Pennsylvania is one of the more straightforward American jurisdictions to qualify in, with one significant complication approaching. The state administers the Uniform Bar Examination, which means the exam is portable, but it has announced that it will move to the NextGen bar examination in July 2028. Anyone starting law school in 2026 needs to know which exam they will actually sit, because the two are not the same test.
This guide sets out the route in order, then deals with the transition.
The route in five steps
Step one: the undergraduate degree. No particular major is required. American law schools admit from every discipline, and Pennsylvania imposes no subject requirement at this stage.
Step two: law school. The standard path is a Juris Doctor from a law school approved by the American Bar Association. Pennsylvania has a substantial number of law schools across Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and elsewhere, and there is no requirement to attend a school in the state.
Step three: the MPRE. The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination is a separate ethics examination administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners several times a year. Pennsylvania's published minimum passing score is 75. Most candidates sit it after their second year, and it is worth clearing early because it is one requirement you can remove from bar summer.
Step four: the bar examination. Pennsylvania administers the Uniform Bar Examination, made up of the Multistate Bar Examination, the Multistate Essay Examination, and the Multistate Performance Test, scored out of 400. The published minimum passing score for Pennsylvania is 270. For applications relying on UBE administrations before February 2024, a minimum scaled score of 272 has been reported as continuing to apply, which matters only to candidates transferring older scores.
Step five: character and fitness, and admission. Applications are handled by the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners. The character and fitness investigation examines your financial history, criminal record, academic discipline record, and, above all, your candour. Disclose everything. Applications are far more often delayed by omissions than by the underlying facts.
Transferring a UBE score into Pennsylvania
Because Pennsylvania is a UBE jurisdiction, a qualifying score earned in another UBE state can be transferred rather than resat. The published maximum age for a transferred score in Pennsylvania is 30 months.
Two practical consequences follow. If you sat the UBE elsewhere and scored at least 270, you may be able to be admitted in Pennsylvania without taking another examination, subject to the state's other requirements. And if your score is approaching the 30 month mark, the clock matters more than anything else in your plan, because after it expires the score is gone and the exam must be retaken.
Score portability is the most valuable and most wasted feature of the Uniform Bar Examination. Candidates routinely let a qualifying score expire while deciding where to practise. Check the date on your score report before you check anything else.
The July 2028 change, and who it affects
Pennsylvania has announced that it intends to administer the NextGen UBE from July 2028, with the legacy UBE running through February 2028. The published minimum passing score for the NextGen examination in Pennsylvania is 620, on a different scale from the legacy score of 270.
The NextGen examination is a redesign rather than a rebrand. It is built around integrated question sets that test foundational legal skills alongside doctrine, rather than separating multiple choice, essays, and performance tasks into three distinct components. Preparation materials, commercial courses, and law school curricula are all adapting to it.
| If you graduate | You will most likely sit | Passing score to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Legacy UBE | 270 of 400 |
| 2027 | Legacy UBE | 270 of 400 |
| 2028 or later | NextGen UBE | 620 |
| Repeating after February 2028 | NextGen UBE | 620 |
That last row is the one people miss. A candidate who fails the legacy exam in February 2028 does not get to retake the same test. Their next Pennsylvania sitting would be the NextGen examination, with different preparation. If you are close to the transition, treat the final legacy administrations as the ones that count.
Confirm all dates and scores with the Board before relying on them, since transition schedules have moved in other jurisdictions.
What the Pennsylvania market looks like once you are admitted
Under Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, lawyers in Pennsylvania recorded a median annual wage near USD 157,180, which placed the state eleventh in the country, with a 90th percentile near USD 323,370. Paralegals and legal assistants in the state numbered about 14,670 with a median near USD 63,370, slightly above the national paralegal median of about USD 62,890.
The state has two very different legal economies. Philadelphia is a large firm and complex litigation market, examined in legal jobs in Philadelphia, and it anchors the eastern half of the state along with the pharmaceutical and life sciences corridor. Pittsburgh is a distinct market built around healthcare systems, universities, energy, and advanced manufacturing. Harrisburg carries the state government and regulatory work. Between them sit a large number of county seats with strong small firm practices, where the state median understates what an established practitioner earns because the survey largely excludes the self employed.
The full state comparison is set out in lawyer salary by state.
Practical advice for the Pennsylvania route
Sit the MPRE early. It is the one requirement fully in your control before graduation.
Register with the Board on time. Bar application deadlines are earlier than most students expect, and late registration carries fees and, in some cycles, refusal.
Start character and fitness disclosure collection in your second year. Old traffic matters, academic discipline, and financial history take time to document, and the delay is almost always in retrieving records rather than in the Board's review.
If you are already admitted elsewhere, check both routes before assuming you must sit an exam: score transfer if you hold a qualifying UBE score within the portability window, or the state's admission route for experienced lawyers admitted in another jurisdiction. The comparison between state routes is set out in how to become a lawyer in New York and how to become a lawyer in Illinois.
Frequently asked questions
What score do I need to pass the Pennsylvania bar exam?
The published minimum passing score for the legacy Uniform Bar Examination in Pennsylvania is 270 out of 400. For applications relying on UBE administrations before February 2024, a minimum of 272 has been reported as continuing to apply. The published minimum for the NextGen examination, from July 2028, is 620 on its own scale.
Does Pennsylvania accept a UBE score from another state?
Yes. Pennsylvania is a UBE jurisdiction and accepts qualifying transferred scores, with a published maximum score age of 30 months. Confirm the current window and any additional requirements with the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners before relying on a transfer.
What MPRE score does Pennsylvania require?
75. The MPRE is administered separately by the National Conference of Bar Examiners several times each year, and most candidates take it after their second year of law school.
When does Pennsylvania switch to the NextGen bar exam?
Pennsylvania has announced it intends to administer the NextGen UBE from July 2028, running the legacy examination through February 2028. Anyone who might need to repeat after February 2028 should plan on the assumption that their next sitting would be the new examination.
How long does it take to become a lawyer in Pennsylvania?
Typically seven years of study, four years of undergraduate education and three years of law school, followed by the bar examination and the character and fitness process. Admission usually follows several months after the examination once results and the fitness investigation are complete.
Can I become a lawyer in Pennsylvania without going to law school?
No. Pennsylvania requires a qualifying law degree and does not offer a law office study route of the kind a small number of states still permit. Graduates of foreign law schools should check the Board's separate rules, which typically require additional qualifying study.
The bottom line
Pennsylvania is a clean UBE route with a hard deadline attached. Aim for 270, clear the MPRE at 75 early, disclose everything in character and fitness, and if you hold a transferable score watch the 30 month clock closely. If you are graduating in 2028 or later, or if there is any chance you will be repeating after February 2028, prepare for the NextGen examination and its 620 threshold rather than the exam your seniors sat.
Ready to look at the market? Browse live roles on our US legal jobs board and current placements on our US legal internships board.
This article is a general 2026 guide, not legal or career advice. Bar admission requirements, passing scores, score portability windows, and examination transition dates are set by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners and change, and transition dates have moved in other jurisdictions. Verify every requirement directly with the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners (pabarexam.org) and the National Conference of Bar Examiners (ncbex.org) before relying on it. Wage figures are May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates (bls.gov).