The Idaho State Bar Admissions Department administers the rules governing admission to the practice of law in Idaho. Attorneys can be admitted by taking the Idaho Bar Examination, transferring a Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) score to Idaho, or based on their experience practicing law in another state. The Admissions Department also oversees limited admission to the practice of law in Idaho through a House Counsel license (working in-house for an Idaho employer), Emeritus Attorney license (limited license to do pro bono work), Military Spouse Provisional admission (servicemember spouse is stationed in Idaho), pro hac vice admission, and Legal Intern licenses.

Admissions Statistics

In 2025, our department saw 395 people apply for admission to practice law in Idaho. Of those applicants, 184 were applicants to sit for the bar examination, 62 were applying to transfer their UBE score, five were House Counsel applicants, one for Emeritus Status and 143 were Experienced Attorney applicants.

2025 Experienced Attorney Admission applications leveled off following a large increase in 2024 after the Idaho Supreme Court entered an order amending the admissions rules to allow for a broader group of experienced attorneys from other states to be admitted without having to sit for the bar examination in Idaho.

41 people took the February 2025 Bar Exam, and the pass rate was 51.2 percent. 143 people took the July 2025 Bar Exam, and the pass rate was 81.1 percent. The overall pass rate for both bar exams was 74.5 percent, which is an increase from 66.2 percent in 2024. 48 people took the February 2026 Bar Exam, and the pass rate was 45.8 percent.

2025 Resolution Results & NextGen Bar Exam

On February 21, 2025, the Idaho Supreme Court entered an order amending the admissions rules consistent with Resolution 24-01, replacing the UBE with the NextGen Bar Exam commencing in July 2026. Idaho is among the first nine jurisdictions administering the NextGen Bar Exam this July.    

In conjunction with the adoption of NextGen, the Board of Commissioners, the Idaho State Bar, and the Idaho Supreme Court agreed to set the NextGen Bar Exam passing score at 616, which is the equivalent to a score of 266 on the current UBE. The Board and the Court also agreed to lower the current UBE score from 270 to 266, effective for the February 2026 Bar Exam, which was Idaho’s last administration of the UBE.

Wrapping Up & Looking Forward

The Idaho State Bar just finished administering the last UBE in February and is looking forward to the NextGen Bar exam in July. Although we do not have a final count on applicants who will sit for the July 2026 Bar Examination, we have heard a lot of excitement regarding the rollout of NextGen. The Admissions Department is working through remaining details and adjusting to ensure smooth and successful administration of the NextGen Bar Examination in July.

            If you have any questions or need to contact someone in the Admissions Department, you can email Tasha at tsorrells-landeros@isb.idaho.gov or call (208) 334-4500.

Tasha Sorrells-Landeros is the Admissions Administrator of the Idaho State Bar. Her job duties include overseeing bar admissions in Idaho. She was promoted to this position after working as the Admissions Analyst for the Idaho State Bar. Tasha is a long-term resident of Boise, graduating from Boise High. Tasha comes from a 20-year career in the Mortgage/Real Estate industry before joining the Idaho State Bar staff in 2024.