Bar Admission FAQ

While specific questions should often be directed to the state in question’s Board of Bar Examiners, Briana Cobbs can help you with Bar Form related questions. She can be reached by email at bcobbs@law.harvard.edu.

No. Each state has its own form, usually available on their bar exam website. You are responsible for delivering any forms that you need to have filled out to the Registrar’s Office. You may email them or bring them in person.

No, the Registrar’s Office is happy to provide these services free of charge.

Check with your state bar association, as each state sets its own deadline.

Because of the high volume of Bar Forms we receive, the Registrar’s Office generally completes and send these forms in order of the jurisdictions’ deadlines. Rest assured once you submit your form to the Registrar, it will make it to the jurisdiction by the deadline.

Yes, you will receive an email from the Registrar’s Office once your completed Bar Form is sent out.

Yes, it’s never too soon to drop off your forms. The Registrar’s Office will hold them until after you’ve graduated, after which time they will be completed in the order of their Bar’s deadline.

It depends on the state in question, but unless the form requires YOUR original signature, you should be able to email or fax your forms to the Registrar’s Office, at registrar@law.harvard.edu or 617-496-8907.

No, the Registrar’s Office handles all bar forms; in cases where it is necessary, the Dean’s signature will be affixed to your required document instead of that of the Registrar.

Certificates of Graduation can be requested using the Registrar’s Office “Document Request Form”, which is available in the Registrar’s Office or online here.

Please fill out, sign, and return this form to the Registrar’s Office by hand or via mail, email, or fax. Please note that these forms require an actual signature; a typed signature will not be sufficient.

If the Board of Bar Examiners requires an original signature on your Certificate of Graduation, please make a note somewhere on the form specifying “original signature”.

There are two ways a transcript can be ordered: on paper or online. You can find the Transcript Request Form online or in the Registrar’s Office. You may submit it by mail or in person. Or, you may use the online ordering system through the National Student Clearinghouse. Both options can be found on the Registrar’s Office’s Transcript Request Page. Current students and recent graduates are eligible to receive free transcripts when they are ordered online; transcripts ordered in-office or by mail are $3 per copy.

Notaries public are available in the HLS Registrar’s Office and the Office of Career Services, as well as at the Smith Campus Center. Many banks, such as Bank of America and Santander, offer notary services as well. Some of these services are free; most require appointments. Please read what is required of you before going to any location.

No, it won’t be sent automatically. If you need to have a transcript sent to any Board of Bar Examiners, you must request one online or at the Registrar’s Office. Please visit the Registrar’s Transcript Requests webpage to order transcripts.

Yes. Please complete the Class Recording Request form on the ITS Services Hub.

The MPRE is offered three times a year: March, August, and November. Most students tend to take the MPRE in the spring of their 2L or fall of their 3L year. Each state has its own requirements on when the MPRE must be completed, so be sure to check that information for the bar exam you’re planning today. For states that allow the MPRE to be taken after the bar, it’s recommended that you take the MPRE before taking the bar exam, so that your bar admission won’t be delayed.

The minimum passing score is set by each state, ranging from 75 to 86. The MPRE score is scaled, meaning it’s scored on a scale of 50 to 150. For a state requiring a minimum score of 80, you need an 80 out of 150 to be considered passing.

D.C.’s minimum required score is 75.
NY and Massachusetts both require a score of 85.
California requires a score of 86.

No, you do not have to take Legal Profession before taking the MPRE.

This question is best answered by OCS, if you’re completing a clerkship or going into private practice. If you’re considering the public sector you should reach out to OPIA.

You can get fingerprinted at nearly any local law enforcement agency. At Harvard, the Harvard University Policy Department offers fingerprinting services. You can find more information at their website.

You will not have to submit any forms to the Registrar’s Office. A Certificate of Attendance Form is also required, but the New York Bar will provide the Registrar’s Office with that document directly.

You do not need to submit your Form Affidavit as to Applicant’s Compliance with the Pro Bono Requirements, including Certification by Supervisor or the Form Affidavit as to Applicant’s Law-Related Employment and/or Solo Practice to any HLS office.  You keep original copies of these Affidavits in your possession and submit the original with your Application for Admission to Practice as an Attorney and Counselor-at-law in the State of New York after successful bar passage.

The New York State Board of Law Examiners (NYBOLE) website has the most comprehensive and current information about requirements for admission.  You can review the instructions, forms, and details on the Admission Information page.

New York splits the application for the bar exam and the character and fitness process.  You will receive information about the character and fitness evaluation from the appropriate Appellate Division approximately one month after the bar exam.

Additionally, Appellate Divisions’ websites can provide more information about the admission process.  For example, the Third Department, which admits candidates seeking to practice in New York who neither reside nor work in the state, has published its own “How to Apply for Admission on Examination” document.

Review dates and deadlines for the bar exam and the New York Law Exam here.  New York only accepts tinely filed application, so do not miss the deadline to register.  No exceptions are granted for late registration.

There are two items you will need to submit through the Registrar’s Office: an LLM Certificate of Attendance form and an official transcript.

If you are not using your Harvard LLM degree to qualify for the bar you do not need to submit anything to the Registrar’s Office. Please note that these are separate from the Online Foreign Evaluation and all required documentation, all of which must have been filed by the requisite deadlines set by the New York Board of Law Examiners (NYBOLE).

Because such a high volume of HLS graduates apply to take the New York Bar Exam, the Registrar’s Office often holds the forms until a day or two before the deadline, June 15, at which time they will certify student’s Certificate of Attendance form through New York’s online process.

Please see the New York State Unified Court System webpage on Pro Bono Bar Admission Requirements for official information.

All candidates seeking admission to the New York Bar – after having taken and passed the NY Bar Exam – after January 1, 2015 will need to file documentation showing that they have completed 50 hours of law-related pro bono service.

Pro bono activity that satisfies the New York Bar admission requirement may not satisfy the HLS Pro Bono Graduation Requirement and vice versa. Because Harvard Law is not the administrator of this requirement, we cannot officially verify or confirm that a particular activity will count.

As proof of completion, applicants will need to file the Form Affidavit as to Applicant’s Compliance with the Pro Bono Requirements, including Certification by Supervisor (“Affidavit of Compliance”) with their application for each pro bono activity used to satisfy the New York Bar 50-hour requirement. Each Affidavit of Compliance must be signed by the student before a notary and certified and signed by the attorney who supervised the pro bono work.  It is strongly recommended that Affidavits of Compliance be completed immediately after the qualifying pro bono work is done, as tracking down supervisors or required information months or years after the pro bono work has been completed will be very difficult.

Please note that neither the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs nor the Office of the Registrar may sign Affidavits of Compliance – only the attorney or faculty member who supervised the pro bono work may certify the Affidavit of Compliance. Students should keep the original signed Affidavit of Compliance and submit it with their Character and Fitness Application after successful bar passage.  Students should not submit this Affidavit of Compliance to any HLS office.

You can complete your Skills Competency and Professional Values Affidavit by submitting the form to the Registrar’s Office in person or by email (registrar@law.harvard.edu). As mentioned above, an email will be sent to alert you once your forms have been sent to the appropriate department via email.

New York splits the exam application and the character and fitness application. You have most likely received an email with instructions for completing the character and fitness portion of your overall bar admission application. Follow the instructions in or attached to the email to complete the remainder of your New York process.

D.C.’s bar exam application due date changes year to year, and D.C. does not publish the due dates far in advance. In the past, D.C.’s application has been due in mid-May.

You should check the D.C. bar exam webpage for the most up-to-date information on D.C.’s dates and deadlines.

No, Harvard will not automatically send a Law School Certificate to the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners.  You must send the form to the HLS Registrar’s Office yourself if you plan to take the Massachusetts bar exam.

Yes. So long as the Registrar’s Office receives your Law School Certificate from California, we will automatically send your transcript with the certificate.

California’s Moral Character determination process may take, at minimum, six months to complete, so applicants should start the process at the beginning of their 3L year. You can find more information on the State Bar of California’s website.