Short answer: The February 2027 bar exam is on February 23–24, 2027. Many first filing deadlines have already passed, but late windows stay open into November, December and January. Some examples, confirmed with the boards: Texas December 1 ($300 late fee), California January 4, Virginia December 15, Illinois November 30, Tennessee December 1, and Georgia January 15 for applicants already certified fit. Repeat takers often get their own, later deadline.
We confirmed 23 jurisdictions' dates on each board's own site, 22 of them in October 2026; the first table shows those. For the rest, we show what NCBE's Comprehensive Guide lists, with a warning. When we compared the two, 6 of the 22 boards we could check against NCBE's chart gave different dates. Deadlines are strict, so check your board before you count on any date here.
February 2027 deadlines confirmed with the board
| Jurisdiction | February 2027 filing deadlines | Repeat takers and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | December 1, 2026 ($876) | Reapplicants from February or July 2026 pay $618 |
| California | Timely November 2, 2026; final January 4, 2027 | |
| Colorado | Timely October 31; late November 30, 2026 | |
| Connecticut | First October 31 ($900); final November 30, 2026 ($1,000) | Deadlines are final |
| Delaware | Early filing November 3; final December 1, 2026 | July 2026 applicants pay the early fees ($700 or $800) |
| District of Columbia | Closed October 21 (750 seats) | Unsuccessful July 2026 applicants: October 30 (9 a.m. ET) to November 6, or until the reserved seats fill |
| Georgia | Regular until 4 p.m. January 1, 2027; final until 4 p.m. January 15, 2027 ($500 late fee) | You must already hold a Certification of Fitness. The Fitness Application window for February closed October 7 |
| Guam | December 15, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ($1,000) | Exam February 24–25 local time |
| Hawaii | November 1, 2026 | Checked September 9 |
| Idaho | Timely October 1; late November 15, 2026 | Reexamination forms due November 15 |
| Illinois | Regular September 15 ($500); late November 1 ($700); final November 30, 2026 ($1,000) | Reexamination: November 1 ($500) or November 30 ($850) |
| Louisiana | November 1; late filing to December 15, 2026 | Reapplications to December 15. Exam February 15, 17 and 19 |
| Minnesota | Timely October 15; late December 1, 2026 ($200) | Repeaters file by December 1 with no late fee |
| Missouri | Timely October 1; late November 2; final December 1, 2026 | |
| New York | October 1–31, 2026 | Failing July 2026 candidates: 11:59 p.m. ET on October 31, not extended (results came out October 23) |
| Northern Mariana Islands | December 22, 2026; late January 5, 2027 | Exam February 24–25 local time |
| Oklahoma | September 1; October 1 (+$50); final November 1, 2026 (+$150) | Repeat takers: December 15 |
| Oregon | Timely November 16; late December 15, 2026 | Passing score rises to 620 from February 2027 |
| Rhode Island | October 1 to December 1, 2026 | No late filing. A weekend deadline moves to the next business day |
| Tennessee | Final December 1, 2026 | Same date for first-time and re-examination applicants |
| Texas | Timely September 1; late November 1 ($150); final December 1, 2026 ($300) | Applicants awaiting results from the last Texas exam: 30 days after results, no late fee |
| Virginia | December 15, 2026 (statutory deadline; check the board's rules on how the application must arrive) | Laptop registration January 13–31 |
| Washington | First October 5; late November 5, 2026 ($300 late fee) | Failed the last exam: extended deadline December 5 |
Checked on each board's site between October 15 and 22, 2026, except Hawaii (September 9); New York's retake deadline was re-checked on October 24, after its results. Dates are 2026 unless marked. Fees are shown where the board lists them next to the deadline.
Other jurisdictions: NCBE's listing (confirm with your board)
| Jurisdiction | First deadline | Late deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Oct. 1 | — | |
| Arizona | Oct. 31 | Nov. 30 | |
| Arkansas | Nov. 15 | — | |
| Florida | Nov. 15 | Dec. 15 / Jan. 15 | |
| Indiana | Nov. 15 | Nov. 30 | NCBE: repeaters have separate deadlines |
| Iowa | Nov. 1 | — | NCBE: final and cannot be waived |
| Kansas | Oct. 1 | Nov. 1 | |
| Kentucky | Oct. 1 | Dec. 10 | |
| Maine | Dec. 20 | — | |
| Maryland | Dec. 1 | — | |
| Massachusetts | About 75 days before the exam | — | |
| Michigan | Nov. 1 | Dec. 15 | |
| Mississippi | Sept. 1 | Nov. 1 | |
| Montana | Oct. 1 | — | NCBE: no specific allowance for late filing |
| Nebraska | Oct. 15 | — | |
| New Hampshire | Dec. 1 | — | |
| New Jersey | Oct. 31 | Nov. 15 / Nov. 30 | |
| New Mexico | Nov. 1 | Dec. 15 | |
| North Carolina | Oct. 6 | Nov. 3 | |
| North Dakota | Oct. 1 | Nov. 1 | |
| Ohio | Nov. 1 | Dec. 10 | |
| Pennsylvania | Oct. 30 | Nov. 30 / Dec. 15 | |
| South Carolina | Aug. 31 | Sep. 30 | |
| South Dakota | Nov. 1 | — | |
| Utah | Oct. 1 | — | |
| Vermont | Nov. 15 | — | |
| West Virginia | Nov. 1 | Dec. 1 | |
| Wisconsin | Dec. 1 | Jan. 1 | |
| Wyoming | Nov. 20 | — | |
| US Virgin Islands | Dec. 1 | — |
From NCBE's Comprehensive Guide (charts 7 and 11), read October 22, 2026; we could not confirm these with the boards. Nevada has no traditional February exam since its new licensing pathway replaced it, Puerto Rico tests in March and September, and NCBE lists no February 2027 deadline for Palau.
Why the warning? Six of the 22 boards we checked against NCBE's chart gave different dates:
- Delaware: November 3 and December 1, not November 5 and December 3.
- Missouri: late deadline November 2, not November 1 (a Sunday).
- Oklahoma: first deadline September 1, not September 3.
- Oregon: timely deadline November 16, not November 15 (a Sunday).
- Tennessee: one final deadline, December 1. NCBE adds a December 20 date the board doesn't list.
- Washington: a November 5 late deadline that NCBE doesn't list.
NCBE's note on New York's filing window is also out of date: the Board of Law Examiners takes February applications October 1–31.
Repeat takers: the later windows
If you failed in July, several boards give you more time than first-time applicants get:
- Texas: 30 days after the Board delivers your results, no late fee.
- New York: 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 31 (results came out October 23). The Board says it won't be extended.
- District of Columbia: reserved seats from October 30 to November 6.
- Washington: an extended deadline of December 5.
- Oklahoma: December 15 for repeat takers.
- Minnesota: December 1 with no late fee.
- Louisiana: reapplications until December 15.
- Illinois: reexamination applications by November 1, or November 30 with the higher fee.
- Idaho: reexamination forms by November 15.
July 2026 results are still coming in, and some boards close the retake window within days of them. The results by state tracks release dates, the attempt limits cover how many tries you get, and the repeat-taker guide compares what to use this time.
July 2027: the dates published so far
| Jurisdiction | July 2027 filing deadlines |
|---|---|
| New York | Filing period March 1–31, 2027 |
| Texas | Registration opens December 4, 2026; timely February 1, late April 1 ($150), final May 1, 2027 ($300) |
| Minnesota (NextGen from July 2027) | Registration opens December 3, 2026; timely March 1, late April 1, 2027 ($300). Unsuccessful February 2027 examinees: May 1 |
| Idaho | Timely March 1; late April 15, 2027 |
| Illinois | Regular February 15; late April 1; final April 30, 2027 |
| Georgia | Bar exam application March 1 to June 1, final to June 15, 2027. The Fitness Application for July 2027 is open now: regular until December 2, 2026, final until March 3, 2027 |
| Virginia | May 10, 2027 |
| Delaware | Opens mid-February 2027, closes early May 2027 |
| Rhode Island | March 1 to May 1, 2027 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | May 21; late June 4, 2027 |
Most other boards open July windows between December and March. Twelve jurisdictions give their first NextGen exam in July 2027; the July 2027 guide covers which ones.
Two costs to plan for on a NextGen exam
- NCBE's technology fee. NextGen candidates pay NCBE a $149 technology fee through their NCBE Account, separate from the board's application fee.
- Laptop registration through NCBE. In Minnesota, for example, the board says NextGen laptop registration happens through NCBE.
For what the exam costs state by state, see how much the bar exam costs. For the February calendar itself, see the dates and registration guide.
Sources
- NCBE, Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements, Chart 7 (UBE jurisdictions) and Chart 11 (non-UBE jurisdictions), read October 22, 2026
- NCBE, registering for the NextGen UBE
- Board sites, October 15–22, 2026:
- Alaska Bar Association, announcements
- State Bar of California, dates and deadlines
- Colorado, important dates
- Connecticut Bar Examining Committee, February 2027 bar exam
- Delaware Board of Bar Examiners, home page
- DC Committee on Admissions, announcements
- Georgia Office of Bar Admissions, deadlines and fees
- Supreme Court of Guam, February 2027 notice
- Hawaii, bar application
- Idaho State Bar, bar exam
- Illinois Board of Admissions, announcements and Rule 706
- Louisiana Committee on Bar Admissions, home page
- Minnesota Board of Law Examiners, February 2027 and July 2027
- Missouri Board of Law Examiners, key dates
- New York Board of Law Examiners, home page
- CNMI Judiciary, bar admissions
- Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, news
- Oregon Board of Bar Examiners, announcements
- Rhode Island Judiciary, admission to the bar
- Tennessee Board of Law Examiners, home page
- Texas Board of Law Examiners, deadlines
- Virginia Board of Bar Examiners, deadlines
- Washington State Bar Association, fees and deadlines
