Are you taking the bar exam this year? As you prepare to take the bar exam, we would like to share some helpful resources to finance bar-related expenses.
For J.D. students, California bar exam fees are added to the Cost of Attendance (COA) automatically, starting the 2023-24 academic year. Please read this document for a detailed explanation of the update to the COA. The table below reflects how much is added to your budget for the bar exam fees and for which semester the bar fees are added.
|
Bar Registration |
$150 |
1L Fall semester |
|
Determination of Moral Character Application |
$725 |
3L Spring Semester |
|
Live Scan Fingerprint |
$82 |
3L Spring Semester |
|
Application Fee |
$850 |
3L Spring Semester |
|
Laptop Computer Fee |
$153 |
3L Spring Semester |
|
Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) fee |
$160 |
3L Fall Semester |
|
TOTAL |
$2,120 |
|
If you are taking multiple bar exams or your actual bar exam costs are higher than the costs included in your budget, you may complete the Cost of Attendance Adjustment Request (COAAR) to ask for an additional bar exam fee. Please note that you cannot request a COAAR for the bar exam fees that are already included in your budget. If you are borrowing student loans to cover your bar exam fees, it is important that you set aside this money to pay for bar exam fees as you may not be asked to pay the fees when your loan is disbursed to you. You may find more information about federal loans under the Bar Loans section below.
For law students in programs other than JD: If you are taking a bar exam, you could request the bar exam fees (listed above) to be added to your Cost of Attendance by completing the Cost of Attendance Adjustment Request (COAAR).
COSTS NOT COVERED: Bar exam courses and Bar prep material
There are two types of bar study loans available: University Bar Study Loans and Private Bar Study Loans. You can find more details about both on the Loans page.
Some organizations offer scholarships and fellowships to help cover bar preparation and exam expenses. You can explore a list of scholarship databases on our scholarships page that may include bar-related funding opportunities.