Forty Jurisdictions Participating in NextGen UBE Score Portability
by Sabrina Dubbert
With the New Mexico Supreme Court’s recent order that New Mexico will begin accepting NextGen UBE transferred scores in July 2026,[1] 40 jurisdictions have announced NextGen UBE score portability as of June 2026. The growing number of jurisdictions participating in portability comes amid the phased rollout approach to the NextGen UBE, which will take place from its debut July 2026 administration through February 2028. Ten inaugural jurisdictions will begin administering the new exam in July 2026; 40 jurisdictions will do so in 2027 or 2028.
Among those administering the NextGen UBE later in the rollout period (New Mexico, for example, is slated for July 2027), many will accept transferred scores when the new exam debuts this July. As the rollout period unfolds, score portability will be a crucial factor in determining how examinees can use NextGen UBE passing scores to pursue the practice of law.
Expanding Score Portability Creates More Opportunities for Candidates
NextGen UBE jurisdictions are not required to accept transferred scores prior to their debut administrations. But jurisdictions are choosing to do so because they see the opportunities that portability offers to candidates.
“We understand that the policy decisions about passing standards and score portability are fully within the discretion of each jurisdiction’s highest court,” says Judith Gundersen, President and CEO for the National Conference of Bar Examiners. “We are grateful that so many courts have announced their intention to accept NextGen scores—most beginning with the July 2026 exam—to achieve widespread score portability for candidates.”
Score portability gives candidates more opportunities regarding where they develop their legal careers. With portability, examinees can sit in one participating jurisdiction and then pursue admission in another without needing to retake the exam. Some candidates might prefer to live and work in a different jurisdiction than where they attended law school. Other factors, such as finances, family obligations, or a spouse’s military assignment, might require moving to another jurisdiction. In all cases, portability remains essential. The more jurisdictions participate in portability, the more opportunities candidates have.
The decision to participate in portability doesn’t happen overnight. Much deliberation occurs among jurisdictional leaders before electing to make a policy change that allows candidates to transfer NextGen UBE passing scores. NCBE is humbled to partner with many of these leaders, offering additional insight and evidence in support of portability alongside a shared commitment to serving candidates and their needs. These collaborative efforts are supported by psychometric and candidate research that supplies jurisdictions with useful data. Webinars, educational resources, and other information-sharing initiatives with law schools, bar admissions offices, and supreme court leaders further aid the policy decision-making process.
Conclusion
Dozens of jurisdictions have adopted NextGen score portability, with more weighing their choices. Each decision around portability affects the nationwide legal landscape and candidates’ options for pursuing the practice of law. Thus, portability decisions must remain grounded in what is best not only for candidates but for the jurisdictions and profession as a whole. As the NextGen UBE launch draws closer, jurisdictions will solidify their policies around score portability—and hopefully, the compact will continue to grow.
Sabrina Dubbert is Editorial Assistant for the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
[1] The full order announcing New Mexico’s acceptance of NextGen UBE transferred scores is available at https://supremecourt.nmcourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/S-1-AO-2026-00023-Next-Gen-Bar-Examination-Administration-and-Scoring.-Attest.pdf.