners ("NCBE) three times a year in March, August, and November. Seats are limited, so please contact the NCBE and register for the MPRE as soon as possible.