Arizona Arizona allows law students in their third year of study to test prior to graduation if they: 1) are currently enrolled in good standing at a law school fully or provisionally accredited by the ABA; 2) are expected to graduate within 120 days of the first day of early exam; 3) have satisfied all requirements for graduation except for not more than 8 semester hours at the time of early exam; 4) are not enrolled in more than 2 semester hours during the month of early exam and the immediately preceding month; 5) are determined by their school to be academically prepared for early testing; and 6) provide by the exam application deadline to the Committee on Character and Fitness an affidavit attested to by the applicant and the Dean of their law school that the above criteria are met. Applicants for early testing have an additional 60 days after award of JD to provide evidence that their JD was conferred within 120 days of the first day of test administration.
District of Columbia A law student must complete all requirements for graduation before sitting for the exam; however, their degree may be conferred up to three months after the first day of the bar exam.
Indiana Applicants who have fewer than 5 credit hours to complete, are within 100 days of graduation, have completed 2 hours of professional responsibility, and have completed all requirements for admission to the bar may sit.
Iowa Must receive degree within 45 days after the first day of the examination.
Kansas Must graduate within 30 days after the bar examination.
Maryland As long as the applicant is “unqualifiedly eligible” for graduation prior to the first day of the bar exam, the actual graduation date may post-date the exam.
Minnesota Applicants may sit for the bar if coursework has been completed 30 days prior to the examination, the applicant has fulfilled all requirements for conferral, and the applicant will be awarded a JD within 120 days following the examination.
Mississippi Must complete all work required for degree within 60 days of the examination.
Missouri Must have completed all degree requirements prior to taking bar examination, although degree may not have been conferred.
New York To be eligible to sit for the bar exam, a JD applicant must present requisite proof that the applicant: (a) graduated with the JD degree; or (2) completed all work required for graduation, although the degree will not be conferred prior to exam; or (c) was accepted into the Pro Bono Scholars Program.
North Carolina Law students must graduate within 30 days after the date of the written bar examination.
Oregon An applicant may be allowed to sit for the examination prior to graduation if the applicant (1) is currently enrolled in a law school approved by the ABA, (2) is expected to earn a JD degree or Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree within 120 days of sitting for the examination, (3) has satisfied all graduation requirements to earn a JD degree or Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree except law school coursework that can be completed during the applicant’s post-examination final semester (or quarter), (4) will not be actively engaged in more than 2 semester hours (or quarter-hour equivalent) of law school coursework other than bar examination preparation courses during the month prior to the examination and the month the examination is held, and (5) has submitted timely a properly signed Affidavit for Examination on the form provided by the Oregon State Bar certifying that the applicant is academically prepared to take the examination.
Texas Must be within 4 semester hours of completing all requirements for graduation. Law students may complete the Texas Law Course, a pre-admission requirement, within 1 year prior to taking the bar examination.
Vermont An applicant studying at an ABA-approved law school may sit for the UBE before graduation if the applicant has successfully completed the equivalent of 5 semesters of full-time study (including academic instruction on each of the subjects tested on the UBE) prior to taking the UBE. Before sitting for the examination, the applicant must submit an official law school transcript documenting that study and a letter from the law school stating that the school has determined that the applicant is academically prepared for early testing. To qualify for admission, the applicant must graduate from law school within 7 months after sitting for the UBE.
Virginia Must have satisfactorily completed legal studies amounting to at least 5 semesters, or the equivalent of at least 5 semesters on a system other than a semester system, of full-time study at a law school approved by the American Bar Association or the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners.
West Virginia Board may permit applicant to take examination where applicant qualifies for degree but will not receive it before examination. Board may permit examination in last semester of law school upon showing of scheduled active duty overseas at time of July examination.
Wisconsin Must receive degree within 60 days after examination.