Alaska Bar Exam: Requirements, Dates, Fees, and Exam Waivers

To be licensed as a lawyer in Alaska, you need to meet the Alaska bar exam requirements set by the Alaska Bar Association and the Alaska Supreme Court: a J.D. from an ABA- or AALS-accredited law school, a passing Uniform Bar Exam score of 270, a passing Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination score of 80, a completed character and fitness review, a prescribed ethics course, and a signed Rule 64 affidavit confirming you have read Alaska’s Rules of Professional Conduct.¹ Several of these pieces move on their own timelines, so most of the work is lining them up so nothing holds up your swearing-in.

Who Qualifies to Sit for the Exam

The default rule is a J.D. from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law Schools.¹ Bar Rule 2, Section 3 opens the door to other candidates. If you graduated from a non-ABA school, you can still sit for the Alaska exam if you have been licensed and actively practicing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three of the five years before you apply. Foreign law graduates can qualify if their school meets ABA standards and they have completed at least one year at an ABA-accredited school (covering U.S. constitutional law and civil procedure), or if they are already admitted in another state.² A separate path exists for applicants who have completed one year at an ABA school plus a law clerk program under Alaska statute.

Every applicant, regardless of educational path, must pass a character and fitness evaluation that looks at honesty, financial responsibility, and disciplinary history.¹ Treat this as a serious piece of the application from day one; strong academics will not rescue an application that raises real character concerns.

The Exam and the Passing Score

Alaska administers the Uniform Bar Exam over two days. The test has three components combined into a single 400-point score: the Multistate Bar Examination (200 multiple-choice questions, 50% of the score), the Multistate Essay Examination (six 30-minute essays, 30%), and the Multistate Performance Test (two 90-minute lawyering tasks, 20%).³ You need a scaled score of 270 to pass in Alaska.¹ That cut score dropped from 280 in 2023 when the Alaska Supreme Court approved the change.⁴

Because Alaska is a UBE jurisdiction, the score you earn here is portable to other UBE states, and a score earned elsewhere can transfer in (see below).

What You File Beyond the Exam Score

Passing the UBE is not the last step. Three more items must be on file with the Bar office before you can be admitted.⁵

An MPRE score of 80 or higher, from an exam taken within eight years of your admission application. Most applicants take the MPRE during law school and get it out of the way before bar prep begins.
A prescribed ethics course, viewed through a program designated by the Board of Governors. Details come after your admission application is approved.
A Rule 64 affidavit, signed to confirm you have read and are familiar with the Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct, filed before or on the date you become an active member.²

None of these happens automatically. Any one of them missing will delay your swearing-in and can push you into the 60-day abandonment window described at the end of this article.

How to Apply and What It Costs

Applications are filed through the Alaska Bar Association’s online admissions portal.⁶ The application asks for a detailed personal history (addresses, employers, supervisor contacts over several years), official transcripts sent directly from every law school and undergraduate institution, a fingerprint card for state and federal background checks, and character references. The character and fitness questionnaire is the longest piece and covers financial history, discipline, and criminal matters.

The application fee is $850 for first-time exam takers and $600 for reapplicants who previously sat for the Alaska exam.¹ Credit card payments carry a 3% transaction fee.⁶ If you want to type your essays and MPT on a laptop using ExamSoft’s Examplify, add a $125 laptop registration fee submitted with your application.⁷ Fingerprinting and notarization costs are extra and vary by provider.

If you need non-standard testing conditions for a disability, the accommodation request is due December 1 for the February exam and May 1 for the July exam, and it involves four forms including a medical declaration the provider sends directly to the Bar.⁸

Dates and Deadlines

The exam is offered twice a year, in February and July. The July 2026 administration is on July 28 and 29, 2026.⁹ The application deadline for new applicants sitting in July 2026 is May 1, 2026; reapplicants from February 2026 have until May 31, 2026.¹⁰ For the February 2027 exam, the application deadline is December 1, 2026. There does not appear to be a late filing option; missing the deadline means waiting for the next cycle.¹¹

If you fail, there is no cap on retakes.¹² File a reapplication with the $600 fee by December 1 for the next February exam or May 31 for the next July exam.² Miss that reapplication window and you start over as a new applicant at the full $850 fee.

Routes That Skip the Exam

Not every applicant has to sit for the Alaska exam.

UBE Score Transfer

If you earned a UBE score of 270 or higher in another jurisdiction within the past five years, you can apply to transfer that score to Alaska.¹³ All other admission requirements still apply, including character and fitness, MPRE, ethics course, and Rule 64 affidavit.

Admission on Motion

Attorneys who have actively practiced for at least three of the five years immediately before applying can seek admission without any exam. You must show at least 750 hours of practice per year through affidavits from employers, clients, or colleagues.¹⁴ The fee is $1,545 (including the 3% credit card surcharge). You also need certificates of good standing and discipline histories from every state where you are admitted, issued within the prior three months, plus an MPRE score of 80 or higher.

Military Spouse Waiver

Bar Rule 43.4 lets the spouse of an active-duty service member stationed in Alaska practice law without the exam and without an application fee.¹⁵ You need an ABA-accredited J.D., an MPRE score of 80 or higher, no pending discipline elsewhere, and a clean character and fitness review. Permission to practice ends 90 days after a triggering event such as the service member leaving the military, the two of you separating, or reassignment out of Alaska (unless the reassignment is to an unaccompanied or remote posting).

After You Pass

Once your MPRE, ethics course, and Rule 64 affidavit are on file and your application is approved, you must be sworn in within 60 days or the application is treated as abandoned.⁵ Swearing-in ceremonies are held at the Alaska Supreme Court in Anchorage. You are exempt from continuing legal education reporting for the calendar year in which you are admitted. Starting the next year, you need 12 CLE credits annually, with at least three in ethics.¹⁶

1
Alaska Bar Association. Admission by Bar Examination
2
Alaska Court System. Alaska Bar Rules
3
National Conference of Bar Examiners. UBE Bar Exam Scores
4
Alaska Bar Association. Alaska Bar Exam Minimum Passing Score Announcement
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Alaska Bar Association. Additional Admissions Requirements
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Alaska Bar Association. Alaska Bar Association Admissions
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Alaska Bar Association. Use of Laptop Computers
8
Alaska Bar Association. Non-Standard Testing Application and Policy
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Alaska Bar Association. Bar Exam Dates, Deadlines, Fees, and Locations
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Alaska Bar Association. News – July 2026 Bar Exam Deadlines
11
National Conference of Bar Examiners. Alaska – Bar Examination Information
12
National Conference of Bar Examiners. Alaska – Admission by Transferred UBE Score
13
Alaska Bar Association. Admission by UBE Score Transfer
14
Alaska Bar Association. Admission on Motion
15
Alaska Bar Association. Rule 43.4 Waiver for Military Spouses
16
Alaska Bar Association. CLE/MCLE