Admission to the Bar in South Carolina under Rule 402, SCACR
Except for limited certificates of admission, foreign legal consultants, and pro hac vice
admissions, applicants seeking admission to practice law in South Carolina must comply with
the requirements set forth in Rule 402 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules (SCACR).
Electronic Communications
All information and announcements are posted on the Office of Bar Admissions' webpage at scbaradmissions.sccourts.org. Applicants are expected to regularly visit this webpage to review
the announcements and information posted there. Applicants are also required to maintain a
current email address and mailing address on their personal bar application account and to
regularly read all mail from the Office of Bar Admissions, whether sent electronically or by the
postal service. Applicants must use an email address that can be accessed after graduation from
law school. Applicants must ensure that emails from the Office of Bar Admissions are not filtered
as spam and should add noreply@scbaradmissions.sccourts.org to their email address book.
Application for Admission to Practice Law by Uniform Bar Examination
The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is composed of the Multistate Performance Test (MPT),
Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), and it is
prepared by and administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). An
applicant taking the UBE in South Carolina must sit for all portions of the examination in South
Carolina, and may not use scores from a previous examination to satisfy this requirement. The
UBE is graded in accordance with the standards established by the NCBE. For applicants who
desire to take the UBE in South Carolina, applications for admission are accepted from
December 1 to January 31 for the July exam and from August 1 to September 30 for the
February exam. However, applications received from January 11 to January 31 for the July
exam and from September 1 to September 30 for the February exam are accepted, but a late fee
will be assessed.
The non-refundable application fee is currently set at $1,000.00. However, all applicants who
have been admitted to practice law for more than one year in another jurisdiction, the District of
Columbia, or another country at the time the application for admission is filed, must pay an
additional fee of $750.00. If an application is subsequently withdrawn, the Office of Bar
Admissions will not issue a refund or credit the application fee(s) to a future application
| Application
| Filing Fee Amount
| Late Filing Fee Amount
| Admitted 1 Year or More
|
| February |
August 1 – August 31
$1,000 |
September 1 – September 30
$1,500 |
Additional $750 |
| July |
December 1 – January 10
$1,000 |
January 11 – January 31
$1,500 |
Additional $750 |
| UBE Transfer |
$1,000 |
N/A |
Additional $750 |
General Requirements for Admission to Practice Law by Uniform Bar Examination
An applicant will not be admitted to practice law in South Carolina unless the applicant meets the following requirements.
- Is at least twenty-one years of age;
- Is of good moral character;
- Has received a JD or LLB degree from a law school that was approved by the Council of the
Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association at
the time the degree was conferred;
- Has been found qualified by a panel of the Committee on Character and Fitness;
- Has, within three years of the date the application is filed, received a score of 266 or higher
on the UBE administered in South Carolina or any other jurisdiction. ( For an examination
administered in February, the three-year period begins on March 1 following the
examination. For an examination administered in July, the three-year period begins on
August 1 following the examination.);
- Has, within three years of the date the application is filed, received a scaled score of at least
seventy-seven on the MPRE. ( The three-year period runs from the date of administration of
the MPRE. While an application for admission will be accepted without proof of completion
of this requirement, applicants are warned that failure to timely submit proof of completion
of this requirement may significantly delay admission.);
- Is not disbarred, suspended from the practice of law, or the subject of any pending
disciplinary proceeding in another jurisdiction;
- Has successfully completed a Course of Study on South Carolina Law coordinated through
the South Carolina Bar. The content and method of delivery of this Course of Study shall be
determined by the Board of Law Examiners. ( The Course of Study may not be taken prior to
the filing of a complete application with the Clerk of the Supreme Court. Successful
completion of the Course of Study may be used for subsequent applications filed within three
years of the date of completion of the Course of Study. Applicants are warned that the
failure to promptly complete this requirement may significantly delay admission.);
- Has paid all required fees; and
- Has taken the oath or affirmation set forth in Rule 402(h)(3), SCACR.
