How Do You Get Admitted to the Delaware Bar?
Delaware admits lawyers through the Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware.
Applicants take Delaware's own two-day bar exam — the MPT and 4 Delaware essay questions, then the MBE — and need a scaled score of 143 to pass, an MPRE score of 85, a 12-week Delaware clerkship and a character and fitness review.
Delaware does not use the UBE: it accepts no transferred legacy UBE scores and has no admission on motion, so lawyers admitted elsewhere sit the exam too.
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At a glance
The Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware, in Wilmington.
Delaware's own two-day exam: the MPT and 4 Delaware essay questions, then the MBE.
143.
85.
Delaware plans to first administer the NextGen UBE in February 2028.
None — lawyers admitted elsewhere still take the Delaware exam, the clerkship and checklist, and character and fitness.
Early filing: $700 for law school graduates, $800 for attorneys ($900 / $1,000 by the final deadline, as of the 2025 exams).
Ways to get admitted in Delaware
- Admission by examinationBy examination
Pass Delaware's own two-day bar exam with a scaled score of 143, score 85 on the MPRE, complete the 12-week Delaware clerkship and checklist, and clear character and fitness.
Who admits lawyers in Delaware?
The Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware, based in Wilmington, administers bar admission in the state.
It operates under Delaware Supreme Court Rules 51–56 and the Board's own rules.
Which bar exam does Delaware give?
Delaware does not use the Uniform Bar Exam.
Its own two-day exam runs the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) and 4 Delaware essay questions on the first day, then the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) on the second.
The passing score is 143, which the Supreme Court of Delaware lowered from 145 in its February 2023 reforms.
Since 2024 the exam is offered twice a year, in February and July; before those reforms Delaware was the only state that gave the bar exam once a year.
The exam falls on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July, and the February 2027 administration is February 23–24, 2027 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington.
“Tuesday consists of the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) and 4 Delaware Essay Questions. Wednesday consists of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).”
Who is eligible to sit for the Delaware bar?
Every Delaware applicant must also complete a clerkship of 12 full-time (40-hour) weeks in Delaware under a Delaware attorney (a preceptor), plus a clerkship checklist of legal activities, before admission.
The 2023 reforms cut that clerkship from 21 weeks to 12 and the checklist from a mandatory 25 items to 18 out of 30 possible items.
Our research did not establish the Board's full exam-eligibility rules — legal education requirements and the like — and it did not confirm a law-office-study route in Delaware, so ask the Board of Bar Examiners what it requires of you before you apply.
“The Clerkship requirement consists of a period of 12 full-time (40 hours) work weeks.”
What MPRE score does Delaware require?
Delaware requires the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, and a scaled score of 85 is passing.
Our research did not establish the window within which the score must be earned — that timing sits in the Board's rules — so confirm it with the Board of Bar Examiners.
“The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is required in Delaware, and a scaled score of 85 is passing.”
How does character and fitness work here?
Delaware runs character and fitness investigations only for applicants who have passed the exam.
Each passing applicant is assigned a Board member and has a personal interview, and all applicants must be fingerprinted.
For questions about how a specific history is treated, the Board of Bar Examiners is the body to ask.
“Investigations are conducted for passing Applicants only.”
Can out-of-state lawyers waive into Delaware?
No. Delaware has no admission on motion and does not accept transferred legacy UBE scores: there are no different procedures for persons admitted in other jurisdictions.
A lawyer admitted elsewhere applies like any other applicant — the Delaware bar exam, the 12-week clerkship and checklist, the MPRE and character and fitness.
NCBE's jurisdiction profile, as of September 2026, still lists Delaware as not accepting transferred legacy UBE scores.
“There are no different procedures for persons admitted in other jurisdictions.”
Delaware bar pass rates, fees and results timing
Application fees are $700 for law school graduates and $800 for attorneys by the early filing deadline; by the final deadline they were $900 and $1,000 as of the 2025 exams.
For the February 2027 exam the early deadline is November 3, 2026 and the final deadline is December 1, 2026.
On the July 2026 exam, 71.42% of first-time takers passed (125 of 175) and the overall pass rate was 65.67%; the first-time rate was 67.50% in February 2026 and 81.46% in July 2025.
Our research did not establish how long after the exam the Board releases results — the Board publishes its bar exam results on its website.
When does Delaware switch to the NextGen bar exam?
Delaware plans to first administer the NextGen UBE in February 2028, according to NCBE's jurisdiction profile as of September 2026; that plan was not confirmed on the Board of Bar Examiners' own pages we read.
Delaware lists a jurisdiction-specific requirement alongside the NextGen UBE, and whether it will accept transferred NextGen scores has not been announced.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Delaware court rules, board and bar pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state bar admission rules series, current as of October 2026.
It is not a substitute for the instructions the Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Delaware, see CLE requirements in Delaware.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Delaware a UBE state?
No. Delaware gives its own two-day bar exam — the MPT and 4 Delaware essay questions on the first day, the MBE on the second — with a passing score of 143.
It does not accept transferred legacy UBE scores, and NCBE's profile as of September 2026 lists Delaware as planning to first administer the NextGen UBE in February 2028.
Whether it will accept NextGen score transfers has not been announced.
Can I be admitted to the Delaware bar without taking the bar exam?
Not by any path our research confirms.
Delaware has no admission on motion and does not accept transferred legacy UBE scores.
The Board's FAQ says there are no different procedures for persons admitted in other jurisdictions, so a lawyer licensed elsewhere applies like any other applicant — the Delaware bar exam, the 12-week clerkship and checklist, the MPRE and character and fitness.
Our research did not establish the Board's full eligibility rules, so ask the Board of Bar Examiners if your situation is unusual.
How long is the Delaware clerkship requirement?
Twelve full-time (40-hour) weeks, completed in Delaware under the supervision of a Delaware attorney (a preceptor), plus a clerkship checklist of legal activities.
Delaware's 2023 reforms cut the clerkship from 21 weeks to 12 and the checklist from a mandatory 25 items to 18 out of 30 possible items.
Every applicant must finish the clerkship before admission, including lawyers already admitted in other states.
How much does the Delaware bar exam cost?
Applying by the early filing deadline costs $700 for law school graduates and $800 for attorneys; by the final deadline the fees are $900 and $1,000 as of the 2025 exams.
For the February 2027 exam, the early deadline is November 3, 2026 and the final deadline is December 1, 2026.
Confirm current fees with the Board of Bar Examiners before you file.
What is the pass rate on the Delaware bar exam?
On the July 2026 Delaware bar exam, 71.42% of first-time takers passed (125 of 175) and the overall pass rate was 65.67%.
The first-time rate was 67.50% in February 2026 and 81.46% in July 2025.
The Board of Bar Examiners publishes its exam results on its website.
More Delaware Resources
Sources
- Delaware Board of Bar Examiners: FAQ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- NCBE: Delaware jurisdiction page (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Delaware Judiciary press release on the 2023 bar admission reforms (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Delaware Board of Bar Examiners: clerkship requirement (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Delaware Board of Bar Examiners: bar exam results (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Delaware Board of Bar Examiners (retrieved 2026-10-02)
Sourced from the documents listed above.
Verified October 2026.
This is career information, not legal advice.
Confirm current rules with the Board of Bar Examiners of the Supreme Court of Delaware.