Texas Law License Requirements: Bar Exam, MPRE, and Oath

Texas law license requirements come down to five things: a qualifying law degree, a passing score of 270 or higher on the Uniform Bar Examination, a passing score on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, clearance through a character and fitness review conducted by the Texas Board of Law Examiners, and completion of the Texas Law Course. Experienced attorneys already licensed in another state can sometimes skip the bar exam through an alternative pathway, and lawyers who took the UBE elsewhere can transfer a qualifying score instead of sitting again.

The Law Degree You Need

The foundation is a Juris Doctor from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association or approved by the Supreme Court of Texas.¹ Texas does not require residency or U.S. citizenship, so graduates from any state or country can apply.²

Foreign-educated applicants have more than one route to eligibility. If you graduated from a common-law school with a program substantially equivalent to a U.S. law degree and have practiced for at least three of the past five years, you can qualify without an LL.M. Applicants from non-common-law systems generally need an LL.M. from an ABA-approved school that meets the standards in Rule 13 §9.³ Attorneys licensed in other U.S. states who hold a JD from a state-accredited but non-ABA school fall under a separate track in Rule 13 §3.⁴ Degrees earned primarily through online or distance learning do not qualify for that track.⁵

Character and Fitness Review

Every applicant is investigated by the Texas Board of Law Examiners. The review covers criminal history, financial responsibility, employment records, academic conduct, and any substance abuse or mental health concerns, and it asks whether anything in that record suggests you would be likely to harm a client, interfere with the justice system, or violate the rules of professional conduct.⁶ You will have to submit fingerprints for an FBI background check; the investigation cannot close without those results.⁷

A criminal record is not an automatic bar. Under Texas Government Code 82.028, the Board can only recommend denial if it finds a clear and rational connection between a specific character trait or mental health condition and the likelihood that you would injure a client or obstruct the administration of justice.⁸ Serious offenses involving dishonesty or violence will require substantial evidence of rehabilitation. Debts and bankruptcy are not disqualifying on their own either, but the Board expects a candid explanation and proof that you are addressing them. The most common mistake applicants make is omission: failing to disclose something the Board later finds looks far worse than disclosing it with context upfront.

The Bar Exam

Texas adopted the Uniform Bar Examination in February 2021. The UBE has three parts: the Multistate Bar Examination (200 multiple-choice questions), the Multistate Essay Examination (six 30-minute essays), and the Multistate Performance Test (two 90-minute practical exercises). The minimum passing score in Texas is 270 out of 400.⁹

The exam is offered in February and July. Deadlines are strict, and no applications are accepted after the final deadline for any reason.

February exam: late filing deadline November 1 ($150 late fee); final deadline December 1 ($300 late fee).
July exam: late filing deadline April 1 ($150 late fee); final deadline May 1 ($300 late fee).

Requests for testing accommodations must be in no later than the late filing deadline.¹⁰ Beginning with the July 2026 exam, application fees go up by $150 for first-time applicants and by an additional $75 for re-applicants.¹¹ If you plan to type your answers, you have to register separately to use a laptop with the ILG Exam360 software. Laptop registration is $90, with another $75 for late registration.¹²

The MPRE

Separately from the bar exam, Texas requires a passing score on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. The minimum passing score here is 85.¹³ The MPRE is administered three times a year by the National Conference of Bar Examiners and has its own registration and fee. You can take it before or after the bar exam, but you cannot be licensed without a qualifying score, so build it into your timeline early.

The Texas Law Course

Because the UBE tests general legal knowledge rather than Texas-specific rules, every applicant has to complete the Texas Law Component. This is the Texas Law Course (TLC), a series of video presentations from experienced practitioners on the areas where Texas law diverges from the general rules on the UBE.³

When you can complete it depends on your pathway:

Bar exam applicants: up to one year before the exam and up to two years after passing.
UBE score transfer applicants: up to one year before and up to six months after a character and fitness determination.
Admission without examination applicants: up to one year before and up to six months after being notified of apparent eligibility.

Your license will not be issued until the course is done, no matter when the rest of your file is complete.³

Transferring a UBE Score From Another State

If you took the UBE elsewhere and scored 270 or higher, you can transfer that score to Texas instead of retaking the exam. The score must have been earned within five years of the date you submit your transfer application.¹⁴ A score earned more than two years but less than five years before the application date is only transferable if you have been actively practicing law for at least two of the past three years.⁹

Transfer applicants still have to pass character and fitness, pass the MPRE, and finish the Texas Law Component. If you file a transfer application before receiving your score and then come in below 270, the application is terminated and you have to file a new one, with a new fee, for a future qualifying score.¹⁴

Admission Without Examination

Experienced attorneys licensed in another state can apply for admission without sitting for the Texas bar exam. The core requirement is that you have been actively and substantially practicing law as your principal occupation for at least five of the seven years immediately before your application.¹⁵ You also have to be in good standing with your current bar and clear the same character and fitness review that exam applicants go through.

Attorneys who hold a JD from a state-accredited (non-ABA) school fall under a different track in Rule 13 §3, which requires at least three of the past five years of active practice and a degree from a school accredited in the state where it is located.⁵ Applicants admitted through this pathway still complete the Texas Law Component before licensure, and the application fee is higher than the standard bar exam fee.

The Oath and Your License

Once you have passed the bar (or qualified through another pathway), cleared character and fitness, passed the MPRE, and completed the Texas Law Course, you pay your initial membership and license fees to the State Bar of Texas. Your license arrives in the mail within roughly six to eight weeks.¹⁶

When it arrives, you take the oath of office and attach the completed oath form to the back of the license. Anyone authorized to administer oaths can swear you in, including judges, retired judges, clerks, and notaries. The oath can be administered remotely by videoconference, with the administering official providing an electronic or scanned signature on the form; a notary who administers the oath remotely has to comply with Texas online notarization rules.¹⁶ The Board of Law Examiners also sends information about a formal swearing-in ceremony through applicants’ online accounts.

Staying Licensed: Dues and CLE

Active Texas attorneys pay annual dues to the State Bar. For the 2025–2026 fiscal year, dues are tiered by years licensed: $74 for less than 3 years, $162 for 3 to 5 years, and $258 for more than 5 years.¹⁷

Every active member also has to complete at least 15 hours of continuing legal education each compliance year, with at least 3 of those hours in legal ethics or professional responsibility. At least 12 of the 15 must come from accredited CLE activities such as live programs or on-demand webinars; the remaining 3 can be self-study, and one of the required ethics hours can also be self-study.¹⁸ Your compliance year runs through the last day of your birth month, and excess credits (up to 15) carry over to the next year. Missing the reporting deadline triggers noncompliance penalties of $100, $200, or $300 depending on how late you are, and hours received by the MCLE Director after the deadline count as late even if you completed them on time.¹⁹

1
State Bar of Texas. Becoming a Lawyer – Frequently Asked Questions
2
State of Texas. Texas Government Code 82.0271 – Residency or Citizenship Requirements Prohibited
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. Frequently Asked Questions
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. Bar Exam Application
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. Admission Without Examination – Rule 13
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. FBI Fingerprint Card
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State of Texas. Texas Government Code 82.028 – Moral Character and Fitness of Applicant
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State Bar of Texas. The Uniform Bar Examination Is Coming to Texas
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. Deadlines
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. Texas Board of Law Examiners News
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. Laptop Information
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NCBE. Texas Jurisdiction Information
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. UBE Transfer Information
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Texas Board of Law Examiners. Admission Without Examination Information
16
State Bar of Texas. New Lawyer Oath and Fees
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State Bar of Texas. Dues and Other Fees
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TexasBarCLE. After the Bar Exam – FAQ
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State Bar of Texas. About Reporting Your MCLE Hours