How Do You Get Admitted to the Alabama Bar?

The Alabama State Bar Admissions Office handles bar admission, under the Rules Governing Admission to the Alabama State Bar.

The admission rules have been changed by Alabama Supreme Court order: one from May 14, 2026 covers NextGen score transfer, and another effective January 1, 2027 sets a five-attempt limit on the exam.

Our research did not confirm whether admitted lawyers must hold an annual license from the Alabama State Bar, or what it would cost; check with the Alabama State Bar.

Alabama gives the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) — the MEE, MPT and MBE — and has since July 2011, when it became one of the first UBE jurisdictions.

A total scaled score of 260 or higher passes the Alabama bar exam.

From January 1, 2027, exam eligibility no longer depends on ABA accreditation.

Graduates of Alabama's five law schools may sit, and so may graduates of law schools located elsewhere in the United States whose graduates are eligible to take the bar exam in the state, territory or District of Columbia where the school is located (the order describes a three-year resident program).

The same court order limits attempts: applicants may take the Alabama bar exam five times, counted from July 2026, and attempts before July 2026 do not count.

Through December 31, 2026, the earlier rule with no attempt cap still applies.

Alabama requires an MPRE scaled score of 75 or higher before admission.

For exam applicants, the score may not be earned more than 36 months before the bar exam they pass; an applicant who passes the bar exam but not the MPRE has 36 months to pass it.

The Committee on Character and Fitness of the Alabama State Bar certifies applicants, and Alabama participates in NCBE character and fitness investigations for some application types.

Our research did not establish how the Committee weighs individual histories, so questions about a specific record belong with the Committee and the Admissions Office.

Yes, two ways.

UBE score transfer: Alabama accepts a transferred UBE score of 260 or higher earned in a single administration, and the score must be transferred and the Committee on Character and Fitness certification received within 36 months of the exam.

Admission without examination (reciprocity): active practice of law for five of the six years before applying, in a reciprocal home jurisdiction, plus an MPRE score of 75.

Reciprocity applicants must also live in Alabama or certify that at least 75% of their practice time will be conducted in the state, and keep an office there.

Either route costs $875 plus NCBE investigation costs, and every applicant — exam or transfer — also completes the online course on Alabama law.

The bar exam application fee is $575 for first-time applicants (as of October 2026); applicants previously admitted or applying elsewhere also pay NCBE character-investigation costs, and applicants who never filed the required law student registration owe a $250 law student non-registration fee.

Deadlines are October 1 for the February exam and February 1 for the July exam, with no late filing period.

Laptop registration costs $107, or $157 if registered late, per NCBE's Comprehensive Guide.

On the July 2026 exam, 548 examinees sat and 51.64% passed overall; first-time examinees passed at 77.51%, while first-time graduates of Alabama's in-state non-accredited schools passed at 16% (4 of 25).

Results were released September 25, 2026.

Alabama plans to give its first NextGen bar exam in July 2028, and the legacy UBE runs through February 2028.

The NextGen passing score had not been set as of October 2026.

Since a May 14, 2026 Alabama Supreme Court order, a total scaled score earned by taking the entire NextGen bar exam in a single administration in another jurisdiction can be transferred into Alabama if it would entitle the applicant to admission in the jurisdiction where it was earned — a rule that holds until Alabama sets its own NextGen passing score.

Every Alabama applicant — exam takers and UBE score transfer applicants alike — must complete an online course on Alabama law before admission.

It is a course, not a scored test: the Admissions Office's requirements list no additional jurisdiction-specific testing component.

No — Alabama has no law-office-study or apprenticeship route.

Exam applicants prove their legal study with certificates from the dean or deans of one or more law schools.

Graduates of Alabama's in-state non-ABA schools — Birmingham School of Law and Miles Law School — can sit for the exam.