How Do You Get Admitted to the Vermont Bar?

The Board of Bar Examiners and the Character and Fitness Committee oversee admission to the Vermont bar under the Rules of Admission, and the work is administered through the Vermont Judiciary's Office of Attorney Licensing in Burlington.

The Vermont Supreme Court sets the course: it adopted the Uniform Bar Examination in February 2016 and voted in January 2024 to adopt the NextGen bar exam in place of the current exam, with the first administration in July 2027.

Requirements change, so confirm the current rules with the Office of Attorney Licensing before you apply.

Vermont gives the Uniform Bar Examination.

The Vermont Supreme Court adopted the UBE in February 2016, and a passing score is 270 or higher.

The UBE is coordinated by NCBE and consists of the Multistate Essay Examination, two Multistate Performance Test tasks and the Multistate Bar Examination.

Vermont limits bar exam candidates to four failed attempts, counted across any jurisdiction, though the limit is waivable on a strong showing, and Vermont does not allow courtesy seating on its exam.

The Rules of Admission also give candidates a route into the bar that does not run through law school: the Law Office Study Program, covered below.

Our research did not establish the full list of legal-education prerequisites for the exam route, so read the current Rules of Admission and check anything unclear with the Board of Bar Examiners or the Office of Attorney Licensing before you apply.

Vermont requires a score of 80 or higher on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination.

For exam applicants, the MPRE score must be earned no earlier than 3 years before taking the bar exam and no later than 1 year after being notified of passing the UBE.

The MPRE itself is a two-hour, 60-question multiple-choice exam administered three times a year, and MPRE scores run on a scale from 50 to 150 with each jurisdiction setting its own passing score.

NCBE's Vermont jurisdiction page lists the same 80 minimum.

Vermont applicants start the application process by completing NCBE's Standard Character and Fitness Electronic Application, then e-file the Vermont application.

The Character and Fitness Committee is one of the two bodies that oversee admission, so questions about how a specific history will be weighed belong with the committee, reached through the Office of Attorney Licensing.

Background investigations are part of the admission process in every jurisdiction, and NCBE runs investigations and hosts applications for many jurisdictions — but NCBE makes no determinations and no recommendations; each jurisdiction, Vermont included, decides who is fit to practice.

Yes — in two ways.

Vermont admits lawyers without examination if they have been Actively Engaged in the Practice of Law, as Rule 2 of the Rules of Admission defines it, for no less than 5 of the 10 years immediately before filing; the threshold is 3 years for New Hampshire or Maine lawyers and in some reciprocal cases, and this route carries no educational prerequisites.

Vermont also accepts transferred UBE scores of 270 or higher, earned no more than 5 years before the date you file and achieved in no more than four sittings.

Vermont's 270 applies both to candidates who sat the exam in Vermont and to those transferring a score in, and a transfer does not skip character and fitness — each receiving jurisdiction runs its own review.

Vermont's bar exam fee is $300 for first-time takers (non-attorneys), plus a separate character and fitness fee, and there is no laptop fee.

Applications are due November 15 for the February exam and April 15 for the July exam.

The character and fitness fee amount is not stated on the pages we read, and NCBE's character report application fees increased effective October 1, 2026, so budget from the current NCBE fee schedule rather than an older figure.

Our research did not establish a current pass rate or results timing for Vermont; check both with the Office of Attorney Licensing.

Vermont will first give the NextGen bar exam in July 2027; the Vermont Supreme Court voted in January 2024 to adopt it in place of the current exam, and the NextGen passing score is 620 per NCBE.

NCBE's adoption table likewise lists Vermont among the jurisdictions starting in July 2027.

The NextGen UBE runs over 1.5 days — two 3-hour sessions on day one and one 3-hour session on day two, 9 hours total, though jurisdictions with a local component may extend day two — taken on the examinee's own laptop at in-person, proctored testing sites using NCBE's secure testing browser.

Scores are reported as a single number on a 500–750 scale; NCBE says most jurisdictions have set NextGen passing scores between 610 and 620 and cautions that legacy and NextGen scores should not be compared directly.

NextGen examinees also pay a $149 exam software and technology fee to NCBE, on top of the jurisdiction's application fee.

Vermont's Law Office Study Program is an alternative to law school.

Participants work under the supervision of an experienced Vermont judge or attorney for 4 years and follow a systematic course of study, under Rule 7 of the Rules of Admission.

Entry requires a bachelor's degree and a supervisor who has been admitted to the Vermont bar for at least 3 years before the apprenticeship starts.

Participants file a progress report with the Board of Bar Examiners every six months and may request up to 2 years of credit toward the 4-year term for prior legal study.

The program's page counted over 100 Vermont-licensed attorneys who completed it and around 50 current participants.

All newly admitted Vermont attorneys must complete a 15-hour Vermont-specific CLE requirement within their first year.

Attorneys admitted by examination or UBE score transfer must also complete a mentorship of at least 6 months within the first year after admission.

The first-year CLE carries rules of its own beyond this page's scope; confirm the current requirements with the Office of Attorney Licensing.