NextGen UBE Score Portability: Same “Uniform” Exam Name, Three Different Transfer Rules (so far)

For years, the Uniform Bar Examination portability pitch was simple: take the exam in one UBE jurisdiction place, transfer an eligible score to another UBE jurisdiction.

The NextGen UBE transition is turning that simple idea into a more complicated planning problem, especially during the July 2026 through February 2028 window when some jurisdictions will be administering the NextGen UBE and others will still be offering the Legacy UBE.

Recently, the landscape has started to come into focus, although not necessarily in a uniform way. Jurisdictions are taking at least three different approaches to whether they will accept transferred NextGen scores while they continue administering the Legacy UBE.

1️⃣ “No early NextGen transfers”

Some jurisdictions could be saying: We’ll adopt NextGen UBE on our start date, and we will not take transferred NextGen UBE scores from earlier administrations.

New York this week adopted this position. New York will switch to the NextGen UBE in July 2028, and it announced on Jan. 8 that it will not accept transferred NextGen scores from any NextGen UBE exam administered prior to July 2028.

What does this mean? If a student takes the NextGen UBE somewhere else between July 2026 and February 2028, that score should be assumed not transferable to New York. For anyone who wants New York as an end destination, this is a major strategy consideration because it can quietly convert “one exam plan” into “possible retake later” planning.

New York will continue to accept Legacy UBE transfer scores consistent with its current policies during the transition window.

2️⃣ “Yes, but only after we set our cut score”

Other jurisdictions may take a different approach: We plan to accept transferred NextGen scores starting with the early NextGen administrations, but we will not accept them until we set our own NextGen passing score for transfer.

Illinois fits this model. Illinois will first administer NextGen in February 2028, but it has announced its intention to accept transferred NextGen scores beginning with the July 2026 NextGen administration, once Illinois establishes its NextGen passing score, which will take place no later than July 31, 2026.

3️⃣ “Yes, and we’ll use the originating jurisdiction’s passing score”

Kansas adds a wrinkle.

Kansas will continue administering the Legacy UBE through February 2028 and will transition to NextGen UBE in July 2028, but Kansas has updated its rules to allow score transfer based on either exam.

Here is the key Kansas move: For applicants who take the NextGen UBE in another jurisdiction, Kansas will accept the minimum passing NextGen score set by the jurisdiction where the applicant took the exam.

So, at least for transferred NextGen UBE scores, Kansas is effectively tying “passing” to the originating jurisdiction’s standard rather than waiting to announce a Kansas-specific NextGen transfer cut score. That is a very different portability model than Illinois.

The Takeaway

The NextGen UBE transition isn't just about changing question types. It's almost about changing portability strategy.

Because right now, the “uniform” part is in the exam title. But the transfer rules are anything but uniform.