The Michigan bar exam is the two-day Uniform Bar Examination, given on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February and July, with a minimum passing score of 268. Passing it is one step in a longer licensing process that also requires a character and fitness clearance, a Michigan-specific online training, and a swearing-in by a circuit court before you can practice.
Who Can Sit for the Exam
Michigan’s Rules for the Board of Law Examiners set three baseline requirements. You must be at least 18, possess good moral character, and have completed at least 60 semester hours (or 90 quarter hours) of undergraduate coursework at an accredited institution before starting law school.1State Bar of Michigan. Step 1 – Eligibility Information A bachelor’s degree is not technically required; the credit threshold is.
You also need a Juris Doctor from an ABA-approved law school, or one the Board of Law Examiners has independently recognized as reputable and qualified. The program must require at least three years of full-time study or four years of part-time or evening study, with each school year running at least 30 weeks.2Michigan Courts. Rules for the Board of Law Examiners
Separately, you need to pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination with a scaled score of at least 85. The MPRE tests legal ethics, and you can take it before or after the bar exam. Scores are transmitted electronically through the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which charges its own fee.
Deadlines and Fees
Applications go through the State Bar of Michigan’s online portal. Filing windows and fees are tiered by exam date:3State Bar of Michigan. Examination and Investigation Fees
- February exam, timely: August 15 through November 1 — $400 exam fee plus $375 investigation fee ($775 total)
- February exam, late: November 2 through December 15 — $500 exam fee plus $550 investigation fee ($1,050 total)
- July exam, timely: January 15 through March 1 — $400 exam fee plus $375 investigation fee ($775 total)
- July exam, late: March 2 through May 15 — $500 exam fee plus $550 investigation fee ($1,050 total)
Late filing adds $275 over the timely rates. No applications are accepted after December 15 for the February exam or after May 15 for the July exam.4Michigan Courts. Board of Law Examiners Frequently Asked Questions
Re-examination applicants pay a reduced exam fee of $300. If your character and fitness clearance is still valid (less than three years old), you skip the investigation fee. If it has expired, you file a new personal history affidavit and pay a $375 re-certification fee on top of the exam fee.3State Bar of Michigan. Examination and Investigation Fees Re-exam applications must be filed at least 60 days before the test date.4Michigan Courts. Board of Law Examiners Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll also upload certified law school transcripts, a law school certification form confirming your degree status, and your character and fitness application through the portal. The Board communicates follow-up requests through the same portal account.
What the Two Days Look Like
Day one holds the written portions. Day two is entirely multiple choice.2Michigan Courts. Rules for the Board of Law Examiners
Multistate Essay Examination
The MEE is six 30-minute essay questions. Each presents a fact pattern you have to analyze: identify the issues, separate relevant facts from irrelevant ones, and apply the correct rules in writing.5National Conference of Bar Examiners. About the MEE Tested subjects have historically included business associations, civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, evidence, real property, and torts, among others.
Multistate Performance Test
The MPT is two 90-minute tasks that simulate real lawyering work. You might draft a memorandum, a persuasive brief, or client advice from a provided case file. The MPT doesn’t test memorized rules; all the law you need comes in the materials. Graders look at how you analyze facts, apply law, and communicate.6National Conference of Bar Examiners. MPT Bar Exam – Multistate Performance Test
Multistate Bar Examination
The MBE fills day two with 200 multiple-choice questions split into a three-hour morning session and a three-hour afternoon session of 100 questions each. Of the 200, 175 are scored and 25 are unscored pretest questions. You won’t know which are which. The seven subjects are civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, and torts, with 25 scored questions per subject.7National Conference of Bar Examiners. Preparing for the MBE
The Score You Need, and the Odds
Michigan’s passing UBE score is 268, combining your scaled results from the MBE, MEE, and MPT on a 400-point scale.8Michigan Courts. Board of Law Examiners
July results have historically been released in mid-to-late October; the Board posted July 2025 results on October 17, 2025.8Michigan Courts. Board of Law Examiners February results typically arrive in mid-May. The Board posts a list of successful applicants by seat number and notifies candidates through the portal. Those who don’t pass receive a performance breakdown.
For the July 2025 exam, the overall pass rate was 65%. First-time takers passed at 76%; repeat takers passed at 32%.9National Conference of Bar Examiners. Bar Exam Results by Jurisdiction
Character and Fitness Review
The State Bar of Michigan’s Committee on Character and Fitness conducts a background investigation of every applicant. The review covers criminal history, finances, employment, and prior civil litigation, and looks for patterns of dishonesty or conduct that would raise concerns about representing clients. You submit a detailed personal history through the State Bar’s portal, including every place you’ve lived and any legal issues in your past.
Without this clearance, no exam score will get you licensed. Clearance stays valid for three years. If you don’t pass within that window, or you’re a re-examinee whose clearance has lapsed, you repeat the process and pay the $375 re-certification fee.4Michigan Courts. Board of Law Examiners Frequently Asked Questions
Michigan Basics Online Law Training
Because the UBE tests general legal principles rather than state law, Michigan requires every applicant to complete the Michigan Basics Online Law Training, which covers Michigan-specific rules and procedures. The requirement applies whether you’re sitting for the exam, transferring in a UBE score, or seeking admission without examination.10Michigan Courts. Admission to the Bar in Michigan It has been in place since Michigan’s first UBE administration in February 2023.8Michigan Courts. Board of Law Examiners
After You Pass
Shortly after results post, the Board mails a written certification to each person who passed. That certification expires after three years, so don’t let it sit.11State Bar of Michigan. Step 6 – What to Do After You Pass the Bar Exam
With certification in hand, you need to be sworn in by a Michigan circuit court. You can attend a mass admission ceremony organized by a local bar association, or arrange a private swearing-in at any circuit court. Either way, a licensed Michigan attorney must make a motion for your admission in open court. At a group ceremony, the hosting bar association arranges this; for a private ceremony, you line up a Michigan attorney yourself. The court charges a $25 statutory filing fee for the motion.11State Bar of Michigan. Step 6 – What to Do After You Pass the Bar Exam
After the court administers the Lawyer’s Oath and enters your order of admission, you submit an online application to the State Bar of Michigan along with a copy of that order and payment of all license fees. The State Bar then assigns your “P number,” your official license registration. Expect it by email about 10 business days after the State Bar has all your documents and payment.11State Bar of Michigan. Step 6 – What to Do After You Pass the Bar Exam
Transferring a UBE Score Into Michigan
Because Michigan uses the UBE, you can apply for admission by transferring a qualifying score from any other UBE jurisdiction. The transferred score must be at least 268 and cannot be more than three years old at the time of your application.12National Conference of Bar Examiners. UBE Maximum Score Age You still complete the Michigan Basics training and pass character and fitness, like any other applicant.13National Conference of Bar Examiners. Michigan – Admission by Transferred UBE Score The reverse works too: a Michigan UBE score can be transferred out, subject to the target state’s minimum and maximum score age.
Admission Without Examination
Experienced attorneys licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction can apply for Michigan admission without taking the bar exam under Rule 5. You must have actively practiced law as your principal occupation for at least three of the five years before applying. Full-time teaching at an accredited law school and active duty as a military judge advocate also count.2Michigan Courts. Rules for the Board of Law Examiners
You must be a member in good standing where you’re currently admitted and intend to practice law in Michigan or teach full-time at a Michigan law school. The application is submitted by mail rather than through the online portal, with an $800 fee payable to the State of Michigan.10Michigan Courts. Admission to the Bar in Michigan You still complete the Michigan Basics training and clear character and fitness.