Arizona UBE Transfer Requirements: Score, MPRE, and Admission Steps

To transfer a Uniform Bar Examination score to Arizona, you need a qualifying UBE score earned within the last five years, a JD from an ABA-accredited law school, a passing MPRE, completion of the Course on Arizona Law, a clean character and fitness review, and the $875 application fee. The Arizona UBE transfer requirements go well beyond the score itself, and the character and fitness review is usually the longest part of the process.

The Score You Need and How Long It Lasts

If you sat for the UBE in July 2023 or later, you need a 270. Scores from earlier administrations must meet the older 273 threshold.¹ The score has to come from a single sitting. You cannot mix and match sections from different attempts.

Your qualifying score must have been earned within five years before you take the oath of admission and are admitted to practice.² The clock runs to the oath date, not the filing date, but character and fitness review can eat months, so file early if your score is aging.

One rule catches applicants off guard. If you failed to earn the minimum score within four attempts at any UBE jurisdiction, you lose eligibility for transfer admission and must sit for the exam in Arizona.²

Law Degree Requirement

You must hold a JD from an ABA-accredited law school.³ Foreign law degrees and degrees from unaccredited schools do not qualify for this pathway. If your school gained ABA accreditation after your graduation, check with the admissions office before you file.

MPRE

Arizona requires a scaled MPRE score of at least 85.⁴ You can submit an official NCBE score report or a letter from a jurisdiction where you are already admitted confirming a qualifying score.² The MPRE runs three times a year on its own schedule, so if you haven’t taken it, register early.

Course on Arizona Law

Every UBE transfer applicant must complete and pass the Course on Arizona Law, an online, open-book module on state procedural rules, substantive law, and Arizona-specific ethics provisions.³ You can take it before filing or within six months after your application filing date. Miss the six-month window and you cannot be sworn in. Treat that as a hard deadline. Arizona community property rules and state civil procedure will slow down anyone going in cold.

Character and Fitness Review

The Committee on Character and Fitness reviews your criminal history, civil litigation record, academic discipline, employment terminations, and financial issues including unpaid debts and bankruptcies. A past problem does not automatically disqualify you. The committee weighs how long ago it happened, what you did about it, and whether you disclosed it honestly. What does disqualify people is the committee finding something you left off the application. Investigators run independent background checks against what you report, and omissions are treated more seriously than the underlying issue.

You will submit fingerprints on a standard FBI blue-and-white heavy-stock fingerprint card. Request the card by emailing attorneyadmissions@courts.az.gov with “Fingerprint Card Request” in the subject line and your mailing address. Live-scan or ink prints both work. The completed card must reach the admissions office within five days of your application submission, and the office recommends a carrier with tracking.⁵

The initial investigation takes a minimum of four months, then committee members assess the file.⁶ There is no guaranteed total timeline. Straightforward files finish faster; anything requiring follow-up documentation or a hearing stretches out considerably.

What to File and What It Costs

The UBE transfer application goes through the Arizona Supreme Court admissions office’s online portal. Gather these before you file:

The online application questionnaire covering personal, educational, employment, and legal history
Official transcripts sent directly from every law school and undergraduate institution you attended
Your NCBE UBE score transcript, requested through NCBE’s score services portal; NCBE charges $30 per official transcript⁷
An MPRE score report from NCBE or a qualifying-score letter from another jurisdiction
The fingerprint card, mailed separately within five days of your application submission

The application fee is $875, paid at filing.⁸ That is separate from the $30 NCBE transcript fee, and fingerprinting costs vary by provider.

Oath and Actual Admission Date

Once the Committee on Character and Fitness recommends you, you complete an Oath of Admission form, executed by you and the person administering it (a notary, judge, or court clerk), then uploaded through your applicant portal.⁹

The date you sign the oath is not your admission date. The Clerk’s office enters your name onto the court’s roll of attorneys, and that date appears on your Certificate of Admission. You cannot practice in Arizona until the certificate is issued.⁹

What Starts the Day You Are Admitted

New admittees must complete a mandatory one-time professionalism course within one year of admission. It runs 4.25 hours, counts as ethics CLE credit, and no other ethics program substitutes for it. If you take inactive status immediately, you are exempt until you activate. If you are active but neither live nor practice in Arizona, you are exempt until you become a resident or take on Arizona matters. Handling even one Arizona client’s case from out of state triggers the requirement.¹⁰

Arizona’s MCLE compliance year runs July 1 through June 30, and affidavits are due by September 15. Late fees escalate, and failing to file by December 15 can lead to a motion for summary suspension.¹¹ If you are admitted mid-cycle, contact the State Bar about a prorated requirement for your first year.

1
Arizona Judicial Branch. Arizona Supreme Court Announces Bar Exam Passing Score Change
2
Arizona Supreme Court Attorney Admissions. Uniform Bar Examination Transfer Application Checklist
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Arizona State Bar Admission Office. UBE Transfer
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Arizona Supreme Court Attorney Admissions. Arizona Supreme Court Score Requirements Order
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Arizona Supreme Court Attorney Admissions. Bar Examination Application Supporting Documentation Checklist
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Arizona State Bar Admission Office. Character and Fitness General Information
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. UBE Score Services
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National Conference of Bar Examiners. Uniform Bar Examination Jurisdictions – Arizona Admission by Transferred UBE Score
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Arizona State Bar Admission Office. Arizona State Bar Admission Office – Frequently Asked Questions
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State Bar of Arizona. Professionalism Course Dates and Exemption Form
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State Bar of Arizona. MCLE Requirements and Deadlines