Office of Bar Admissions

July 2020 Bar Examination and the Coronavirus Pandemic

The Supreme Court of South Carolina intends to administer the July Bar Examination on July 28-29, 2020. The Court will continue to evaluate the COVID-19 crisis, including state and federal directives and guidance, to determine if the Bar Examination can be safely administered in July. If it is not possible to conduct the examination in July, the Court intends to administer the Bar Examination on September 9-10, 2020, to the applicants who would have taken the Examination in July.

Regardless of whether the Bar Examination is conducted in July or September, applicants should be aware that they may be required to wear face masks or comply with other requirements to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 infection during the administration of the Examination. Any applicant who fails to fully comply with these requirements, or exhibits fever or other symptoms of COVID-19 infection, may be excluded from the Examination. Further, the time to register applicants before each session may be significantly longer than normal. Applicants will be advised of the COVID-19 related requirements in the letter authorizing them to sit for the July Examination, and it is anticipated this letter will be sent out by July 1, 2020.

The Court is aware that applicants may be hesitant to take the Examination in July due to the risk posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, or that some applicants may not desire to take the Examination under the restrictions which may be imposed. Therefore, if an applicant withdraws his or her application to sit for the July 2020 Bar Examination by July 1, 2020, the applicant will be allowed to apply for the February 2021 Bar Examination without paying any additional filing fee.

The Court deeply regrets the stress and uncertainty the COVID-19 crisis has caused the applicants for the July 2020 Bar Examination.

This webpage will be updated to reflect any changes that are made to the status of the July Bar Examination.

The Court has issued an order regarding admissions to persons to practice law in South Carolina during the coronavirus emergency Admission of Persons to Practice Law During the Coronavirus Emergency.

The results of the February 2020 Uniform Bar Examination will be posted at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2020.

The results of the February 2020 Uniform Bar Examination administered in South Carolina were posted on this page at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2020. Additionally, a letter notifying each bar applicant of his or her score was uploaded into each examinee's account on the Bar Admissions web page. Telephonic requests for information about these results will not be accepted until 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 20, 2020.

You must have Adobe Reader installed to view the results. A free download is available at http://get.adobe.com/reader.

INFORMATION ABOUT BAR ADMISSIONS AND COVID-19

The Court is monitoring developments regarding COVID-19. The Office of Bar Admissions is operating, and staff are working remotely to handle various requests and other matters. Staff may be reached by calling 803-734-1080. There are no plans at this time to cancel or alter the July 2020 bar exam. We recognize this is a fluid situation, and the status of the July 2020 bar exam may change. Please carefully monitor this website for further developments. You may also monitor NCBE’s information posted at http://www.ncbex.org/ or http://www.ncbex.org/ncbe-covid-19-updates/.

Results of the July 2019 Uniform Bar Examination and Swearing-In Ceremony

Results of the July 2019 Uniform Bar Examination

The results of the July 2019 Uniform Bar Examination will be posted at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 11, 2019.

Swearing-In Ceremony Cancelled Due to Hurricane Florence

Due to Hurricane Florence, the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Monday, September 17, 2018, has been cancelled. The Office of Bar Admissions will contact the bar applicants involved to reschedule their swearing-in ceremony.

Announcement Concerning Computer-Based Testing for July 2018 Uniform Bar Examination

Applicants interested in using laptops to complete their answers to the written components of the July 2018 South Carolina Uniform Bar Examination must complete and return the attached "Request to Participate" form by Friday,June 8, 2018.

Revised Website for the Office of Bar Admissions

The Website for the Office of Bar Admissions of the Supreme Court of South Carolina has been revised completely.  This revised website provides detailed information about various areas of responsibility assigned to the Office of Bar Admissions, including links to applicable court rules and forms.  Among other things, these areas include the admission of persons to practice law in South Carolina (including limited certificates of admission), pro hac vice admissions, licensing of foreign legal consultants, and the issuance of certificates of good standing.

Rule Amendments Regarding the Uniform Bar Examination

Beginning in February 2017, South Carolina will use the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.  To implement this change, the Court has filed an order amending Rule 402 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules.

As indicated by the amended rule, a UBE score of 266 or higher will be required for admission in South Carolina.  Further, applications seeking admission based on an existing UBE score from another jurisdiction will not be accepted until May 1, 2017. 

In place of the Bridge the Gap Program which is currently required for admission, the amended rule requires applicants to successfully complete a Course of Study on South Carolina Law.  This Course of Study will be an on-line course that can be completed in less than 8 hours.  The South Carolina Board of Law Examiners is currently developing this Course of Study, and it is anticipated that this Course of Study will be available by January 1, 2017, at the latest.

Persons desiring to take the bar examination in South Carolina should carefully review the amended rule to determine the filing deadlines and other requirements.