To transfer a legacy UBE score to New York, you need at least 266 and must satisfy the state’s education and admission requirements. Put the final filing deadline on your calendar first: your complete Appellate Division admission application is due within three years of the UBE’s second day. The earlier BOLE application and score-report request do not extend it. BOLE transfer overview. Court Rule 520.12(d)(1).

Put these dates on your calendar

  • UBE exam date: BOLE describes a three-year acceptance period for an out-of-state UBE score. Work backward from the Appellate Division deadline measured from the exam’s second day. UBE score-age and filing guidance.
  • BOLE certification: Your MPRE score must remain valid through certification: New York requires 85, with four years measured from the MPRE test date. The NYLE score lasts three years from receipt of the passing score and likewise must remain valid at certification. MPRE timing. Rule 520.9(a)(3)(v).
  • Appellate Division filing: File the complete admission application within the separate three-year UBE deadline. A BOLE transfer application is a different filing. Rule 520.12(d).

Your transfer checklist

  1. Confirm eligibility. Check your score, qualifying education, and the minimum age of 21. Foreign-educated applicants should obtain BOLE’s written eligibility determination before applying. BOLE directs them to submit foreign documents at least six months before the transfer application. Eligibility and foreign-document instructions.
  2. Apply through your BOLE account. Submit the transfer application, pay the applicable fee, arrange the required education proofs, and request an official NCBE UBE transcript. Allow processing time. BOLE says to allow up to 30 days after all required proofs arrive. Transfer application process.
  3. Finish the local requirements. Complete the NYLC, pass the NYLE, and arrange proof of a qualifying MPRE score. NYLC completion must precede NYLE registration. For 2027 and later NYLEs, register at least 45 days ahead. The December 2026 registration deadline remains November 17, 2026. Separate accommodation deadlines apply. BOLE transition notice. Official examination dates and deadlines. BOLE Rules 6000.2 and 6000.6.
  4. Leave room for the final application. BOLE Rule 6000.5(c) says the transfer application and supporting proofs should reach BOLE at least 30 days before the Appellate Division deadline. Allow more time if you still need documents or an eligibility determination. BOLE transfer-filing rule.

Certification is not admission. Complete the Appellate Division’s character-and-fitness process, the 50-hour pro bono requirement, and any applicable skills-competency requirement. Court Rules 520.12, 520.16, and 520.18.

Compare UBE transfer requirements by state, review New York’s foreign-degree and LLM pathway, or explore your options with the BarReqs calculator.

General information, not legal advice or an eligibility determination. Confirm your dates and requirements with BOLE and the appropriate Appellate Division.