Posted: March 11, 2025
FEE INCREASE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS BEGINNING MARCH 15, 2025
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has increased the fees for all applications made to the Maine Board of Bar Examiners. The amendment to the Maine Bar Admission Rules can be found at the following link: 2025_mr_01_bar_admission_2025-03-07.pdf
This increase will take effect for all applications received for the July 2025 Maine Bar Exam, and all applications for Admission by Motion and UBE Score Transfer that arrive in the office beginning on March 15, 2025. The new fees that will begin on March 15, 2025 are as follows:
- Maine Bar Exam Application Fees:
- Applicants Never Admitted in Any Jurisdiction or Admitted in Another Jurisdiction for Less than One Year – $800
- Applicants Admitted in Another Jurisdiction for One Year or More: $900 (plus NCBE Character and Fitness Application fee paid directly to NCBE)
- Admission by Motion Application Fee: $1000 (plus NCBE Character and Fitness Application fee paid directly to NCBE)
- UBE ScoreTransfer Application Fees:
- Applicants Seeking Admission Pursuant to Rule 11B Not Admitted in Another Jurisdiction for a Year or More: $900
- Applicants Seeking Admission Pursuant to Rule 11B Admitted in Another Jurisdiction for a Year or More: $1000 (plus the NCBE Character and Fitness Application fee paid directly to NCBE)
Posted: January 23, 2025
JULY 2028 ADOPTION OF NEXTGEN BAR EXAM
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the Maine Board of Bar Examiners have announced that it will begin administering the NCBE NextGen Bar Exam beginning in July 2028. More information, including changes to bar admission rules, will be posted to this website once it becomes available.
MPRE Score Requirement
On October 4, 2022, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court amended Rule 11 to state the following:
An applicant for admission by examination must have taken and obtained a passing score on the MPRE within 15 years prior to the date on which the applicant is admitted.
The amendment to this rule means that an MPRE Score is no longer required in order for an applicant to apply and sit for the Maine Bar Exam.
Posted: March 28, 2023
As of today’s date, applicants who are submitting applications through the applicant portal for the upcoming exam are able to save a draft of their application prior to submitting their application to our office for consideration.
Here is the important information to know:
- All applications filed today and all future applications will have the ability to save their application and go back to it at a later time to complete it.
- Each time the applicant clicks “Next (Save as Draft)”, it will save the information entered on that page and move to the next page.
- An applicant should only hit the “Complete” button on the last page when they are ready to submit the application to our office for review.
- The status of the application will say “Draft” on the applicant’s home page until the applicant finalizes the application.
If an applicant has previously submitted an application prior to today and did not complete their application, please do not complete a new application. The applicant should contact our office through the applicant portal so that we can reopen their application for completion.
Posted: March 24, 2023
Frequently Asked Questions – School Certifications and Official Transcripts
MAINE BAR APPLICATIONS
When applying for admission to the Maine Bar through examination, Admission by Motion or UBE Score Transfer, please make sure to submit the most recent application. Older versions of applications will not be accepted.
CHANGE IN MAINE UBE CUT SCORE
In accordance with Maine Bar Admissions Rule 10(c)(3), the Maine Board of Bar Examiners, at its January 2020 Board meeting, set the passing scaled score for future bar examinations at 270. This new passing score will be effective starting with the February 2020 Bar Examination. This change is prospective only.