Bar Eligibility

The University of Dayton Online Hybrid J.D. Program leads to a Juris Doctor degree. One of the designed outcomes of the program is to fulfill the academic eligibility requirements to sit for a state bar examination. This program does not lead to an individual license or a guarantee of license.

Each jurisdiction sets its own criteria for admission to the bar and to sit for its bar examination, which includes an applicant’s legal education. As graduates of an ABA-accredited law school, and an ABA- approved program, Dayton J.D. graduates will satisfy most jurisdictions’ current legal education requirements and may be eligible to sit for the bar exam in most states.

As of March 2, 2021, there are two states that do not currently recognize hybrid J.D. programs as meeting their legal education requirements: Alabama and New York. The University of Dayton Online Hybrid J.D. Program is constantly evaluating state requirements and believes with time these jurisdictions may eventually recognize the value of the hybrid J.D. format.

Applicants should note that bar exam eligibility is complicated and exam eligibility, admission requirements, and rule interpretations can change. The School of Law advises applicants to review the legal education and bar eligibility requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission to the bar.

Uniform Bar Examination (UBE)

The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners to test knowledge and skills that every lawyer should be able to demonstrate prior to becoming licensed to practice law. It is comprised of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks, and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). It results in a portable score that can be used to apply for admission in other UBE jurisdictions. It is uniformly administered, graded, and scored in accordance with best practices by jurisdictions that adopt it.

The UBE is administered over two days, with the MBE given on the last Wednesday of February and July and the MEE and MPT given on the Tuesday prior to that. Jurisdictions that use the UBE may also require applicants to complete a jurisdiction-specific law component.

Dayton J.D. students should note that while Ohio has adopted the UBE, each jurisdiction establishes its own requirements for sitting for the bar exam and subsequent admission to the bar. These requirements may vary even among jurisdictions that have adopted the UBE. Applicants should verify the Dayton J.D. program fulfills the requirements in the jurisdiction they wish to practice.